Green’s Dictionary of Slang

ball n.2

[ball of fire under ball n.1 ]

(orig. US) a shot of liquor; esp. in phr. a beer and a ball, a beer and a shot of whisky; ball joint, a bar.

[Aus]Bell’s Life in Sydney 2 Jan. 1/5: The seaman, Ball, having more balls on board than agreed with his mental, moral, or physical capacity, suffered himself to be bamboozled.
[Aus]J.P. Townsend Rambles in New South Wales 209: The summit of his bliss is a ‘brandy ball.’.
[Aus]Bell’s Life in Sydney 18 May 2/6: We was both, in n manner of speaking, a little dry, so we steps into a licensed wittlers, in the vicinity, and indulges in a ball or two.
[Aus]Bell’s Life in Sydney 8 Aug. 3/2: The other [prisoner] was brought into Fort-street suffering severely fro the ‘balls’ he had received in th encounter with Bacchus.
[US]St Louis Globe-Democrat 19 Jan. n.p.: The party arrange themselves at the bar and are invited [...] to ‘have some whisk,’ or ‘take a smile,’ ‘have one,’ ‘take a ball,’ ‘take a hist,’ ‘take a horn,’ ‘take a noggin,’ ‘get vaccinated,’ all of which mean that one and all shall have a drink.
[Aus]J.S. Borlase Blue Cap, the Bushranger 591/21: Come and take a ball at my expense.
[US]Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 21 Dec. 10/1: [headline] isn’t it just horrid? / That Baseballists Indulge, sometimes, in a ‘Ball?’.
[US]S. Crane in N.Y. Press 22 Apr. in Stallman (1966) 41: Th’ on’y thing I really needs is a ball. Me t’roat feels like a fryin’ pan.
[Aus]‘Price Warung’ Tales of the Early Days 293: [note] ‘Balls’ — Convict term for ‘free drinks.’.
[US]C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 224: ‘Now,’ I’d say to the proprietor of the ball joint, [...] ‘with regard to the number of chances.’.
[US]T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 16: [...] Yes I’ll have a ball. It might cheer me up a bit.
[US]A.C. Inman 21 June diary in Aaron (1985) 188: I’ll give you a ‘ball’ for a smoke. Got a fine bottle of gin. Have one on me.
[Ire]S. O’Casey Juno and the Paycock Act II: There’s nothin’ like a ball o’ malt occasional like.
[US]Judge (NY) 91 July-Dec. 31: Get on the Ball - To go on a drunk.
[UK]‘William Juniper’ True Drunkard’s Delight.
[US]E. O’Neill Iceman Cometh Act III: Yuh look sick, Willie. Take a ball to pick yuh up.
[Ire]‘Myles na gCopaleen’ Faustus Kelly in ‘Flann O’Brien’ Stories & Plays (1973) 186: Shure if you’d any sense, you’d be out swallying balls of malt like the rest of us.
[US]B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 48: C’mon [...] Let’s go get a coupla balls in us.
[Ire]P. Boyle At Night All Cats Are Grey 66: Three buckets of porter [...] And a ball of malt for myself.
[US]R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 130: ‘Ball? How could I be having a ball?’ ‘A rdink. Don’t you kow what it means to have a ball or two?’.
[UK]W. Trevor Angels at the Ritz 172: After a day listening to rubbish it’s a pleasure to take a ball of malt with him.
[US]J.A. Lukas Common Ground 148: Charlestown’s standard order was ‘a ball and a beer’ — a shot of Old Thompson’s rye washed down by a draft of Croft ale.
[Ire]H. Leonard Out After Dark 139: An old friend would waylay her [...] and, taking no refusal, steer her into a snug for just a thimbleful of sherry or a ball of malt.
[US]G.V. Higgins At End of Day (2001) 31: Wash ’em down with a ball and a beer.
[UK]Guardian Sport 26 July 24/6: I sat slumped in front of a crackling fire and swallowed a warm ball of complimentary malt.
[Scot]L. McIlvanney All the Colours 200: I could have used a drink. A ball of Bush, a pint of stout.
[UK]Guardian Review 2 Apr. 🌐 What the reaction would be of Flann O’Brien [...] to the gushing lip-service we pay these days to our dead writer[...] can be easily guessed: a sardonic shrug, and a turning back to the bar to order another ball of malt.