Paul Dickson says in his introduction to The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary, "The influence of baseball on American English at large is stunning and strong." No other sport has contributed so richly to American English as baseball. Slang terms have evolved a usage and meaning independent of baseball and are often used by those with little knowledge of the game. Many of these terms are deeply entrenched in the American psyche.

The following are common American slang terms, each of which derived from baseball jargon or baseball slang:

the breaks -- luck and good fortune
bush or bush league -- amateurish, unprofessional, or inferior
can of corn -- an easy accomplishment
charley horse -- a muscle cramp in the lower leg
curveball -- a surprise
drop the ball -- to fail in one's responsibilities
foot in the bucket -- to act timidly
get to first base, second base, third base, hit it out of the park -- various degrees of sexual conquest
"going, going, gone" -- dramatic description of anything departed
hit and run -- anything that strikes quickly and then abruptly departs
"It ain't over 'till it's over"
jim-dandy -- admirable or superior
left field -- unusual, unexpected, or irrational
Lou Gehrig's disease -- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
muff -- to screw up [transitive]
"Nice guys finish last"
offbase -- out of line, working on faulty assumptions
out in left field -- odd, out of it, space-case
out of left field -- an argument or claim that appears difficult to imagine without prior knowledge
pinch hitter -- substitute
rain check -- in the event of cancellation, an invitation that may be renewed at a later date
rhubarb -- a noisy or heated argument
"Say it ain't so, Joe!" -- an expression of disbelief
screwball -- eccentric, zany, or crazy
southpaw -- a left-handed person
step up to the plate -- to rise to an occasion in life
strike out -- to fail completely
swings both ways or switch-hitter -- bisexual
walk -- an acquittal given to a defendant
whole new ball game -- a new start

See also