is off to a shameless start

[GoodTaste]

Does "is off to a shameless start" mean "is crazy as to have had a shameless start"?

======================
McEnany is off to a shameless start at Trump's White House, but she's better than nothing
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is dishonoring her position. But her press briefings establish a record on which to judge Donald Trump.

-from USAToday
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opin...e-claims-trump-white-house-column/3090674001/

 

[emsr2d2]

No. When we say something is "off to a/an [adjective] start", we simply means it's started in that particular way.

He's off to a good start = He's started well.
He's off to a bad start = He's started badly.

Something McEnany did right at the beginning indicated to the writer that she is shameless.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

No. When we say something is "off to a/an [adjective] start", we simply means it's started in that particular way.

He's off to a good start = He's started well.
He's off to a bad start = He's started badly.

Something McEnany did right at the beginning indicated to the writer that she is shameless.

And "right at the beginning" means "at the very beginning" — not "correctly at the beginning."

(I misread it at first.)

 

[GoodTaste]

(I misread it at first.)

Me exactly. And then I figured it out like you did.

 

[emsr2d2]

And "right at the beginning" means "at the very beginning" — not "correctly at the beginning."

(I misread it at first.)

Apologies to anyone else who misread it. I'm so used to using "right at the start/right at the end/right in the middle/right on time" etc that I just overlooked the fact that "right" could be read to mean "correct". Generally, on this forum, I use "correct" rather than "right" for that very reason.

 

[Tdol]

And better than nothing contrasts her with the previous White House Press Secretary who didn't do such briefings.