"at 'em ball" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Because such a ball is hit straight at 'em (at them).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "at 'em balls",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "at 'em ball (plural at 'em balls)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Baseball",
          "orig": "en:Baseball",
          "parents": [
            "Ball games",
            "Sports",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1996, Mike Whiteford, How to Talk Baseball, →ISBN, page 76:",
          "text": "If opposing hitters consistently hit balls at -Fielders, the fortunate pitcher is said, to be possessed of an \"at 'em ball.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A hard-hit batted ball hit straight at a fielder in the air for an out."
      ],
      "id": "en-at_'em_ball-en-noun-pDGUw8vW",
      "links": [
        [
          "baseball",
          "baseball"
        ],
        [
          "batted",
          "batted"
        ],
        [
          "ball",
          "ball"
        ],
        [
          "fielder",
          "fielder"
        ],
        [
          "out",
          "out#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(baseball, slang) A hard-hit batted ball hit straight at a fielder in the air for an out."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "at'em ball"
        },
        {
          "word": "at-'em ball"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "ball-games",
        "baseball",
        "games",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "at 'em ball"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Because such a ball is hit straight at 'em (at them).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "at 'em balls",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "at 'em ball (plural at 'em balls)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "en:Baseball"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1996, Mike Whiteford, How to Talk Baseball, →ISBN, page 76:",
          "text": "If opposing hitters consistently hit balls at -Fielders, the fortunate pitcher is said, to be possessed of an \"at 'em ball.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A hard-hit batted ball hit straight at a fielder in the air for an out."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "baseball",
          "baseball"
        ],
        [
          "batted",
          "batted"
        ],
        [
          "ball",
          "ball"
        ],
        [
          "fielder",
          "fielder"
        ],
        [
          "out",
          "out#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(baseball, slang) A hard-hit batted ball hit straight at a fielder in the air for an out."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "ball-games",
        "baseball",
        "games",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "at'em ball"
    },
    {
      "word": "at-'em ball"
    }
  ],
  "word": "at 'em ball"
}