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IN THE BALLPARK

The idiom "in the ballpark" means something is within reasonable, acceptable, or expected limits. It also refers to an acceptable range in the amount or number of something when you do not know or cannot agree on an exact amount or number:.



EXAMPLES

"My first guess wasn't even in the ballpark".

"The price may go up another $10, but that's still in the ballpark".



HISTORY

The idiom "in the ballpark" originates from the idea of a baseball field, where "being in the ballpark" means being close to the target, within a reasonable range, and is thought to have first been used by atomic scientists in the 1950s who used the concept of a ballpark's size as a reference point for missile landing accuracy; essentially, a missile landing "in the ballpark" was considered close enough to the target.