Solid rubber or leather balls used in sports like baseball and lacrosse, or phrases meaning tough, no-nonsense negotiation tactics.
Combines 'hard' (Old English 'heard') with 'ball' (Old Norse 'bollr'), literally describing balls that are hard to the touch.
The phrase 'play hardball' became metaphorical slang in American business and politics, referring to tough, aggressive tactics that parallel the intensity of hardball baseball—a term popularized in the 1980s.
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