Puzzle #488 · October 2, 2026
ball boy
Featured
Every day one two-word expression or compound word used in American English.
A ball boy (or ball girl) is a young person who retrieves balls during professional tennis, baseball, or soccer matches. In tennis, ball boys are stationed around the court, sprinting to collect stray balls and tossing them to servers with robotic precision.
The position is competitive—at Wimbledon, ball boys are selected through a rigorous tryout process from local schools. In baseball, the equivalent role is the batboy, who handles bats and equipment in the dugout. The job is unglamorous but coveted: it puts you on the field, inches from the world's best athletes, with a view most fans would pay thousands for.
The position is competitive—at Wimbledon, ball boys are selected through a rigorous tryout process from local schools. In baseball, the equivalent role is the batboy, who handles bats and equipment in the dugout. The job is unglamorous but coveted: it puts you on the field, inches from the world's best athletes, with a view most fans would pay thousands for.
Puzzle Appearances
The expression ball boy has appeared in 1 puzzle:
- Puzzle #488 on October 2, 2026
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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