ball ?

[whl626]

May I know what it means ' Have an eye on the ball ' ?

[RonBee]

To have your eye on something is to pay close attention to it. If I have my eye on you I am watching you closely. To keep your eye on the ball is to pay close attention to something. The expression comes from sports. I have especially heard it used in baseball.

When someone is driving it is a good idea for them to keep their eyes on the road.

:)

[whl626]

Originally Posted by RonBee

To have your eye on something is to pay close attention to it. If I have my eye on you I am watching you closely. To keep your eye on the ball is to pay close attention to something. The expression comes from sports. I have especially heard it used in baseball.

When someone is driving it is a good idea for them to keep their eyes on the road.

:)

Knowing the source of its existence, I think it is easy to remember then. :)

Thanks

[RonBee]

Well, in Malaysia they don't have baseball, but I am pretty sure that they have football. (AE: soccer) There you would find a practical application of keeping your eye on the ball. If you don't keep your eye on the ball you will lose track of it, and the other team will surely score on you.

Here's something you might find interesting:

• shophouse
  http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1453

The poster asked a question about a word I had never heard before, and I was mildly surprised to find that the word came from Malaysia. Apparently, there is a larger English-speaking community there than I realized. (There are certainly shophouses in this country, but we just never called them that.) Do you use that word?

[whl626]

Originally Posted by RonBee

Well, in Malaysia they don't have baseball, but I am pretty sure that they have football. (AE: soccer) There you would find a practical application of keeping your eye on the ball. If you don't keep your eye on the ball you will lose track of it, and the other team will surely score on you.

Here's something you might find interesting:

• shophouse
  http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1453

The poster asked a question about a word I had never heard before, and I was mildly surprised to find that the word came from Malaysia. Apparently, there is a larger English-speaking community there than I realized. (There are certainly shophouses in this country, but we just never called them that.) Do you use that word?

You are telling me :). I also didn't know this word is derived from Malaysia. But it is so commonly used here. It is exactly as what you've said about it. Shophouses normally refer to a row of double-story houses. No single stand-alone :). We used to be a British colony, so it is not surprising to find a larger English speaking community but what I am moaning is the standard of the language is deteriorating over the years to an alarming stage, so to speak.