Take charge, advance a cause, as in In our lab any of the assistants can carry the ball. This usage comes from such sports as football, where the ball-carrying player gives the team yardage or a touchdown. By the early 1900s it was being transferred to other endeavors.
carry the ball
| Idioms: carry the ball |
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 | carry (Idiom) |
| ball (Idiom) |
| Snatched: Law & Order (TV Episode) (1994 Crime TV Episode) |
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- carry (Idiom)
- ball (Idiom)
- Snatched: Law & Order (TV Episode) (1994 Crime TV Episode)
- Poltergeist III, Dipesto Nothing: Moonlighting (TV Episode) (1987 Comedy Drama TV Episode)
