• A Closer Look: Sports Phrases
  • Baseball
    • ballpark figure
      • a rough estimate
      • Ballparks are big, so you have a lot of room, thus, there, the estimate has a lot of room to vary from the absolute, correct answer.
        

The illustration above ( http://www.stadiumpage.com/ ) is of an early model proposal for "Three Rivers Stadium" in Pittsburgh. This was the home of the Pirates and Steelers, the football team. As you can see you could pretty easily put two football ( or soccer ) fields in one baseball field. The ballpark that eventually was built had the football field rotated 90° so it extended from homeplate out into Center Field.
NOTE: Three feet ( 3' ) is equal to 90% of a meter. A football field is 100 yards ( one yard = three feet ), plus 10 yards on either end, long by 50 yards wide.

EXAMPLE: When asked how many people the new factory would employ, he gave a ballpark figure of 25,000.

batting a thousand

• to do it perfectly, to not make a mistake
• How good a batter is, is calculated in "parts per thousand ( ppm )". Thus, if you succed every time you have 1000 ppm or "1.000". Really good batters hit over 300 ( ppm ). No batter has ended the season over 400 in the last 50 years, although at least one player has come close.
• EXAMPLE: Every job she applies for, she gets. She's batting a thousand.

bench

• to not let someone participate, work with you anymore
• The bench is where players sit when not playing. So, to make someone sit on the bench means that they aren't allowed to play. It often has a bad connotation, that they're ( if only at this time ) not good enough.
• EXAMPLE: I had an argument with the boss. So, he benched me. Mary will be doing the presentation.
• ALSO
  • on the bench; warm/ride the bench
    • being in a position where although you're an official member of the team, you're not allowed to work on the project, often because the others feel you're not good enough
  • EXAMPLE: I really struck out on my last assignment. So, I'll be riding the bench for a while.
• see: "sideline"

big league (major league)

• top, highest level
• The big (major) leagues are composed of the largest, richest teams. This is where the best players are found.
• in the big leagues
  • you are among the best in the field or profession
• EXAMPLE: The FU is to become an elite German school, which will be able to compete in the big leagues with the likes of Oxford, Yale, MIT.
• big league player
  • you are capable of performing at a high or top level
  • you are working for a "big league" company
• EXAMPLE: She is working on a major, transnational project. She is a big league engineer, now.

bottom of the ninth

Visitors	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Home	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

• your last chance to succeed
• Baseball is played in "nine" turns, called innings. Each team alternates turns in the game. The visiting team starts the inning ( the top ) and the home team ends the inning ( the bottom ). Thus, if you are losing, this turn ( your ninth ) is your last chance to succeed.
• They are called top and bottom because on the scoreboard the visiting team and its scoring is listed above the home team's ( not side to side as in other games ), top and bottom.
• EXAMPLE: It was the bottom of the ninth. The test was tomorrow. He had only tonight to learn a complete semester's amount of material.
• see: "down to the last out"

bottom of the order

Batting Order
1st	Good Batter
2nd	Good Batter
3rd	Good Batter
4th	Best Batter
5th	OK Batter
6th	OK Batter
7th	OK Batter
8th	Bad Batter
9th	Worst Batter

• the worst or weakest members of your team
• your team's turn in baseball lasts until there are three team mistakes made. These are called outs. A team member makes an out by making three small mistakes "Strikes" or one big one "throw out, fly out, &c.". There are nine players batting your turn. That means in nine turns, if everyone makes a mistake (or "Out") then they each get to play three times. However, if one doesn't make a mistake then one guy gets to play four times and the others three. The manager, gives the umpires a list of who gets to bat first, second, ..., ninth. You have your best batters batting first, for two reasons: first, they have the best chance of not making a mistake, and second you want to have them batting the extra times if someone doesn't make a mistake (or "Out"). Thus they come at the top of the list. Your worst batters come at the bottom of the list (order "of batters").
• EXAMPLE: Half of the office was out sick. So, it was the bottom of the order making the presentation.
• see: "top of the order"
• see: "cleanup batter"

brush back

• to intimidate, scare someone so they do what you want
• A brush is something you use to comb your hair. You drag it along through your hair. You brush by going alongside your hair without really touching your head. Brush back is where you throw the ball closely alongside the batter to scare him, as the ball is travelling very fast and is very hard. This is to scare him away from batting properly, because he's thinking more about being hit by the ball, than hitting it.
• EXAMPLE: She brushed back John, the rising star in the office, by leaving him standing at the door as she went in to the 'executive' meeting.

