ball game
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Puzzle #285 · March 13, 2026
A ball game is any sport involving a ball—baseball, basketball, football, soccer. The phrase extends beyond sports: ‘that's a whole new ball game’ means the situation has fundamentally changed. Going to the ball game is an Americana tradition, capturing summer evenings, hot dogs, and community gathering. The phrase works because it's wonderfully imprecise; ‘want to play a ball game?’ could mean anything from casual tossing around to organized competition.
Puzzle Appearances
The expression ball game has appeared in 2 puzzles:
- Puzzle #37 on July 8, 2025
- Puzzle #285 on March 13, 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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