Practice
Sports idioms: understand figurative English in context
Sign in to saveA colleague says, "We are in the home stretch." The group is not running a race. They are close to finishing a report. Sports idioms carry an image from a game into an everyday situation.
Use context to understand six sports idioms, notice their tone, and choose direct wording when a message needs to be precise.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
move the goalposts /muːv ðə ˈɡəʊl.pəʊsts/
The short answer
Sports idioms use language from games or competition to describe ordinary situations. Read the complete phrase and the situation around it. Do not translate each word one by one.
Priya got the ball rolling by asking everyone to share one idea.
Why it works: Got the ball rolling means that Priya started the discussion.
5 more examples
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Keep your eye on the ball and finish the budget summary before Friday.
The speaker means stay focused on the current task.
Not this:
Stay focusedand finish the budget summary before Friday. What changes: This wording gives the instruction directly. -
Anonymous marking can create a level playing field for applicants.
The phrase means fair conditions and a fair chance for the people involved.
Not this:Anonymous marking can give applicants
fair conditions. What changes: The direct phrase states the intended principle without a sports image. -
The organizer moved the goalposts by adding a new form after the deadline.
The idiom suggests that a requirement changed after people had already worked toward it.
Not this:The organizer
added a new formafter the deadline. What changes: The direct version reports the change without stating that it was unfair. -
After several repairs failed, Imani threw in the towel and called a technician.
Imani stopped trying to solve the problem alone.
Not this:After several repairs failed, Imani
stopped tryingand called a technician. What changes: The plain wording is less dramatic and more exact. -
The team is in the home stretch, with only the final review left.
The phrase means that the team is near the end, but work still remains.
Not this:The team is
near the end, with only the final review left. What changes: This direct phrase works well in a progress update.
Read the full guide
Ask one question first: is this sentence really about sport? If the speaker is planning an event, a ball or goalpost probably has a figurative meaning. If a coach is giving instructions during a match, the same words may be literal. The people, place, and task help you decide.
Start with the situation
A phrase about sport can be literal or figurative. During a tennis lesson, keep your eye on the ball tells a player what to do. During a busy workday, the same phrase means stay focused. Read the whole situation before choosing a meaning.
Jules kept his eye on the ball during the match.
Jules kept his eye on the ball while checking the invoice is figurative because the task is not a game.
Use get the ball rolling to begin
Get the ball rolling means start an activity or encourage it to begin. A chairperson may use it at the start of a meeting. It is friendly and familiar, but start the meeting is a better choice when a short formal note needs plain wording.
Mika got the ball rolling by giving the group its first question.
Which direct phrase can replace got the ball rolling in this sentence?
Use started the activity or began the discussion, depending on the situation.
Use keep your eye on the ball to focus
Keep your eye on the ball means give attention to what you are doing. It can help a teammate return to a main task after a distraction. The phrase is usually supportive, but it can sound impatient if the speaker uses it during a stressful problem.
We need to keep our eye on the ball and send the corrected schedule today.
We need to focus on the corrected schedule today gives the same instruction in a neutral way.
Talk about fairness with a level playing field
A level playing field describes a situation where people have fair conditions or the same chance to succeed. It is common in discussions about applications, competition, rules, and access. It does not mean that every person will get the same outcome.
Clear instructions give every participant a more level playing field.
Clear instructions give every participant a fair chance is more direct and makes the meaning easy to understand.
Hear the criticism in move the goalposts
Move the goalposts means change the rules or conditions while someone is trying to do something. The phrase normally says that the change made the task harder or was unfair. That negative tone matters. In a formal complaint, list the original condition, the new condition, and the date of the change.
The landlord moved the goalposts by asking for another document after the application was complete.
The landlord asked for another document after the application was complete gives the evidence without the judgment.
Separate stopping from finishing
Throw in the towel means stop trying because success seems impossible. In the home stretch means near the end of a long task. The first phrase says that effort has stopped. The second says that the work is nearly complete. Do not use them as if they mean the same thing.
After weeks of work, the volunteers were in the home stretch.
After weeks of work, the volunteers threw in the towel means they stopped before finishing.
Choose plain words when precision matters
Idioms work best when the audience knows them and the tone is relaxed. Use plain language for a rule, safety instruction, deadline, complaint, or contract. Start, focus, change the requirement, stop trying, and near the end are clear choices.
You are writing to report a changed application rule. What information should you include?
Name the original rule, the new rule, and when the change happened. Those details are clearer than an idiom.
Before you go
Remember this
Treat a sports idiom as one meaningful phrase. Use the situation to decide whether it is literal or figurative. In informal settings, an idiom can make a message familiar. When clarity matters most, choose direct language such as start, stay focused, change the requirement, stop trying, or near the end.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Sports idioms: understand figurative English in context"
What are sports idioms?
Sports idioms are expressions that borrow words from games or competition to describe an ordinary situation. In the lesson, get the ball rolling describes starting a discussion, not playing a game.
Priya got the ball rolling by asking everyone to share one idea.
What does get the ball rolling mean?
Get the ball rolling means start an activity or help it begin. Priya got the ball rolling by asking everyone to share one idea means that she started the discussion.
Priya started the discussion by asking everyone to share one idea.
What does a level playing field mean?
A level playing field means fair conditions or a fair chance for the people involved. Anonymous marking can create a level playing field for applicants because it can make the process fairer.
Keep your eye on the ball and finish the budget summary before Friday.
Is move the goalposts a criticism?
Usually, yes. Move the goalposts suggests that someone changed a requirement after others had started working to meet it. It can sound critical, so a formal complaint should also state the exact change.
Stay focused and finish the budget summary before Friday.
When should I avoid a sports idiom?
Avoid a sports idiom when a reader needs exact, neutral information, such as a rule, deadline, safety instruction, or contract. Use a direct phrase such as start the discussion or change the requirement instead.
Anonymous marking can create a level playing field for applicants.