Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Origin of Words and Phrases: Sports

Starting point is 00:00:00 The English language is a very odd thing. We use many phrases and idioms every day that make no sense if you don't understand the cultural references behind them. In particular, we have a large number of idioms that come from the world of sports. Idioms which are often used by people who don't actually know anything about the sports being referenced. Learn more about idioms and phrases in the English language that have their origin in sports on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Do you ever climb into bed ready to sleep, only to have your mind start racing the moment? your head hits the pillow? Thoughts bouncing around, replaying the day or jumping ahead to tomorrow? That is exactly why Catherine Nikolai created Nothing Much Happens. Each episode is a gentle, cozy

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Starting point is 00:01:33 there can be phrases that are madingly difficult to understand if you're just trying to learn it in a classroom environment. That's because so many of the phrases we use have some sort of cultural context. One of the biggest sources of these cultural references is the world of sports. There are many, many dozens of such idioms, so we might as well dive right in. One sport that has given us a host of phrases is boxing. If someone supports you, that means that you have someone standing in your corner. In boxing between rounds, assistance to the boxer would stand in the corner of the ring, helping the boxer treating cuts and giving them water, etc.

Starting point is 00:02:11 When the next round starts, hopefully the boxer will. will come out swinging. This means that you're getting an active or enthusiastic start to something. If you do that, you just might be able to beat someone to the punch. Beating someone to the punch just means reacting in advance of something. If you know a teacher is going to complain about an assignment being late, you could beat them to the punch by turning in yours before they say anything. Hopefully, a boxer won't get hit below the belt or receive a low blow. Both of these refer to a rule in boxing where it's illegal to hit someone below the waistline. Hitting someone below the belt refers to something dirty or underhanded.

Starting point is 00:02:48 If someone says something particularly mean or nasty, it's said to be a low blow. If you're not exerting your maximum effort, you could be said to be pulling your punches. If you're on the verge of defeat or failure, you are said to be on the ropes. And if there's no way for you to come back from something, then you're down for the count. In boxing, if you're on the mat and the referee counts to 10, then you lose by knockout. However, if you are getting beat, you might get lucky and be saved by the bell. This is a fortunate interruption that saves you from something unpleasant. If you're stuck in a conversation you don't want to be in and your phone rings, you've been saved by the bell.

Starting point is 00:03:24 If you give up, then it said you've thrown in the towel. This is a reference to a 19th century practice of a manager ending fights for his boxer by literally throwing a towel into the ring. And if you lose on purpose, then it said you took a dive. If you want to run for election, then you have to do. throw your hat into the ring. This comes from the early boxing tradition where fighters would take on challengers right from the crowd. Challengers would accept the challenge by literally throwing their hats into the boxing ring. Boxing isn't the only sport that's given us many idioms. Thankfully, you all have a ringside seat for another sport that has given us so many. Horse racing.

Starting point is 00:04:02 If something is being resolved at the very last minute, it is said to be going down to the wire. A wire or ribbon was often stretched across the finish line of a horse race. In a close race, it helped determine which horse was first. Likewise, if you complete something just before a deadline, it is said that you are finishing under the wire. If a race was close, then the winner was said to have won by a nose. And before that point, the race would have been neck and neck.

Starting point is 00:04:28 If a race wasn't close, the jockey on the lead horse would often sit up in the saddle and put his hands down before crossing the finish line. Today, if something is obviously better than anything else, we say it is hands down the best. If you rain in something, you're limiting its performance. Whereas if you want to give someone free rain, then you're allowing them to do whatever they want. And this comes from the reins used on a horse. If you're nearing the end of something, then you are in the home stretch.

Starting point is 00:04:59 The home stretch is the straight part of a horse track after the last turn and before the finish line. and if you bring in someone that's far more talented than the average person, it can be said that you've brought in a ringer. A ringer was a horse who looked like another horse but was much faster. Golf has given us many idioms as well. If something is par for the course, then it's considered to be average or expected. If something is under par or subpar, then it's worse than average or not meeting expectations. If you meet the minimal criteria for something, then you can be said to have made the cut.