bush league

• not professional, not the best
• Baseball is played on a large open field. The professional baseball players have big fields in their own parks. Those who don't have this play on public lands , which often have bushes growing around or even in them. So, where non-professionals play you can find bushes, the bush league.
• EXAMPLE: For a long time KIA Motors was considered bush league, not on a par with Toyota or Nissan.
• compare with terms used only in sports: "sandlot" - this is where you play for fun on an unused piece of land (a lot) near your house; not a professional venue.
• compare with terms used only in sports: "streetball" - this is where you play, basketball usually, out in the street in front of your house; not a professional venue.

cleanup hitter [batter]

• your best, most reliable worker
• Baseball is played on a field with four bases forming a diamond. The bottom base has five sides and looks like an upsidedown house. It's called homeplate. The other three are square shaped and called first, second and third base. They are located at the other three corners of the diamond. The bases are ninety feet apart. When a batter gets a hit, he has to run from base to base. When he reaches home plate, the team scores a point. This is called running the bases. If he can't make it all the way to home, he can safely stay at one of the bases. Generally ( because it's the easiest way ), he waits there until another batter hits a ball and is also running the bases. Naturally the better batters get more hits and and are more likely to help someone on base get all the way home to score a point. ( When you help someone score a point this is called a "run batted in" or, more commonly, "r.b.i. or ribbie" ). If the previous batters are still on base ( say, one on first, another on second and the last on third ) and a batter hits a homerun, everyone gets to run to home(plate). There's no one left on the bases; the bases are clean. Thus you want your best batter in the position to most likely "clean up" the bases, as well as get the most turns at bat ( at having a chance to bat the ball ). This is the fourth position in the batting order. This is where you want your best batter, the "cleanup batter".
• EXAMPLE: Mary and George had almost convinced Acme to buy, so they sent in Annie, their cleanup batter to clinch the deal.
• see: "grand slam"
• see: "bottom of the order" for an explanation of how many times you get to bat

come out of left field

• to come up with something unexpected
• There is no agreed upon origin for this phrase. I feel the one from Chicago makes the most sense ( probably because I hate the Yankees ). There was an insane asylum, mental hospital, on the third base side of a Chicago ballpark ( Chicago has two major league teams ). Third base, from the batter's point of view, is on the way to left field. So, if something crazy or, more mildly put, unexpected were to come down from the third base area, it would be coming from left field.
• EXAMPLE: We had been excitedly planning with her parents and my parents for months on the wedding. So, her decision to elope came right out of left field.

cover all the bases

• to plan for every evenuality, for everything that might happen
• If someone hits the ball and makes it safely to base, they are now called a runner because they can now run from base to base to get closer to home(plate) to score a point. They can run anytime after the ball is pitched (i. e. thrown by the pitcher to see if the batter can hit it). Even if the ball isn't hit they can run to the next base(s), where they are once again safe from being touched by the ball and making an out (a mistake).
  To keep this from happening, the team not batting has players covering (defending) all the bases anywhere a runner might try to run to.
• EXAMPLE: Have we told the babysitter our number, the poison control number, Edna's favorite bedtime song, where her teddy is, what her... Yes dear, we've covered all the bases so let's go have a good time at the party.

down to the last out

• your very last chance to succeed
• As explained in "bottom of the ninth" a baseball team can play their turn until they make three mistakes ( outs ). Thus when it is the bottom of the ninth and two 'outs' have already been made, then one more mistake and it is all over. You get no more chances.
• EXAMPLE: He tried 4-7-6-9, 9-6-7-4. He was down to his last out. If he didn't get the PIN right this time, not only would he not get the money, but lose his card as well.
• see "bottom of the ninth"

extra innings

• to have more time to succeed
• A normal baseball game is nine innings ( turns ) long ( see bottom of the ninth ). If no one has won at the end of this time ( i. e. the score is 1:1, 0:0, 5:5 or some such ), then each team gets another inning to try to win, to succeed.
• EXAMPLE: The union and management had been in talks for ten straight hours, but they wanted to finalize the contract today. So, they went into extra innings to work out the last details.

grand slam

• to have a great success
• When you hit a "homerun", you've hit the ball in such a manner ( usually so far ) that you have time to run to each of the bases as well as home plate and score a point. If there is also runner on a base ( see cover all bases ), they, too, run the bases and touch home to score a point. As there can only be one runner per base, there are at most three runners that can score with the batter. so four points is the most you can make at any one time. The best you can do. Thus, this great and powerful push of the ball, a grand slam, is the best that anyone can do.
• EXAMPLE: If you win the Grand Slam of Tennis, that is win the Australian, British, French and U.S. opens, surely you're the best tennis player in the world.
• see "home run"

hardball, play hardball

• to not give your "opponent" any breaks, to not make it easy for them
• A variant of baseball is called softball. It is played on a smaller field 60' vs. 90' between the bases and with a larger, softer ball. The ball is also pitched, thrown more gently, more slowly. It is often gently pitched underhand. Baseball is a far more dangerous, serious sport than softball. It is not softball, it is hardball.
• EXAMPLE: The miners union always plays hardball - No Contract, No Work. If management doesn't have a new contract signed by the miners before the old one is over, they strike.
• compare with close sport terms: "take the gloves off"

hit or miss

• to do something haphazardly, without really caring
• Baseball is a game of "failers". The greatest batters ( hitters ) fail to get a hit over 60% of the the time. Good batters fail around 70% of the time. Thus batters concentrate on hitting the ball. If you don't care, don't try hard, don't concentrate, you just swing the bat and either hit or miss the ball.
• EXAMPLE: She hadn't studied as much as she should have. So, she just checked - TRUE, FALSE - FALSE, TRUE, TRUE - TRUE, FALSE. Getting The correct answer was just hit or miss.

