Word Play: Sports metaphors

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Friday, July 12th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast. WORLD Commentator George Grant now with Word Play for July. Let’s dive right in.

GEORGE GRANT: Sporting events are ubiquitous in American culture. 124 million of us watched as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime for their second consecutive Super Bowl victory. Over 18 million people tuned into the college football playoffs in 2023. According to journalist Alex Kerai, nearly 70% of Americans watch live sports, with many tuning in on a weekly basis for the latest football, basketball and baseball games. So, it probably should not surprise us that sports have dramatically shaped our language.

Sports metaphors abound, taking a prominent place in our everyday discourse. To “call an audible” is to improvise often on the spur of the moment, to change the play right at the line of scrimmage. To “block and tackle” means to get back to basics, to focus on the fundamentals. To “throw a Hail Mary” is a last-ditch effort, a Long Shot, a wing and a prayer. Like “end-around,” “punt the ball,” “Monday morning quarterback,” “flood the zone,” “man-to-man defense,” “home-field advantage” and “spike the ball,” these metaphors all originated with football.

Baseball has given us the phrase, “hit the ball out of the park.” It means to succeed well beyond all expectations. The sport has also given us ”step up to the plate,” “rain check,” “last man out,” “pinch hitter,” “playing hardball,” “the bases are loaded” and “ballpark figure.” To “throw in the towel” is taken from boxing. It means to surrender or admit defeat. The sport has been linguistically prolific, giving us “saved by the bell,” “down for the count,” “go the distance,” having someone “in your corner,” “on the ropes,” “the old one-two punch,” “ringside seat,” “roll with the punches,” “sparring partner,” and “throw a hat into the ring.” To “take the gloves off” means to attack without mercy, and is often associated with boxing, but it actually originated with the sport of ice hockey. Horse racing gave us “down to the wire,” meaning right to the very end or at the last second. But the sport has also bequeathed us “the hands down,” “home stretch,” “under the wire,” “win by a nose” and “throw in a ringer.”

A “slam dunk” is a sure thing, a can't miss play that's derived from the game of basketball, as is the aggressively disruptive strategy of the “full court press.” It was the sport of cricket that originally gave us the “sticky wicket,” a very difficult circumstance. It also gave us “stumped,” “crossing the line,” “on the back foot,” “batting average,” “hot spot,” “knuckleball,” “slog,” “twelfth man,” “a case of the yips,” and “hat trick.” A “gambit” is a strategy, tactic, or opening move in wrestling. It came to us from the Italian gambeto, meaning to surprise or trip up an opponent. “Go to the mat” is also drawn from wrestling, meaning to fight to the finish, as is “no holds barred,” meaning no rules apply and all restrictions are lifted.

Now these examples barely scratched the surface of our most common sports metaphors. Given half the chance, I'd love to take a mulligan and go another round, but by now, you probably surmised that that is pretty much par for the course for me.

I'm George Grant.

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