take one's eye off the ball: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  worldneutral
  • To cease looking at the ball in a game; to stop watching the immediate object of play (literal).

  Examples

  Beta

  • During the game, the player took his eye off the ball and missed the pass.

    Durante el partido, el jugador dejó de mirar la pelota y perdió el pase.

  • You shouldn't take your eye off the ball in cricket if you want to catch it properly.

    No deberías dejar de mirar la pelota en el cricket si quieres atraparla bien.

  • She took her eye off the ball briefly, which caused her to lose the point in the match.

    Ella dejó de mirar la pelota brevemente, lo que le hizo perder el punto en el partido.

  • The coach reminded the players not to take their eye off the ball even for a second.

    El entrenador recordó a los jugadores que no deben dejar de mirar la pelota ni por un segundo.

• 2.

  United KingdomUnited StatesAustraliaCanadaworldinformalneutral
  • To stop paying attention to an important matter; to become distracted, often resulting in a mistake or missed opportunity (figurative).

  Examples

  Beta

  • If you take your eye off the ball during this project, we might miss the deadline.

    Si pierdes la concentración durante este proyecto, podríamos no cumplir con la fecha límite.

  • He took his eye off the ball and forgot to send the crucial email to the client.

    Él se distrajo y olvidó enviar el correo electrónico crucial al cliente.

  • You must never take your eye off the ball when managing finances in a business.

    Nunca debes perder de vista lo importante cuando gestionas las finanzas de un negocio.