to open the ball
Preserved but no longer current.
To lead off the first dance at a balL To strike the ball under the line. To fail in one's object. The allusion is to tennis, in which a line is stretched in the middle of the court, and the players standing on each side have to send the ball aver the line.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to open the ball” mean?
To lead off the first dance at a balL To strike the ball under the line. To fail in one's object. The allusion is to tennis, in which a line is stretched in the middle of the court, and the players standing on each side have to send the ball aver the line.
Is “to open the ball” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.