have the ball in (one's) court

have the ball in (one's) court

1. In tennis, to be responsible for hitting the ball from one's side of the court to one's opponent. Danny has the ball in his court right now, that's why he's going to serve it.2. By extension, to be responsible for initiating the next step or part of some process. Don't worry, the developers can't do anything without our say-so—we have the ball in our court now.See also: ball, court, have

have the ball in one's court

 1. Lit. to have a ball belonging to a game played on a court on one's side of the court. You have the ball in your court, so hit it back to me! 2. . Fig. to be responsible for the next move in some process; to have to make a response to something that someone else has started. You have the ball in your court now. You have to answer the attorney's questions. There was no way that Liz could avoid responding. She had the ball in her court.See also: ball, court, have