Ball n. 1.Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow.
2.A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc.
3.A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball, and Football. 4.Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a rifle ball; often used collectively; as, powder and ball. Spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets.
5.(Pyrotechnics & Mil.) A flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball; a stink ball.
6.(Print.) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller.
7.A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot.
8.(Far.) A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus.
9.The globe or earth. "Move round the dark terrestrial ball."
10.(Baseball) A pitched ball, not struck at by the batter, which fails to pass over the home plate at a height not greater than the batter's shoulder nor less than his knee (i.e. it is outside the strike zone). If the pitcher pitches four balls before three strikes are called, the batter advances to first base, and the action of pitching four balls is called a walk.
11.A testicle; usually used in the plural. (vulgar)
12.pl. Courage; nerve. (vulgar)
Ball and socket joint, a joint in which a ball moves within a socket, so as to admit of motion in every direction within certain limits.
Ball bearings, a mechanical device for lessening the friction of axle bearings by means of small loose metal balls.
Ball cartridge, a cartridge containing a ball, as distinguished from a blank cartridge, containing only powder.
Ball cock, a faucet or valve which is opened or closed by the fall or rise of a ball floating in water at the end of a lever.
Ball gudgeon, a pivot of a spherical form, which permits lateral deflection of the arbor or shaft, while retaining the pivot in its socket.
Ball lever, the lever used in a ball cock.
Ball of the eye, the eye itself, as distinguished from its lids and socket; formerly, the pupil of the eye.
Ball valve (Mach.), a contrivance by which a ball, placed in a circular cup with a hole in its bottom, operates as a valve.
Ball vein (Mining), a sort of iron ore, found in loose masses of a globular form, containing sparkling particles.
Three balls, or Three golden balls, a pawnbroker's sign or shop.
on the ball alert; competent and knowledgeable.
to carry the ball to carry on the task; to assume the responsibility.
to drop the ball to fail to perform as expected; to fail to live up to a responsibility.
Cock n. 1.The male of birds, particularly of gallinaceous or domestic fowls.
2.A vane in the shape of a cock; a weathercock. "Drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks!"
3.A chief man; a leader or master. (Humorous) "Sir Andrew is the cock of the club, since he left us."
4.The crow of a cock, esp. the first crow in the morning; cockcrow. (Obs.) "He begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock."
5.A faucet or valve. Note: Jonsons says, "The handle probably had a cock on the top; things that were contrived to turn seem anciently to have had that form, whatever was the reason." Skinner says, because it used to be constructed in forma critae galli, i.e., in the form of a cock's comb.
6.The style of gnomon of a dial.
7.The indicator of a balance.
8.The bridge piece which affords a bearing for the pivot of a balance in a clock or watch.
Ball cock. See under Ball. Chaparral cock. See under Chaparral. Cock and bull story, an extravagant, boastful story; a canard.
Cock of the plains (Zool.) See Sage cock. Cock of the rock (Zool.), a South American bird (Rupicola aurantia) having a beautiful crest.
Cock of the walk, a chief or master; the hero of the hour; one who has overcrowed, or got the better of, rivals or competitors.
Cock of the woods. See Capercailzie. 
