# Question for non-Americans - sports talk? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 7, 2015, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464 "2015-05-07T09:42:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [May 8, 2015, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/21 "2015-05-08T08:16:39Z")
I thought “bowled over” came from bowling, not cricket. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/22 "2015-05-08T09:08:53Z")
It came [from Cricket](http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/bowl+over) > [@](#): > > This term originated in cricket, where it means “to knock all the bails off the wicket.” [Mid-1800s] > See also: bowl > The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. . [An example of it chosen totally at random.](http://images.mid-day.com/2012/dec/Sachin-Tendulkar_2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/23 "2015-05-08T09:12:25Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > No, because in this analogy the speaker isn’t the bowler or the batter; he’s the ball. Actually it can be used about either the speaker or a third party or object. For example, if you did really well at a task you could say you “hit that one for six” ie knocked it out of the park; dealt with it easily. Other sporting analagies: “took that one on the chin”; “took the wind out of their sails” (that one could be naval); “down for the count”; “ducked the question”; won “by a nose”; “hospital pass [or ‘flick pass’]”; “kicked into touch” They are endless, really. Especially in a sport mad country like Australia. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/24 "2015-05-08T10:32:51Z")
> [@Fish\_Cheer](#): > > In German, a fairly common term for an action that backfires against the person undertaking it is “Eigentor” (literally “own goal”), a soccer reference. Here are some more soccer terms that are commonly expanded to every day speech: “Im Abseits stehen”: Literally “to be offside”, generally meaning for a person to be excluded from something. “Befreiungsschlag”: A defensive safety shot, generally meaning an action that gets s. b. out of a difficult situation. “mauern”: to play strictly defensive, generally meaning to be defensive and not revealing too much. “die Rote Karte zeigen”: to show the red card, generally meaning to exclude s. b. from something, e. g. s. b. who is expelled/dismissed from work/school/etc. is “shown the red card”. “Steilpass” or “Steilvorlage”: an offensive pass leading to a good goal opportunity, generally meaning an action or sentence giving s. b. other a perfect opportunity for a follow-up. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/25 "2015-05-08T11:51:55Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > You mean that didn’t originate in American football and Roger Staubach? It started before Staubach but that was when it entered into wide use. But it most certainly came from [American football](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Mary_pass#Origins). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/26 "2015-05-08T11:52:54Z")
> [@bluezooky](#): > > I’m very surprised an American would have hard \*[sic] \*of sticky wicket. > > … Plenty of us read British books and watch British TV. We know lots of British stuff. 🙂 This is a very cool thread. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/27 "2015-05-08T12:44:05Z")
Seinfeld did a commercial some years back where he incorporated the phrase “Now that’s a wicked googly.” I thought it was pretty funny terminology and vow to use it on this board going forward whenever feasible. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/28 "2015-05-08T12:45:50Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It started before Staubach but that was when it entered into wide use. But it most certainly came from [American football](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Mary_pass#Origins). Fran Tarkenton’s father, a reverend, passed away while that Staubach Hail Mary game was being played. ETA: And that’s a “hit for six” for Tarkenton. (Thanks, **Gyrate** ) ---
**Author:** ![mo50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@mo50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mo50)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/29 "2015-05-08T13:50:30Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > In American language many times sports reference gets into our lingo. For example “up to par” is a golf term and refers to something that is up to a set standard. “Against the ropes” is a boxing term meaning being beaten down by something difficult. “Knock it out of the park” is a baseball term meaning doing very well on a task. > > So I’d like to ask, in your countries are there sports terms that are part of your national lingo? Always wondered why it was “not up to par” rather than “not down to par”, because being below par in golf is good & above it bad. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/30 "2015-05-08T14:06:31Z")
> [@mo50](#): > > Always wondered why it was “not up to par” rather than “not down to par”, because being below par in golf is good & above it bad. Yes, a little confusing but golf is an odd sport where you win with the lowest score. