American English

American English

American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....

 has been enriched by expressions derived from the game of baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

. Sometimes referred to as "America's pastime," baseball has especially affected the language of other competitive activities such as politics and business.

This is an alphabetical list of common English language idioms based on baseball, excluding the extended metaphor

Extended metaphor

An extended metaphor, also called a conceit, is a metaphor that continues into the sentences that follow. It is often developed at great length, occurring frequently in schools coursework or throughout a work, and are especially effective in poems and fiction.Symbolism is often a great tool to use...

 referring to sex

Baseball metaphors for sex

In the culture of American adolescents, the game of baseball is often used as a euphemistic metaphor for the degree of sexual intimacy achieved in intimate encounters or relationships...

, and including illustrative examples for each entry.

See also the Glossary of baseball for the jargon of the game itself, as used by participants, fans, reporters, announcers, and analysts of the game.

ballpark

Ballpark, in the ballpark, ballpark figure, and out of the ballpark — "Ballpark" has been used to mean a broad area of approximation or similarity, or a range within which comparison is possible; this usage the Oxford English Dictionary dates to 1960. Another meaning, "sphere of activity or influence", is cited in 1963. "In the (right) ballpark", meaning "within reasonable bounds" dates to 1968. A "ballpark figure" or "ballpark estimate", one that is reasonably accurate, dates to 1967. The meaning of "out of the ball park" is to hit a home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

; its non-baseball equivalent is to do something well or exactly as it should be done.

"'They said Itanium would never be their fastest 32-bit processor, but it would be in the ballpark. The original x86 hardware execution mechanism was not in the ballpark. It was barely in the parking lot around the ballpark,' Brookwood said.' – Stephen Shankland The New York Times, 23 April 2003.

"Patrick Wiles, a vice president of First Pioneer Farm Credit in Riverhead, said the 'ballpark figure' for prime vineyard land on the North Fork is $50,000 to $60,000 an acre, 'assuming the development rights have been sold.'" – Howard G. Goldberg, The New York Times, 18 July 2004.

MSNBC said Hillary knocked it “out of the park”. –New American Media, 27 August 2008.

batting 1000

Also batting a thousand. Getting everything in a series of items right. In baseball, someone with a batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 of one thousand (written as 1.000) has had a hit

Hit (baseball)

In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

 for every at bat

At bat

In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...

 in the relevant time period (e.g., in a game

Game

A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...

). AHDI dates its non-baseball usage to the 1920s. May also be used ironically when someone is getting everything wrong.

"'But Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific

The Boston Scientific Corporation , is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a range of interventional medical specialties, including interventional cardiology, peripheral interventions, neuromodulation, neurovascular intervention,...

 also needs to hope that a rare event does not become magnified,' he said. 'It has to be pretty much batting a thousand for a time,' he said". — Reed Abelson, The New York Times, 27 July 2004.

beanball

Beanball

"Beanball" is a colloquialism used in baseball, for a ball thrown at an opposing player with the intention of striking him such as to cause harm, often connoting a throw at the player's head...

 or throw a beanball

To attack an opponent by aiming at their head. In baseball, a beanball is a pitch intentionally thrown at a batter's head. In politics, it can be a verbal assault or a policy that is targeted to seriously hurt a particular opponent or group.

headline: "Senator Jim Bunning

Jim Bunning

James Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...

 Throws Beanball at America’s Unemployed" – Mason Lerner, The Faster Times, 26 February 2010.

[Note: Then-Sen. Bunning had an established career as a Major League Baseball pitcher prior to running for public office.]

"But Brown

Jerry Brown

Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...

 and Whitman

Meg Whitman

Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman is an American business executive. She is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard. A native of Long Island, New York, she is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School...

 didn’t swing at the questions, instead choosing to stick to a game of political beanball — trading jabs on Whitman’s housekeeper, a Brown aide’s “whore” remark and even verbal miscues. – Steven Luo, California Beat, 13 October 2010.

big league(s)

At the highest level; used as a noun ("You're in the big leagues now") or an adjective ("big-league lawyer"). OED cites "big league" as specifically American Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

, and cites its first use in 1899; the non-baseball use appears in 1947. Synonym: major league. Contrast bush league, below.

"For a listener who last heard the New Haven Symphony in the mid-60's, in a game but scrappy performance of Britten's War Requiem, its concert on Friday evening was a happy surprise. Under its music director, Michael Palmer, it sounded for the most part like a big-league band, at home in a big-league setting". — James Oestreich, The New York Times, 25 January 1994.

brand new ballgame

In baseball, when a team that has been behind in runs ties up the game, it's sometimes said to be a brand new ballgame. This does not mean that the game starts over from the first inning; it means only that neither team is ahead, and the game continues. In other realms the term is used to connote a change in tactics or in who is ahead in a competition.

"It's a Brand New Ballgame for Outsourcing Real Estate" — John C. Maher, National Real Estate Investor, 1 July 2005.

"Brand new ball game: New peanut program brings change" — Paul L. Hollis, Southwest Farm Press, 21 March 2002.

brush back

Brushback pitch

In baseball, a brushback pitch is a pitch thrown high and inside, usually a fastball, to force the batter away from the plate, often to intimidate. It differs from the beanball in that the intent is not to hit the batter, or intentionally throw at the batter's head...

