September is a great time of year to start learning a new sport!
So let’s look at some sporting idioms we use in everyday English to help give you a head start.
These will really help your conversations to get off on the right foot!
| idiom sport of origin | meaning | example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| across the board cards | equal for everyone | Ten percent raises were given across the board. |
| at this stage in the game any sport | at this time | Nobody knows who is going to win the election at this stage in the game. |
| the ball is in your court tennis | it’s your decision or responsibility to do something now | “Do you think I should accept the job offer?” “Don’t ask me. The ball is in your court now”. |
| bark up the wrong tree hunting | you’ve got the wrong person or idea | I think you’re barking up the wrong tree by blaming Matt for the missing money. |
| blind-sided American football | to not see something coming | George blind-sided Eric with his fist at the bar. |
| blow the competition away any sport | win easily | If you wear that dress to the beauty pageant you are going to blow the competition away. |
| call the shots billiards | make the decisions | While our boss is on vacation, Bob will call the shots. |
| chip in gambling | help by donating money or time | The staff members chipped in 5 dollars each to buy Jody a birthday gift. |
| down to the wire horse racing | right at the end | It’s coming down to the wire to get these done on time. |
| front runner track | one of the people who is expected to win | Angela is a front runner for the new supervisor position. |
| get a head start horse racing | start before all others | They gave the walkers a head start in the run for cancer. |
| get into the full swing tennis | be comfortable doing something after some time | It will probably take a month of working at my new job before I get into the full swing of things. |
| get off the hook fishing | escape, have responsibility removed | The child got off the hook for stealing because the security camera was broken. |
| give something or someone a fair shake gambling | try for a while before giving up | You should give Nadine a fair shake before you decide she isn’t good enough for the job. |
| get a second wind sailing | have a burst of energy after tiring | I was exhausted after 3 kilometres of running, but I got a second wind after I passed the beach. |
| give it your best shot hunting | try your hardest | Give it your best shot and you may just make it to the finals. |
| give one a run for one’s money horseracing | try one’s hardest to defeat another person | I know the other team is expected to win, but let’s give them a run for their money tonight. |
| go overboard sailing | do or say more than you need to | You can’t believe everything Janice says about Rick. She tends to go overboard when she’s complaining about him. |
| go to bat for someone baseball | defend someone | Andy is asking for a salary increase, and I’m going to go to bat for him if the boss says no. |
| have the upper hand cards | have a better chance of winning or succeeding | The Blues have the upper hand in the tournament, because none of their players is injured. |
| hit below the belt martial arts | do or say something that is very unfair or cruel | Amanda was hitting below the belt when she called Adrian an unfit father. |
| hit a snag boating | come up against a problem | The renovations were going along great until we hit a snag with the carpet installation. |
| hold all the aces cards | expected to win or succeed | The children hold all the aces when it comes to the father-son baseball tournament. |
| the home stretch horse racing | almost the end | I think Alice’s pregnancy is in the home stretch. |
| hot shot (big shot) hunting | an important or very successful person | All the hot shots from Silicon Valley were invited to meet the president. |
| jump the gun track | start too early | I guess I jumped the gun by buying Pam and Steve a wedding gift. They called off the engagement. |
| keep one’s head above water swimming | try not to fall behind in work or other duties | We are so busy during the tourist season I can barely keep my head above water. |
| learn the ropes sailing | understand new things | The first week on the job you will just be learning the ropes. |
| let her rip boating | go ahead now | Okay, here are the keys to your new car. Let her rip! |
| level playing field any field sport | everyone has an equal chance | The spelling bee is a level playing field because all of the kids are in grade nine. |
| long shot hunting | a very difficult thing to accomplish | Jim thinks we can afford the house, but I think it’s a long shot. |
| make the cut any sport | be chosen to be part of a team or group | I didn’t get a second interview, so I’m pretty sure I won’t make the cut. |
| neck and neck horse racing | to be in a close tie with someone | George and Stan are neck and neck in the hockey pool. Either of them could win the money. |
| no sweat any sport | no problem | I told Lily it was no sweat for us to babysit next weekend. |
| not playing with a full deck (of cards) cards | not having full brain capacity | I think Jerry was still drunk at work on Sunday because he wasn’t playing with a full deck. |
| not up to par golf | not good enough for a job or position | I’m afraid your resume isn’t up to par for the engineering position. |
| to be off base baseball | not making a fair or true remark | You were way off base when you said Bill needed to lose weight. |
| on target darts | doing the right thing to succeed | We are on target to meet our budget this month. |
| on the ball baseball | ready and able | The new receptionist is really on the ball when it comes to answering the phone. |
| out in left field baseball | strange, very unconventional; completely wrong | All of the students laughed when Joe gave an answer that was out in left field. |
| out of someone’s league team sport | not as good as someone | I’d like to date Maria, but I’m afraid I’m out of her league. |
| par for the course golf | an expected circumstance | Waiting in line is par for the course at Christmas time. |
| plenty of other fish in the sea fishing | there are many other men and women to date | I know you still love Jack, but remember there are plenty of other fish in the sea. |
| race against time track | there is almost no time left to accomplish something | It’s a race against time to find a kidney donor for my cousin. |
| settle a score with someone any sport | get even with a person after a previous battle | My brother wants to settle the score with that guy who stole my wallet. |
| shot in the dark hunting | a guess | I was lucky to win the quiz. All my answers were shots in the dark. |
| skate on thin ice skating | do something risky, take a chance | You’re skating on thin ice by not sending in your college application before now. |
| start the ball rolling ball sports | begin something | Please can everyone be seated so we can start the ball rolling. |
| step up to the plate baseball | do the honourable thing, take responsibility | It’s time you stepped up to the plate and apologized for your mistake. |
| take a rain check baseball | accept at a later time | Sorry, I can’t go to the movies today, but I’d love to take a rain check. |
| take sides any sport | choose a person or group to support | I hate to take sides, but I think Jerry is right about the paint colour. |
| take the bull by the horns bull fighting | accept the challenge and try your hardest | Even though this new job will mean relocating, I think you should take the bull by the horns for once. |
| take the wind out of one’s sails sailing | make someone feel deflated | I think I took the wind out of Angela’s sails when I told her she was a terrible singer. |
| throw in the towel boxing | give up | If they don’t accept our offer this time we are going to throw in the towel and look at houses elsewhere. |
| time out any sport | break | Let’s take some time out and grab a coffee. |
| three strikes and you’re out baseball | you only get three chances | The school’s no smoking policy is three strikes and you’re out. |
| two strikes against baseball | you only have one chance remaining | Nancy is going to be fired in no time. She already has two strikes against her for coming in late. |
| under the table gambling | illegally | I don’t have a work visa, so they have to pay me under the table. |
| win hands down gambling | easy victory | The other team was missing half of its players. We won hands down. |
