Ball (redirected from take eye off the ball)

Ball  (bôl), John Called "the Mad Priest." Died 1381.

English social agitator who was executed for his role in the Peasants' Revolt (1381).

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Ball, Lucille 1911-1989.

American actress best known as the star of the popular situation comedy I Love Lucy (1951-1957).

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ball ¹  (bôl)

n.

1.

a. A spherical object or entity: a steel ball.

b. A spherical or almost spherical body: a ball of flame.

2. Sports

a. Any of various rounded, movable objects used in various athletic activities and games.

b. Such an object moving, thrown, hit, or kicked in a particular manner: a low ball; a fair ball.

c. A game, especially baseball or basketball, played with such an object.

d. A pitched baseball that does not pass through the strike zone and is not swung at by the batter.

3.

a. A solid spherical or pointed projectile, such as one shot from a cannon.

b. Projectiles of this kind considered as a group.

4. A rounded part or protuberance, especially of the body: the ball of the foot.

5. balls Vulgar Slang

a. The testicles.

b. Courage, especially when reckless.

c. Great presumptuousness.

v. balled, ball·ing, balls

v.tr.

1. To form into a ball.

2. Vulgar Slang To have sexual intercourse with.

v.intr.

1. To become formed into a ball.

2. Vulgar Slang To have sexual intercourse.

Phrasal Verb:

ball up

To confuse; bungle.

Idiom:

on the ball Informal

1. Alert, competent, or efficient: a teacher who is really on the ball.

2. Relating to qualities, such as competence, skill, or knowledge, that are necessary for success: a manager who has a lot on the ball; a student who has nothing on the ball.

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[Middle English bal, probably from Old English *beall; see bhel-² in Indo-European roots.]

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ball ²  (bôl)

n.

1. A formal gathering for social dancing.

2. Informal An extremely enjoyable time or experience: We had a ball during our vacation.

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[French bal, from Old French, from baller, to dance, from Late Latin ballre, from Greek ballizein; see g^wel- in Indo-European roots.]

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ball ¹

Noun

1. a spherical or nearly spherical mass: a ball of wool

2. a round or roundish object used in various games

3. a single delivery of the ball in a game

4. any more or less rounded part of the body: the ball of the foot

5. have the ball at one's feet to have the chance of doing something

6. on the ball Informal alert; informed

7. play ball Informal to cooperate

8. set or keep the ball rolling to initiate or maintain the progress of an action, discussion, or project

Verb

to form into a ball

See also balls, balls-up [Old Norse böllr]

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ball ²

Noun

1. a lavish or formal social function for dancing

2. have a ball Informal to have a very enjoyable time [Late Latin ballare to dance]

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Ball a round or roundish body or mass. See also clew, globe, orb.

