keep the ball rolling

keep the ball rolling

1. (idiomatic) To continue an action indicated in the context; to sustain a process.
   • 1913, Joseph Conrad, Chance, ch. 1:

     Then there was a pause. Our new acquaintance had become involved in a vexatious difficulty with his pipe. . . . To keep the ball rolling I asked Marlow if this Powell was remarkable in any way.

   • 1988 June 10, Isadore Barmash, "Market Place; Can the Gap Be On the Rebound?," New York Times (retrieved 16 Nov 2017):

     But the Gap has a long way to go before it climbs back to its high of $77. . . . Lately, it has been moving back up, closing yesterday at $26.375. On Wednesday, Donald G. Fisher, chairman and chief executive of the Gap, and Millard S. Drexler, president, will try to keep the ball rolling when they talk to New York securities analysts.

   • 2001 June 14, Sally Donnelly, "A Smart FAA Plan to Reduce Airport Congestion," Time (retrieved 16 Nov 2017):

     Few people thought the Federal Aviation Administration could, as it promised, solve the delay problem at New York's LaGuardia Airport in six months. . . . Plavin, and others, hope the FAA will keep the ball rolling at the other top ten delay-plagued airports in the country.

• get the ball rolling