Ball in Hand

In various types of pocket billiards (pool), "ball in hand" refers to a player's right to place the cue ball anywhere on the table. Getting "ball in hand" means that the opposing player (the offending player) committed a foul, an example being a table scratch.

"Ball in hand," he yelled, throwing the cue ball sheepishly on the table after fouling.

by Giskard July 2, 2004