foul ball

noun, Baseball.
1.
a batted ground ball that is hit and played outside the foul lines, or that passes outside the foul lines at first or third base, or that is played outside the foul line between home and first or third base regardless of where hit.
2.
a batted fly ball played or landing outside the foul lines.
3.
Slang. an incompetent, unlucky, or eccentric person.
Origin
1855-60, Americanism
Slang definitions & phrases for foul ball

foul ball

noun phrase
  1. An inferior fighter; palooka (1920s+ Prizefight)
  2. A useless and inadequate person; dull tool, loser: It is Scotty's boast that he hasn't sent a sponsor a foul ball yet (1920s+)
  3. A person having deviant convictions and attitudes; outsider; oddball (1930s+)

[fr baseball]