home run

• to succeed
• When you get a hit you run to a base and become a baserunner ( see cover all bases ). Most runners only make it to first, second or third base. When their turn or inning is over, well they're still standing on 1st, 2nd or 3rd. They are stranded on the base and don't score a point.
  If on the other hand you can hit the ball so hard, so far that you can run to all the bases and get to home plate as well, you have scored a point and you've done something which most batters ( yourself included ) don't do. You've done something special - you've hit a homerun.
• EXAMPLE: The boss was really impressed with your suggestion. you've hit a home run with that one.
• see "grand slam"
• see "out of the ballpark"

knock the cover (horsehide) off (the ball)

• to do something exceptionally well
• A baseball is covered in leather ( usually made from horses ). This covering is made from two eight-shaped pieces sewn together.
  The more the ball gets hit: the more the thread gets broken; the leather tears; the seams fall apart.
  The harder you hit the ball more the likely the seams will tear enough to have the cover ( the horsehide ) come off the ball.
• EXAMPLE: He knocked the cover off with his idea to get rid of the wires to the console. When the Wii came out it was a "whole new ballgame".

not even reach first base

• to utterly, completely fail
• In baseball, to score a point, you have to run around touching all the bases in order until you reach home plate. That means you can't touch home until you've touched third; can't touch third until you've touched second; can't touch second until you've touched first (base). If you touch these bases, even though you might not make it to home to score a point, you've still had some measure of success. But, if you can't get to first base, you won't have any success at all.
• EXAMPLE: How did your presentation go? Are we starting the new project? He nixed it before I even was able to answer everyone's questions. I didn't even get to first base.

o-fer

• to fail again and again
• If a baseball batter gets 0 hits in 4 at-bats, he's said to go "oh fer ( sic: for ) four", which is to say he failed everytime.
• EXAMPLE: BOND, Jimbo Bond. He tried the poker table, the roulette wheel, the slot machines. All he could do was lose. He went o-fer all night.

off base, "caught off base"

• to not be unaware, to not pay attention; to not realize what's going to happen
• In baseball, while you are touching a base you are safe. That means no one can put you out and stop you from playing the game. However, because of the short time you have to cover the 90 feet ( 27 meters ), often you'll move a few feet off from the base, knowing that you will have time to get back to the base, before the opposing player can get the ball and put you out. This assumes that you are paying attention. If you are not paying attention, you can be caught unawares and put out.
• EXAMPLE: I supported him for years, then they brought up that he bought a four million dollar seaside home with the money he earned scaring us with his "sea-levels were rising" tale. Boy, I was caught off base with that one.
• something not right
• If you are off base, and get tagged out, something is not right. In this case you are not paying attention.
• EXAMPLE: The guy had been riding him all night. When the referee wasn't looking, he slammed his shoulder into him and knocked him down. Even his coach felt that it was really not right, it was way off base to act in such a manner.
• see: "not cricket"

out of the ballpark

• to do something exceptionally well
• A home run is where you hit the ball far enough that no one can catch it on the playing field; that is good. Here, you've not only hit the ball too far for anyone to catch, you've aso hit it farther than that and it has flown out of the stadium in to the parking lot, or some such place.
• EXAMPLE: He didn't just get her a birthday present, with the pink, blintzed i-pod, he hit it out of the park.
• see: "homerun"
• variations:
  • knock it out of the park
  • hit it out of the park

pinch hit ( also pinch hitter )

• to take the place of someone; to do someone's work for them
• When you really need to get a hit, for example in the bottom of the ninth and one of you weakest, poorest hitters has the next turn to bat, you can replace him with a better hitter. This better hitter pinch hits for him. This also happens if someone gets hurt and can no longer play. This could possibly come from the phrase "in a pinch", which means in an emergency situation
• EXAMPLE: I had a big sales meeting across town, so they sent in Adrienne to pinch hit for me.

