give (someone) a ballpark

A "ballpark" is a rough estimate. In other words, it's a guess about an amount that's close to the correct number, but not exact. You use it like this:

Here's an estimate of the cost. Keep in mind, it's just a ballpark.

We'll call up the electrician and have them give us a ballpark, but I'll check with you before I have them do any work.

This phrase comes from the sport of baseball. A "ball park" in a place where people watch baseball games. If two locations are within the same ball park, then they're not exactly close to each other, but they're not too far away either.

This phrase appears in these lessons: