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drop the ball

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drop the ball

 

1. . Lit. [in a ball game of some type] to let the ball get away or fall out of one's grasp. Good grief! Bill dropped the ball, just as he was about to score!

2. Fig. to make a blunder; to fail in some way. Everything was going fine in the election until my campaign manager dropped the ball. You can't trust John to do the job right. He's always dropping the ball.

See also: ball, drop

drop the ball

to fail to keep working to reach a goal Public schools have pretty much dropped the ball on arts education.

Etymology: based on games like football in which all play stops if the ball is dropped

See also: ball, drop

drop the ball

  (American informal)

to make a mistake, especially by doing something in a stupid or careless way For god's sake don't drop the ball - we're relying on you.

See also: ball, drop

drop the ball

Make an error; miss an opportunity. For example, She really dropped the ball when she forgot to call back, or He dropped the ball, turning down their offer. This expression comes from sports where a player who fails to catch a ball is charged with an error. Its use for more general kinds of mistakes dates from about 1950.

See also: ball, drop

drop the ball

tv. to fail at something; to allow something to fail. I didn’t want to be the one who dropped the ball, but I knew that someone would flub up.

See also: ball, drop

drop the ball

To make a mistake or fail to do something important.

See also: ball, drop