From carpooling to Little League to watching games on TV to shooting hoops with friends, sports are a big part of our lives. Is it any wonder that our favorite pastimes influence our language, too? These idioms may have started as sports sayings, but they developed uses outside the wide world of athletics. For example, you can “hit below the belt” or “roll with the punches” without stepping into a boxing ring. What other phrases do you use regularly that got a start in the sports world?
Full-Court Press
A basketball team playing full-court press applies pressure to the other team along the entire court length. In everyday life, people can use a full-court press by giving all their effort — and maybe even a little extra push. (“The salesperson gave Mom the full-court press to get her to buy the Tupperware.”) This style of play was invented in the 1950s by John McLendon, the first Black head coach of a professional sport.
Hail Mary
If you’re attempting a Hail Mary, you’re undertaking a desperate effort with a slight chance of success. (“Dad attempted one last Hail Mary effort to fix the furnace.”) The origin story dates back to a game in 1922 when several Notre Dame football players said a Hail Mary prayer before scoring two touchdowns to win a game. Afterward, one of the players observed, "Say, that Hail Mary is the best play we've got."
Monday-Morning Quarterback
A decision has been made, but someone is second-guessing it — that’s a Monday-morning quarterback. (“Wendy always acts like a Monday-morning quarterback in team meetings.”) This kind of person has all the answers (especially in hindsight). The term is credited to an actual Harvard University quarterback named Barry Wood, first used in a speech he gave in 1931.
Moving the Goalposts
When someone “moves the goalposts,” they change the rules in the middle of the game, typically to make it challenging for someone to succeed. (“Her boss kept moving the goalposts for her raise.”) The term comes from sports that use goalposts, such as football, rugby, hockey, and soccer. In these events, shifting the goals in any way can earn a penalty.
No Holds Barred
In wrestling, certain moves are banned or illegal. But in a no-holds-barred fight, anything goes. The same is true of this idiom. There are no restrictions when you’ve agreed to deal with someone under no-holds-barred terms. (“It was a no-holds-barred interview.”) This expression has been used in a figurative sense dating back to the 1940s.
Saved by the Bell
Some urban legends report that this saying comes from the 19th-century practice of burying bodies with an above-ground bell attached to the coffin by a string. If the deceased person were actually alive, they could ring it and be “saved by the bell.” However, it actually originates from the boxing ring. An underperforming boxer could be rescued at the end of a round by the dinging of the bell — “saved by the bell.” The idiom refers to being saved from misfortune by a sudden intervention. (“My teacher asked me the atomic number for zinc, but then class ended — saved by the bell.”)
Slam Dunk
Any time you’re in a position to succeed with ease, it’s a slam dunk. (“Our class presentation on orangutans was a total slam dunk.”) This idiom is somewhat strange, because getting a slam dunk in basketball is anything but easy. Players have been dunking the ball since the 1930s, but it was an announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers who coined the term “slam dunk” in the 1980s.
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