“Get the Ball Rolling”
Gameplay from “Bloodborne”
💭 Meaning
To “get the ball rolling” is to start a process, project, or activity, i.e., initiating momentum so that something begins moving forward.
✍️ Examples
Henry sent over a list of sample prompts to get the ball rolling on his student's first essay draft.
Once the first few recommendation letters came in, it helped get the ball rolling on the rest of the application.
Henry's colleague suggested a quick outline meeting just to get the ball rolling on the new business project.
📜 Origin
The phrase likely originates from lawn bowling or similar ball-and-lawn games popular in 19th-century England and America, where the initial push of a heavy ball required the most effort, but once rolling, it would continue moving with its own momentum. Some historians also connect it to 1884 U.S. presidential election campaigns, where supporters literally rolled large decorated balls through towns as a form of political promotion, with the phrase “keep the ball rolling" tied to maintaining campaign enthusiasm. Either way, by the late 19th century, “get the ball rolling" had become an established idiom for starting any new endeavor or initiative.
