drop the ball

D

drop the ball (idiom)
/ drɒp ðə bɔːl / (UK), / drɑːp ðə bɑːl / (US)

Synopsis

The idiom “drop the ball” means to make a mistake or fail to do something important or expected. It originated in the United States from sports like baseball and football, where literally dropping the ball signified a clear error. The phrase began to be used figuratively in the early 1940s to describe negligence or failure in responsibility.

Meanings

• To make a mistake or fail to do something you were responsible for.
• To miss an important opportunity through carelessness or neglect.
• To forget or ignore a task you were supposed to handle.
• (Literal) To fail to catch or hold a ball in a game.

Synonyms: fumble; mess up; screw up; slip up; blunder; miss the boat; fail; goof up.

Example Sentences

1. The manager dropped the ball when he forgot to send the report on time.
2. We dropped the ball by not calling the client back—now they’ve chosen another company.
3. She dropped the ball by ignoring the reminder email, and the deadline passed unnoticed.
4. (Literal) The goalkeeper dropped the ball, and the other team scored the winning goal.

Origin and History

Sports-Based Beginning

The idiom “drop the ball” comes directly from American sports, especially baseball and football. In these games, a player literally drops the ball when failing to catch or control it—a clear and costly mistake. Over time, this literal act developed into a figurative expression meaning to make an error or fail to do something important.

American Origin

The phrase originated in the United States. It appeared first in sports writing of the late nineteenth century, where “dropping the ball” was used in its literal sense. By the early 1940s, Americans had begun using it metaphorically in workplaces, military contexts, and everyday speech to describe neglect or poor performance.

Earliest Printed Record

The earliest verified figurative use appears in a 1941 American novel, which reads:

“Lieutenant Fitzpatrick and Ensign Snell were startled. Even with danger hanging overhead like a sword on unravelling thread, the Captain never interfered with his three officers, never failed to give them a chance to go through with it, unless, as Ensign Snell phrased it, they were ‘about to drop the ball.'”

This passage clearly uses the phrase in the modern sense — describing a failure rather than a literal sporting event.

Shift to Figurative Use

After the 1940s, “drop the ball” quickly moved from sports talk into general English. It came to describe any failure to act or fulfill a responsibility, especially in professional or group settings. The idiom’s popularity grew because it captures the idea of missing an obvious task with a vivid, simple image.

Drop, Failure, Important, Sports