What does you are on the ball mean?
What does you are on the ball mean?
C1. to be quick to understand and react to things: I didn’t sleep well last night and I’m not really on the ball today.
When people say you’re on the ball?
“You are on the ball!” is a compliment, a kind thing to say to a person who is alert, making smart choices, or focused on a task.
Where does the expression on the ball come from?
Origin of On the Ball This expression likely comes from sports, and it is believed to have come from baseball specifically. It is thought to be a truncated version of the phrase keep your eye on the ball. A baseball player who keeps his or her eyes on the ball is more likely to hit the ball and get on base.
Where does the phrase on the ball?
The phrase ‘on the ball’ did actually originate in the sporting arena, but relates to the eyes rather than the feet. It is a contraction of the earlier expression ‘keep your eye on the ball’, which advice has been given to participants in virtually every known ball game.
How do you say someone is on the ball?
Find another word for on-the-ball. In this page you can discover 12 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for on-the-ball, like: attentive, awake, alive, on-one-s-toes, on-the-job, on-top-of, alert, ready, sharp, vital and with-it.
What’s another word for on the ball?
What is another word for on the ball?
| quick-witted | acute |
|---|---|
| apprehensive | attentive |
| awake | aware |
| bright | bright-eyed and bushy-tailed |
| cagey | careful |
What is the sentence of on the ball?
He was right on the ball regarding his assessment of the situation. I couldn’t sleep well last night, so am not on the ball today. When his opponent tried to sneak in a pass, the defender was right on the ball and stopped it well.
What’s another phrase for on the ball?
On-the-ball synonyms (Idiomatic) attentive, active, busy. Attentive; awake; on guard.
What is a sentence of on the ball?
If someone is on the ball, they are very alert and aware of what is happening. She really is on the ball; she’s bought houses at auctions so she knows what she’s doing.
Why do we say an alert person is on the ball?
Notes: One theory about the origin of this idiom is that it’s a description of an athlete focusing on a ball in sports. In basketball, for example, players have to stay alert and use their eyes to follow the ball as it’s passed from one player to another. They call that “keeping” their eyes on the ball.