knowledgeable and competent
alert, in command of senses, attentive
understands the situation well
quick to understand and react to a situation
He was right on the ball regarding his assessment of the situation.
I couldn’t sleep well last night, so am not on the ball today.
When his opponent tried to sneak in a pass, the defender was right on the ball and stopped it well.
This mess wouldn’t have happened had you been on the ball.
“Are you alright? You don’t seem on the ball today.”
This article about the current problems of the nation is right on the ball.
He has been sick all week and wasn’t on the ball when I met him.
He has done a great job. He was really on the ball.
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.