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/31 "2015-05-08T14:54:58Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Yes, a little confusing but golf is an odd sport where you win with the lowest score. Actually, ‘up to par’, and its sister ‘below par’, meaning less than well, isn’t a golf phrase at all. Or American. It actually derives from term that comes from stock exchanges. Par is a Latin word, meaning of equal value. In stocks, it relates to the face value of a share compared to its market value. So if he market rate is higher, then it’s above par, the same and its up to par. The phrase long precedes the later use of the term ‘par’ in golf. Brits use tonnes of sports phrases from golf, rugby, football, tennis and cricket. We have long been a sport mad nation, with the Victorians, in particular, promoting sport as a healthy competitive thing for men to do, so sports language filters throughout our speech. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/32 "2015-05-08T15:03:16Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > Seinfeld did a commercial some years back where he incorporated the phrase “Now that’s a wicked googly.” I thought it was pretty funny terminology and vow to use it on this board going forward whenever feasible. Great googly moogly! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/33 "2015-05-08T15:37:55Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > Seinfeld did a commercial some years back where he incorporated the phrase “Now that’s a wicked googly.” I thought it was pretty funny terminology and vow to use it on this board going forward whenever feasible. The first time I heard it was in the movie [Hope and Glory.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093209/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_14) ---
**Author:** ![mo50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@mo50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mo50)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/34 "2015-05-09T15:24:09Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Actually, ‘up to par’, and its sister ‘below par’, meaning less than well, isn’t a golf phrase at all. Or American. > > It actually derives from term that comes from stock exchanges. Par is a Latin word, meaning of equal value. In stocks, it relates to the face value of a share compared to its market value. So if he market rate is higher, then it’s above par, the same and its up to par. The phrase long precedes the later use of the term ‘par’ in golf. > > Brits use tonnes of sports phrases from golf, rugby, football, tennis and cricket. We have long been a sport mad nation, with the Victorians, in particular, promoting sport as a healthy competitive thing for men to do, so sports language filters throughout our speech. Ignorance fought. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/35 "2015-05-10T20:32:06Z")
Spanish and Catalan call a shotgun wedding a _boda de penalti_ (penalty wedding); it’s got a double meaning of “being punished” and of “being quite sure that, if everything goes well, a ‘goal’ (child) will be achieved”. If the pregnancy was intended, then people will refer to the situation as a “true penalty shot, on purpose”. _Pillar en orsay/agafar en orsai_: to catch someone in offside, to catch them unawares. _Venir_ or _subir por la banda izquierda/pujar per la banda esquerra_: to arrive from the left side of the playing field, to approach something from an unexpected direction, to come from the blind spot. References to getting a yellow or red (card - the word is generally ellided) to indicate that someone was berated/warned or kicked out. Direct red, if their behavior was so outrageous that they got kicked out without previous warning. When someone has gotten reamed: _vaya penalti le ha metido/quin penalti li ha ficat_. [The attacking party] has hit him hard (in the penalty area). Using expressions from tennis scoring after a discussion involving two parties and witnessed by several others ends. Or someone who starts saying ping… pong… ping… pong… while looking to one side and the other at some point, to cut the discussion. A T made with your hands, taken from the gesture to ask for a time out in basket, to ask someone to wrap up. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/36 "2015-05-11T00:18:47Z")
I rather suspect that bowling and cricket are related historically. But “sticky wicket” and “bowled over” are familiar to me. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/37 "2015-05-11T12:49:22Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I rather suspect that bowling and cricket are related historically. But “sticky wicket” and “bowled over” are familiar to me. I can’t imagine two sports less likely to be related. Baseball is clearly descended from cricket. Bowling (or ten-pin bowling as it’s known in the UK) descended from [skittles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skittles_%28sport%29). ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/38 "2015-05-12T00:28:29Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I once heard a politician who was confident he was winning an election comment that he “had the hammer coming home,” which is a curling phrase. Even–or especially–if you know what it means, it is not very evocative. To me, it would suggest that the race was tied coming into the last days of the campaign, but this guy had an advantage, but no certainty. Unless his lead has a good tick shot. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/39 "2015-05-12T11:13:38Z")
“Playing the man, not the ball” from whichever footy code you favour, synonym of _ad hominem_ ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464/40 "2015-05-12T11:38:08Z")
What about “handball”? Is that common in other countries? As in “I’m going to handball this issue to you” (give it to you to deal with) I’ve always assumed it comes from Aussie Rules, though I see there is an actual sport called Handball too (not very big) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-sports-talk/719464.md?page=3)