There are so many idioms we use in daily conversation that have a connection with sport.
Look at the list and the explanations.
The sports they are originally derived from are in brackets.
a. To get second wind: to get a sudden burst of energy (sailing). "I was feeling tired after lunch, but I got my second wind in the afternoon."
b. To throw in the towel: to quit or give up and admit defeat (boxing). "It was so difficult that we almost threw in the towel a couple of times."
c. To bark up the wrong tree: to have the wrong idea or blame the wrong person (hunting) "She didn't steal your bike, you are barking up the wrong tree."
d. To keep your eye on the ball: to stay focused and goal-orientated (golf) "If you want to be a success, you need to keep your eye on the ball."
e. To give it your best shot: to try your hardest (hunting) "We gave it our best shot, but we still can't fix your car."
f. To get into the full swing of things: to adjust completely to a new situation (tennis) "I'm getting into the swing of things after working here for 3 weeks."
g. To go the distance: to carry through a course of action to completion (boxing) "It's a difficult business course - I'm worried he won't be able to go the distance."
h. The ball is in (someone's) court: it is this person's responsibility to make the next move (tennis) "We offered $3000 for his car - the ball is in his court now."
i. To blow the whistle on someone: to reveal information about someone. "She blew the whistle when she discovered her boss was stealing money."
j. To dive right into (something): to begin to do something without hesitating (swimming) "Let's prepare well and not just dive right into it this time."
Lesson by Danica, teacher at EC Cape Town English School
Use the letters (a, b, c and so on) in the boxes below to complete the sentences. Do not type in the whole idiom:
