Definition
This idiom means a completely different situation that someone is not used to.
Sometimes the idiom is also used as “a whole new ball game.”
For example – “Looking after pets is one thing but looking after kids is a whole different ball game.”
Clip 1
The president of the USA Donald Trump is comparing the USA’s space technology to other countries. He says that “it’s going to be a whole different ball game” to show the capabilities of the technology in the USA are far different and better compared to what other countries have available to them.
Clip 2
Comedian Noel Fielding is discussing a recent trip to Australia on the British television show Room 101. He compares the size of Spiders in Australia to the UK and describes Australian spiders as “a whole another ball game” to emphasise how big and different they are compared to Spiders he is used to seeing.
Clip 3
The third clip is from the documentary series How the Universe Works. The narrator states that “Finding black holes is one thing. Figuring out how they work, that’s a whole different ball game.” Here, the narrator is saying that for scientists finding black holes is quite simple but figuring out how they work is a completely different situation that is more complicated.
Clip 4
The last clip is from the the British reality series Geordie Shore. The person in the clips mentions that he is a good swimmer but surfing is a whole different ball game. So, he is saying that surfing is far more difficult compared to swimming and it is something he has little experience with.