ball up

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ball up (third-person singular simple present balls up, present participle balling up, simple past and past participle balled up)

1. (transitive) To crush into a ball shape.

   She balled up her paper in frustration.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To coil up into a ball.

   He balled up his fists, ready to fight.

3. (intransitive) To hunch over and pull in one's arms and legs.

   Her son balls up in fear whenever there is a storm.

4. (slang, transitive) To ruin or botch.

   The best man balled up his speech, stammering and tripping over his words.

   • 1916, Ring W. Lardner, “Three Kings and a Pair”, in The Saturday Evening Post‎:

     "They got it all balled up the night I seen it," says Bishop. "The actors forgot their lines and a man couldn't make heads or tails of it."

• (ruin or botch): balls up, see also Thesaurus:spoil