ball game

or ball·game


noun

any game played with a ball, especially baseball or softball.
Informal. a situation and all its attendant circumstances: Having a new administration in power changes the entire ball game at city hall. Compare new ball game.
Archaeology. a ceremonial game of both ritual and sporting significance, played by teams on a ball court in Mesoamerican cultures from the Preclassic period to the Spanish conquest.

Origin of ball game

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example sentences from the Web for ballgame

British Dictionary definitions for ballgame

ball game

noun

any game played with a ball
US and Canadian a game of baseball
informal a situation; state of affairs (esp in the phrase a whole new ball game)

Idioms and Phrases with ballgame

ballgame

see whole new ballgame.