IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishplay hardball
Meaning: To work or act aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics.
Example: “The union decided to play hardball and called a strike.”
Origin: Baseball, played with a hard ball, was called "hardball" to distinguish it from softball. The figurative sense of acting tough and ruthlessly, especially in politics and business, is American from the 1970s.
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