pitch a shutout

• to accomplish something special
• A shutout is where your team scores but the other team doesn't. This means that the pitcher and the fielders not only have to get hits and score, but also they have to make so few mistakes that the other team doesn't score. Pitching is hard work. As the pitcher throws more time, he gets tired and is more likely to throw a ball the other team can hit. Thus as a typical baseball game is several hours long, the cahnces that a pitcher will get tired are rather high, and shutouts are a somewaht rare, special accomplishment.
• EXAMPLE: You should've seen me on the date last night. Everything I said was perfect, my manners were exquisite, I pitched a shutout with that girl. I really impressed her.

play ball ( with )

• to coöperate ( with ), to act fairly ( with )
• If a pitcher refuses to pitch or a batter refuses to bat, if a fielder refuses to throw the ball back to put it in play, you can't get on with the game. They have to play ball so everyone can get the job done, that is play baseball.
• EXAMPLE: He wouldn't play ball with the authorities by confessing and naming others who helped him. So, instead of a guaranteed short stint in jail, they put him on trial where he could face up to thiry years behind bars.

rain check

• to get another chance
• Baseball is an outdoor, summer game. Because the weather is usually nice in the summer, baseball is usually played in open stadiums with seating that too is open to the elements.
  A little ( refreshing ) rain is acceptable, but after a certain amount; the field becomes muddy making running difficult; the ball becomes slippery, making it hard to throw accurately. In such cases the ballgame is stopped or not even started ( it is called for rain ).
  Because there are so many games played ( almost 200 in a season ) and to keep the fans happy, if a game is cancelled ( called ) for rain, the team gives their customers free, replacement tickets ( rain checks ) to any other ( usually any the customer chooses ) game.
• EXAMPLE: Want to go see a movie? - Don't have the time tonight, I'll give you a raincheck.
• EXAMPLE: I'm sorry, the special is all sold out, I'll give you a raincheck. When the item comes in next week you can buy it at the special price

rhubarb

• a heated argument or noisy dispute
• In acting, when you're talking ( as in a crowd ) but not saying anything to the audience, actors say rhubarb. Thus you hear from the crowd but it is only noise sounding like talk, which nevertheless doesn't distract from the actor who is addressing their talk to the audience. This effect is similar to the word "barbarian". This comes from the Greek, where they found that anyone speaking a foriegn language, i.e. barbarians, sounded like they were just saying, "brr br brr". Similarly, in modern English, when someone talks and we don't listen, they are quoted as saying, "blah blah blah".
  Thus in a baseball game, when the players aren't getting on with the show ( like actors addressing the audience ), but are just out there as a mob ( crowd ) fighting, this is called a "rhubarb".
• EXAMPLE: There was quite a rhubarb at the town meeting when development around the city park was brought up for discussion.
• compare with non-sport terms: "brouhaha".

right off the bat

• immediately
• When the ball is hit by the bat, it immediately changes its direction and starts people running, throwing and catching.
• EXAMPLE: When they were looking for someone to test the ice cream and cake for the party, right off the bat Paul, the Pudge, volunteered.
• compare with close sport terms: "come out swinging"
• compare with non-sport terms: "from the get-go".

throw a curve, curveball

• to do something that's not expected
• When you throw something, momentum keeps it traveling forward in a straight line until gravity causes it to fall to earth - just as you would expect. A baseball - because of its shape (ridges where the leather is sewn together, its seams) - when spinning sets up vortices (low pressure areas) which cause the ball (like the wings of an airplane) to move in that direction. As the ball slows down, the force of these areas becomes greater than that of momentum and causes the path of the ball to curve. One expects a moving object to travel straight, so this unexpected.
• EXAMPLE: He threw me a curve with that question on national health insurance. I thought we were only going to discuss foreign policy.

screwball

• something, someone crazy; not normal
• it "breaks" in the opposite direction a curveball would break, not in the normal direction
• EXAMPLE: Climbing along the icy cliff, they went to bring home the world's largest icicle; not realizing it weighed over a ton. They beat on it until it broke off and fell to the tracks, 20 feet below and became the world's largest collection of ice cubes. Boy, that was a screwball idea.

step up to the plate

• to take responsibilty to do something
• If the batter is not at the plate, the pitcher can't pitch, the runners can't run, nothing can happen. The batter is essentially responsible for the game going on.
• EXAMPLE: Everyone was afraid, the police were against "dangerous" demonstrations and had banned them. So, she decided to step up to the plate, copy the flyers, take them to the rally and hand them out all alone.

strike

• to fail
• EXAMPLE: strike
• "three strikes, you're out"
• EXAMPLE: three strikes, you're out
• "a strike against you", "he was born with two strikes against him"
  • EXAMPLE: a strike against
  • EXAMPLE: born with two strikes against

switch-hitter

• someone good at more than one thing
• EXAMPLE: switch-hitter

swing and miss

• to try and fail
• EXAMPLE: a swing and a miss

top of the order

• your best workers
• EXAMPLE: top of the order

touch base

• to get in contact
• EXAMPLE: touch base

turn at bat

• to have your chance to do something
• EXAMPLE: turn at bat

whiff

• to fail
• EXAMPLE: whiff

whole new ball game / brand new ball game

• to have circumstances change so that what looked like was going to happen now might not happen
• EXAMPLE: whole new ball game

whole 'nother (sic: another) ball game.

