This is an All Ears English podcast episode 1207.
Why these sports idioms are not out of left field.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 123 million times.
We believe in connection, not perfection.
With your American hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Boston and New York City, USA.
And to get weekly transcripts delivered to your email inbox, go to allearsenglish.com slash subscribe.
Sports is everywhere in American English.
Today we'll show you a few of the most important idioms that will help you build the connections you want.
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Hey, Lindsay, how's it going?
It's going well, Michelle.
Here we are in August.
It's crazy.
I can't believe it.
Can't believe we're in August.
I can't either.
I can't either.
Lindsay, we were talking about July 4th and you were saying that I should, because I'm going to go visit Boston, and you were saying that I should go to a baseball game.
Are you a baseball fan?
Yeah, I've gone to a couple of Red Sox games this year.
I don't really care if they win and I don't watch TV, but I love to go to the stadium.
Like I love Yankee.
Sorry, not Yankee Stadium.
Red Sox.
I love going to the Red Sox ballpark and Fenway Park and just eating a hot dog and drinking a beer.
It's the best.
Yeah, it's yeah.
Yeah.
And I think yeah, when we did the urban adventure in Boston, the first one, you went to a baseball game, right.
Oh, yeah, that was very special.
That was awesome.
We took our students for the first urban adventure in 2017 to a night game at Fenway.
That was such a cool experience.
Like one of my favorite All Ears English experiences.
And we have photos from that.
We have lots of memories.
Yeah, that was cool.
And I remember there was, because you were doing that, we taught a lot of baseball idioms.
Do you remember that?
Yes.
Yeah, I remember.
Of course.
Yes.
Yeah.
And I think that you know these idioms are so helpful because it shows how much sports are intertwined into the language right.
And how important it is to American culture based on.
You know how it pops up all over the place in our idioms.
Yeah, in a huge way.
So, guys, if you really want to be able to connect in American English, you need these idioms.
You need these fun little sports idioms to throw them out there, because it's out there in the business world right.
Just general conversation.
We use them everywhere, not just talking about sports.
Right, right, exactly.
That's the point.
I said that they come from sports, but it's not you know.
You want to know them because they're used in every place in life, I think.
Speaking about vocabulary today, guys, remember if you're not using the iOS app, you should be.
So go to allearsenglish.com forward slash bonuses.
Download the app on your phone because we have a new save and study tool for vocabulary.
You're going to be able to tap words, see the definition and save them in your favorites list to study later.
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Right, Michelle?
Oh, yeah, it's really great.
It is a great way to stay organized and to really use those words that you hear on the show.
Yeah, like we said before, it's a game changer.
That's right.
Yeah, I love that.
Lindsay, so we do have a listener question about sports idioms today.
So could you read us the question?
Sure.
So this is from Shay Chen.
So she says, Hi, Lindsay, Michelle, and Jessica.
Thank you for bringing us this awesome podcast and terrific app.
So this was a review inside the App Store.
So my boyfriend and I lived in the US for four years and we still find your podcast super helpful.
I really appreciate it.
I have a question.
Awesome.
All right.
I have a question.
I recently watched the first baseball game ever in my life.
I really enjoyed it.
By the way, go Cubs.
Chicago Cubs.
Yeah.
Okay.
I just realized ballpark has an original meaning of baseball field.
Also, touch base is a baseball phrase.
That's so interesting.
Are there any other phrases like these that are originally from sports?
Can you share them with me?
Thank you so much for your awesome podcast.
Love you guys from Shay.
Oh, that's awesome.
Thank you.
We love you too.
We do.
We do love you too.
Oh, that's a good question.
Yeah.
And what I love about this question Michelle, is the fact that she didn't learn these in a textbook.
She found these in natural spoken English when they weren't talking about baseball.
Right?
Right.
Right.
Exactly.
That shows you how important it is.
Yeah, that shows you that today's today is not just a fun episode about baseball guys.
It's actually about real connection.
Okay, so listen in.
For sure.
For sure.
These phrases can be used a lot in many different contexts.
So, you know, I'm glad you like the baseball game, Shay.
My favorite game is actually basketball.
I love watching basketball, but baseball is always fun, too.
You know, just to touch on one of the phrases, that you use the ballpark right, that you're right about it.
It means an approximation.
It's often used with figure, right?
So, like, for example, Lindsay, how much will it cost?
I don't know.
Well, give me a ballpark figure.
Okay, well, probably around 500 bucks.
Okay.
So, yeah, that's a really good one.
I like that.
But our listener wants to know more sports phrases and idioms.
So, today we're going to give you a few of them.
Right, Lindsay?
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Why do you think so many of our idioms come from sports?
Oh my God, it's such a good question.
I think that we love sports in this culture, especially certain cities like Boston.
I feel like Boston is a real sports town.
Um.
So certain cities love sports more than others, but our culture loves sports and it gets into our language, right.
Just because we've been talking about sports for so many years, it just seeps into the language.
I love that phrase, Michelle.
That should probably be a, a savable vocabulary.
Yeah.
Save and study seeps into the language.
Okay.
So it penetrates our language.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
And it shows that, you know, you're learning the language, but you're also learning the culture.
So I think that's good.
Yeah, totally.
So awesome.
Yeah.
So let's do one.
So the first one is a low blow.
Okay yeah, so that comes from boxing.
Oh, i like this.
This is a new one.
This is a new one that i haven't i have.
I mean, i know it, but we haven't taught it before, so that's great.
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Yeah.
So this one is, what's a low blow, Lindsay?
