Ball of chalk

If something has gone for a ball of chalk, it means that something is a complete mess or disaster. That is why it is difficult to equate its current meaning with its origin as 1930s rhyming slang, ball of chalk/walk. There is no question that in the 1930s, ball of chalk did mean walk, but its evolution to mess or disaster remains obscure. The most plausible explanation is that if something has gone for a walk, it is missing, possibly stolen. If it was valuable, this may constitute a disaster, but this is conjecture rather than proof of origin.