To subvert or threaten verbally. In baseball, a nickname for any pitch intended to establish a pitcher's command of the inside portion of the strike zone, usually involving throwing a pitch at or near a hitter who may be covering that portion of the strike zone. Its baseball usage is cited in many dictionaries, but its transition to the vernacular has yet to be dated.

"The Washington Times' George Archibald reports that Gerald A. Reynolds, assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, has sent a long overdue brush-back letter to college and university officials concerning their odious and oppressive campus speech codes". — David Limbaugh

David Limbaugh

David Limbaugh is a conservative American political commentator and author.-Biography:Limbaugh was born on December 11, 1952 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He is the younger brother of talk radio host Rush Limbaugh...

,The Washington Times, August 19, 2003.

bush-league

Amateur, unsophisticated, unprofessional. From the baseball term for a second-rate baseball league and therefore its players (as in bush-league pitcher etc.). OED cites its first baseball use as 1906, non-baseball in 1914. Contrast big league, above.

"Kinsley, who does come off as the stereotypical Los Angeles-hating East Coast wonk, said recently that because L.A. is the second biggest city in the country, 'it's really bush league to care about where the writers are from.'"— Catherine Seipp

Catherine Seipp

Catherine Seipp was a Los Angeles freelance writer and media critic. She is best known for writing the weekly "From the Left Coast" column for National Review Online and a monthly column for the Independent Women's Forum and for her early recognition of the potential significance of the...

, National Review, March 24, 2005.

Charley horse

Charley horse

A charley horse is a popular North American colloquial term for painful spasms or cramps in the leg muscles, typically lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours. Also known as a "Tommy Horse"...

Sudden stiffness or a cramp in the leg. Of unknown etymology; CDS cites its first use c. 1887 as baseball slang; OED states such cramps occur "especially in baseball players" and cites this usage to 1888.

"Tried on more than 1,400 patients for almost two years, it has proved effective for many kinds of pain in the muscles and around joints — charley horse, tennis elbow, stiff neck, torticollis ('wryneck'), whiplash injury, muscular rheumatism, and muscle pain resulting from slipped disks". — Time, 8 June 1959

cleanup hitter

Cleanup hitter

In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...

Someone who comes in to solve a problem or lead a team. In baseball a cleanup hitter

Cleanup hitter

In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...

 is the fourth man in the batting order, typically a slugger who is expected to clear the bases by driving other runners home to score runs. The OED first attributes "cleanup hitter" or "cleanup man" in its modern baseball usage to 1922.

Under the headline "Merrill's cleanup hitter: new position focuses on quality of research," it is stated that "at Merrill Lynch

Merrill Lynch

Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...

 & Co. Inc., the "buy," "sell" and "hold" buck stops with William J. Genco".

Under the headline "Trimeris Gets a Cleanup Hitter," it is stated that "Yesterday, tiny drug developer Trimeris (Nasdaq: TRMS) announced that it finally found a permanent CEO to help get itself in order following the resignation of its former leader a year ago.

Referring to President George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

: "There is a reason he is the current president and it is not just because of his Daddy or money — I think he makes a pretty solid cleanup hitter for the Republican Party and brought home the points made during the previous 4 days of the convention".

cover one's bases

Also cover all the bases. To ensure safety. In baseball, a defensive player covers a base by standing close to it, ensuring a runner can not reach it safely. In business, covering one's bases means being prepared for every contingency. Mentioned but not dated by Oxford University Press.

"Arson investigators sifted through the rubble of an Airdrie Stud barn today, but failed to determine the cause of a fire that killed 15 thoroughbred broodmares and yearlings Saturday night. The horses were worth more than $1 million, according to Brereton Jones, owner of the 3000 acres (12.1 km²) stud farm. 'We do not have any reason to believe it was arson, but you just want to be sure you cover all the bases,' he said". — Associated Press, in The New York Times, 7 January 1985.

"Cisco

Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...

’s FastHub 400 series has the bases covered".

curve

Curveball

The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...

, curveball

Curveball

The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...

As in "she really threw me a curveball". A surprise, often completely and totally unexpected, and usually unpleasant. The curveball is a pitch in baseball designed to fool the batter by curving unexpectedly. AHDI dates this usage to the mid-20th century.

"Because of my personal story, I'm very interested in illness. One thing we discovered as a family is that when you're thrown a curveball like cancer or multiple sclerosis, often people do not know what to do first". – Meredith Vieira

Meredith Vieira

Meredith Louise Vieira is an American journalist, television personality, and game show host. She is best known for her roles as the original moderator of the ABC talk program The View and co-host of the long-running NBC News morning news program, Today...

, quoted by Jeff Chu, Time

Time (magazine)

Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

, 27 August 2006.

"Desormeaux

Kent Desormeaux

Kent Jason Desormeaux is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year, 1989.-Brief biography:...

 chalked up the latest loss, his second so close to the Triple Crown

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...

, to another twist in a life so full of them. 'Life throws curves,' he said, 'Some of us hit it, and some of us will sulk around. We've continued to hit the curveball'". – The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

, 8 June 2008.

double header

Two contests (or similar events) held on the same day with the same participants.

"The city's three mayoral candidates finished Wednesday's political double header with a debate at First Congregational United Church for Christ. ...The evening debate did not differ greatly from the luncheon forum that local Rotarians and Kiwanians hosted earlier in the day" — Andrew Edwards, Contra Costa Times, 21 October 2009

down to the last out

To have just one last chance, to be near the end of the competition. Also sometimes expressed as "down to the last strike".