So it's something that's really rude or kind of rude or actually mean.
Maybe you're like in an argument with someone and they say something that goes a little too far, just a little too much.
You call that a low blow.
That was a low blow.
Okay.
Right, right, right.
So, for example, ugh Lindsay, they were fighting and then she brought up how he failed his LSAT exam.
Oh, low blow.
I know.
Yeah.
A little rhyming there.
I like that one.
So boxing.
Yeah.
I mean, we shouldn't forget about these other sports.
We always think about baseball, hockey, football.
Those are the traditional sports, but there's other sports that are also in our language.
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
Well, the next one is from baseball, but that's okay.
What's the next one, Lindsay?
Out of left field.
Hmm.
Yeah.
So that's kind of like out of nowhere, right?
Yeah, I love it.
I love I use this one sometimes.
So I could say so you could say what Michelle?
Like, Lindsay, I can't make lunch today because I already ate.
Well, that was out of left field.
I thought we had plans.
Sorry.
So what do I mean there?
I was saying that I was surprised that you canceled our plans, right?
Oh, that was unexpected.
An unexpected cancellation.
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
Exactly.
What's the next one, Lindsay?
Okay, so slam dunk.
So this one's also super common from basketball, right?
So Michelle, what would you say?
Uh, well, so that's when something goes really well, right?
So like, oh, I got a 90% on my test.
Yeah, I forgot to define it.
Right, exactly.
Something goes really well, like physically, when you make a slam dunk in basketball.
It's like you.
You know the guys, they're so tall, they're so tall.
And they get up to the net and they just throw it right into the net, they dunk it okay, right.
So if i tell you i got a 90 on my test, you might say wow, slam dunk okay right, yeah.
Yeah, that works too.
I like that.
Um, yeah.
And then we have, we have one more um, and this is also a boxing one.
I didn't know, i didn't think about this being in boxing.
What is it?
Lindsay Oh, okay.
To have someone in your corner.
Now, how interesting.
I also never knew that this was from boxing.
Right.
Yeah, I know.
It's because apparently between rounds of boxing, you know, the person who's there helping you, you know, revving you up for the next round, right?
That's the person in your corner.
So, I mean, that when I looked it up, it said boxing.
So I think, yeah, it should be boxing.
Yeah.
So to have someone in your corner, but how do we use it?
Not in a boxing way, Lindsay?
Well, when someone's I think this is actually one of the more used ones here that we're talking about
I use this a lot.
When someone is on your side, they have your back.
They're supporting you.
Right.
Someone is your support system.
OK, they're on your side.
Right.
So like, Lindsay, I'm so lucky to have you in my corner.
I couldn't do this without you.
Oh, anytime, Michelle.
I'm happy to support you.
Yeah.
Okay.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I love that one.
Interesting.
I learned something new today, Michelle.
Yeah, I know.
I thought that was interesting as well.
Guys, so there are so many sports idioms.
I mean countless, and we just gave you a few.
But we're going to do a role play with all of them combined.
So, Lindsay, in this situation, we are deciding what to do together on a snow day.
Okay.
All right.
Great.
So what do you want to do?
Watch TV.
Oh, you watch too much TV.
No, I don't.
Come on, give me a ballpark figure.
How much do you watch in a day?
Just an hour.
Okay, well, I wish you would want to go out and do something instead of being lazy.
Uh, that's a low blow, Lindsay.
You know I'm tired.
Fine.
Let's go skiing.
That's out of left field.
You hate skiing.
But I'll try to prove that I'm not lazy.
Okay.
I'll be in your corner to help you.
Thanks.
I'll be a slam dunk.
You'll see.
That's scary.
You're going to put on skis and go out there with no experience.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah.
And I'll be a slam dunk, right?
So just to prove to you.
Yes.
So let's see.
So first you said, give me a ballpark figure about how much TV I watch, right?
Yeah.
So a general idea.
Once in a while, I'll use it.
I agree, Michelle, that it is commonly used with figure.
But once in a while, I'll just say I'll just use it on its own.
And I'll say, come on, what do you think?
Ballpark?
What do you think?
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, that's definitely a good way to use it.
Yeah, supernatural, guys.
Supernatural.
Okay.
And then you said, I offended you by saying, I wish you weren't so lazy.
And you said that's a low blow Lindsay right right right, right.
And then I said oh, let's go skiing.
And you said that's out of left field, like so yeah, where did that come from?
Basically right, yep.
And then you said I said I'll be in your corner to help you um, and meaning I'll support you uh, pick you up off the snow when you fall, yeah.
And then you said what?
Thanks.
I'll be a slam dunk.
You'll see.
So that's a kind of a fun way that you can use that phrase.
Yeah, you can joke around.
I mean, that one's a little less common to use, I guess.
But definitely, guys, we can have fun with this.
I mean, the point is here, not just baseball, but sports are definitely in our language.
They're definitely in our language.
Yeah.
And you want to know these.
Right, right.
Since there are so many sports idioms in American English, you can tell that sports are so important in the US, right?
So you should try and use these, guys.
Yeah.
So this is part of connecting.
It's part of you know.
You guys know you want to learn the culture and you need to to be able to connect in that way.
So, so good, Michelle.
So good.
Absolutely.
Well, this has been fun, Lindsay.
And yeah, thanks for that question.
Yeah.
And guys remember, if you're taking IELTS, go over and subscribe to the IELTS Energy podcast and we will see you over there.
Okay.
Awesome.
Okay, Michelle.
Okay.
All right.
Take care.
Have a good one.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
Bye.
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