a whole new ball game
a whole new ballgame
Meaning
- a significant change in circumstances.
- a changed turn of events.
- distinct changes from the previous state of affairs.
- a dramatic shift in conditions.
- an unexpected shift in the action.
Examples in Sentences
- For most young adults, moving out is a whole new ball game.
- Though I have babysitting experience, raising my child is a new ballgame.
- Even though I considered myself a competent scientist, I quickly learned that college-level chemistry is a whole new ballgame.
- Discs are no longer popular among consumers. Streaming media is a whole new ball game in entertainment.
- I excelled at my job, but when I was promoted and given more responsibility, I discovered it was a whole new ball game.
- After two great batters joined the American baseball team, it was a whole new ball game.
Origin
The phrase “a whole new ballgame” has unclear origins. It is commonly believed that baseball is the inspiration for this idiom. It was in the 1940s that the phrase “ball game” began to be used to describe any sport other than baseball. This phrase, which means the same thing as “a different ball game” in baseball, is commonly used to describe a dramatic shift in the game’s circumstances. In sports, commentators frequently use the phrase “it’s a whole new ballgame” to describe a situation in which a previously trailing team rallies to take the lead in the final minutes of a game.
In the 1960s, when a ballgame could also mean football or basketball, this expression and its variant, “a whole new ballgame,” entered figurative use.
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