"Hillary Clinton is now down to her last out".

"If politics were baseball, former Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 Gov. Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney

Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...

 might be down to his last out".

ducks on a pond

In baseball, having runners in scoring position, ready for a batter to drive them home. In business, "a situation with a good chance to succeed".

extra innings

Extra innings

Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...

To extend the original time allotted in order to break a tie or settle an issue. In major league baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

, this means going beyond the standard 9-inning length of a game.

headline: "Extra Innings for the Cloned Food Debate" – Pallavi Gogoi, Bloomberg Businessweek, 2 April 2007

headline: "Microsoft, Yahoo Game Going Into Extra Innings?" – Erika Morphy, E-Commerce Times, 5 June 2008

first base

In baseball, a hitter hopes to reach first base and then continue around second and third bases until he reaches home. In interpersonal relations, an individual who can't get to first base with another person is unable to achieve some initial goal or to establish a relationship. A kiss might be first base in a romantic relationship. Getting an appointment with a potential customer might be first base in a business transaction or negotiation.

Under the headline, "Getting Past First Base," a writer asks: "How do you turn an initial contact with a prospect into a fully-fledged business relationship? It’s the essence of sales – but it’s an area where many people really struggle". — Ian Brodie, 8 November 2008.

first inning or early innings

A game of baseball typically lasts 9 innings, so the first inning or the early innings (first three innings) do not determine the outcome of the game. The competition has only just begun. Also see "Ninth inning" (below).

headline: "Geithner: Tax reform debate in 'first inning'" — Bernie Becker, The Hill, 27 January 2011.

headline: "Early Innings of a Banking Recovery" — Duncan Frearson, Smith Street Capital, July 13, 2010.

foot in the bucket

To act timidly or cowardly. A batter who steps away from home plate with his leading foot (usu. in fear of being struck by a pitched ball) instead of a straight-ahead stride is said to "step in the bucket".

"Even if you haven’t stepped in the bucket yet, you may one day. So here are Be Better Guys’ Tips for Handling a Screw Up at Work" – Be Better Guys: A Guy's Guide to Getting a Life, 17 June 2009.

grand slam

Grand slam (baseball)

In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...

Any sudden sweeping victory. A batter who hits a home run with bases loaded has hit a four-run "grand slam", a term originally borrowed from contract bridge

Contract bridge

Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...

 for winning thirteen tricks. Aside from baseball, the term now refers to a situation which may or may not end badly for the protagonist but from which he emerges as an obvious winner. The term also can refer to anything good which comes in four parts, such as a "grand slam breakfast".

headline: "Natural Gas in Bear Market 'Grand Slam'" – Patti Domm, Market Insider, CNBC, 11 February 2011.

headline: "Boeing

Boeing

The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...

 Hits Grand Slam with Four DoD

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 Deals" – John Adams, GovconWire, 7 September 2010.

grandstanding

In baseball, a player who shows off or showboats to win the favor of the fans (in the grandstand

Grandstand

A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...

) is said to be grandstanding. In other contexts, including politics, playing to the crowd, the audience, or the media might be described as grandstanding.

"Tellem

Arn Tellem

Arn H. Tellem is a sports agent notable for his representation of basketball and baseball players. He is the principal of WMG Management, a part of the Wasserman Media Group headed by Casey Wasserman. Since 2009 he has written a weekly sports column for The Huffington Post...

 weighed in with a thoughtful back-page article in this Sunday's New York Times regarding the recent Congressional and mainstream media grandstanding over steroids". — Jay Jaffe, Futility Infielder, 5 April 2005.

headline: "Stop the grandstanding on the debt ceiling!" — CNN Money, 5 January 2011.

ground ball

A prosaic or ordinary accomplishment, beneath higher hopes or expectations. In baseball, a ground ball is a batted ball that bounces or rolls on the ground, perhaps for a base hit, perhaps for an out

Out (baseball)

In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...

.

“Sony once hit home runs, but now it’s lost its touch,” said Akihiko Jojima, an analyst and author of the book Sony’s Sickness. “Sony still makes competent products but they’re all just boring ground balls.” — Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times, 28 March 2010.

hardball, play hardball

To be or act tough, aggressive. Refers to the comparison between balls in baseball and softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

. As a synonym for baseball, OED dates this use of "hardball" to 1883; its non-baseball use appears in 1973.

"Hauser would like to extend its three-year contract with Bristol-Myers, becoming a supplier of the material for semi-synthetic Taxol. 'I think this is just tough bargaining,' said Deborah Wardwell of Dain Bosworth Securities. 'It seems to suggest hardball tactics.'" — Milt Freudenheim, The New York Times, 10 January 2007.

heavy hitter

A powerful or commanding person, a leader. In baseball a heavy hitter is a slugger, someone who hits a lot of extra base hits or home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s. In business, the heavy hitters may be those who draw the most clients or make the most sales, or who lead the organization. In politics a heavy hitter draws crowds or has a lot of power or influence.

headline: "Heavy-hitters line up for Hong Kong Tourism pitch".

headline: "Boeing uses him as its heavy hitter. As it's done with other troubled programs, the company is relying on Patrick Shanahan to get the 787 back on track" — Los Angeles Times, 24 February 2008.

headline: "UW Adds Heavy Hitters from High Tech and Biotech to Turn More Ideas Into Companies".

hit it out of the park

Also knock it out of the park. To achieve complete or even a spectacular success; compare home run, below. A home run is automatically scored when a batter strikes the ball with such force as to hit it out of the stadium or playing field.

