Keep the ball rolling with these idioms

Post author:Iza Grek
Post published:August 22, 2019
Post category:How words are formed / Origin of words / Professional writing services

pic by Joel Muniz

This week I received a rather disturbing SMS from my bank. In fact, this was the second time the bank was sending this alarming message. The first time, I checked my various banking accounts and could find nothing irregular. I assumed the bank was sending this message to the wrong customer.

However, when I received the SMS for the second time which told me there had been fraud on my account my level of alarm was raised substantially and I rushed to the bank to investigate.

There was indeed fraud on my account in the amount of about $200. I was shocked. This meant I had not kept my eye on the ball. Yet how could I? I was very sure that my credit card was always in my close view and that I had not carelessly misplaced it anywhere. I was convinced that no transaction could be done without the support of a mobile phone to confirm the PIN and complete the transaction. And yet there it was. I was short of $200 dollars on a purchase I did not make.

I had very definitely taken my eye off the ball by proceeding with a transaction on the internet with an unknown source for – now that I think about it – a rather suspicious offer. The offer $3 to buy a Samsung 10. What the site did not say, was that it was a chance to win a Samsung 10 but with no guarantee of getting the phone. The site called itself ‘charity’. Yes, their charity with my money.

Now it all starts to make sense.

So I urge you keep your eye on the ball – a sport idiom derived from the many games that are played with a ball – which simply means to stay alert and be ready for action. I was not ready at all, but fortunately the bank was.

Other ‘ball’ idioms:

Curve ball ( a difficult proposition – deriving from baseball terminology )
Different ballgame (change in circumstances)
Drop the ball (to miss out on doing something that then has bad results)
Get the ball rolling (to start something)
Got you by the balls (to have someone in an awkward, even indefensible position)
Grow a pair (show your courage)
Have a ball (have a great time)