Starting point is 00:05:34 And if you're preparing something, you're said to be teeing up. And if you've screwed up and need to try again, then you might want to take a mulligan. Not all idioms come from particular sports. Some come from sports generally. If you're doing something for which you are not qualified, you are said to be out of your league. This can refer to a relegation system similar to how association football is organized in much of the world or to the minor league system in American baseball. If you aren't participating in something, it is said that you're watching from the sidelines, which is where the players sit when they're not on the field. If you need to pay attention to something, then you need to keep your eye on the ball. This usually reference

Starting point is 00:06:13 paying attention to what is important and not being distracted. Because if you don't pay attention, then you could drop the ball. The largest source of sports idioms in English actually come from team sports. Cricket gives us several phrases. A sticky wicket is said to be a difficult situation. And it actually comes from a cricket pitch where the grounds were wet, causing the ball to bounce unpredictably. If you're stumped, you are confused or don't know the answer to a question. In cricket, if you're stumped, you are out because the wicket keeper knocked down a wicket

Starting point is 00:06:45 while the batter was out of his ground. When this occurs, the batsmen usually aren't aware that it happened immediately because their back has turned. Hence, they're confused. One idiom that has its origins in cricket, although people think it comes from other sports, is the term hat trick. If you score three goals in ice hockey or association football, it said you've scored a hat trick. In the NHL, people will actually throw their hats into the rink when this happens.

Starting point is 00:07:10 However, the term actually comes from cricket. When a bowler took three wickets and three consecutive bowls, it was tradition for the team to buy the bowler a hat. Hat tricks are extremely rare in cricket. When a ball is knocked out of a cricket oval on the fly, you are awarded six runs. If someone is given shocking or upsetting news, it is said to hit them for six or knock them for six. Association football, aka soccer, has given us many sayings as well.

Starting point is 00:07:38 If you accidentally do something against your own interest, it is said that you scored an own goal. In football, this is when a member of a team accidentally hits the ball into their own team's goal. If you change the objective or rules of something while it's occurring, then it's said that you've moved the goalposts. Likewise, American football has given us many. idioms and phrases. If you change plans at the last moment, you are said to have called an audible. This is when a team is set to run a play, but at the last moment, the quarterback sees that the defense is prepared, so he will audibly shout out a change of plans at the last second. If you're desperate, you may attempt to throw a Hail Mary. A Hail Mary is a play in American

Starting point is 00:08:17 football that doesn't happen very often, but can be very dramatic. In the closing seconds of a game, when a team only has time for one play, but still has a lot of ground to cover, they'll just throw the ball into the end zone and hope for the best. The phrase comes from the Catholic prayer of the same name and was popularized by the Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubeck after the December 28th, 1975 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Staubeck threw the ball almost 60 yards on the last play of the game for the winning touchdown. After the game, Staubeck said, I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary. If you avoid official channels for something, it can be said you've done an end run or end around. In American football, an end run,

Starting point is 00:08:57 is when a player with the ball runs in a wide arc around all of his teammates, rather than running through a hole in the line. If you pave the way for someone else, you can be said to run interference for them. In football, this is when one player blocks opposing players, so the player with the ball doesn't have any obstacles. A Monday morning quarterback is someone who comments on something with the benefit of hindsight. Most professional football games are played on Sundays, so criticizing or commenting on the game on Monday has the benefit of knowing how everything already turned out. Basketball has added several idioms to the language.

Starting point is 00:09:30 If something is incredibly easy, it's said to be a slam dunk. If you extend maximum effort in something, you are said to put on a full court press. In basketball, a full court press involves putting defensive pressure on the other team over the entire length of the court, not just one-half. Perhaps a sport that has given us the most idioms is baseball. If you hit something out of the park or hit a home run, you've been wildly successful or succeeded.

Starting point is 00:09:55 expectations. Likewise, a Grand Slam can be used as a superlative or can be used to describe four of something. A Grand Slam in baseball is a home run that is hit when there are players on all three of the bases scoring four runs. The Grand Slam and Golf or Tennis are the four biggest tournaments on the calendar. If you need to know something approximately, you can ask for a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate. This actually comes from nuclear scientists in the 1950s, who used the size of a baseball park to determine if a missile was close enough to its target. If you're saying something that is inappropriate, it has said that you are off base. If you're aggressive in negotiating with someone, you are said to be playing hardball.

Starting point is 00:10:37 Conversely, if an interviewer doesn't challenge their subject, it has said that they're asking softball questions. If you bring up something unexpected, then you're throwing a curveball. If you're invited to something but can't attend, you might be able to attend at a later date, in which case you can say that you'll take a rain check. Rain checks used to be awarded to fans who purchased tickets to baseball games that were canceled due to rain. This allowed them to attend the game when it was completed or replayed. A replacement for someone can be referred to as a pinch hitter, and someone who is next for something and is waiting is said to be on deck.

Starting point is 00:11:12 If you've taken responsibility for something, then it said you've stepped up to the plate. And if you've failed at something, then it can be said you've struck out. When you think about it, it's astonishing just how much of the English language is influenced by sports. I've only scratched the surface on the number of idioms and phrases that are available. We use many of these idioms all the time, even if we aren't familiar with the sport that it originally came from. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Thor Thompson and Peter Bennett. I have a whole bunch of boostograms for you today.

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Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Origin of Words and Phrases: Sports

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