behind the eight ball

Cultural  

1. A term, referring to the game of pool, meaning in an unfavorable or uncomfortable position: “After his unkind remarks were repeated to the boss, Gary really ended up behind the eight ball.”

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behind the eight ball Idioms  

1. In trouble or an awkward position, out of luck, as in His check bounced, leaving Jim behind the eight ball with his landlord. The term comes from pocket billiards or pool, where in certain games if the number eight ball is between the “cue ball” and “object ball” the player cannot make a straight shot. [Colloquial; c. 1920]

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Example Sentences

Mookie Betts was behind the eight ball from the start following a spring-training stomach virus.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2025

A day never passed without me fully aware that we now lived our lives squarely behind the eight ball.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

That, he said, led to massive delays, cancellations and "put everyone behind the eight ball when weather actually did hit on Sunday and was further compounded by FAA staffing shortages Sunday evening."

From Reuters • Jun. 27, 2023

“It feels depressing every time you see one of those reports, because it just shows us, again, how far behind the eight ball we are,” Jayapal said.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2023

"No matter what we do for old 'Blast-off' we'll wind up behind the eight ball."

From Danger in Deep Space by Glanzman, Louis

Related Words

• necessitous
• poor