• to have circumstances change so that what looked like was going to happen now will not happen
• EXAMPLE: whole 'nother ball game

Basketball

• full-court press
  • to constantly work for ( or against ) something
  • EXAMPLE: full-court press
• slam dunk
  • to completely succeed
  • an easy success
  • To dunk something means to place down inside, like dunking donoughts in your coffee or milk. So, when you dunk a basket ball, you push it down through the hoop into the net. To slam something means to move it into position with a lot of force, like slamming a door when you are angry. So, a slam dunk is making the points forcefully, w/o (without) any chance of failure; to make the points easily and completely.
  • EXAMPLE: She slam dunked the presentation. The teacher gave her a perfect score.
  • EXAMPLE: She was afraid that the test was going to be very hard, but she knew everything the teacher asked on it. It was a slam dunk.
  • see: "hands down"

Billiards (Pool)

• behind the eight ball
  • be in a bad position, have too much to do
  • In the game of pool (billiards) the balls are numbered and must be sunk in order. A turn is forfeited if a player's cue ball hits the (black) eight ball first and the game is forfeited if the eight ball is sunk by mistake. Being "behind the eight ball" leaves a player in a difficult position as they have to shoot to hit another ball without touching the eight ball, which is in their way.
  • EXAMPLE: behind the eight ball

