The ball’s in your court
2019.11.13
Meaning:
‘The ball’s in your court’ means ‘It’s your turn to do something’ or ‘I’m not doing anything because I’m waiting for you to do something first’. This comes from tennis. I hit the ball to your (part of the) court, you hit it back etc. So the idea is: I do something, then you can decide if you want to respond. For example, if I offered my son money to clean the house, I could tell him, ‘I offered you the money. The ball’s in your court now.’ Then I’d wait for him to decide.
Example:
A: Did you ever call that cute girl we met last weekend?
B: Yes, I called and I left a message asking her to call back. The ball’s in her court now.
Talking Point(s):
Does Japanese have an expression similar to ‘the ball’s in your court’?
大人からの英会話getgo 西船橋・荻窪・津田沼・本八幡