Baseball Idioms
1.
Hit a home run -
Do something well
“Nice presentation. You really hit a
home run.”
2.
A ballpark figure - an estimate
“I don’t need to know the exact amount.
Just give me a ballpark figure.”
3.
Strike out - fail / get turned down for a date
“I tried to get her to go out with me,
but I struck out.”
4.
Bat a thousand - do everything perfectly
“Man, you sold another one?! You’re
really batting a thousand.”
5.
Go to bat for someone - Speak
for someone to help them
“I thought I would get kicked out of
school, but my teacher went to bat for me.”
6.
Throw a curve ball - Surprise or confuse someone
“The date was going well, but she threw
me a curve ball and said she was married.”
7.
Touch base - Talk to someone to check on plans
“Let’s touch base tomorrow about our
plans for the weekend.”
8.
Have two strikes against you - One
more bad action and you’ll be punished
“That’s it, young man! You have two
strikes against you! Don’t do it again!!”
9.
On the ball - Always ready, always doing good work
“Boy, you’re really on the ball today.
How did you know I needed that file?”
10.
A level playing field - fair
and equal
“We are giving scholarships to poor
students to create a level playing field.”
11.
To come out of left field - to
surprise / say something unrelated
“And then, during the meeting, he comes
out of left field and says “Let’s Dance!””
12.
To play the game - to follow rules and go along with
others
“Stop trying to change the system. Just
play the game like everyone else.”
13.
A long shot - not likely
“I know it’s a long shot, but I really
want to try for that job at Google.”
14.
A whole new ballgame - things
have really changed
“Being a teacher isn’t the same job
anymore. It’s a whole new ballgame.”
15.
Bush league - lame, amateur, weak, unprofessional
“You answered your phone during your job
interview?! That’s bush league.”
16.
Cover one’s bases - ensure
safety, be prepared
“I’m applying to more than one company
just to cover my bases.”
17.
Major league - big, high level
“Wow. She is a major league CEO. You
would learn a lot from her.”
18.
Off base - mistaken, disrespectful
“I can’t believe you called me a racist.
That’s off base.”
19.
Take a rain check - take a promise to do something later
“I can’t go out with you this weekend,
but can I take a rain check?”
20.
Right off the bat - without any delay
“It was the first day of school and the
teacher gave us homework right off the bat.”
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