Boxing

• bare-knuckle(d)
  • anything goes; you can do anything to win
  • EXAMPLE: bare-knuckle
  • see "no holds barred"
  • compare with close sport terms: "gloves are off"
  • compare with close sport terms: "pull no punches"
  • compare with non-sport terms: "all's fair in love and war".
• beat (someone) to the punch
  • to be the first
  • EXAMPLE: beat to the punch
• blow-by-blow
  • in detail
  • EXAMPLE: blow-by-blow
• come out fighting or come out swinging
  • to be working on or for something from the start, from the get go
  • EXAMPLE: come out fighting
  • compare with close sport terms: "right off the bat"
  • compare with non-sport terms: "from the get-go".
• down and out
  • to be at the lowest point possible in your life
  • EXAMPLE: down and out
• down for the count; out for the count
  • to be stopped
  • EXAMPLE: down for the count
• duke it out
  • to fight or contest someone
  • EXAMPLE: duke it out
• glass jaw
  • a seemingly strong thing or person with a disastrous weakness
  • EXAMPLE: glass jaw
• gloves are off (also in hockey)
  • stop being nice; start using any means to win
  • EXAMPLE: gloves are off
  • compare with close sport terms: "hardball"
  • compare with close sport terms: "bare knuckle(d)".
  • compare with close sport terms: "no holds barred"
• go a few rounds
  • to try something, often in a competitive sense
  • In boxing, you fight for three minutes, usually, and then have a break to rest, catch your breath &c. These periods where you are taking part are called "rounds". So, if you go in the ring for a few rounds, you're taking part in the boxing match.
  • EXAMPLE: He just got the new "Whiz-Bang Computer Program" decided to go a few rounds with the users manual to see what all it could do.
• go down swinging
  • to trying even though you are going to lose
  • Boxers fight. The more determined you are to fight, the better chance you have to win. Sometimes though you just can't win. Your opponent is too big. So, you keep fighting even though you are going to fail.
  • EXAMPLE: He just hadn't studied enough. Every question is taking too long to answer. In any case he decided to go down swinging and kept answering the questions until the teacher took the paper from him and threw him out of the room. Time was long up.
• go down without a fight
  • to give up, to quit trying (often used with a negative to show that you won't give up)
  • If you're fighing in a ring and your opponent is too big, you can realize that there just isn't any chance for you to win and so, you quit fighting back.
  • EXAMPLE: She was broke, the bank was coming to take her house, the kids were hungry and wearing rags. But, she wasn't going down without a fight so she told her lawyer to file the motion.
• have someone in your corner
  • to have support
  • EXAMPLE: have someone in your corner
• heavy hitter
  • one who does especially well
  • EXAMPLE: heavy hitter
  • see "no holds barred"
  • compare with close sport terms: "big league"
• heavyweight
  • one of the best in the field or area of work or knowledge
  • EXAMPLE: heavyweight
  • see "big league"
• hit below the belt
  • to deal with someone unfairly
  • EXAMPLE: hit below the belt
  • see "low blow"
• infighting
  • arguments among members within an organization
  • EXAMPLE: infighting
• knockout (a beauty)
  • a woman that is so beautiful, a man looking at her is struck senseless
  • EXAMPLE: Everyone stopped talking when she came into the room. She was a knockout.
• K.O.
  • to be stopped or defeated; to stop or defeat someone
  • EXAMPLE: K.O.
• lead with your chin
  • to use your weakest argument or ability
  • EXAMPLE: lead with your chin
• lightweight
  • one of the weakest in the field or area of work or knowledge
  • EXAMPLE: lightweight
• low blow
  • to deal with someone unfairly
  • EXAMPLE: low blow
  • see "hit below the belt"
• on the ropes
  • to be weak, almost beaten
  • EXAMPLE: on the ropes
  • see "on your last legs"
  • compare with close sport terms: "second wind"
• on your last legs
  • to be weak, almost beaten
  • EXAMPLE: on your last legs
  • see "on the ropes"
  • compare with close sport terms: "second wind"
• pull your punches
  • to not do your best when competing; be nice to someone
  • EXAMPLE: pull your punches
• pull no punches
  • use any means to win
  • EXAMPLE: pull no punches
  • compare with close sport terms: "bare knuckle(d)"
  • compare with close sport terms: "no holds barred"
  • compare with close sport terms: "gloves are off"
  • compare with close sport terms: "hardball"
• punch drunk (punchy, slap happy)
  • not able to think straight, to think correctly
  • EXAMPLE: He was so tired from studying for the last thirty-six hours, that he was punch drunk.
• ringside seat
  • be close to the action
  • EXAMPLE: He was an advisor to the President and had a ringside seat to all the important decisions.
• roll with the punches
  • to accept trouble and problems and not be hurt by them
  • EXAMPLE: He lost his job. His car broke down. Nevertheless, he never got depressed, he rolled with the punches.
• saved by the bell
  • to avoid an unpleasant situation at the last moment
  • EXAMPLE: saved by the bell
• sparring partner
  • someone you can practice with
  • EXAMPLE: sparring partner
• square off
  • to get in position to compete or to do something
  • EXAMPLE: square off
• sucker punch
  • to deal with somebody unfairly
  • EXAMPLE: sucker punch
• Sunday punch
  • to do you something with everything you can
  • EXAMPLE: Sunday punch
• take a dive
  • to cheat and lose on purpose
  • EXAMPLE: take a dive
• take it on the chin
  • to be hurt, to be stymied
  • EXAMPLE: take it on the chin
• take the count
  • to give up, to be defeated
  • EXAMPLE: take the count
• throw in the towel
  • to give up, to quit
  • When a boxer is being beaten, often he doesn't have the ability to quit. At this time his friends, in his corner, throw a towel in the ring to signal to the referee to stop the fight and declare the other guy the winner, for their friend can't win, he can only be hurt more and more.
  • EXAMPLE: He was never going to learn all this material in one night. He threw in the towel and didn't even go to take the final exam.
• throw your hat into the ring
  • to take part, participate in something
  • If your hat was thrown into he ring, you would have to go into the ring (and fight) to get it. So this means to take part in a contest.
  • EXAMPLE: Paul Allen was going to build an aircraft to go to outer space, to win the $10,000,000 prize. Otheres were trying, too. He threw his hat into the ring to compete with them.
• workout
  • something that takes a lot of effort
  • EXAMPLE: Defending his doctor's thesis was quite stressful. It was quite a workout.

Cricket

• bowl over
  • to easily defeat the opposition
  • EXAMPLE: bowl over
• sticky wicket
  • a difficult situation
  • EXAMPLE: sticky wicket
• not cricket
  • not fair, not right, not correct
  • EXAMPLE: not cricket
  • see: "off base"
  • compare with non-sport terms: "not kosher".

Football (the original, i.e. Rugby rules, soccer)

• carry the ball
  • to work hard on a project or job
  • EXAMPLE: carry the ball
• drop ("fumble") the ball
  • to fail
  • EXAMPLE: drop the ball
• end run

