{"id":9070,"date":"2022-09-11T17:10:05","date_gmt":"2022-09-11T17:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=9070"},"modified":"2022-09-11T17:12:02","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T17:12:02","slug":"on-the-ball-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/on-the-ball-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Ball \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did your boss tell you you\u2019re doing a great job, and she\u2019s glad you\u2019re <strong><em>\u2018on the ball\u2019<\/em><\/strong> with the project? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression <em>\u2018on the ball\u2019 <\/em>refers to <u>someone sharp, intelligent, motivated, and capable<\/u>. They are someone that <u>doesn\u2019t need any nurturing or assistance to achieve outstanding performance<\/u> with what they do in life or in their career.<\/p>\n<p>If someone is<em> \u2018on the ball,\u2019<\/em> <u>you can rely on them to get things done at work or home. <\/u>They are <u>attentive and good with problem-solving,<\/u> and you <u>don\u2019t have to micromanage them<\/u>. Being <em>\u2018on the ball\u2019<\/em> means <u>you\u2019re a top performer<\/u>. The phrase can <u>apply to athletics, academics, or a career.<\/u><\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\"That new guy in the electronics department is on the ball. I heard him break down the components of a DSLR to a customer, and it was like listening to someone that built the thing. Amazing.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Don't worry, boss, I'm on the ball. The projects are on track, and we should have them ready before the deadline. The team is working day and night on it.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"You're really on the ball today. Have I never seen you this sharp before? What's the reason for your outstanding performance?\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Mike's on the ball. He knows what's going on and what he needs to do. It's great to have someone on the team we don't have to train from the ground up.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Don't worry. She's on the ball and has everything under control. The kids are getting unruly, but she'll sort them out.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"The waiter here is on the ball. I don't think I've had to request a thing since we sat down. We need to leave her a big tip for the outstanding service.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"I thought you were on the ball, but it looks like you dropped it instead. I don't know if you're the right fit for this company.\"<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9072\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/On-the-Ball.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/On-the-Ball.jpg 210w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/On-the-Ball-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/On-the-Ball-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-9073\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/On-the-Ball2-300x226.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"273\" height=\"206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/On-the-Ball2-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/On-the-Ball2.jpg 476w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 273px) 100vw, 273px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression 'on the ball' originates from ball sports. However, language experts are unsure of which sport spurred the idiom or who coined the phrase. The modern term is an iteration of 'keep the ball in the air,' which was popular around the 1800s.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase crossed the pond from the UK to the US in the 1900s. Baseball commentators were the first to coin the expression 'on the ball' during games. The commentator would use the phrase to describe a talented pitcher.<\/p>\n<p>Around 1989, the phrase shifted to its modern idiomatic meaning of paying attention and getting things done. J. Laughlin and W. C. Williams published their work, 'Selected Letters,' containing a letter written by Williams in 1939, where it appears as follows in the modern context.<\/p>\n<p>\"The novella by Quevedo... right on the ball.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"[Idiom Practice] Are you on the ball?\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wf0WrFFBRkI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to On the Ball<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Sharp.<\/li>\n<li>With it.<\/li>\n<li>On top of things.<\/li>\n<li>Wide-awake.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to On the Ball<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>No clue.<\/li>\n<li>No idea.<\/li>\n<li>Useless.<\/li>\n<li>Inept.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>On the ball.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say On the Ball Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase has nothing to do with balls or ball sports. Using it to describe a basketball or soccer player controlling the ball in a game is incorrect. The phrase describes someone talented, smart, and efficient at what they do.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase On the Ball<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression \u2018on the ball\u2019 to describe someone that\u2019s \u2018sharp\u2019 and aware of everything happening around them in their social and professional lives. The phrase suits social and professional use. You could say the new employee is \u2018on the ball\u2019 and fitting in well at work. Or you could say a waiter at a restaurant is \u2018on the ball\u2019 because they are always around when you need them for service.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase describes a person that\u2019s efficient and talented. So, you\u2019ll use it in situations when you find someone that you can rely on to deliver results. You can use \u2018on the ball\u2019 to describe your actions or headspace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Did your boss tell you you\u2019re doing a great job, and she\u2019s glad you\u2019re \u2018on the ball\u2019 with the project? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u2018on the ball\u2019 refers to someone sharp, intelligent, motivated, and capable. They are someone that doesn\u2019t need any nurturing or assistance to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9070"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9070"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9076,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9070\/revisions\/9076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}