Unsportsmanlike grammar: Touch Base vs. Touch Bases

In baseball, after hitting the ball the batter has to touch each of the four bases to score. If he misses a base and keeps running, he must go back to that base before advancing. Runners who miss a base usually are an easy out for the opposing team.

From this simple sports rule arises two widely used verbal phases – touch base and touch bases. One of the phrases is considered standard and gets writers a figurative score; the other phrase is certain to garner an out, though.

Touch base is the correct phrase to use. It means to “quick check with someone,” as in Let me quick touch base with Kevin before sending the email.

Touch bases might be correct in baseball, but it doesn’t really work when you mean to say “quick check with someone.” If you wrote “I need to touch bases with some people,” that would mean you need to check in multiple times with multiple people rather than you first need to check in with several people.

Two other incorrect variants of the verbal phrase also are misheard versions – touch basis and touching basis. Neither makes much sense though each may sound right.

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