"11:55 AM: Kerry

John Kerry

John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

 stumbled over the question of whether God is on America's side. But Edwards

John Edwards

Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...

 hit it out of the park with his anecdote about Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 saying America is on God's side. He is the more nimble debater and conversationalist". — Katherine Q. Seelye, The New York Times, 29 February 2004.

hit or miss

To either achieve success or completely fail. Referencing a baseball batter's swing at a pitched ball.

headline: "Treating Depression Can Be Hit or Miss" – Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

, 3 August 2009.

"Hit or Miss? Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian

Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for the E! reality series that she shares with her family—Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York...

’s T-Shirt Dress".

home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

A complete success (opposite of strike out); often used in the verb phrase "hit a home run". OED cites this usage to 1965.

"HGTV caught on quickly, and is now carried in 90 million homes. The Food Network has been a home run as well, luring viewers interested in cooking". — Geraldine Fabrikant, The New York Times, 14 August 2006.

"It was Silver

Leon Silver

Leon Theodore "Lee" Silver . Professor of Geology at California Institute of Technology , was an instructor to the Apollo 13, 15, 16, and 17 astronaut crews...

's later, 15-month training period with the Apollo 15

Apollo 15

Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program, the fourth to land on the Moon and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous...

 astronauts, and that crew's brilliant geological performance on the lunar plain between the Apennine Mountains

Apennine mountains

The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...

 and Hadley Rille, a sinuous gorge, that, in Silver's words, "hit a home run."" — Marcy Drexler, Caltech News, 1999.

inside baseball

Within the sport, "inside baseball" refers to the stratagems that managers use to get their team to score runs, perhaps not as obvious as simply getting players to hit home runs or to catch the ball, but to do the little things that move runners towards home plate. Akin to the idea of small ball

Small Ball

In the sport of baseball, small-ball is an informal and colloquial term for an offensive strategy in which the batting team emphasizes placing runners on base and then advancing them into position to score a run in a deliberate, methodical way...

. Outside the game, "inside baseball" may refer to the behind-the-scenes machinations of politicians, bankers, or other professionals.

under the headline "Dana Milbank

Dana Milbank

-Biography:He is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of Trumbull College, the Progressive Party of the Yale Political Union and the secret society Skull and Bones. He is a graduate of Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, New York...

's Inside Baseball," a news story begins: "With a few deft strokes and in fewer than 25 inches, Dana Milbank draws behind-the-scenes portraits of Washington power with such dexterity and hilarity that his Washington Sketch column is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how politics in this city really works". – Brigid Schulte, The Washington Post

The Washington Post

The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...

, 2 March 2010.

"I once had to hire a writer to create my firm’s brochure, because what I did was far too “inside baseball.” Meaning, too focused on the details only an insider could love and not enough on what the audience wanted to know".

"It ain't over till it's over!"

A famous quotation from baseball player Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

; one of many yogiisms. In sports, it means that a game is not over until time expires, the final out is registered, etc., and that the players need to stay mentally focused until the game is officially over. The term comes into play when a team has a large lead but then starts to let their guard down, especially when there is time left for the losing team to rally (and possibly win the game). The original and self-evident adage, misstated by Berra, is "The game is not over until the last man is out".

"In spite of last winter's nice snowpack and a wet summer, here's the bad news about New Mexico's drought: It ain't over till it's over, and it ain't over". — Staci Matlock, The New Mexican, 9 October 2005.

"It's like déjà vu

Déjà vu

Déjà vu is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the prior encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined...

 all over again!"

Another famous (attributed) yogiism. It's a redundant way of saying "Here we go again!" It has come into general circulation in the language to describe any situation that seems to be observably repeating itself.

"Kay

David Kay

Dr. David A. Kay is best known for heading the Iraq Survey Group and acting as a Weapons inspector in Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion.-Education:...

 told CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

 he is worried because he's hearing some of the same signals about Iran and its nuclear program that were heard as the Bush administration made its case for the war in Iraq. 'It's déjà vu all over again,' Kay said". — David Kay

David Kay

Dr. David A. Kay is best known for heading the Iraq Survey Group and acting as a Weapons inspector in Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion.-Education:...

, former U.S. chief weapons inspector (quote).

knock the cover off the ball

To succeed beyond expectation. Derived from the act of hitting the ball exceptionally hard, so as to make the leather covering come off. Tearing the cover off the ball was possible in the early days of baseball, since a single ball was often used for the entire game (as also used to be the case in the game of cricket). Possibly derived from the poem Casey at the Bat

Casey at the Bat

"Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888" is a baseball poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. First published in The San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, it was later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances.The poem was originally published...

, which features the verse, "And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball".

"In the last two quarters, we knocked the cover off the ball. . . . We exceeded analysts' expectations on Wall Street and our own guidance in both quarters".

late innings

See "ninth inning". The late innings in a professional baseball game are the last three innings (the 7th, 8th, and 9th).

leadoff hitter

In baseball, a leadoff hitter

Leadoff hitter

In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in an inning.- Strategy :...

 is a player who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in an inning. In other fields of endeavor the leadoff hitter is the one who goes first in a series.

headline: "The American Patriot Program announces August leadoff hitters for its national campaign".

