Sports-Related Idioms & Expressions in English | Talking about the Olympics, Championships and More

Okay. I have to admit I'm not really a sports fan at all,

but then the Olympic games or the World Cup comes around and suddenly

I'm all in. And you might feel the same way.

As the Olympic games fever hits or the World Cup final approaches.

You'll probably notice that even the most unenthusiastic sports

fans suddenly jump on the bandwagon to discuss what's happening.

So whether you suddenly find yourself watching a sports event in English,

or you're talking about it with neighbors, friends, and coworkers,

you might find that there are times when you feel a bit left out,

or you're not about what's going on because there was some idiomatic expression

used or an exclamation that you've never heard before.

If you don't already know I'm Annemarie with Speak Confident English,

everything I do here is designed to help you get the confidence you want for

your life and work in English. In this Confident English lesson today,

you're going to learn 19 sports-related vocabulary and phrases

that you're likely to hear. Again,

whether you're watching the game on TV or chatting about it with others,

by the end,

you'll be able to confidently express your opinion of a game or a team,

and be able to pinpoint the feeling associated with particular phrases

is when they're used

To help provide some structure to today's lesson,

I've divided it up into five different scenarios or phases of

a sporting event.

We're going to look at common vocabulary and English faces used when your team

or favorite athlete is winning the game. When there's a turn in events,

when your team's losing and you're feeling discouraged or disappointed,

when it's a nail biter. And finally,

when you are describing a particular team or athlete.

Let's start with some high energy phrases you're likely to hear commenters or

spectators use when their team is winning.

Number one is to have the upper hand.

To have the upper hand means to have the winning advantage or to have control

over someone else or something else. For example,

perhaps the Dutch speeds skating team has greater control

over the bends and curves of the track. And while watching the game,

you might hear a commentator say the Dutch team certainly has the upper

hand with this track. And now phrase number two to take the lead.

Generally speaking to take the lead means to take charge. For example,

if we use this in a business setting,

you might say that someone takes the lead in the business meeting,

they've taken charge of the meeting. However,

in most sports contexts,

it means to move into or advance into first place.

Imagine you're watching the 100 meter final and your favorite

runner manages to move ahead of the fastest runner

on the track. The moment that happens,

you might hear the newscaster cry and he takes the lead.

He just might bring home the gold!

And now phrase number three to land it.

Landing something typically refers to successfully acquiring

something. For example,

I was so lucky to have landed this job before the pandemic hit. However,

in a sports context,

it means that someone was successful in performing a particularly difficult

move. For example,

maybe you're a gymnastics enthusiast and you love watching Simone Biles perform.

After she completes a difficult move, you might jump up in your seat and cry.

She landed it.

And now one of my favorite expressions on today's list to nail it or to nail

something.

This is an expression I love to use when one of my students is

successful in completing a presentation or a job interview in English.

I'll often exclaim, you nailed it.

We use this when someone does something perfectly well.

And in the sports context,

when someone makes the goal and it's a beautiful kick,

you might say she nailed it.

You'll hear that one often in highly technical sport events,

such as figure skating, skiing, and gymnastics.

Now let's move on to phrase number five, to knock it out of the park.

This phrase is perfect when you are deeply impressed

with someone's performance. It's precise,

meaning means to perform beyond expectations and to do something particularly

well. For example, imagine you're watching the figure skating finals,

and one of the performers leaves the entire audience

speechless. It was so beautifully done.

You might hear the commentator or say that was unbelievable.

He knocked it out of the park.

Now that you have several phrases that you're likely to hear and that you can

use when your team is winning and you're cheering,

let's move on to what you can say when there's a turn of events.

In every major sporting event,

there is inevitably some surprise twists and turns.

It's what makes watching a sports event so exciting. When those moments happen,

here's what you can say.

Phrase number six on our list to throw a curve ball,

to throw a curve ball means when a situation suddenly becomes

tricky or goes off the normal or expected path,

something you didn't anticipate happens. For example,

you're watching a football match and it's getting down to the final seconds of

the game. The star player of your team has an easy penalty shot,

and everybody feels calm and relaxed because of course he's gonna make it right,

but he misses. That is a curve ball. Something unexpected happened.

And as a result of missing that shot, the score stays tied.

And in the final seconds,

the other team wins that entire situation is having a curve ball thrown in

the game.

Another phrase you might hear when something unexpected happens is out of left

field.

This is used when something happens out of nowhere or unexpectedly,

and it takes us by surprise. For example,

the International Olympics Committee recently expanded the number of sports in

the Summer Olympics. And in discussing this decision,

some critics might say,

rock climbing in the Olympics came out of left field.

We weren't expecting the IOC to include that activity in the Olympics.

And now one more fantastic expression when things take an unexpected turn:

to be blindsided. This expression tends to be negative.

So we use it when there's a surprise that was unexpected and

unpleasant. For example,

the athletes were completely blindsided by the IOCs ban.

Now let's move on to a number three,

what you might hear or what you can say when you're feeling that disappointment

of loss, your team or your favorite athlete is losing.

