There is nothing worse than being at a social event, only to not understand what everyone else is saying. Don’t worry, it happens to all of us, especially when it comes to jargon. An industry like sports virtually has a language of its own, putting those that don’t understand sporting terms at a disadvantage.
The problem is that sports jargon is so popular that it has made its way into everyday dialect. This means that you can land up in a conversation nowhere near a sports field, only to still be bombarded with sports jargon. Don’t panic, even if you have no interest in sports at all learning the terms aren’t very difficult. Check out this list of common sports jargon terms.
Knocked It Out Of The Park
Starting with the most commonly understood first, knocking it out of the park refers to doing something exceptionally well. It comes from, of course, baseball. If the batter hits the ball out of the park it is counted as a homerun, which is obviously a good thing. The same phrase can be applied to performing exceptionally well in an art competition, for example.
A Game Of Inches
A lesser commonly understood phrase, a game of inches refers to a task or challenge that is made or broken based on small details. The term originated in the game of football, where the difference between touchdowns can be just a few inches. The same can be true for business deals, or even something like a casino game can be a game of inches. At an online casino like Lucky Creek, players may refer to Poker as a game of inches.
Losing A Step
The phrase losing a step comes from the world of boxing. Coaches will say that a boxer has lost a step when that boxer takes a heavy hit, or is looking to be overwhelmed. It generally means that the fighter is losing an advantage, and is now more likely to be the loser. The same can be said for a company that loses a big client, for example.
The Ball Is In Your Court
Fairly commonly understood, telling someone that the ball is in their court means it is up to that person to make the next move. The phrase stems from both tennis and basketball but originated with tennis. In tennis, a player may have the ball to serve, but will instead stall for time as a means to take a breather. If, during a business negotiation, a party stalls before moving the negotiation forward, the ball is in that party’s court.
Ice In Your Veins
As a sporting event progresses, tension inevitably mounts. The pressure gets to the players, and some will eventually start making panic mistakes. Some will, but not the athletes with ice in their veins. The athletes that stay calm, no matter the pressure, are as cool as cucumbers. Similarly, business executives that can make incredibly difficult decisions and still stay calm have ice in their veins.