"The decision to place Ms. Obama centre stage in Denver is something of a gamble; rarely have the spouses of presidential candidates played leadoff hitter in such a high-stakes political exercise".

left field

Left fielder

In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

As in "that insult really came out of left field". Unusual, unexpected, or irrational. AHDI dates this idiom back to the mid-20th century; it also states that the precise allusion is disputed, but a number of theories exist. Rumored to originally describe fans who came to Yankee Stadium to see Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...

 (a right fielder, and also a left-handed hitter whose home runs most frequently went to right field) but who bought tickets for the wrong side of the field. Another legend is that the phrase originates from the location of the Neuropsychiatric Institute building of the University of Illinois College of Medicine

University of Illinois College of Medicine

The University of Illinois College of Medicine offers a four-year program leading to the MD degree at four different sites in Illinois: Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, and Urbana–Champaign....

, which was built on land that was once part of left field at West Side Park

West Side Park

West Side Park was the name used for two different baseball parks that formerly stood in Chicago, Illinois. They were both home fields of the team now known as the Chicago Cubs of the National League. Both parks witnessed championship baseball...

, the former home of the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

.

"Depp

Johnny Depp

John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...

's performance came out of left field in The Curse of the Black Pearl; nobody had ever thought of channeling Keith Richards

Keith Richards

Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...

 and Pepé Le Pew

Pepé Le Pew

Pepé Le Pew is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, first introduced in 1945. A French skunk that always strolls around in Paris in the springtime, when everyone's thoughts are of "love", Pepé is constantly seeking "l'amour" of his own...

 before". — Kent Williams, Isthmus: The Daily Page.

major league

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

At the top or highest rank. Synonym: big league.

""There's Adam Clymer

Adam Clymer

Adam Clymer is an American journalist.-Career:He was with The New York Times from 1977 until July, 2003, and served as its national political correspondent for the 1980 presidential election, polling editor from 1983 to 1990, political editor for George H. W...

 – major league asshole – from the New York Times," Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 said.

"Yeah, big time," returned Cheney.

Mendoza line

Mendoza Line

The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose lifetime batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting...

A line marking a very poor performance, referring to the Mendoza line

Mendoza Line

The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose lifetime batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting...

 of a .200 batting average in baseball.

"Over the last five years, Wall Street analysts have only been right once. They're below the Mendoza line, batting just 200. And they're misleading investors again" — Brit Ryle, Taipan Financial News, 13 December 2005.

ninth inning

An expression that an event or process is near the end – in the last of a nine-inning game. Referring to a trend in market expansion, a financial analyst may say "We're in the eighth or ninth inning". During a seemingly never-ending crisis, an analyst might remark "No Ninth Inning for Credit Crisis". The president of an academic association may title his farewell column to the members "A Ninth-Inning Farewell".

"'We're in the late innings for U.S. small-cap stocks,'" said Richard Bernstein, chief investment strategist at Merrill Lynch & Co." – Wall Street Journal, 31 December 2007.

o-fer

Also oh-fer. If a baseball batter gets 0 hits in any number of at-bats in a game, he's said to go "oh for" that number, or perhaps even more colloquially, to "have an o-fer". In business, an example of an "o-fer" would be to try repeatedly and fail to make any sales.

Under the headline "Senate Dems go O-fer," it is reported: "The Senate just voted on whether to proceed with four budgets: the House 2012 budget, the Toomey budget, the Paul budget, and President Obama​'s 2012 proposal. All were voted down".

off base

Unawares or by surprise, usually in the phrase "caught off base"; OED dates to 1935. Meaning misguided, mistaken, or working on faulty assumptions, this usage dates to 1940. Both of these uses derive from the situation of a runner being away from a base and thus in a position to being put out (1872).

"The absence of any sharp new angle, any strong new drive in Mr. Roosevelt's messages reflected the fact that he and his Cabinet (only Messrs. Hull. Murphy, Woodring, Edison and Ickes were at hand) had been caught off-base with the rest of the world by the Hitler-Stalin deal, the sudden push for Poland". — Time, 3 September 1939.

"Lotte Ulbricht replied that Madame Yang was way off base. No one was demanding that oppressed nations live happily with their oppressors, she said, and added that Russia was, as always, 'wholeheartedly behind the revolutionary struggles of colonial peoples.'" — Time, 5 July 1963.

on deck

Next in line to face a particular challenge. In baseball, a batter emerges from the dugout and loosens up "on deck" just before his turn to face the pitcher. OED mentions usage of "on deck" first in 1867 in the context of baseball ("on deck fig. [orig. U.S.]: at hand; ready for action; alive; in Baseball, next at the bat, with the right or privilege of batting next".)

headline: "Barletta, 0-2, back on deck" – Roderick Random, Scranton Times, 30 May 2009.

lede: "With no one else as formidable, Republicans are pressuring the Hazleton mayor [Barletta] to run against the longtime Democratic congressman next year". – Scranton Times, 30 ‎May 2009‎.

headline: "Loren French is On Deck to Speak to Us at EntConnect 2007!" – A Better Blogsite, 1 February 2007

one base at a time

In baseball a manager may adopt a strategy of moving runners along one base at a time rather than emphasizing power hitting and high scoring innings. In other walks of life, such a step-by-step approach may also be referred to as a one-base-at-a-time approach:

"Organizations instead need a deep bench of players with varying capabilities and a clear strategy for advancing ideas one base at a time. That’s what puts runs on the scoreboard and delivers value to members or customers".

headline: "For RNA polymerase, it's one base at a time".

pinch hit

Pinch hitter

In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...

