drop the ball

Etymology
An allusion to the rules of such games as baseball, American football or cricket wherein literally dropping the ball would be a mistake.

Verb

 * 1)  To fail in one's responsibilities or duties, or to make a mistake, especially at a critical point or when the result is very negative.
 * 2) * 1996 Dec. 13, Peter Stack, "Tom and ‘Jerry’ Make a Great Team" (film review of Jerry Maguire), San Francisco Chronicle (retrieved 21 Sept 2013) :
 * The movie ought to sputter out here, but Crowe and Cruise don't drop the ball.

Translations

 * Dutch: een steek laten vallen
 * Finnish:, ,  ,
 * Portuguese: