10 Football Idioms That You Can Use in Business English

The Football Season has started here in the USA. My husband is a keen Arsenal supporter and for the next few months I have the joy of listening to him shout at the television whenever a player doesn’t do what is expected of him!

The start of the season has also given me the excuse to introduce you to 10 football idioms that we often use in Business English. As I mentioned in a previous post, sports and business are closely related in many ways including language.

1. To keep one’s eye on (or to take one’s eye off) the ball – to keep (or fail) to keep one’s focus on a particular matter.

Ex: “In this business if you want to be successful, you need to keep your eye on the ball”.

2. To know the score – to know the essential facts of the situation.

EX: “I was going to bring Jane up to date with the situation but she already knows the score”.

3. A game changer – an event or procedure that could have a dramatic effect on the current policy or thinking.

Ex: This new contract with The States could be a real game changer for our business.

4. To blow the whistle on someone – to expose an illegal activity and the person(s) responsible within an organisation (A Whistle-Blower – Noun).

Ex: “She was fed up with the way things were going and decided to blow the whistle on the company’s illegal activities”.

5. League – a class or category of excellence and quality.

Ex: “When it comes to showmanship, David is in a league of his own”.

6. To score an own goal – an act that unintentionally harms one’s own interests.

Ex: “Philip scored an own goal when he quit his job before signing a new contract.”

7. To be on the ball – to be aware and quick to respond to new ideas.

Ex: “You need to be on the ball in this job”.

8. To watch from the sidelines – to be an observer rather than actively involved in a situation.

Ex: “Harry never gets involved in anything. He’s always watching from the sidelines.”

9. To move the goalposts – to unfairly move the conditions or rules of  procedures during its course.

Ex: It’s impossible to plan anything in this company if management keeps moving the goalposts.”

10. To kick something off – to start something.

Ex: “Right. I’d like to kick this meeting off by welcoming our guest.”

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