English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
Sports - Games - Athletics
(Idioms page 1 : ball is in your court → give
the game away)
| ball is in your court | If the ball is
in your court, it is your turn to speak
or act next. We gave the manager a list of complaints, so the ball is in his court now. |
| have a ball | If
you
have a ball you enjoy yourself
immensely. The party was great. We had a ball. |
| on the ball | If you are on
the ball, you are aware of what is
happening and are able to deal with things
quickly and intelligently. We need someone who is really on the ball to head the fund-raising campaign. |
| start the ball rolling | If you start
the ball rolling, you begin an activity
in which other people will join. Let's start the ball rolling by calling on our first speaker. |
| that's the way the ball bounces | Things don't always
work out as planned, and there's nothing we
can do about it - that's life. He didn't get the prize he expected, but never mind - that's the way the ball bounces. |
| whole new ball game | To refer to
something as a
whole new ball game means that it
is a completely different situation due to a
new set of circumstances. Email and text messaging have made communication a whole new ball game. |
| dive in headfirst | If you begin something enthusiastically,
without thinking about the possible
consequences, you
dive in headfirst. Tony accepted the project without realizing the time it would take; he always dives in headfirst! |
| fishing expedition | If someone is on a
fishing expedition, they are trying to
obtain information in any way possible. The lunch invitation was clearly a fishing expedition to obtain information about his private life. |
| fishing for compliments | When someone is
obviously waiting for you to say something
nice, they are fishing for compliments. I know why she invited us to her new house - she's just fishing for compliments. |
| at this stage of the game | This expression refers to the current
point reached in a process, activity or
developing situation. At this stage of the game I think any further intervention would be unwise. Let's wait and see how things develop. |
| give the game away | If you give the game away, you
reveal a secret or a plan, often
unintentionally. He hoped nobody in the hotel would recognize him, but an employee gave the game away. |
| next... | |
Alphabetical lists :
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X-Y-Z |