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Download the Sports Idioms List & PDF Worksheets
View the updated web-version of the sports idioms list in the table below.
The idiom worksheets and games are also free to download.
- Download and print the PDFs.
- Use the materials for interactive learning activities in class.
- Students can also complete the worksheets to review or for self-study.
Sports Idiom Worksheets for ESL Students
Worksheet A: Defining Idioms & Writing Sentences with Idioms
Worksheet B: Reading Idioms in Context & Describing Meanings
Fun Sports Idiom Games for the Classroom
Sports Idioms Checklist (for BINGO)
46 Idioms and Phrases About Sports
*Updated: March 2020
| Idiom / Phrase | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| ace in the hole | a hidden strength or advantage | They'll win the game since their rookie goalkeeper is an ace in the hole. |
| call the shots | make the decisions | The new coach is calling the shots. |
| chip in | donate money or time | Why don't you chip in and support the refugees? |
| down to the wire | to the end | The game is coming down to the wire and nobody has scored. |
| front runner | favorite to win | The stallion is the front runner. He'll be hard to beat. |
| get a head start | start before others | Don always gets a head start and wakes up at dawn. |
| get a second wind | have new energy after an attempt | I was exhausted after 3 kilometres of running, but I got a second wind after I passed the beach. |
| get into the full swing | be comfortable doing something after some time | It took her a month to get into the full swing of things. Now she is the best employee. |
| give it your best shot | try your hardest | I know the homework is difficult but give it your best shot. |
| give someone a fair shake | give someone a chance | He never got a fair shake. He got fired after a week. |
| give someone a run for their money | try hard to defeat another person | Connor is going to give Floyd a run for his money. |
| go to bat for someone | defend someone | His colleague went to bat for her and testified on her behalf. |
| hat trick | three goals by one player | Ronaldo scored several hat tricks last season. |
| have the upper hand | have a better chance of winning | The experienced boxer has the upper hand. |
| hit a snag | face a sudden problem | We've hit a snag. I don't think we can finish it on time now. |
| hit below the belt | do something that is unfair | You hit me below the belt when you said that lie about me. |
| hold all the aces | expected to win | The home team holds all the aces. I don't think the other team will win. |
| hot shot or big shot | very confident or successful person | All the hot shots in New York live on the Upper East Side. |
| jump the gun | begin too soon | If you jump the gun then you may make a mistake. Go at your own pace. |
| keep your head above water | try not to fall behind | It's hard to keep your head above water when you are already down by 3 goals. |
| learn the ropes | learn new things | I spend the whole morning learning the ropes for the job. |
| level playing field | equal chance | The team leveled the playing field after the penalty kick. |
| long shot | difficult thing to accomplish | It will be a long shot to finish in the top three positions. |
| make the cut | chosen to be part of a group | I don't think I made the cut. Other people will probably get hired instead. |
| neck and neck | very close | The race cars were neck and neck until the end. |
| no sweat | no problem | Sara said it would be no sweat to finish the assignment on time. |
| not playing with a full deck | lower mental ability | George isn't playing with a full deck. He forgot to wear his socks. |
| not up to par | not good enough | If you're not up to par by the end of the month, you're fired. |
| on the ball | ready and able | I'm on the ball today. I finished everything before lunch. |
| out in left field | strange or unconventional | His response was so way out in left field that everyone couldn't stop laughing. |
| out of my league | not as good as someone else | She's way out of my league. There's no way she'll go out with me. |
| settle a score | get even | It's time to settle the score. I'm sick of losing against these guys. |
| shot in the dark | guess | It was a shot in the dark, but her answer was correct. |
| skate on thin ice | do something risky | He was skating on thin ice when he insulted the boss. |
| start the ball rolling | start something | Let's get the ball rolling and start with some ice breakers. |
| step up to the plate | take responsibility | Yuna is going to step up to the plate and admit that her team's decision was wrong. |
| take the bull by the horns | attempt the challenge | Let's take the bull by the horse and get started on the project. |
| take the wind out of my sails | to feel deflated | You really took the wind out of my sails when you laughed at my new invention. |
| the ball is in your court | the decision is up to you | We offered him an extra million dollars. The ball is in his court if he wants to sign the contract. |
| the home stretch | near the end | We're on the home stretch now. We'll be there in a few minutes. |
| throw in the towel | give up | Rocky never threw in the towel during his fighting career. |
| time out | break | Can we take a time out and work on this later in the afternoon? |
| to be off base | not making a fair statement | Mandy was off base when she said that I needed a hair transplant to get the acting role. |
| under the table | concealed or by secret | We should keep this under the table until we know it's safe to tell everyone. |
| win hands down | easy victory | The team one hands down because their opponents had three red cards. |
| zero-sum game | either win or lose | In the playoffs, overtime is a zero-sum game. Only one team can win. |
Extra Examples of Sports Idioms in Use
Do you want to read more examples and sentences with sports idioms?
Try entering the expressions in a corpus database or language app.
We highly recommend the following corpus resources and tools: