across the board

- applying to everybody or everything (in horse racing this is a bet where an eq

ual amount of money is placed on a horse to finish in any top winning position)
The workers received an across the board wage increase and most of them are happ
y.
arrow in one's quiver

- one of a number of resources or strategies that one can follow

The man's ability with languages was another arrow in his quiver and helped him
in his business life.
at this stage of the game

- at this point or time during an activity

At this stage of the game, I do not think that we should spend more money on the
project.
back the wrong horse

- to make the wrong choice, to support the wrong thing (from horse racing)
We backed the wrong horse in the school election and we were very surprised at t
he winner.
ball is in (someone's) court

- it is up to this person to make the next move (from tennis or a similar game)
We made an offer to buy the business and now the ball is in the owner's court to
accept our offer or not.
ballpark estimate/figure

-a guess that is in a certain area or range

We had a ballpark estimate about how much it would cost to buy the business.
bat a thousand

- to be successful in everything that you do

The salesman was batting a thousand during his sales trip to Europe.
beat the gun

- to do something before the ending signal of a game etc.

We were able to beat the gun and make our application to get the free basketball
tickets.
behind the eight ball

- at a disadvantage (the black ball is number eight in the game of pool and is t
he last ball that you try to put in a pocket - if you are behind it then you are
 at a disadvantage)
Our friend was behind the eight ball when he discovered that he was the last per
son to register for his classes.
beyond one's depth

- in water that is too deep, doing something that is too difficult for one's abi
lity
The manager's were beyond their depth when they chose to pick a fight with the u
nion.
blow the whistle on (someone)

- to reveal information about someone (from sports where the referee blows a whi
stle when someone does something wrong)
The secretary blew the whistle on her boss after he wasted much money in his dep
artment.
bounce (something) off (someone)

- to test someone's reaction to an idea (when a ball is thrown against a wall it

bounces back to the thrower)
I bounced my idea for a new restaurant off my friend.
call the shots

- to control something, to make the rules (from calling the shots in billiards o
r pool)
My friend has been calling the shots in his company for several years now.
carry the ball

- to be in charge of something, to be responsible for something (from carrying t

he ball in American football)
The director let his assistant carry the ball on the assignment for the new sale
's contract.
clear a hurdle

- to overcome an obstacle (from a hurdle in a track and field race)

We finally cleared a major hurdle in our effort to get a business license to sel
l our products.
come in a close second

- to almost be chosen first for something (in a race a runner may miss coming in
first by a very small amount)
The politician came in a close second in the election.
come out of left field

- to be completely unexpected, to be a surprise (from the game of baseball)

My friend's idea about going to Spain came out of left field.
cover all of one's bases

- to thoroughly prepare for or deal with a situation (this is from the game of b
aseball where you must cover or protect the bases)
The man covered all of his bases before going to the job interview and performed
very well.
(be) cricket

- to play fair, to use gentlemanly conduct (usually used in the negative)

The way that the government treated the union leader was not cricket.
dive in headfirst

- to do something impulsively without thinking about the consequences

The man likes to dive in headfirst with anything that he does.
dive right into (something)

- to begin to do something without hesitating (some swimmers like to dive right

in without checking the temperature of the water)
Many of the students decided to dive right into their studies when university st
arted.
down for the count

- defeated, unconscious (in boxing a boxer who is on the ground must get up befo
re the count of ten or he will lose the boxing match)
The political candidate was down for the count when no major figures supported h
im.
down to the wire

- at the very last moment, very close to the time when something is due (from th
e wire at the end of a horse race)
The election went down to the wire but the candidate was re-elected to another t
erm in office.
draw first blood

- to gain the first point or advantage in a contest (often in boxing or fighting

with swords)
The heavyweight champion drew first blood in the boxing match but in the end he
was defeated by his opponent.
drop the ball

- to make an error or mistake, to handle things badly

The government dropped the ball with its decision to expand the airport runway w
ithout consulting the local residents.
first out of the gate

- the first person to begin a project

The businessman was the first out of the gate in the effort to raise money for t
he new concert hall.
first past the post

- the first person to reach the finish line and win a race (used in a horse race
)
The young horse was first past the post and won a large amount of money in the r
ace.
game plan

- strategy (from the game of football)

I do not know if my boss has a game plan for the meeting.
get off to a flying start

- to have a very successful beginning

The meeting got off to a flying start when our manager announced that we had won
a large contract.
get one's feet wet

