Wiktionary

have a ball

English

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Etymology

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Likely from ball in the sense of a dance.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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have a ball (third-person singular simple present has a ball, present participle having a ball, simple past and past participle had a ball)

  1. (idiomatic) To enjoy oneself thoroughly; to have lots of fun or excitement.
    Synonym: have a whale of a time
    The kids had a ball playing in the fountain.
    • 1973, “Merry Xmas Everybody”, performed by Slade:
      Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall? / It's the time that every Santa has a ball / Does he ride a red-nosed reindeer? / Does a ton up on his sleigh / Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?
    • 1976, “Money, Money, Money”, performed by ABBA:
      In my dreams I have a plan / If I got me a wealthy man / I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball
    • 1984, J. G. Thirlwell (lyrics and music), “Sick Man”, in Hole, performed by Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel:
      His victim screams, he has a ball
      The bigger the head, the harder they fall
    • 1998, “Who Let the Dogs Out”, performed by Baha Men:
      When the party was nice, the party was jumpin' / And everybody havin' a ball
    • 2002, H.H. Fuller, It's a Wrap, Writers Club Press, page 72:
      “Well, after they retired down here, they must have had a ball ordering anything and everything.”
    • 2006, Chrigel Glanzmann (lyrics and music), “Your Gaulish War”, in Spirit, performed by Eluveitie:
      I hope you had a ball in effacing lives!
    • 2011, “Friday”, performed by Rebecca Black ft. Patrice Wilson:
      Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday / Today i-is Friday, Friday / We-we-we so excited / We so excited / We gonna have a ball today

Translations

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See also

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