Kitesurfing in San Francisco Bay, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. (That's not me. Safer to take the picture.)
Targets in English
Baseball Idioms Dictionary
Baseball Idioms
Baseball Idioms
Baseball has long been called America's (and Canada's) favorite pastime, and it has become a favorite sport in places in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Many of the idioms and slang terms that developed in baseball have become common in English for uses outside of sports. What does it mean if someone hit it out of the park? What does it mean if you are in scoring position? Learn these and other baseball idioms in Targets in English's Online Idioms Dictionary.
1. ballpark figure
2. bat around
5. bush league
10. early innings
11. extra innings
12. first base
13. glass arm
14. go to bat for
15. grand slam
16. grandstand play
17. heavy hitter
18. home free
19. home run
20. in the ballpark
25. major league
26. minor league
27. ninth inning
28. off base (adj. phr.)
29. off base (adv. phr.)
30. on deck
31. on the ball
32. out in left field
33. out of left field
34. out of (one's) league
35. pinch hitter
36. play ball
37. play hardball
38. right off the bat
39. rain check
40. second-guess
41. step up to the plate
42. strike out
43. that's the way to ball bounces
44. this stage of the game
45. three strikes
46. thriw a curveball/curve
47. touch bases (with)
48. two strikes against
49. whole new ballgame
50. wild pitch
Baseball Idioms List
Baseball Idioms List
People become emotional about sports, both players and spectators, and they talk about it a lot. It's not surprising, then, that numerous idioms have developed from our favorite sports and games. What does it mean if a competition comes down to the wire? How correct is a ballpark figure? Sports idioms like these help make English colorful.
From the Baseball Idioms Dictionary in Targets in English's English for Baseball.
Idioms 1: Money—
Hit the Jackpot
Available Now
Coming Soon:
Idioms 2: Sports—
Hit a Home run
Idioms 3: Foods—Going Bananas
Idioms 4: Study—Hit the Books
Idioms 5: Body—Thumbs Up
Idioms 6: Colors—Seeing red
Idioms 7: Emotions—Laugh Your Head Off
Idioms 8: Animals: Monkey Business
Baseball Idioms Index
Baseball Idioms Index
1. ballpark figure 2. bat around 3. bat a thousand 4. big league(s) 5. bush league 6. Charley horse 7. cover (one's ) bases
8. down to (one's) last out 9. drop the ball 10. early innings 11. extra innings 12. first base 13. glass arm
20. in the ballpark 21. in there pitching 22. in scoring position 23. in the same league 24. knock out of the park 25. major league
26. minor league 27. ninth inning 28. off base (adj.) 29. off base (adv.) 30. on deck 31. on the ball
32. out in left field 33. out of left field 34. out of (one's) league 35. pinch hitter 36. play ball 37. play hardball
38. right off the bat 39. rain check 40. second-guess 41. step up to the plate 42. strike out 43. thar's the way the ball bounces
44. this stage of the game 45. three strikes 46. throw a curve/curveball 47. touch bases (with) 48. two strikes aainst (one)
32. out in left field 33. out of left field 34. out of (one's) league 35. pinch hitter 36. play ball 37. play hardball
38. right off the bat 39. rain check 40. second-guess 41. step up to the plate 42. strike out 43. thar's the way the ball bounces
44. this stage of the game 45. three strikes 46. throw a curve/curveball 47. touch bases (with) 48. two strikes aainst (one)
49. whole new ballgame 50. wild pitch
Babe Ruth, Boston Red Sox, 1919.
