Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US black) a party, a celebration; a riotously, extravagantly good time.

[1864		Derby Day 54: Oh, it’s all a ball! I’ll keep dark till we collar the scoundrels].
1934		H. Sebastian ‘Negro Sl. in Lincoln University’ in AS IX:4 287: ball. Any riotous or hilarious party or pre-arranged gathering.
1942		The Will Bradley Trio ‘Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar’ 🎵 When he jams it’s a ball, / He’s the Daddy of them all.
1949		‘Hal Ellson’ Duke viii: Ball – a big party with girls, drinks and marihuana.
1951		Kerouac On the Road (The Orig. Scroll) (2007) 121: I promised myself a ball in Denver.
1956		‘Raymond Thorp’ Viper 48: Wallace [...] invited me to my first real drugs party - or a ‘ball’ as we called it.
1962		P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn! 303: What a ball we had, huh? This is one day that didn’t bore me stiff.
1970		T. Southern Blue Movie (1974) 238: Wow, yeah, that would be a . . . groove, ha-ha, I almost said ‘ball’.
1976		H. Selby Jr Demon (1979) 45: That’s the end of that little scene. Sure was a ball while it lasted.
1999		Guardian Guide 26 June–2 July 19: My life’s been a ball.
2001		Eve. Standard Mag. 23 Feb. 29: Then, drenched in Angel, they’d go to the party or ‘ball’.
2010		K. Richards Life 417: It was a fun tour and we had a lot of laughs [...] it was a ball, a riot.

2. as the ball, an enjoyable time.

1952

(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 62: Why, it’s cool at Paddy’s [...] Just the ball.

3. (US drugs) a feeling of well-being, a ‘high’, from a drug.

1953

W. Brown Monkey On My Back (1954) 34: Vesta got out some marijuana cigarettes and offered Dave a ‘joint’ [...] Dave ‘got a ball’ right away. He felt ‘on top of everything’.

4. an orgy.

1966

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5. a delightful person.

2001

(con. 1975–6) E. Little Steel Toes 98: Jazz is a ball, fun to be with and probably good for both of us.