  ----O      /    |   /     v  |    XXXXX  v     XXX

  • to avoid the the most difficult way of doing something, to take an easier way to accomplish something
  • In rugby, there is the scrum, where almost everyone jumps into a big pile of flailing arms, legs and missing teeth. Football eliminated this by instituting the forward pass. Nevertheless you can't pass all the time and sometimes you have to run.
    If you are 0 and have to run to the other side of a mass of XXXXX & XXXs, you can try to run through them or you can run around the end of their massed line, i.e. you can make an end run.
  • EXAMPLE: When they realized that many countries' citizens would be confused and reject the treaty, the leaders of the EU pulled an end run. They pushed the new treaty through the parlements, not letting the people, the non-experts that they were, have a vote on the issue.
• "Hail Mary"
  • to gamble everything on one last try
  • Football in America is the main fall - winter sport. Most colleges (and universities) have their own school team. The team members come from the surrounding States, where the schools compete with each other for good players. One team is however a somewhat national team, Notre Dame. Its team comes from the 10's of millions of Catholics from the around the country. Other Catholic schools barely compete with it for players. Because it has such an enormous recruiting base, its team members are usually quite good. Thus it has a good team, year in, year out. And, people like a winner. So, this team is followed intently.
    A famous Catholic prayer, when in time of need, is called "Hail Mary" ("Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.). Amen."
    The "Fighting Irish" (the team from Notre Dame) was losing one day. Time was running out. So, in their time of need, they just threw the ball downfield, hoping their team would catch it, score and win.
    It worked. The team won. So, a "Hail Mary" became a last ditch, final attempt to save a situation gone bad.
  • EXAMPLE: In a desperate move McCain chose a "Hail Mary" in the form of Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska.
  • see: "one throw of the dice"
• Monday morning quarterback
  • someone who can always say how to do anything better, when there's nothing more to be done
  • Professional football is played on Sundays, thus on Mondays you've had a lot of time to analyze the game and see what was done wrong and imagine how things could've been done better. When you are "quarterbacking" on Sunday, you have to make the decision there and then without the benefit of long analysis and review. Although "Monday morning quarterbacks" aren't faced with a real problem in "real" time, they can give you a "real" answer.
  • EXAMPLE: Like any good Monday morning quarterback, I can tell you now that McCain made a mistake back then choosing Palin as a running mate.
  • compare with non-sport terms: "hindsight is 20:20" - 20:20 is perfect vision.
• quarterback
  • to run things
  • the leader
  • EXAMPLE: quarterback
• run interference
  • to help
  • EXAMPLE: run interference

Golf

• par for the course
  • the expected, 'though not desired, result
  • Par is Latin for equal. In golf each hole, and therefore the course, has a "par" which is the number of strokes a normal player would need to get the ball in the hole. Thus, the expected number of strokes (hitting the ball) would "equal" the "par for the course".
  • EXAMPLE: How did your date go? It started out pretty good at the movies, but at dinner... Well, she's a vegetarian. ... went down hill from there on. I guess that's just par for the course.
• sub-par
  • less than would be expected
  • "Par" is equal to the number of strokes a normal player is expected to need to get the ball in the hole. Thus, if you take more strokes, you are not "equal" to what is expected, have done worse than is expected. You are not even "up" to the ability of the normal player. You lie somewhere underneach this level. Thus you are sub-par (sub is Latin for under, e.g. submarine - under water boat).
  • EXAMPLE: I was down with the flu, my presentation was definitely a sub-par performance. I was feeling ill, sub-par.

Horseracing

• down to the wire
  • a decision is not made until the time is almost over
  • EXAMPLE: down to the wire
• hands down
  • to succeed easily
  • Ususally in a horserace, some of the horses are bunched up at the front all struggling to win. Here the jockeys can be seen urging their horses on with a crop (a small whip) and their spurs. Sometimes a horse is so much better than all the others that they are are all left far behind and the jockey can sit all in the saddle, relax and just let the horse run. Here he stops guiding the horse but rides with his hands down barely holding the reins.
  • EXAMPLE: This class was no challenge at all. Without even studying he passed all the tests hands down.
  • see: "slam dunk"
• ride
  • to bother or pester someone
  • EXAMPLE: Her boss had been on her case all day. She had been riding her about everything: the MacGruder Report, the coffe, even the she was wearing..
• rein in
  • to hold someone or something back
  • The reins are the ropes on a horses head used to guide and control the horse.
  • EXAMPLE: If he were actually going to lose weight, he would need to rein in his appetite.
• spur on
  • to encourage (pester) someone to accomplish something
  • EXAMPLE: spur on
• under the wire
  • to just accomplish something before time runs out
  • EXAMPLE: under the wire
• win by a nose
  • to just barely succeed
  • EXAMPLE: win by a nose

Horseshoes

• only in horseshoes
  • to be close but still not succeed
  • Horseshoes, iron or steel "U"s nailed to the feet of horses, is a game played with two players or teams standing at iron or steel stakes 50 feet apart. Each person gets to throw horseshoes at the distant stake. Points are scored by having the "U" of the horseshoe completely around the stake, a ringer, (three points), by having the shoe leaning on or touching the stake (two points) and by having the shoe close to the stake (one point), i.e. another shoe's top (that is the end of one of the legs of the "U") is set against the stake and if the other leg touches the thrown horseshoe, it is close enough to score one point. Thus, horseshoes is a game where being close also wins.
  • EXAMPLE: She made 89.98374% on the test. She needed 90% to make an "A". She pleaded with her professor that it was sooooo clooose!!! He replied that "close" only works in horseshoes.
  • compare with terms used mainly in sports: "second place is only the first loser" - even coming on the heels of the winner, you've still lost.
  • see: "close but no cigar"

