--- optiview_delivery: edge_optimized content_type: semantic_markdown source_url: https://learnings.org/term/ball-in-your-court brand_content: none publication_version: "3.0" published_at: 2026-10-05T14:06:11Z composition_version: composition-v2.1.0 presentation_version: presentation-v1.2.0 --- # Ball in your court [Skip to content](https://learnings.org/term/ball-in-your-court#main-content) - [All](https://learnings.org/terms) - [2](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=2) - [3](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=3) - [8](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=8) - [A](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=A) - [B](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=B) - [C](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=C) - [D](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=D) - [E](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=E) - [F](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=F) - [G](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=G) - [H](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=H) - [I](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=I) - [J](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=J) - [K](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=K) - [L](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=L) - [M](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=M) - [N](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=N) - [O](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=O) - [P](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=P) - [Q](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=Q) - [R](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=R) - [S](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=S) - [T](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=T) - [U](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=U) - [V](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=V) - [W](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=W) - [Y](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=Y) - [Z](https://learnings.org/terms?letter=Z) A corporate euphemism for "I'm done with this problem" that makes passing responsibility sound like a sports metaphor, usually used when someone wants to avoid making a decision. ### Examples Examples: - "The ball is in your court." (I'm done with this, it's your problem now) - "We'll put the ball in their court." (we'll make them deal with our mess) - "The ball has been in their court for weeks." (they've been ignoring our problems for weeks) ### Tags euphemismresponsibilitysportsdecisionignoring 452 views • Created 2/1/2024 📢 Share Learnings ### Related Terms [ #### Herding cats A corporate euphemism for "trying to manage people who don't want to... 1909 views• euphemism, managed ](https://learnings.org/term/herding-cats-v15)[ #### Champion A corporate euphemism for "person who gets blamed when things go wrong"... 1901 views• euphemism, blamed ](https://learnings.org/term/champion)[ #### Backburner A corporate euphemism for "never" that makes procrastination sound like strategic prioritization,... 1843 views• euphemism, never ](https://learnings.org/term/backburner-v2)[ #### Watercooler A corporate euphemism for "gossip" that makes workplace rumors sound like professional... 1811 views• euphemism, gossip ](https://learnings.org/term/watercooler)[ #### Level playing field A sports metaphor used in business to describe fair competition, usually said... 1550 views• sports, metaphor ](https://learnings.org/term/level-playing-field) Keep exploring the corporate jargon dictionary ## 🌍 In the Wild \+ Add Example No examples yet. Be the first to add one! ### 🤖 AI Tools 🎓 Translate with Professor📝 Open Writing Tools🎯 Play Buzzword Bingo 🎓 Ask the Professor ## Additional source context © 2008–2026 Learnings Dot Org — Speak fluent corporate. Ironically. ## Additional page links - [Herding cats · A corporate euphemism for "trying to manage people who don't want to... · 1909 views• euphemism, managed](https://learnings.org/term/herding-cats-v15) — Related Terms - [Champion · A corporate euphemism for "person who gets blamed when things go wrong"... · 1901 views• euphemism, blamed](https://learnings.org/term/champion) — Related Terms - [Backburner · A corporate euphemism for "never" that makes procrastination sound like strategic prioritization,... · 1843 views• euphemism, never](https://learnings.org/term/backburner-v2) — Related Terms - [Watercooler · A corporate euphemism for "gossip" that makes workplace rumors sound like professional... · 1811 views• euphemism, gossip](https://learnings.org/term/watercooler) — Related Terms - [Level playing field · A sports metaphor used in business to describe fair competition, usually said... · 1550 views• sports, metaphor](https://learnings.org/term/level-playing-field) — Related Terms