take one's ball and go home en · VERB
Etymology
From the image of a group of children playing a sport with a ball that is the exclusive property of one of the participants.
Meanings
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(idiomatic, informal) To cease participating in an activity that has turned to one's disadvantage, especially out of spite, or in a way that prevents others from participating as well.
[F]aced with the choice of raising his bid by a dollar or two a share or making a hostile offer, Mr. Ballmer did neither. Instead, he took his ball and went home.
2008 May 6, Andrew Ross Sorkin, “How Not to Make a Deal”, in New York Times, retrieved 06 May 2015:In 1977 American auto industry leaders threatened to "take their ball and go home" by shutting down production of 1978 models unless they received yet a third delay in meeting the auto emission standards of the Clean Air Act.
1978, "House Vote 13," In Common, Vol. 9, p. 52 (Google snippet view)
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| takes one's ball and goes home | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| take one's football and go home | alternative | lexicographic | |
| taken one's ball and gone home | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| take one's bat and ball and go home | alternative | lexicographic | |
| taking one's ball and going home | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| took one's ball and went home | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (2)
es romper la baraja (Translations) · pl obrazić się i odejść (Translations)