To act as a substitute or stand-in for someone when in a "pinch", especially in an emergency. In baseball, sometimes a substitute batter would be brought in, especially at a crucial point in the game. OED gives the first possible non-baseball use in 1931, and the first definitive non-sport use in 1957.

"In April 2005, after Mr. Jennings took leave of World News Tonight, as the program was then known, to be treated for lung cancer, Mr. Gibson was one of several anchors (including Ms. Sawyer and Elizabeth Vargas) who pinch-hit for him until his death in August 2005, and then continued to rotate in and out of Mr. Jennings’s empty chair for four months". — Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg, The New York Times, 1 March 2007.

pitch a shutout

To not allow an opponent any wins. In baseball, a shutout

Shutout

In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....

 occurs when a pitcher does not allow the opponent any runs.

"The Republican Party pitched a shutout in the South in 2000 and 2004".

play ball

To get going, or to start. Before every baseball game, and after a dead ball

Dead ball

Dead ball is a phenomenon in many sports in which the ball is deemed temporarily not playable, and no movement may be made with it or the players from their respective positions of significance...

 situation such as a foul ball

Foul ball

In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that:* Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or* Bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or...

 or a time-out, the umpire traditionally shouts "play ball" in order to (re-)start the game. AHDI dates this usage to the late 19th century. An alternate meaning, "to cooperate", is not explicitly connected to baseball by ADHI, but is so derived by the Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms.

"'Eight U.S. attorneys who did not play ball with the political agenda of this administration were dropped from the team,' said Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois".

play softball

To ask easy questions. Perhaps the opposite of playing hardball (baseball) or throwing difficult or probing questions at a respondent.

headline: "CNN's Cooper Sympathizes With Homosexual Student in Softball Interview". "On Wednesday's AC360

Anderson Cooper 360°

Anderson Cooper 360° is a one-hour television news show on CNN, hosted by the American journalist Anderson Cooper. It is also broadcast around the world on CNN International....

, CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

's Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper

Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...

 tossed softball questions at openly-homosexual University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 student body president Chris Armstrong".

rain check

A ticket given to a spectator at an outdoor event providing for a refund of his or her entrance money or admission at a later date, should the event be interrupted by rain; an assurance of a deferred extension of an offer, especially an assurance that a customer can take advantage of a sale later if the item or service offered is not available (as by being sold out); or a (sometimes vague) promise to accept a social offer at an unnamed later date. The latter two meanings derive from the first, which OED states was first used in 1884; its first written entry into non-baseball usage is cited as 1930.

"To deal with frustration among holiday shoppers hunting for its Wii game console, Nintendo Co. and retailer GameStop Corp. are launching a rain check program". — Tribune wires, Chicago Tribune, 19 December 2007.

"It was cold and dusky by the time I left my apartment for a late lunch today, the sort of day that makes you want to hibernate, to subsist on a diet of cable television and takeout Chinese until the sun comes out again. No, not to give up the fight; but perhaps to take a rain check on dreams of finding the perfect burrito". – Nate Silver

Nate Silver

Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball...

, The Burrito Bracket, 7 November 2007.

rally cap

In baseball, a rally cap

Rally cap

A rally cap is a baseball cap worn while inside-out and backwards or in another unconventional manner by players or fans, in order to will a team into a come-from-behind rally late in the game. The rally cap is primarily a baseball superstition.-History:...

 is a baseball cap worn while inside-out and backwards or in another unconventional manner by players or fans, in order to will a team into a come-from-behind rally late in the game. The rally cap is primarily a baseball superstition. The term may also be used by other groups, such as stock market traders.

headline: "Muni Market Traders Keep Their Rally Caps On" – Patrick McGee, The Bond Buyer

The Bond Buyer

The Bond Buyer is a century-old daily national trade newspaper based in New York City and focused on covering the municipal bond industry. It is published Monday through Friday, except holidays...

, 15 April 2011.

relief pitcher

In baseball a relief pitcher

Relief pitcher

A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

 comes in as a replacement for the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher. A relief pitcher in other realms of activity also comes in as a substitute or replacement for the initial or regular occupant of a role.

"Vincent B. Orange doesn’t see himself as an opportunist. Rather, he’s more of a 'relief pitcher' with the chops to push the District’s business goals, he said, after council member Harry Thomas Jr. relinquished control of the Committee on Economic Development while he fights a lawsuit accusing him of taking public funds for personal use".—The Washington Times

The Washington Times

The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...

, 9 June 2011.

rhubarb

A heated argument or noisy dispute; especially, between players on a playing field. Originally the word traditionally muttered by actors in a play to provide background noise. Online Etymology Dictionary attributes the "loud squabble on the field" usage to broadcaster Garry Schumacher in 1938, while OED and CDS both credit sportscaster Red Barber

Red Barber

Walter Lanier "Red" Barber was an American sportscaster.Barber, nicknamed "The Ol' Redhead", was primarily identified with radio broadcasts of Major League Baseball, calling play-by-play across four decades with the Cincinnati Reds , Brooklyn Dodgers , and New York Yankees...

 at a baseball game in 1943. OED's first non-baseball cite is 1949.

