Boy missed ball by a mile.

Meaning: A young boy failed to catch or hit a ball by a significant distance.

Choice of Words: Boy is a young male child. Missed means failed to catch, hit, or achieve something. Ball is a round object used in sports and games. By means near or next to something. A is an indefinite article used before a singular noun. Mile is a unit of distance equal to 5,280 feet or 1.609 kilometers.

Alternative Expressions

Boy whiffed on the ball.

Meaning: The boy did not even touch the ball when he tried to hit it.

Choice of Words: The boy tried to hit the ball, but he completely missed it. The word "whiffed" means to miss something completely.

The ball got away from the boy.

Meaning: The boy was not able to catch the ball because it was moving too fast.

Choice of Words: The boy was trying to catch the ball, but it was too fast for him. The phrase "got away" means that the ball moved too quickly for the boy to catch it.

Related Expressions