# bottom of the ninth

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/bottom-of-the-ninth
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

By extension, any last chance or final opportunity.

## Examples

- This is the bottom of the ninth for our team.
- I need a miracle because it is the bottom of the ninth for my grade.
- We are in the bottom of the ninth with this business deal.
- With only one day left to submit the proposal, we knew we were at the bottom of the ninth.
- The candidate is trailing in the polls, so this final televised debate is really the bottom of the ninth for her campaign.
- After three failed attempts to fix the engine, the mechanic knew this last part was his bottom of the ninth.
- As the negotiations dragged past midnight, the exhausted diplomats realized they had reached the bottom of the ninth, with mere hours to prevent the treaty from collapsing entirely.

## Origin

From the scoreboard convention of placing the home team’s score below that of the visiting team, and the standard duration of nine innings in a baseball game. The term indicates the second half of the final inning, the point at which the home team has their final opportunity to bat.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.