{"id":121,"date":"2017-05-17T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3.254.11.177:8081\/?p=121"},"modified":"2025-07-27T18:56:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T16:56:25","slug":"english-idioms-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/english-idioms-sports","title":{"rendered":"5 Common Idioms: Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Common Idioms:<\/strong>\u00a0Sports<br \/>\n<strong>Duration:<\/strong>\u00a08-10 minutes<br \/>\n<strong>Level:<\/strong>\u00a0int +<br \/>\n<strong>Language Focus:<\/strong>\u00a0Idioms<br \/>\n<strong>Objective:<\/strong>\u00a0Learning new colloquial expressions<\/p>\n<p>There are many common expressions with sports in English. Below you will find five idioms that we use very frequently.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/api.americanlanguage.es\/uploads\/905e39956aca44cda842a3d131a4c146.png\" alt=\"text\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Tabla de contenidos<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Alternar tabla de contenidos\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/english-idioms-sports\/#1_To_touch_base_with_someone\" >1.\u00a0To touch base with someone<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/english-idioms-sports\/#2_The_ball_is_in_your_court\" >2.\u00a0The ball is in your court<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/english-idioms-sports\/#3_To_set_ones_sights_on_something\" >3.\u00a0To set one\u2019s sights on something<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/english-idioms-sports\/#4_To_not_pull_any_punches\" >4.\u00a0To not pull any punches<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/english-idioms-sports\/#5_To_keep_ones_head_above_water\" >5.\u00a0To keep one\u2019s head above water<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"1-to-touch-base-with-someone-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_To_touch_base_with_someone\"><\/span>1.\u00a0<strong>To touch base with someone<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What sport do you think that comes from? If you guessed baseball, you\u2019re right!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think that means?<\/strong><br \/>\nLook at the examples:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>I haven\u2019t seen Chris in ages! When he comes to town for Christmas, it\u2019ll be really nice to touch base with him.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Before you sign off on the project, you should touch base with your boss first.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u2705 That\u2019s right!\u00a0<strong>To touch base with someone<\/strong>\u00a0means to reconnect with them or to contact them briefly.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/api.americanlanguage.es\/uploads\/7cf3784851e34d56a6d2eccb7a487395.png\" alt=\"text\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 id=\"2-the-ball-is-in-your-court-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_The_ball_is_in_your_court\"><\/span>2.\u00a0<strong>The ball is in your court<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What sport do you think that comes from? If you guessed tennis, you\u2019re right!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think that means?<\/strong><br \/>\nLook at the example:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>I told my boss that I wanted a promotion and why I should get more money. The ball is in his court now. It\u2019s his decision.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u2705 That\u2019s right! If\u00a0<strong>the ball is in your court<\/strong>, it means it\u2019s your turn to take action or make a decision.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/api.americanlanguage.es\/uploads\/5d8376e4ab8b44978226a99291372f5f.png\" alt=\"text\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 id=\"3-to-set-one-s-sights-on-something-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_To_set_ones_sights_on_something\"><\/span>3.\u00a0<strong>To set one\u2019s sights on something<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What sport do you think that comes from? It could refer to archery, darts, or even track &amp; field.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think that means?<\/strong><br \/>\nLook at the example:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>She\u2019s got her sights set on becoming a teacher. It has been her goal since she was a child. She\u2019s very determined.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u2705 That\u2019s right!\u00a0<strong>To have your sights set on something<\/strong>\u00a0means to have a specific goal or objective.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/api.americanlanguage.es\/uploads\/f3599a0cfd6d4d7d8823cc8ad01fbef2.png\" alt=\"text\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 id=\"4-to-not-pull-any-punches-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_To_not_pull_any_punches\"><\/span>4.\u00a0<strong>To not pull any punches<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What sport do you think that comes from? If you guessed boxing, you\u2019re right!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think that means?<\/strong><br \/>\nLook at the example:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Robert is very direct and he says exactly what he thinks. He doesn\u2019t pull any punches.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u2705 That\u2019s right! If a person\u00a0<strong>doesn\u2019t pull any punches<\/strong>, it means they speak their mind directly. They don\u2019t censor themselves and aren\u2019t worried about what others think. This can be both positive and negative.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/api.americanlanguage.es\/uploads\/313ca021017c4779a5ea90ad75a786eb.png\" alt=\"text\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 id=\"5-to-keep-one-s-head-above-water-\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_To_keep_ones_head_above_water\"><\/span>5.\u00a0<strong>To keep one\u2019s head above water<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What sport do you think that comes from? If you guessed swimming or water polo, you\u2019re right!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think that means?<\/strong><br \/>\nLook at the example:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>After I lost my job, it was really hard to keep my head above water. I could pay my rent and my groceries, but nothing else!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u2705 That\u2019s right!\u00a0<strong>To keep one\u2019s head above water<\/strong>\u00a0means to barely survive a difficult situation, usually related to money.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Did you learn anything new?<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Do you have similar idioms in your language?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many common expressions with sports in English.  Below you will find five idioms that we use very frequently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/api.americanlanguage.es\/uploads\/ed9ad694ec1e4bf3b2ecec0853b28929.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ocio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":871,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions\/871"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanlanguage.es\/blog-aprender-ingles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}