- to experience something for the first time, to get a little first-time experie
nce with something
Before getting my feet wet, I spent many months studying the plans for the new p
roject.
I just started my piano lessons - I have just begun to get my feet wet.
get the ball rolling

- to begin something
We plan to start immediately and get the ball rolling on our project.
get to first base with (someone or something)

- to make an advance with someone or in some undertaking (this comes from first
base in baseball)
I wanted to talk about changing my work hours but I was not able to get to first
base with my boss.
go a few rounds with (someone)

- to fight with someone

My friend went a few rounds with his boss yesterday. They had a big argument.
go to bat for (someone)
- to support or help someone (in baseball you sometimes substitute one batter fo
r another)
The teacher went to bat for the student when she was having problems with the sc
hool administration.
go to the mat for (someone or something)

- to argue strongly on behalf of someone or something

The coach will always go to the mat for his players when they are having problem
s.
hand the torch/baton to (someone)

- to hand over a particular duty or responsibility to someone (from the baton or

torch that is passed from one runner to the next runner in a relay race)
The president of the company handed the torch to his son when he decided to reti
re.
hard to call

- hard to decide or determine something (referees in sports sometimes have to ma

ke difficult decisions)
The game was hard to call and nobody knew who was going to win.
have had a good innings

- to have enjoyed a long period of positive action or opportunity (from cricket

where an innings is the time that a team spends batting and a good innings is wh
en they score many runs)
The team had a very good innings and won the match easily.
have the inside track

- to have an advantage (if you have the inside track while running in a race you
have an advantage)
I had the inside track when I applied for the job at the bank.
have two/three strikes against you

- to have several things against you, to be in a situation where success in unli

kely (in baseball a batter is finished after three strikes)
The man's absence from work and being late are serious problems. He now has two
strikes against him. Any more problems and he will be fired.
hit a home run

- to hit a baseball so far that the batter can run around all of the bases and s
core a run, to reach a big goal
My favorite baseball player hit a home run last night.
We hit a home run when we won the big contract.
hit (someone) below the belt
- to not follow the rules, to do something that is not fair (hitting low in boxi
ng is not fair)
The man was hitting below the belt when he began to criticize his friend unfairl
y.
hit the bull's-eye

- to achieve your goal perfectly

We hit the bull's-eye when we got the big sales contract.
home free

- to be sure of attaining one's goal (in baseball a player who is sure to get to
home base and score is considered to be home free)
The traffic was terrible but we were home free after we left the city.
The runner was home free and we knew that we would win the game.
in deep water

- in a serious situation, in trouble (a swimmer could be in trouble when he or s

he is in deep water)
The boy is in deep water because of his problems at school.
in full swing

- at the peak of activity, moving fast and efficiently

The basketball season was in full swing when we purchased our season's tickets.
in (someone's) corner

- on someone's side, supporting someone (in a boxing match each boxer has his ow
n corner)
The young man gained confidence when he learned that many people were in his cor
ner.
in the ballpark

- in a particular area or range (from a baseball field)

The offer for our house was not in the ballpark of an acceptable offer so we did
not sell it.
in the bullpen

- in a special area where a baseball pitcher prepares to pitch in a game

The new pitcher practiced in the bullpen while he waited to enter the game.
in the homestretch

- the last part of something

The project to build the new bridge is now in the homestretch.
in the running

- a candidate for something (from horse racing when two horses have a chance of
winning a race)
The man is in the running for a job on the city school board.
in the same league as (someone or something)

- at the same level as someone or something

Our soccer team is not in the same league at the opposition team.
jockey for position

- to try to put yourself in a better position than others (as a jockey would do
in a horse race)
The salesmen began to jockey for position when they learned that the sales manag
er was leaving the company.
jump off the deep end

- to take immediate and drastic action

It is time for me to jump off the deep end and quit my job and go back to school
.
jump the gun

- to start something before the starting signal or before you actually should st
art (as in a race)
My friend jumped the gun and applied for the new job before applications were be
ing accepted.
keep one's eye on the ball

- to remain alert, to keep one's attention focused on the ball or on the matter
at hand
We tried to keep our eye on the ball during the meeting.
keep the ball rolling

- to maintain the momentum of an activity

Our supervisor worked hard to keep the ball rolling so we could finish our proje
ct.
kick off (something) or kick (something) off

- to begin something, to start something, to kick the ball and start the game in
American football
The hospital kicked off the campaign to raise money with a large fund raising ev
ent at a restaurant.
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