"If the theater people won their point, it was not much of a point to win. The entire rhubarb, after all, was about nothing but money". — Time, 7 June 1963.

right off the bat

Immediately; without any delay. The Oxford English Dictionary dates this term to 1914 in Maclean's

Maclean's

Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...

, a Canadian magazine. An older term, "hot from the bat" dates to the 1888 play Meisterschaft by Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...

.

"'It was very clear right off the bat that the loss of Cdk5 made them have a much stronger associative memory,' Professor Bibb said". — Reuters

Reuters

Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...

, The New York Times, 29 May 2007.

"Say it ain't so, Joe!"

An expression of disbelief. A reference to the Black Sox scandal

Black Sox Scandal

The Black Sox Scandal took place around and during the play of the American baseball 1919 World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned for life from baseball for intentionally losing games, which allowed the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series...

 of 1919, when several members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to lose the World Series

1919 World Series

The 1919 World Series matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. Although most World Series have been of the best-of-seven format, the 1919 World Series was a best-of-nine series...

 on purpose. When Shoeless Joe Jackson

Shoeless Joe Jackson

Joseph Jefferson Jackson , nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball in the early part of the 20th century...

 was implicated in the scandal, an apocryphal story says that a young fan approached him and said, "Say it ain't so, Joe!"

screwball

Screwball

A screwball , is a baseball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action....

Eccentric, zany, or crazy; OED dates this usage to 1933. The screwball is a rarely used pitch (because of its effect on the arm) that is intended to behave erratically — it "breaks" in the opposite direction a curveball would break.

"And now, as we enter not only the best season for stocks in the calendar year, but also the very best three quarters in the four-year election cycle, you’d think you should just sit back and enjoy the ride, right? But I’m worried the market may be getting ready to throw us a screwball". – MarketWatch, 16 October 2010.

singles or hit singles

To seek modest, or step-by-step gains instead of large ones. In baseball, hitting singles or playing small ball

Small Ball

In the sport of baseball, small-ball is an informal and colloquial term for an offensive strategy in which the batting team emphasizes placing runners on base and then advancing them into position to score a run in a deliberate, methodical way...

 instead of seeking to hit home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s is sometimes a good strategy for teams that do not have many power hitters.

"With the duration [of bonds] tailwind on the wane, investors must literally scour the globe for opportunities, seeking coins and jewels rather than treasure chests. In baseball vernacular, investors must now aim to hit singles rather than swinging for the fences". – Anthony J. Crescenzi, Morningstar.com

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is an independent investment research company based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.-Businesses:Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for...

, 22 December 2010.

step up to the plate

Often shortened to step up. To rise to an occasion in life. Refers to when a player must approach home plate

Home Plate

Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...

 to take a turn at batting. OED cites baseball usage in 1875, general usage in 1919.

headline: "First Responders Stepped Up to the Plate".

headline: "Pig Farmers Have Stepped Up to the Plate".

strike

As in "strike out", "three strikes, you're out", "a strike against you", "he was born with two strikes against him". In baseball, a strike

Strike zone

In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.-Definition:...

 is when the batter swings at and misses a pitch, or when the pitch crosses the strike zone

Strike zone

In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.-Definition:...

 without the batter swinging. A batter with three strikes is out and must stop batting.

The word strike has crept into common English usage to mean a failure or a shortcoming or a loss. When a person has "gotten three strikes" and "struck out", they have failed completely. The three strikes law

Three strikes law

Three strikes laws)"are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became...

s refer to more severe punishments for criminals with a third conviction. Someone seeking romance with another person may "strike out" and fail to impress on a first meeting. Also A swing and a miss.

headline: "Everybody Struck Out in Marietta Teen Drinking Incident" – Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 25 February 2010.

Having "two strikes against you" means that you have just one remaining chance to succeed at something, or that you are given little chance to succeed, perhaps because you have been prejudged.

"The British bank Barclays has announced its next CEO. But Bob Diamond

Robert Diamond

Robert Edward "Bob" Diamond, Jr. is an American banker, currently Group Chief Executive of British bank, Barclays Plc. He is also Chief Executive of Corporate & Investment Banking and Wealth Management, comprising Barclays Capital, Barclays Corporate and Barclays Bank...

 already seemingly has two strikes against him going in. One thing, he's an American. And number two, he's head of the company's investment banking arm". – American Public Media

American Public Media

American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...

, "Marketplace", 7 September 2010.

swing and miss

To try to fail, like swinging a bat and missing the ball. Also see "whiff."

"I've swung and missed a lot in my hunt for vintage Levis".

Referring to the disappointing purchase of a living-room couch, "Todd: Hey batter, hey batter, sometimes when you’re looking for the rainbow curve away, you get the heater down the middle. Maybe that’s why you swung and missed".

"The 1988-2000 employment projections: how accurate were they? In the late 1980s, we projected future employment in scores of occupations for the 1988-2000 period. That future is now the past. See where we scored a hit, landed in the ballpark, and – now and then – swung and missed.

swing for the fences

To try for a substantial gain; to make a big score. In baseball, to swing for the fences is to try to hit a home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

, rather than trying to hit singles or play small ball.

