# full court press (phrases/words borrowed from sports) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 8, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773 "2010-03-08T22:08:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/1 "2010-03-08T22:08:06Z")
I heard the phrase “full-court press” on the national news yesterday, used in the general sense to mean applying a lot of pressure (in this case, psychological pressure). It’s a common enough phrase that people know what it means even if they haven’t watched enough basketball to know when the strategy is being used. So, what are some other phrases or terms borrowed from sports that are so commonly used (e.g., in English) that they are de-linked from their sports meanings, i.e., an English speaker would know the meaning of the phrase/term as an idiom even if he/she doesn’t know anything about the sport. Other examples home run quarterback (verb) trifecta ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/2 "2010-03-08T22:09:13Z")
Grand slam Hail Mary End around ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/3 "2010-03-08T22:15:32Z")
Boxing is full of them: Up off the mat, Knocked out, Down for the count, Rope-a-dope, Glass jaw, Contenders/Pretenders The list is almost endless. Good list [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports_idioms). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/4 "2010-03-08T22:31:03Z")
Blitz (though that, in turn, was borrowed from the German term blitzkrieg) Slam-dunk Face-off ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/5 "2010-03-08T22:37:39Z")
Thanks for the link - most of those are good, but I guess I’m most interested in finding ones where the idiomatic meaning is so common that you don’t have to know anything about the sport. I’m not sure “hat trick” counts because I don’t think Americans who aren’t hockey fans (or cricket fans, apparently) know that phrase refers to a unit of three. Also not sure about “drop the gloves” for the same reason. “end run” and “run interference” are good ones ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/6 "2010-03-08T22:50:35Z")
Sudden-death (overtime) Extra innings Pinch-hitter Utilityman Hole-in-one Gimme Chip shot Rebound ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/7 "2010-03-08T22:52:07Z")
Own goal ---
**Author:** ![ekweizn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7c8e57/32.png) [@ekweizn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekweizn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/8 "2010-03-08T23:20:51Z")
[A list of English language idioms from baseball](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language_idioms_derived_from_baseball) Some golf ones: On a tee, tee off on Mulligan Par for the course ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/9 "2010-03-09T00:41:00Z")
Chin Music Drop the ball Behind the Eight Ball Punt ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/10 "2010-03-09T00:46:52Z")
The list of idioms from baseball is interesting. There are a lot of good examples of phrases analogous to “full-court press,” but IMO the best examples are batting a thousand cleanup hitter curveball A few aren’t so well known to the non-fan (I’ve heard other people have to explain these ones) ducks on a pond Mendoza line on deck wheelhouse Not what I was looking for, but interesting - novel meaning that isn’t a simple metaphor derived from the baseball meaning ballpark (approximation) play hardball out of left field ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/11 "2010-03-09T01:43:22Z")
For a general sports idiom, there’s “level playing field” ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/12 "2010-03-09T01:50:22Z")
Offside Jumping the Gun ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/13 "2010-03-09T02:12:51Z")
step up to the plate (I _almost_ used this the other day in a discussion about football players…that would have been a mixed metaphor!) being a benchwarmer out of bounds timeout on the sidelines hand-off ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/14 "2010-03-09T02:30:53Z")
Raising the bar ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/15 "2010-03-10T03:35:38Z")
touché alley-oop double team head fake in the penalty box pit stop rookie ringer MVP dream team referee giving someone the Heisman (keeping him at a distance) built like a linebacker moving the goalpost home turf ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/16 "2010-03-10T05:24:26Z")
There’s a ton of common idioms in American English that originate from baseball. out of left field off base touching all the bases on the ball/ dropped the ball right off the bat ballpark figure two strikes against you/ that’s your second strike playing hardball playing the field out of your league step up to the plate \_\_\_ is a hit thrown for a curve going to bat for someone close call make a pitch touch base knocking one out of the park ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/17 "2010-03-10T08:40:51Z")
From horse racing: ``` also-ran ``` More from baseball: ``` bush league three strikes and you're out (e.g. the "three strikes" laws) ``` From cricket: ``` not cricket ``` ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/18 "2010-03-10T23:45:15Z")
On a sticky wicket Let it through to the keeper Fed a dolly Skied it/Spooned it Played on Bowled a googly ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/19 "2010-03-11T03:01:51Z")
From Bridge (and possibly related card games)–following suit. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773/20 "2010-03-11T03:03:45Z")
> [@BigNik](#): > > On a sticky wicket > Let it through to the keeper > Fed a dolly > Skied it/Spooned it > Played on > Bowled a googly Those are not particularly common–and the first, third, and last are likely to draw a whole lotta 😕😕😕 in the U.S… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-court-press-phrases-words-borrowed-from-sports/531773.md?page=2)