Definition
To make a mistake or fail to handle a responsibility properly, especially when others are counting on you.
Etymology
This American phrase comes from sports, particularly baseball and football, where literally dropping the ball results in missed opportunities or points for the opposing team. It gained broader usage in the mid-20th century as a metaphor for any kind of failure in responsibility.
Kelly Says
The beauty of this sports metaphor is how it captures both the suddenness of failure and the public nature of disappointment. Unlike private mistakes, dropping the ball in sports happens in full view of teammates and spectators, just like professional failures often affect entire teams or organizations.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ኳን 掉す
kwan d-io-su
ARالعربية
إسقاط الكرة
isqāṭ al-kura
BNবাংলা
ক্রিকেট বল ফেলে দেওয়া
kri-ke-t bol fe-le de-wa
CACatalà
deixar caure la pilota
de-jar kau-re la pi-lo-ta
CSČeština
nechat padnout míč
ne-chat pa-d-nout mi-č
DADansk
lade bolden falde
la-de bol-den fal-de
DEDeutsch
den Ball fallen lassen
den bal fallən lasen
ELΕλληνικά
να αφήσεις την μπάλα
na af-ise-is tin ba-la
ESEspañol
dejar caer la pelota
deh-yar kay-er la peh-LOH-tah
FAفارسی
توپ را رها کردن
to-p ra re-ha-e kard-an
FISuomi
pudota pallo
pu-do-ta pal-lo
FRFrançais
laisser tomber la balle
lɛ.se.tɔm.ba.l
GUGU
ગોળાને ડુબાડવું
go-la-ne du-ba-ad-vu
HAHA
tasa kwallon
ta-sa kw-a-lon
HEעברית
לשחרר את הכדור
lishar' et ha-kdor
HIहिन्दी
गेंद गिराना
genD giRaana
HUMagyar
a labdát ejteni
a lab-dat ej-te-ni
IDBahasa Indonesia
melempar bola
me-lempar bo-la
ITItaliano
far cadere la palla
far ka-deh-reh la pal-la
JA日本語
ボールを落とす
bo-ru o o-to-su
KKKK
футболды жіберу
fut-bol-dy ji-ber-u
KMKM
បាញ់បាល់
ba-an ba-al
KO한국어
공을 떨어뜨리다
gong-eul tteoreot-rida
MSBahasa Melayu
jatuhkan bola
ja-tu-hkan bo-la
MYမြန်မာ
ဘောလုံး ချိတ်
ba-lu-ngee chi-et
NLNederlands
de bal laten vallen
de bal laten vallen
NONorsk
la ballen falle
la bal-len fal-le
PLPolski
puścić piłkę
pu-schi-t pi-w-ka
PTPortuguês
largar a bola
la-rgar a bo-la
RORomână
a lăsa mingea să cadă
a la-sa min-gea sa ka-da
RUРусский
родить мяч
rodit' myach
SVSvenska
låta bollen falla
lo-ta bo-len fal-la
SWKiswahili
ruhusha mpira
roo-hu-sha m-pee-ra
TAதமிழ்
பந்து விழும்
pan-du vi-zum
TEతెలుగు
గेंदను పడవేయడం
gen-nu pa-dve-ya-dam
THไทย
ปล่อยลูกบอล
plao luk-bon
TLTL
ihulog ang bola
i-hu-log ang bo-la
TRTürkçe
topu düşürmek
to-pu dü-şür-mek
UKУкраїнська
робити м'яч
ro-byty m'iach
URاردو
گیند ڈالنا
geend daal-na
VITiếng Việt
làm rơi quả bóng
lam ro qua bong
ZUZU
hlasela i-bali
hla-se-la i-ba-li