dropped the ball
Failed to deliver
To drop the ball is to fail at a responsibility or make a crucial mistake, especially when others were counting on you.
The metaphor comes from sports—fumbling a catch or pass that should have been routine.
I really dropped the ball on that project deadline.
Someone dropped the ball, and now we're scrambling.
- blunderedMade a clumsy error
- screwed upMade errors badly
- goofedMade a silly mistake
- messed upDisordered or badly handled
- botchedPoorly executed, spoiled
epic fail · repercussion · fumble · backlash · error · duty · catch · answerability · reliability · throw · accountability · on the hook · trustworthiness · obligation · mismanagement · fallout · slip-up · made a mistake
- blundersblunder, blunders, blundered, mistakes, botch
- Incompetencebungle, failure, botch, inability, blunder
- setbacksfailing, back to square one, stuck, losing, stumbles
- baseballbaseball, bat, pitchers, catchers, pitcher
- mistakesmistake, mistakes, slip, error, errors
- oopsoops, whoops, whoopsie, oopsie, woopsie
dropped the ballcame through
Fulfilled expectations reliably
delivered · followed through · stepped up · rose to the occasion · pulled through
dropped the ballnailed it
Succeeded completely, emphatically
hit it out of the park · aced it · crushed it · rose to the occasion · hit a home run
drop, dropped, dropping, drops, dropper, droplet, ball, balls, balled