phrase. If someone is on the ball, they are very alert and aware of what is happening. She really is on the ball; she’s bought houses at auctions so she knows what she’s doing. See full dictionary entry for ball.

‘ On the ball: to be alert, focused and able to react to something quickly.

The phrase ‘on the ball’ did actually originate in the sporting arena, but relates to the eyes rather than the feet. It is a contraction of the earlier expression ‘keep your eye on the ball’, which advice has been given to participants in virtually every known ball game.

have a ball

• The team had a ball at the corporate event.
• She knows how to have a ball by herself.
• I promised my sister will have a ball this time on her birthday so I am taking her to the fashion event of the century.
• I had a ball at the event because all the performers were so enthusiastic and interacted with the crowd.

On-the-ball synonyms (Idiomatic) attentive, active, busy. Attentive; awake; on guard.

Recovering one’s health, as in I heard you had the flu, but I’m glad to see you’re on the mend. This idiom uses mend in the sense of “repair.” [ c. 1800]

informal. : to have fun : to spend time in a very enjoyable way Everyone had a ball at the party.

If you say that someone has balls, you mean that they have courage.

dealing with a difficult task or a situation successfully.

synonyms for ahead of the game fortunate. fruitful. lucky. lucrative. outstanding.

Meaning of Idiom ‘To Be On the Ball’. To be on the ball means to be highly competent, capable, skillful, proficient, etc.; to be highly aware of what is going on and be quick to understand and react appropriately to things.

on the ball, be. Also, have something on the ball. Be especially capable or efficient, as in These programmers really have a lot on the ball. This term originated in baseball, where it was used for throwing a pitch with exceptional speed, spin, or some other deceptive motion.

Some authorities have suggested that ‘on the ball’ originated in the sporting arena , and alludes to runners being on the balls of their feet, eagerly ready to run a race. This has some similarities with being ‘up to scratch’, which derives from boxers or runners being ready at the starting line.

On the ball describes someone who is efficient, someone who is talented, someone who is effective and can get things done. The idiom on the ball most probably comes from a sport involving a ball, but which sport is up for debate. It may be an abbreviated form of the phrase keep your eye on the ball,…