Get the ball rolling meaning in English
Learn how to use Get the ball rolling correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
Let's get the ball rolling!: Let's begin! Let's get started!
to keep the ball rolling: to keep up the pace, to continue
Examples
- "I've got your orders from last quarter right in front of me, so let's get the ball rolling."
- "Just to get the ball rolling."
Exercise 1
Donna uses the idiom "Just to get the ball rolling".
What does this expression mean in this context?
What does this expression mean in this context?
Donna uses the idiom "Just to get the ball rolling".
What does this expression mean in this context?
What does this expression mean in this context?
This is correct. Donna wants to try an exercise in which Horatio and Bruno compliment each other. She uses the expression "(let's) get the ball rolling", which means "let's start things off", or "let's get started", and is often used when introducing or beginning an action. For example: We're going to get the ball rolling on our fundraising campaign by sending letters to all of our major clients.
This isn't correct. There is no literal sense of "rolling" or doing anything with a ball in this idiomatic expression.
This isn't correct. Donna does compliment Horatio after using this expression, however the idiom "to get the ball rolling" means to start something.
This isn't correct. Donna's expression is unrelated to "being serious" or stopping the joking. The idiom she uses is a way to say "let's get started".
This isn't correct. Donna does give an example of a compliment after using this expression, however the idiom "to get the ball rolling" means to start something.
Exercise 2
Susan is "capable of putting the right spin on the situation".
This means that:
This means that:
Susan is "capable of putting the right spin on the situation".
This means that:
This means that:
This is not what Bruno is expressing in this sentence. "Thinking on one's feet" is an idiom which indicates that someone is capable of thinking quickly, or improvising. It is unrelated to "spin".
The term "spin" is sometimes used in English to describe the manner in which a story is told. To "put the right spin on a story" expresses that the story will be told (or even manipulated) in a way which favors one perspective over another. In the context of Bruno's email, he is telling Harold that Susan knows the best way of explaining Warbuckle's story in a way which favors Delavigne and Warbuckle.
This is not what Bruno's line expresses. He is actually telling Warbuckle that Susan Bliss is talented at "turning" or "spinning" a story in a particular way, not that she gives good advice.
"To get the ball rolling" is an expression which means to "initiate" something, or get something started. For example, we could say "Susan why don't you get the ball rolling on these negotiations". It is unrelated to "spin" in this context.
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