Tag Archives: football

50 Best English Idioms about Sport

50 Best English Idioms about Sport

Increase your vocabulary by learning these 50 common English idioms about Sport:

50 Best English Idioms about Sport

50 Best English Idioms about Sport

Using English Idioms about Sport – Quiz

Take the online quiz. Type your answers. There are twenty questions and the pass mark is 85%, so you need 17 correct answers to pass:

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Direct download: https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/50-Best-English-Idioms-about-Sport-PDF.pdf

 

General:
be / get off to a flying start       start well
be a good sport       take a joke well
blow the competition away       win big
meet your match       meet sby who is your equal
no sweat       no problem
play to win       be serious about winning
stay ahead of the game       be forward-thinking
take sides       decide to help sby instead of another

Baseball:
be in a league of your own       be uniquely talented
drop the ball       make a mistake
hit it out of the park       be really successful
touch base with sby       meet sby to talk

Boxing:
be a heavy hitter       be a very successful person
be a lightweight       not be able to drink much alcohol
come out fighting       try really hard to achieve sth
have sby in your corner       have supporters
hit sby below the belt       hurt sby where they are weak
roll with the punches       accept what life gives you
saved by the bell       sby / sth stops a negative situation
take it on the chin       accept a hard situation bravely
that was a low blow       that was an unfair remark
the gloves are off       we’re saying what we really think
throw in the towel       quit

Cricket:
be stumped       not know how to proceed

Football:
be on the ball       be alert
be out of your league       be too good for you
get the ball rolling       start
have an early bath       leave early
it’s a funny old game       life is strange
it’s a game of two halves       there is still time to win
keep your eye on the ball       focus on what’s happening
move the goalposts       change the original terms

Golf:
be par for the course       be normal / standard

Horse Racing:
be a two-horse race       be a competition between two
be neck and neck       be equal during a competition
go down to the wire       finish just before the deadline
win by a nose       win very narrowly
win hands down       win by a large margin

Running:
be the front runner for sth       be the main candidate
get a head start       start before the others
go the distance       finish sth, e.g. a big project

Sailing:
be plain sailing       be effortless
get a second wind       get new enthusiasm for sth

Shooting:
be a big shot       be powerful and successful
be a long shot       a goal that is unlikely to succeed
give sth your best shot       try your best
call the shots       tell people what to do

Swimming:
it’s sink or swim       it’s time to fail or succeed
keep your head above water       avoid total failure

Tennis:
the ball is in your court       it’s your decision


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20 Great Football Idioms in English to discuss the World Cup!

20 Great Football Idioms in English to Discuss the World Cup!

 

via GIPHY

Harry Kane, England (2018)

Match the football idioms below with their literal meanings:

IDIOMS –

1. the Beautiful Game
2. it’s a funny old game
3. to be a game of two halves
4. a potential banana skin
5. to be honest
6. to play the ball, not the man
7. to be over the moon
8. to be as sick as a parrot
9. to be on a winning streak
10. at the end of the day
11. to go down to the wire
12. to be a big ask
13. to be held to a draw
14. by the skin of your teeth
15. to be a two-horse race
16. to play your heart out
17. to give 110%
18. to be strong on paper
19. to throw in the towel
20. back of the net!

via GIPHY

Bobby Moore, England (1966)

LITERAL MEANINGS –

a) to feel very disappointed
b) to be a competition between two teams or groups only
c) fantastic!
d) to win several times in a row
e) more can happen later
f) the outcome is decided at the last moment
g) to be forced to end a competition with equal points
h) to quit
i) don’t make contact with another player
j) unpredictable things can happen
k) narrowly; only just
l) football
m) to compete with a lot of passion
n) to be a good idea in theory
o) in my opinion
p) an opportunity for something to go wrong
q) ultimately
r) to try as hard as you possibly can
s) to feel very happy
t) to be a difficult thing to ask somebody to do

via GIPHY

Taken from Talk a Lot Intermediate Book 1, which you can download for FREE here.

Answers:

1. l)
2. j)
3. e)
4. p)
5. o)
6. i)
7. s)
8. a)
9. d)
10. q)
11. f)
12. t)
13. g)
14. k)
15. b)
16. m)
17. r)
18. n)
19. h)
20. c)

via GIPHY