BATTER UP!!! This week we tackle sports idioms used in business.
Here are the first 20.
Check back next week for part 2.
I got a little carried away and chose 60 which I have broken up into 3 parts.
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Back the wrong horse horse racing
Means to make the wrong choice or support the wrong thing
We backed the wrong horse for manager and now we are paying the consequences.
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(the) Ball is in your court tennis
Means a decision or responsibility is yours alone
The decision is up to you. The ball is in your court now.
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Ballpark estimate/figure baseball
Means a guess or an estimate on a number
The budget for next year is just a ballpark figure; it may not be close to what we need.
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Batting a thousand baseball
Means to be successful at something, perfection
The team was batting a thousand by doing everything right.
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Behind the eight-ball pool
Means to be in a bad position
He was behind the eight-ball having been just hired and layoffs coming.
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Blind-sided American football
Means to not see something coming, to be caught off-guard
The boss was blind-sided by his surprise decision to quit.
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Bush league general team sports
Means amateurish actions, behavior or decisions
His idea to lie to the boss was bush league.
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Call the shots pool
Means to make the decisions, to be in charge
The boss made all the decisions, it was up to him to call the shots.
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Cover all of one’s bases baseball
Means to thoroughly plan and prepare for a situation
The boss covered all of his bases before implementing new rules.
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Down for the count boxing
Means to be beaten
The employee was down for the count after making his final fatal mistake.
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Down to the wire horse racing
Means to the last minute, the finish line
He procrastinated so much that the report would be finished down to the wire.
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Drop the ball baseball
Means to make lose control and make a mistake, to handle things badly
He really dropped the ball by not finishing the work in time for the meeting.
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End run American football
Means to use evasive tactics to bypass the competition
He was able to hide his work and pull an end run on all the others.
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Full-court press basketball
Means to make an all-out effort to achieve something
The sales department was trying to break all their records with a full-court press.
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Game plan American football
Means to have a strategy to proceed
I gave a specific game plan for the meeting.
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Get into the swing golf/tennis/baseball
Means to become comfortable doing something through practice
It took some time for the new employee to get into the swing of things.
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Get the ball rolling many sports
Means to begin something
The owner offered his idea first to get the ball rolling.
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Get to first base baseball
Means to get something going
***(warning… also means “French kissing” when used in the context of dating… be careful)***
After trying three times, he was able to get to first base with the client.
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Give one a run for one’s money horse racing
Means to attempt to beat or beat out someone else
The salesman was far behind the leader but he decided to try and give him a run for his money.
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Go to bat for someone baseball
Means to support someone by defending them
The intern asked for a full-time job and I decided to go to bat for her.
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Back next week with part 2.
Rob Howard is the owner of Online Language Center. He is a teacher, tutor, trainer, material designer and author for English as a foreign language. He is also a consultant and has been a frequent speaker internationally regarding online retention as well as using technology in and out of the classroom. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts in the U.S., he is currently residing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You may e-mail him at rob@onlinelanguagecenter.com.
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