Register Log In Wordsmith Talk Forums General Topics Q&A about words hardball v fastball Search Advanced Forum Search Forums Calendar Active Threads

Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread hardball v fastball #157741 03/24/2006 3:44 PM Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,773 Apple Valley, CA, USA dalehileman Pooh-Bah dalehileman Pooh-Bah Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,773 Apple Valley, CA, USA Former usu def as "a no-nonsense attitude in business or politics", but I can't find much support for the latter as a slang expr. Why do you suppose not... dalehileman Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: hardball v fastball #157742 03/24/2006 4:09 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass why do you think it should have? (that's a slow-pitch lob..) Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: hardball v fastball #157743 03/24/2006 6:56 PM Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,773 Apple Valley, CA, USA dalehileman Pooh-Bah dalehileman Pooh-Bah Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,773 Apple Valley, CA, USA Intuition Last edited by dalehileman; 04/01/2006 3:31 PM. dalehileman Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: hardball v fastball #157744 04/01/2006 3:31 PM Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,773 Apple Valley, CA, USA dalehileman Pooh-Bah dalehileman Pooh-Bah Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,773 Apple Valley, CA, USA Bakersfield republican Bill Thomas...would retire next January....saying he wanted to retire while he still had his fastball--McClatchy Newspapers circa March 7 This was the first instance I had encountered the term used in this metaphoric way and hence I wonder if anyone else has heard this or a similar usage dalehileman Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: hardball v fastball #157745 04/01/2006 4:10 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,819 Spam Factory Alex Williams Pooh-Bah Alex Williams Pooh-Bah Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,819 Spam Factory Apples and oranges. Hardball (i.e. baseball) is a different (but very similar) game than softball. To play hardball in the metaphorical sense probably gets its name from the fact that it hurts a lot more to get by a baseball and that a baseball can be thrown harder and faster than a softball. I take "to quit while he's still got his fastball" to mean that he is going to quit while he's at the top of his game, or in his prime. For most major league baseball pitchers (and fast-pitch softball pitchers), the ability to throw a really fast fastball declines with age. (There have been some pitchers with long careers, however, like Nolan Ryan, who played 27 years and threw very fast fastballs into his forties). Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: hardball v fastball #157746 04/01/2006 4:16 PM Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont good explanation Alex, thanks. formerly known as etaoin... Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

Default Style BlackNTan Drab eBay GooG v2 infopop new dark new light original dark original stock rounded corners Slate snow sunny dropshadow theblues Touch Of Grey UBB.threads UBB.threads - Dark UBB.threads - Light UBBCentral UBBCentral - Crimson UBBCentral - Lime UBBCentral - Marshmallow UBBCentral - Mocha UBBCentral - Zen UBBT77 UBBT77 - Dark ubbthreads ubbthreads-dark Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith Talk