"These are opportunities that traders look for every day. That many of them noticed it and swung for the fences all at once is not collusion, it's just the sign of a huge softball coming right down the line".

switch-hitter

Refers to baseball players who are capable of hitting as a left-handed or right-handed batter (OED, 1948). Colloquially, a switch hitter is a bisexual. More broadly, "switch-hitting" can refer to an ability to perform double functions or roles.

An article titled "Hatteras Plans Switch-Hitting Ethernet" discusses a network switch that can operate either on fiber optic or copper wiring.

take cuts at someone

In baseball, a batter swinging the bat at a ball is sometimes said to "take cuts" at the ball. A person who "takes cuts" at somebody else may be taking a verbal swing or striking a blow at the person's reputation.

headline: "Ex-teammates take cuts at A-Rod".

headline: "Opponents Sure to Take Cuts at Stadium Votes in Anaheim Political Game"

took the collar

From the phrase for failing to get any hits, it can be used to indicate failure at something. Referring to the competition between two newspapers, the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News

Rocky Mountain News

The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...

:

"The News, you recall, took the collar as the 'failing newspaper' when the two sought Justice Department approval in 2000 to merge their business operations".

touch base

As in "we will touch base at the meeting". To make contact with someone, to inform someone of one's plans or activities, perhaps in anticipation of an event. In baseball, a player who is touching a base is not in danger of being put out. Another explanation is that a player must briefly touch each of the bases in order after hitting a home run. It may also refer to the fact that after a fly ball has been caught for an out, a runner on base who has taken a lead or is standing off his base towards the next base, must go back to touch or tag that base ("tag up") before he can advance to the next one.

"God doesn't need to click on my FaceBook

Facebook

Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

 profile to touch base with me and catch up on all the goings on in my life. He already knows". – Advertising God, September 2009.

triple play

In baseball a triple play

Triple Play

A triple play is a baseball play in which three outs are made as a result of continuous action without any intervening errors between outs.Triple play may also refer to:...

 is the rare act of making three outs during the same continuous play. The OED attributes the original usage of "triple play" to the American game of baseball as early as 1869.

headline: "President Obama's Wednesday NYC Triple Play." – Celeste Katz, New York Daily News

New York Daily News

The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....

, 26 April 2011.

lede on same story: "Brace yourself, New York City! President Obama is returning tomorrow for his third visit in less than a month, bringing the increasingly familiar swirl of traffic – and buckraking – that surrounds presidential campaigns".

headline: "Cosmic Triple-Play: Asteroid Flyby, Fireball over Utah, Meteor Shower" – Charles Q. Choi, SPACE.com

Space.com

Space.com is a space and astronomy news website. Its stories are often syndicated to other media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo!, and USA Today.Space.com was founded by former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs and Rich Zahradnik, in July 1999...

, 18 November 2009.

wheelhouse

From the term for a batter's power zone, usually waist high and over the middle of the plate.

"Carville

James Carville

Chester James Carville, Jr. is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill...

 also said he had not spoken with Hillary Clinton about Richardson's endorsement, but that he was outraged. 'I doubt if Gov. Richardson and I will be terribly close in the future,' he said, but 'I've had my say. . . . I got one in the wheelhouse and I tagged him.'"

whiff

In general usage, the word "whiff" may refer to the movement or sound of air or wind, perhaps as an object moves through it. In baseball a whiff is when a batter swings and misses a pitch. Such usage in baseball is attributed by the OED to 1913. Perhaps derived from this, the term "whiff" has also come to mean trying and failing at something. Also see "swing and miss".

"After Richardson whiffed on the question, Joe Biden

Joe Biden

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...

 parked it".

"Yahoo

Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...

 and MSN

MSN

MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...

 each whiffed on six questions. There was only one question that baffled all the search engine

Search engine

A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...

s".

whole new ball game

Also brand new ball game; whole 'nother ball game. In common usage, a "whole new ball game" or "brand new ball game" signifies a drastic turn of events, a completely altered situation. In baseball, an announcer says "it's a whole new ball game" when the trailing team ties the score or takes the lead, usually after being behind by several runs. AHDI traces this to the 1960s. A "whole 'nother ball game" signifies something completely unrelated, different, or irrelevant. Also said extensively and out of context in the world of selling ads for trade mags.

Under the headline "It's a Whole New Ballgame for Obama," it is stated that, "Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

, we all know by now, is not an ideologue. But where his roots are planted is also nowhere near the progressive pendulum, particularly on domestic issues. Now he's got a playing field that suits his natural political conservatism". – Taylor Marsh, Huffington Post, 7 January 2011.

"In fact, on-demand applications are a whole ‘nother ballgame — which is why personally I try to avoid the popular phrase software as a service (SaaS) since I feel it’s a phrase that’s born of the ‘nothing changes’ mindset". – Phil Wainewright, ZDNet

ZDNet

ZDNet is a business technology news website published by CBS Interactive, along with TechRepublic and SmartPlanet. The brand was founded on April 1, 1991 as a general interest technology portal from Ziff Davis and evolved into an enterprise IT-focused online publication owned by CNET...

, 16 March 2006.

See also

• USA Today article on sports jargon used in business
• Baseball metaphors for sex
  Baseball metaphors for sex
  In the culture of American adolescents, the game of baseball is often used as a euphemistic metaphor for the degree of sexual intimacy achieved in intimate encounters or relationships...
  
  
• Glossary of baseball