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Glite Dictionary
to catch no ball

to catch no ball

9.9
To not understand anything in a talk or explanation
  • idiom
  • Informal
: no entender nada
  • She catches no ball when it comes to math.

Examples

  • I caught no ball during the lecture.

  • Whenever they talk about physics, I just catch no ball.

  • He speaks so fast that I catch no ball during his explanation.

  • I tried to follow the lecture, but I catch no ball at all.

  • He speaks so fast that I catch no ball during his explanation.

  • I tried to follow the lecture, but I catch no ball at all.

  • Whenever they talk about physics, I just catch no ball.

Synonyms

to don't have a clue
vsto catch no ball
80 6.4

To not know anything about a subject or situation

fails to understand what is being said or happening now

Antonyms

to understand
∞ 1.0

To know the meaning of something

How Clear

to grasp
146 4.1
to understand
∞ 1.0
confused
692 1.3
cluelessness
5 4.2
to catch no ball
  • Informal
9.9

Surface Forms

catch no ball infinitive
catching no ball present participle
catches no ball third person singular
caught no ball past
caught no ball past participle

Morphology

catch + no + ball

The verb 'catch' can transparently mean 'understand' and 'no' negates that, so a learner could infer a sense of failing to understand; however the noun 'ball' does not contribute a predictable meaning of 'anything' and appears idiomatic/informal (likely regional). Because part of the MWE follows compositional logic while the role of 'ball' is unpredictable, it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Catch no ball may come from team sports like cricket or football: if you do not catch the ball, you miss the play, so saying you 'catch no ball' means you missed the point. That's why it now means 'to understand nothing'.