What is the origin of the idiom "beat someone to the punch" and when to use it?

Its origins date back to boxing in the early 20th century, where a boxer who threw the first punch had a significant advantage over their opponent. The term was then adopted into everyday language to refer to getting ahead of someone in a non-physical sense. It became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly in the United States, and has remained in use ever since.