a (whole) new ballgame
a (whole) new ballgame
A situation that is completely different from what one is used to or expecting. Living away from home is a whole new ballgame for most young adults. I used to babysit, but having a child of my own is a new ballgame.
a whole new ball game
Some thing or situation that is very different to, and often more difficult or complicated than, something else. It's one thing to babysit your friends' kids from time to time, but having your own children is a whole new ball game. I know you think you're some hotshot just because you worked in television once, but working on a film is a whole new ball game.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
(whole) new ball game
Fig. a completely different situation; something completely different. Now that you're here, it's a whole new ball game. With a faster computer, it's a whole new ball game.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
whole new ballgame, a
A completely altered situation, as in It will take a year to reassign the staff, and by then some will have quit and we'll have a whole new ballgame . This expression comes from baseball, where it signifies a complete turn of events, as when the team that was ahead falls behind. [Colloquial; 1960s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
a whole new ball game
ora different ball game
If you describe a situation as a whole new ball game, or a different ball game, you mean that it is completely different from what came before. I'm working with kids now, which is a whole new ball game. If military force were to be used, then that would be a completely different ball game. Note: `Ball game' is often used in American English to refer to a game of baseball.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
a whole new ball game
a completely new set of circumstances. informalThe phrase originated in North America, where a ball game is a baseball match.
1989 Looks Making the film was a whole new ball game…for Kylie.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a (whole) different/new ˈball game
(informal) a completely different kind of situation: They used to go out every night, but now they’ve got a baby it’s a whole new ball game.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a whole new ball game
n. a completely different situation; something completely different. Now that you’re here, it’s a whole new ball game.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.