"exceed in any excess of evil," from Shakespeare's it out-Herods Herod in Hamlet's instruction to the players in "Hamlet" Act III, Scene II. Shakespeare used the same construction elsewhere ("All's Well that Ends Well" has out-villain'd villany). The phrase reflects the image of Herod as stock braggart and bully in old religious drama. The form of the phrase was widely imitated 19c. and extended to any excessive behavior.

Oh, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows and noise: I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant; it out-herods Herod: pray you, avoid it. ["Hamlet"]

also out-play, "to play better than, surpass in playing," 1640s, from out- + play (v.). Related: Outplayed; outplaying.

also roll-out, 1957, "action of wheeling out," originally of airplanes, from the verbal phrase; see roll (v.) + out (adv.). As a type of U.S. football play by 1959.

also role-play, "act or condition of behaving as another would behave in a certain situation," 1958, from the verbal phrase, "to act out the role of" (by 1949); see role (n.) + play (v.). Related: Role-playing

"boy who retrieves balls that go out of play during a game or match," 1896, in tennis, from ball (n.1) + boy. By 1955 in baseball. Ball-girl in tennis is by 1953.

early 14c., prologe, "introduction to a narrative or discourse," from Old French prologue (12c.) and directly from Latin prologus, from Greek prologos "preface to a play, speaker of a prologue," etymologically "a speech beforehand," from pro "before" (see pro-) + logos "discourse, speech," from legein "to speak," from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak (to 'pick out words')." Especially a discourse or poem spoken before a dramatic performance or play. Figuratively, "a preliminary act or event," by 1590s.