Tennis

• the ball is in your (or another's) court
  • it is your (or someone else's) turn to act or react
  • EXAMPLE: the ball is in their court

Track & Field

• jump the gun
  • to start something before you should
  • EXAMPLE: jump the gun
• on the heels of
  • to be almost as good as someone else, to be really close to being as good as they are
  • When running a race around a track, if you are behind someone the closest part of her body to you are the heels of her feet. So the closest you can get to her without being even with her is her heels.
  • EXAMPLE: The discounter lowered its milk price to 50 cents and close on the heels of this all the other supermarkets followed suit

Wrestling

• gambit
  • a try, attempt that might or might not succeed
  • EXAMPLE: gambit
• go to the mat
  • to seriously compete /hardball/
  • to support someone
  • EXAMPLE: go to the mat
• no holds barred
  • anything goes; you can do anything to win
  • In wrestling there are somethings you are just not allowed to do, such as grab or hold someone by the throat and choke them. These actions are barred.
  • EXAMPLE: When the two candidates met to debate, the session was no holds barred. They were questioned about their stand on the issues, their personal life, everything.
  • see "bare knuckle(d)"
  • compare with non-sport terms: "all's fair in love and war".

General

• close but no cigar
  • almost succeed, but still fail
  • There is a game at carnivals where you can show what a man you are by using a hammer to try and knock a weight up a track to hit a bell. The track goes up vertically for 15 or 20 feet (a foot is roughly 30 centimeters, thus 4½ to 6 meters) and is marked off like a thermometer showing not temperature but rather how strong you are: bed-ridden, weakling, normal, strong, he-man, superman. The weight rests on one end of a small see-saw. The hammer strikes the other end, propelling the weight up the track. If it makes it to the top, it rings a bell and as a super-man, you get a cigar. If it does not make it to the bell, no matter how close, no cigar.
  • EXAMPLE: There was going to be a runoff. Out of 140 million votes cast, she was only 30,000 short of having broken 50%. She was close but no cigar.
  • see: "only in horseshoes (sometimes "or with atomic bombs" is added, as you don't have to be too acurate with them either)".
• clutch player (or hitter)
  • a team member that keeps you succeeding especially when things are going bad
  • EXAMPLE: clutch player
• follow suit
  • to do what others have done
  • In cards, often when the first player plays a card of a certain suit (hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades), the other players are also required to play a card of that suit. They have to follow with a card of that suit.
  • EXAMPLE: After the first student wired non-consecutive, used, small notes to the professor as a bribe, all the other students felt they had to follow suit just to pass the course.
  • compare with non-sport terms: "When in Rome do as the Romans".
• get the ball rolling
  • to start a process or job
  • EXAMPLE: get the ball rolling
• gameplan
  • plan to get something done
  • EXAMPLE: gameplan
• in the game
  • to be able to compete
  • EXAMPLE: in the game
• keep the ball rolling, in play
  • to continue a project
  • EXAMPLE: keep the ball rolling
• keep your eye on the ball
  • pay attention to the important aspects of a job
  • EXAMPLE: keep your eye on the ball
• not in the game
  • to not have a chance
  • EXAMPLE: not even be in the game
• one throw of the dice
  • put everything on one try
  • EXAMPLE: one throw of the dice
  • compare with close sport terms: "Hail Mary"
• second wind
  • to recover from tiredness, be strong again
  • EXAMPLE: The debate was going against him. Every argument he made, they easily countered. Then he got his second wind and presented arguments they could not counter, and defeated their arguments as quickly as they presented them.
  • compare with close sport terms: "on the ropes"
  • compare with close sport terms: "on your last legs"
• sideline; on/from the sidelines
  • to keep someone from taking part
  • The playing field in many sports is delineated (marked off) by lines. The non-playing area is outside that enclosed by the lines. Usually the playing field is not square and traditionally the members of the team not playing stand or sit along the longer side of the field opposite the non-playing members of the other team. They are there on the "sideline" not taking an active part in the game.
  • EXAMPLE: He was sidelined by a cold and couldn't go watch his son play baseball.
  • to not take part
  • EXAMPLE: She was on the sidelines today and watched how the newer members of the team worked the backhoe.
• sink or swim
  • to succeed or fail without any help from anyone else
  • EXAMPLE: sink or swim
• throw the game
  • to cheat to lose on purpose
  • EXAMPLE: If you are a real conspiracy theorist you might even think McCain planned to throw the game when he selected Sarah Palin as his running mate.
  • see: "take a dive
  • compare with terms used only in sports: "throw a fight" - this is where you lose a boxing match on purpose.
  • compare with terms used only in sports: "throw a race" - this is where you lose a race on purpose.

Some Sources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_slang
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports_idioms

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