Examples: balls [‘rings’] of cowslips, daisies, 1648; of fire; of nutmegs, 1583; of rosemary [750 Ibs], 1796; of twine, 1841; of wool, 1884; of yarn, 1572; of live crabs, 1875.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	ball - round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games; "the ball travelled 90 mph on his serve"; "the mayor threw out the first ball"; "the ball rolled into the corner pocket" baseball - a ball used in playing baseball basketball - an inflated ball used in playing basketball billiard ball - ball used in playing billiards bocce ball, bocci ball, boccie ball - wooden ball that is bowled in the Italian game of bocce bowl - a wooden ball (with flattened sides so that it rolls on a curved course) used in the game of lawn bowling bowling ball, bowl - a large ball with finger holes used in the sport of bowling cricket ball - the ball used in playing cricket croquet ball - a wooden ball used in playing croquet field hockey ball - ball used in playing field hockey football - the inflated oblong ball used in playing American football game equipment - equipment or apparatus used in playing a game golf ball - a small hard ball used in playing golf; dimpled to reduce wind resistance handball - a small rubber ball used in playing the game of handball jack - a small ball at which players aim in lawn bowling lacrosse ball - ball used in playing lacrosse marble - a small ball of glass that is used in various games medicine ball - heavy ball used in physical training ninepin ball, skittle ball - ball used to knock down ninepins ping-pong ball - light hollow ball used in playing table tennis polo ball - wooden ball that is struck with mallets in playing polo pool ball - ball used in playing pool punch bag, punchball, punching ball, punching bag - an inflated ball or bag that is suspended and punched for training in boxing racquetball - the ball used in playing the game of racquetball roulette ball - the ball used to play roulette rugby ball - inflated oval ball used in playing rugby soccer ball - an inflated ball used in playing soccer playground ball, softball - ball used in playing softball squash ball - rubber ball used in playing squash tennis ball - ball about the size of a fist used in playing tennis volleyball - an inflated ball used in playing volleyball Wiffle, Wiffle Ball - (trademark) a hollow plastic ball with cutouts
	2.	ball - a solid projectile that is shot by a musket; "they had to carry a ramrod as well as powder and ball" musket ball pellet, shot - a solid missile discharged from a firearm; "the shot buzzed past his ear"
	3.	ball - an object with a spherical shape; "a ball of fire" globe, orb crystal ball - a glass or crystal globe used in crystal gazing by fortunetellers camphor ball, mothball - a small sphere of camphor or naphthalene used to keep moths away from stored clothing time-ball - a ball that slides down a staff to show a fixed time; especially at an observatory fireball - the luminous center of a nuclear explosion fireball - a ball of fire (such as the sun or a ball-shaped discharge of lightning) globule - a small globe or ball sphere - a solid figure bounded by a spherical surface (including the space it encloses) spherule - a small sphere pellet - a small sphere bolus - a small round soft mass (as of chewed food)
	4.	ball - the people assembled at a lavish formal dance; "the ball was already emptying out before the fire alarm sounded" promenade - a march of all the guests at the opening of a formal dance dance - a party of people assembled for dancing
	5.	ball - one of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens; "she kicked him in the balls and got away" ballock, bollock, testicle, testis, orchis, egg, nut arteria testicularis, internal spermatic artery, testicular artery - a branch of the aorta supplying the testicles testicular vein, vena testicularis - a vein from the testicles male reproductive system - the reproductive system of males family jewels, male genital organ, male genitalia, male genitals - external male sex organs seminiferous tubule - any of the numerous long convoluted tubules in the testis which are the sites where spermatozoa mature gonad, sex gland - a gland in which gametes (sex cells) are produced cobblers - a man's testicles (from Cockney rhyming slang: cobbler's awl rhymes with ball) male reproductive gland - the reproductive organs of a man undescended testicle, undescended testis - a testis that fails to move into the scrotum as the male fetus develops; "undescended testicles have an increased risk for cancer" epididymis - a convoluted tubule in each testis; carries sperm to vas deferens rete testis - network of tubules carrying sperm from the seminiferous tubules to the vasa efferentia ductus deferens, vas deferens - a duct that carries spermatozoa from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct spermatic cord - a structure resembling a cord that suspends the testis within the scrotum and contains the vas deferens and other vessels and nerves
	6.	ball - a spherical object used as a plaything; "he played with his rubber ball in the bathtub" beach ball, beachball - large and light ball; for play at the seaside plaything, toy - an artifact designed to be played with snowball - snow pressed into a ball for throwing (playfully)
	7.	Ball - United States comedienne best known as the star of a popular television program (1911-1989) Lucille Ball
	8.	ball - a compact mass; "a ball of mud caught him on the shoulder" chunk, clod, glob, lump, clump clot, coagulum - a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid agglomeration - a jumbled collection or mass gob - a lump of slimy stuff; "a gob of phlegm" clew - a ball of yarn or cord or thread
	9.	ball - a lavish dance requiring formal attire formal dance - a party for social dancing cotilion, cotillion - a ball at which young ladies are presented to society fancy-dress ball, masked ball, masquerade ball - a ball at which guests wear costumes and masks prom, promenade - a formal ball held for a school class toward the end of the academic year
	10.	ball - a more or less rounded anatomical body or mass; "the ball at the base of the thumb"; "he stood on the balls of his feet" anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure - a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing; "he has good bone structure" hand, manus, mitt, paw - the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb; "he had the hands of a surgeon"; "he extended his mitt" sole - the underside of the foot
	11.	ball - the game of baseball daisy cutter - a batted or served ball that skims along close to the ground baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the area"; "play ball!"
	12.	ball - a pitch that is not in the strike zone; "he threw nine straight balls before the manager yanked him" pitch, delivery - (baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter
Verb	1.	ball - form into a ball by winding or rolling; "ball wool" twine, wrap, wind, roll - arrange or or coil around; "roll your hair around your finger"; "Twine the thread around the spool"; "She wrapped her arms around the child"

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ball

noun 1. sphere, drop, globe, pellet, orb, globule, spheroid

noun 2. projectile, shot, missile, bullet, ammunition, slug, pellet, grapeshot

Translations

ball [bɔːl] n (= sphere) → bola (= football); balón m;

(for tennis, golf etc) → pelota (= dance); baile m;

to be on the ball (fig) (= competent); ser un enterado: (= alert); estar al tanto;

to play ball (with sb) → jugar a la pelota (con algn);

(fig) → cooperar;

to start the ball rolling (fig) → empezar;

the ball is in your court (fig) → le toca a usted

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ball [bɔːl] n → boule f (= football); ballon m;

(for tennis, golf) → balle f (= dance); bal m;

to play ball → jouer au ballon (or à la balle) (fig); coopérer;

to be on the ball (fig) (= competent); être à la hauteur: (= alert); être éveillé(e) → être vif(vive);

to start the ball rolling (fig) → commencer;

the ball is in their court (fig) → la balle est dans leur camp

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ball [bɔːl] n → Ball m;

(of wool, string) → Knäuel m or nt;

to set the ball rolling (fig) → den Stein ins Rollen bringen;

to play ball (with sb) (fig) → (mit jdm) mitspielen;

to be on the ball (fig) (competent) → am Ball sein: (alert) → auf Draht or Zack sein;

the ball is in their court (fig) → sie sind am Ball

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ball [bɔːl] n → palla (= football); pallone m;

(for golf) → pallina (= dance); ballo;

to play ball (with sb) → giocare a palla (con qn);

(fig) → stare al gioco (di qn);

to be on the ball (fig) (= competent); essere in gamba: (= alert); stare all'erta;

to start the ball rolling (fig) → fare la prima mossa;

the ball is in your court (fig) → a lei la prossima mossa see also balls