Origin and history of outstrip

Middle English striken, from Old English strican (past tense strac, past participle stricen) "pass lightly over, stroke, smooth, rub" (senses now obsolete), also "go, move, proceed, make one's way," from Proto-Germanic *strikanan (source also of Old Norse strykva "to stroke," Old Frisian strika, Middle Dutch streken, Dutch strijken "to smooth, stroke, rub," Old High German strihhan, German streichen), from PIE root *strig- "to stroke, rub, press" (see strigil).

It is related to streak (n.) and stroke, and perhaps influenced in sense development by cognate Old Norse striuka. The sense of "go proceed, advance" is preserved in strike for "go toward."

The transitive sense of "deal a blow" developed by early 14c. The meaning "collide, impinge upon," is from mid-14c.; that of "hit with a hammer" is from mid-14c.; that of "hit with a missile" is from late 14c. To strike while the iron is hot (1560s) is an image from blacksmithing.

The meaning "cancel or expunge" (as with the stroke of a pen) is attested from late 14c. It is attested from mid-15c. as "reach or conclude" an agreement, etc. To strike a balance is from the sense "balance accounts" (1530s).

As "produce" a fire or spark "by blows or strokes" (as with a flint), from mid-15c.; in reference to matches, by 1880. Of lightning, etc., late 14c.; of diseases 1520s; of God's punishments 1570s.

The sense of "stamp with a stroke," as a coin, etc., is by mid-15c. Hence the figurative sense "imprint on the mind, impress (one) strongly" (1610s).

Of clocks, "sound the hour" (intransitive), early 15c., from the hammer striking the bell; transitive sense of "cause to sound" (a specified time) is by 1510s.

The sense in strike a pose, attitude, etc. "put oneself determinedly in, fall into" is by 1825. The sense of "come upon, find unexpectedly" (of oil, ideas, etc.) is by 1835, especially in gold-mining, well-digging, etc., hence strike it rich (1854).

The use of the word in baseball is by 1853, but the sense has reversed (see strike (n.)).

The meaning "refuse to work to force an employer to meet demands" is from 1768, perhaps from the notion of striking or "downing" one's tools, or threatening or coercive action, or from a sailors' practice of striking (lowering) a ship's sails as a symbol of refusal to go to sea (1768), which preserves the verb's original sense of "make level, smooth."

To strike as "lower" (sails) is by early 13c., later in reference to lowering the flags or colors in token of respect, but then also to do so to surrender or yield. Hence also to let down a tent (1707), theater scenery, etc. 

"remove the clothes of, deprive of covering," early 13c., strepen, a specialized sense of Old English -striepan, -strypan (transitive) "to plunder, rob, despoil" (as in West Saxon bestrypan "to plunder," Anglian -strepan). This is from Proto-Germanic *straupijan (source also of Middle Dutch stropen "to strip off, to ramble about plundering," Old High German stroufen "to strip off, plunder," German streifen "strip off, touch upon, to ramble, roam, rove"). Related: Stripped; stripping.

In reference to screw threads, "pull or tear off," by 1839; of gear wheels, by 1873. The intransitive sense of "take off one's clothes, undress" is from late 14c.; the meaning "perform a strip-tease" is by 1929.

Strip poker is attested by 1904.

"Say, Bill how, did the game come out?"

"It ended in a tie."

"Oh, were you playing strip poker?"

[The Technology Monthly and Harvard Engineering Journal, June 1916]

Hence also strip search, by 1947, in accounts of World War II prison camps.