Phrase number nine on our list is to jump the gun.

Sometimes the anxiety of competing can get to an athlete.

And as a result of that anxiety,

they may start before they're supposed to, leading to a penalty,

or maybe even being disqualified. For example,

maybe you're watching an intense hockey game and while you're cheering for your

favorite team, they begin to lose due to a missed pass.

So you might say he jumped the gun and passed the puck too soon,

he should have waited. As result of jumping the gun,

it may lead to phrase number 10 on our list: to fall behind.

When a winning streak begins to slow down,

or when there's a loss in rank - for example, maybe during a track event,

you start out in the lead, but then,

and several other runners start to catch up and get ahead of you - you

may fall behind. While watching a news story about the Olympics,

you might hear something like Great Britain was doing well,

but fell behind as Japan surpassed them with four gold medals.

And now number 11 on our list to withdraw,

to withdraw means to formally leave or back out of a competition.

For example,

the nation was shocked when the Simone Biles withdrew from the Summer Olympics.

A similar expression that you might hear is to drop out,

to drop out of the game or to drop out of the final.

And now the last one on our list for what you can say or what you might hear

when your team is losing is Hail Mary.

To attempt a Hail Mary, to hope for a Hail Mary.

This is used when we hope for a recall,

or when an athlete attempts to do something miraculous,

something absolutely unexpected and super difficult.

Typically a Hail Mary attempt has a very slim chance of

being successful. This expression is deeply rooted in American football,

and you'll hear it often to describe someone attempting a particularly long pass

or kick. Here's an example of how you can use it.

Although Sarah Davies was close to passing out,

she made a Hail Mary attempt to lift 133 kilos. Okay,

we're getting close to the end.

We have just seven more sports-related phrases to it's time for scenario

number four, when the game becomes a nail-biter.

Let's talk about that expression for a moment.

I want you to think about physical signs of anxiety.

What do people do when they get nervous?

Some people fidget with their hands or their feet.

Others might start to feel really hot and some might start

to bite their nails when they're feeling nervous.

A nail biter is a situation or a TV show, a movie,

a game that causes great anxiety or tension like when

there's a tie between two teams in the World Cup final at

that precise moment,

when you have just a few seconds left in the game and someone's getting ready to

take that final kick, you could describe it as a nail biter. Phrase number

14 on our list also can lead to a nail biter

situation to be down to the wire.

Down to the wire means until the very last second or coming

very close to the end. During the last few moments of a sporting event,

you might hear commentators say, we're coming down to the wire,

but team USA just might pull through. In other words,

there are just a few seconds left and in those final seconds,

that particular team may advance ahead and ultimately win

the game. Similarly,

when someone enters that final lap in a pool or their final

round around the track, we can say that they're on the home stretch.

For example, while watching your favorite swimmer,

you might say she's in the home stretch and she just needs a few more seconds

of giving it her all to win the gold.

But sometimes in those final moments of the home stretch,

two players may be neck and neck,

this means that they're extremely close or even equal.

For example,

Shericka Jackson and Marie-Josee Ta Lou were neck and neck in the

semi-final. And now we're down to our last scenario.

Scenario number five is when you want to describe an athlete or a team.

And we have just three phrases left.

Number 17 on our list is the underdog.

When a team or a player is underrated and no one

anticipates that they will win, they may be described as an underdog.

And if that team or player does win in the end,

you may hear someone say "coming into this event, she was an underdog,

but she truly is a champion." Number 18, the dream team.

I'm sure you can imagine what this expression means.

If your favorite team has proved to have finesse and to work

extremely well together, win the game.

You might describe them as the dream team. For example, with Klay Thompson back,

the Golden State Warriors have been reinstated as the dream team.

And now it's time for our last phrase on the list. Number 19,

hands down.

Whether it's the underdog who became victorious or your

dream team that was ultimately successful.

You may explain that your team is, hands down,

the best team.

Hands down means that something or someone is exactly as

you describe without question in talking about your athlete

on a team,

you might say she is hands down the best

player on the team. With that

you have 19 sports-related phrases you can use the next time you're watching

a major sporting event on TV.

Now today's lesson is by no means an exhaustive list.

There is a endless number of phrases,

idioms and frail verbs we use while watching a favorite sporting event on

TV. And there may be a few that you already know of and that you love.

If you have a favorite expression that I did not use today,

share it with me below. I would love to know what it is.

And it's a great way to share your knowledge with the entire Speak Confident

English community,

the best place that you can share with me and others is in the comments directly

below. And here's one more question.

What was your favorite phrase from today's list?

Tell me what it was and use it in an example,

sentence that you just might say next time you're watching the World Cup,

the Super Bowl or the Olympics you can share with me in the comments below the

video. If you found today's lesson useful to you, I would love to know.

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give this lesson a thumbs up here on YouTube. And while you're at it,

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So you never miss one of my Confident English lessons.

Thank you so much for joining me. And I look forward to seeing you next time.