get the ball rolling
Meaning: to start something; to initiate a process.
Language: English
Literally: to get the ball rolling
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The phrase predates the episode most often credited with it. "Keep the ball rolling" is attested in British English from the late 1700s, drawn from ball games in which play continues only while the ball stays in motion, and stopping it ends the action. What the 1840 American presidential campaign added was spectacle rather than the phrase itself: supporters of William Henry Harrison built enormous balls of tin and leather, some ten feet across, and pushed them along roads from town to town while chanting about keeping the ball rolling. The stunt made the expression inescapable in American English and tied it permanently to political momentum, and "get the ball rolling" — the starting form rather than the sustaining one — followed from there.
More idioms — Daily Life
- as tough as old boots — very strong; enduring; difficult to break.
- head honcho — the person in charge; the leader.
- get the short end of the stick — to receive unfair treatment; to get the worse deal.
- no love lost — mutual dislike; bad relations between people.
- throw in the towel — to give up; to concede defeat.
- the real McCoy — the genuine article; something authentic and high quality.
More English idioms
- up the creek without a paddle — in a difficult situation without means to escape.
- paint the town red — to celebrate wildly; to party extensively.
- fit as a fiddle — in excellent physical condition; healthy.
- take the plunge — to commit to something risky; to make a decisive move.
- a nose for something — a talent for finding or recognizing something; keen instinct.
- keep your chin up — to remain optimistic; to stay courageous during difficulty.
From our proverbs
- Every person is a mirror to another — We see our own nature reflected in how we treat others and how others respond to us.
- He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened — Understanding others requires wisdom, but self-knowledge is the highest form of understan…
- Measure twice, cut once — Take time to plan carefully before acting, to avoid costly and irreversible mistakes.