ball game

Or ballgame

noun

1. any game played with a ball, especially baseball or softball.

2. Informal.,  a situation and all its attendant circumstances.

   Having a new administration in power changes the entire ball game at city hall.

3. Archaeology.,  a ceremonial game of both ritual and sporting significance, played by teams on a ball court in Mesoamerican cultures from the Preclassic period to the Spanish conquest.

ball game

noun

1. any game played with a ball

2. a game of baseball

3. informal,  a situation; state of affairs (esp in the phrase a whole new ball game )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ball game¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50