ball park figure

[mully]

where does the phrase ball park figure come from and what does it mean?

[andy-hughes]

It comes from American baseball. A hitter who hit the ball a fair distance, but not out of the ground, was said to have stayed 'in the ball park'.

The term is now used to mean an approximation - an estimate near to accurate, but not guarenteed.

[jno]

actually, I think it's looser than that - a figure could be quite a long way from accurate, but not so very far that it wasn't even in the ball park. Something like a 'guesstimate'

[PhilBy]

We used to say "Off the top of my head"

[Mr Songman]

This is from "English Daily." Hope it helps.

Definition:
A good numerical guess; an estimate.

Example:
1) I'd say two hundred dollars, but that's a ballpark figure.

Etymology:
This phrase is related to another popular phrase, 'in the ballpark', which means 'close but not yet there'. The idea is that you can be in the ballpark (a place where baseball games are played) but not yet in the right seat (the seat you have a ticket for). The seat is a metaphor for the right idea or place, and the ballpark is a metaphor for an approximation of that idea or place. A 'ballpark figure' is a number that is 'in the ballpark' (close to the true number) but not quite in the right seat (the true number).

Synonyms:
guestimate