Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

behind the eight-ball

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.62 in modern English

Syllables
be-hind the eight-ball
IPA
33
Scrabble Score
18
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

In a difficult situation or tight spot; at a disadvantage.

Example Sentences

Etymology

First use appears c. 1923 in the Buffalo Evening Times. Thought to derive from the game of Kelly pool, in which players assigned balls numerically higher than 8, that is, balls that are behind the 8 ball in order, have little possibility of winning, or from eight-ball pool, where one cannot contact the eight ball on a shot before it is the legal ball, frustrating shots, or more generally, from the fact that the 8 ball is considered harder to aim at because of its color.

Synonyms

snookered

Questions

What does behind the eight-ball mean?
In a difficult situation or tight spot; at a disadvantage.
Where does behind the eight-ball come from?
First use appears c. 1923 in the Buffalo Evening Times. Thought to derive from the game of Kelly pool, in which players assigned balls numerically higher than 8, that is, balls that are behind the 8 ball in order, have little possibility of winning, or from eight-ball pool, where one cannot contact the eight ball on a shot before it is the legal ball, frustrating shots, or more generally, from the fact that the 8 ball is considered harder to aim at because of its color.

How to pronounce behind the eight-ball

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “behind the eight-ball”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “behind the eight-ball”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “behind the eight-ball” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.