Football isn’t just a game; it’s a language all its own! Have you ever heard someone say That’s a home run even when they’re not talking about baseball? Just like that, football has given us many phrases that people use in everyday conversations, even when they’re not talking about the game. Let’s explore some fun football idioms that can make your chats exciting!
Football Idioms
Here are 20 football idioms in English.
1. Move the goalposts
Meaning: Change the rules or objectives
Example: They keep moving the goalposts on the project’s deadline.
2. Kick off
Meaning: Start something
Example: Let’s kick off the meeting now.
3. A game of two halves
Meaning: Things can change
Example: Life is a game of two halves.
4. On the ball
Meaning: Attentive, competent
Example: She’s really on the ball today.
5. Saved by the bell
Meaning: Rescued at the last moment
Example: He was saved by the bell in the quiz.
6. Blow the whistle
Meaning: Expose something bad
Example: He blew the whistle on corruption.
7. Back of the net
Meaning: A successful result
Example: That’s a back of the net presentation!
8. Level playing field
Meaning: Fair situation for everyone
Example: We need a level playing field in exams.
9. Out of left field
Meaning: Unexpected, surprising
Example: That idea came out of left field.
10. The whole nine yards
Meaning: Everything, all the way
Example: Give the task the whole nine yards.
11. Game plan
Meaning: A strategy
Example: What’s our game plan for the meeting?
12. Touchdown
Meaning: Achieve a goal
Example: He finally got a touchdown on sales.
13. Monday morning quarterback
Meaning: Judge in hindsight
Example: Don’t be a Monday morning quarterback.
14. Throw a Hail Mary
Meaning: Do something desperate
Example: It’s time to throw a Hail Mary.
15. Tackle the problem
Meaning: Confront an issue directly
Example: We need to tackle the problem now.
16. Sudden death
Meaning: Final decision situation
Example: It’s sudden death for the two teams.
17. In the red zone
Meaning: Close to achieving a goal
Example: We are in the red zone with our project.
18. Fumble
Meaning: Make a mistake
Example: He fumbled the presentation badly.
19. Go for a touchdown
Meaning: Aim for a major success
Example: Let’s go for a touchdown this quarter.
20. Bench
Meaning: Remove from activity
Example: He was benched after the error.
