# roll the pitch

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/roll-the-pitch
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Preparing audiences for an unpopular change.

## Examples

- The manager is rolling the pitch for the upcoming budget cuts.
- Our teacher rolls the pitch before giving us a very difficult homework assignment.
- He rolls the pitch by mentioning the bad news slowly to his family.
- Before announcing the new office rules, the director spent weeks rolling the pitch to ensure the staff would not be too upset.
- The government is rolling the pitch for the new tax by talking about how much the local hospitals need more funding.
- The airline started rolling the pitch for higher baggage fees by explaining the rising costs of fuel to all their customers.
- The tech company rolls the pitch for the app's price increase by highlighting all the new features they recently added.
- By leaking small details about the restructuring, the executive effectively rolled the pitch for the radical policy changes that would soon follow.

## Origin

Derived from the sport of cricket, where the pitch is prepared by rolling it flat before a match begins. The phrase records the specific physical maintenance required to ensure the playing surface is suitably conditioned for the game ahead.

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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.