Football is also known as soccer or the beautiful game. It is the world's most popular sport. It is also a source of some useful phrases to use in English.
Here are seven football idioms to make your writing more interesting.
Get the ball rolling
Meaning: begin an activity, or make something happen.
Example: Miss Chan got the ball rolling in our music session by starting to play the piano.
Score an own goal
Meaning: in football, this is when you kick the ball into your own team's goal, giving the other team a free point. Off the field, it's when you do something that you think will be helpful, but actually causes more harm.
Example: The new recycling programme is an own goal, because it needs a lot of print-outs, creating more waste paper!
Know the score
Meaning: to understand all the important facts in a situation, especially the unpleasant ones.
Example: Tim knows the score – he can only meet up with his friends after he finishes his homework.
Get a kick out of
Meaning: be amused or excited by something.
Example: My grandma gets a kick out of watching her cat try to catch the light from a laser pointer.
Be on the ball
Meaning: be quick to understand things.
Example: I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm worried I won't be on the ball if we have a quiz today.
Move the goalposts
Meaning: change the rules in a situation to make it more difficult for people trying to meet the conditions.
Example: Every time I apply to join the club, they move the goalposts and invent another rule!
Watch from the sidelines
Meaning: the sidelines are marks on the ground that show the "field" where the game will take place. To "be on" or "watch from" the sidelines means you are not involved in something.
Example: You can't just watch from the sidelines if you want to make a difference. You need to speak up and do something.\
Fun facts
The game is called football, but the ball can also be hit with other body parts like your knee or head. The main rule is that you must not touch the ball with your hand, unless you are the goalkeeper!
Quick questions
- What is a nickname for football?
- Have you ever "scored an own goal"?
- What do you get a kick out of?
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