to begin with

The rest of the film is a limp to the finish line, not that it was all that spry to begin with.

“But,” he said, “I’m going to begin with a hopeful expectation that there are broad areas where we can work together and move the state and the country forward.”

Trump’s rallies often bring thousands of people to small cities and towns with limited resources to begin with.

Customers argue they are not made clear enough when buying tickets to begin with.

They often interrupt the momentum, and there’s not much of that to begin with, with no attempt to create suspense regarding the verdict or any grand plan Arthur or Lee might hatch.