ball¹ /böl/

1. Anything spherical or nearly so
2. A rounded or matted mass
3. Any rounded protuberant part of the body, eg the ball of the foot
4. A round or oval object used in sports (of varying size, shape and composition according to the sport)
5. A pass of the ball in sports such as soccer and rugby
6. A delivery of the ball at cricket
7. A pitch thrown out of the strike zone (baseball)
8. A game played with a ball, esp (US) baseball or football
9. A bullet or solid missile projected from a gun, cannon, etc
10. A spherical mass of wound yarn, string, etc
11. (usu pl) a testicle (vulgar sl)
12. The eyeball
13. A bolus for a horse
14. A spherical cake of soap (obsolete)
15. (in pl) nonsense (also interjection; vulgar)
16. (in pl) a balls-up (vulgar sl)
17. (in pl) guts, courage (slang, esp US)

1. To form into a ball
2. To clog
3. To entangle
4. (of swarming bees) to cluster round (the queen)
5. (usu of a man) to have sexual intercourse with (vulgar sl, orig US)

1. To gather into a ball
2. To clog

balled adjective

Formed into a ball

ballˈing noun

1. Forming into a ball
2. Snowballing
3. (Scot ba'ing /böˈing/, also ba'spiel /böˈspēl/) a periodical game of football played by the population of a town in the streets and sometimes in the river

ballˈsiness noun

ballsy /bölˈzi/ adjective (slang, esp US)

Gutsy, tough and courageous

ballˈ-and-clawˈ see claw-and-ball under claw

ballˈ-barrow noun

A wheelbarrow with a ball-shaped wheel

ball-bearˈing noun

1. A device for lessening friction by making a revolving part turn on loose steel balls
2. One of the balls so used

ballˈ-boy or ballˈ-girl noun (sport)

A boy or girl who collects balls that are out of play, supplies balls to the players, etc

ballˈ-breaker or (US) ballˈ-buster noun (vulgar sl)

1. A person, task or job, etc that is excessively demanding
2. A woman who is ruthless, demanding or demoralizing in her treatment of men

ballˈ-breaking or -busting noun and adjective

ballˈclay noun (geology)

A fine-textured highly plastic clay used for ceramics

ballˈcock noun

The stopcock of a cistern regulated by a floating ball that rises and falls with the water

ballˈ-flower noun (architecture)

An ornament in Decorated Gothic, resembling a ball within a globular flower

ball game noun

1. Any game played with a ball, esp (US) baseball or football
2. A situation, as in a whole new ball game (informal)

ballˈhawk noun

( N Am inf)A sportsman who has a talent for gaining possession of the ball

ball lightning noun

A slowly moving luminous ball occasionally seen during a thunderstorm

ball mill noun (engineering)

A horizontal cylindrical container in which a substance is ground by rotation with steel or ceramic balls

ball park noun (chiefly US)

1. A baseball field
2. A sphere of activity
3. The area designated for the landing of a spacecraft (in the right ball park (informal and figurative) more or less correct)

ballˈpark adjective (orig US)

Approximate, esp in the phrase ballpark figures

ballˈpeen hammer noun

A hammer with a rounded peen, used esp for beating metal

ballˈ-player noun

1. A player (esp of football) with outstanding ball-control skills
2. A baseball player (N American)

ballˈpoint or ballpoint pen noun

A fountain pen with a tiny ball rotating against an inking cartridge as its writing tip

ballˈ-proof adjective

Proof against balls discharged from firearms

ballsˈ-aching adjective (slang)

Tedious

ballsed-up, balls-up see balls up below.

balls-outˈ adjective (slang)

Performed in an aggressive and uncompromising manner

ball valve noun

A non-return valve closed by a ball forced into an aperture

ball and chain

1. A means of hobbling a prisoner consisting of an iron ball chained to an ankle
2. A severe encumbrance
3. One's wife (slang)

ball-and-socket joint (physiology and engineering)

A joint formed of a ball partly enclosed in a cup-shaped cavity, allowing rotation on various axes

ball of fire

1. A lively, dynamic person
2. A glass of brandy (informal)

balls up (vulgar sl)

1. To make a muddle or mess of
2. To throw into confusion (ballsˈ-up noun; ballsedˈ-up adjective)

ball up

1. To clog
2. To make a mess of (slang; ballˈup noun (US); balledˈ-up adjective)

have someone by the balls (vulgar sl)

To have someone at one's mercy or in a helpless state

keep the ball rolling

To keep things going

make a balls or balls-up of (vulgar sl)

To do badly, make a thorough mess of

on the ball (informal)

1. Properly in touch with the situation
2. On the alert

play ball (informal)

To co-operate

set, start or get the ball rolling

1. To make the first move
2. To start things going

the ball at one's feet

1. Success within one's grasp
2. An opportunity ready to be taken

• escapologists
• escapology
• escargot
• escargots
• escarmouche
• escarmouches
• escarole
• escaroles
• escarp
• escarped
• escarping
• escarpment
• escarpments
• escarps
• ESCB
• eschalot
• eschalots
• eschar
• escharotic
• escharotics
• eschars
• eschatologic
• eschatological
• eschatologies
• eschatologist