 10 English Idioms from Sports from EspressoEnglish.net We love sports in the US and we have many idiomatic expressions in English that come from sports. You'll learn 10 of these expressions today. 1. Drop the ball Drop the ball means to make a mistake, especially when you fail to do one of your responsibilities. This expression comes from baseball, where dropping the ball is an error. For example, I was counting on Pete to finish his part of the project, but he completely dropped the ball. This means he didn't finish his part of the project. He failed to complete his responsibility. 2. Run interference Run interference means to help someone by resolving problems for them or in their place. This expression comes from American football, where other players on the same team run interference by helping to protect the player with the ball. Here's an example. It's hard to rent an apartment in Stockholm unless you have a real estate agent run interference for you. In other words, it's hard to do this alone, so you need a real estate agent to help solve the problems for you. The agent will run interference for you. 3. Take a shot at or give it your best shot The expression take a shot means to try something, and give it your best shot means to try your best. In basketball, as well as soccer, hockey, and several other sports, a shot is an attempt to put the ball into the basket or goal. So, take a shot more generally means to try, to make an attempt. For example, I can't solve this math problem. Do you want to take a shot at it? I'm not sure if I passed the test, but at least I gave it my best shot. 4. Show someone the ropes This idiom means to teach someone how to do tasks or processes. This expression comes from sailing, where you need to know how to manage the ropes in order to control the boat. For example, it's my first week on the job, so the manager is showing me the ropes. 5. Jump the gun The idiom jump the gun means to do something too early or too soon before the correct time. This idiomatic expression comes from the fact that a gun is used to give the starting signal for races, so a person who starts before the signal is given is said to jump the gun. Here's an example. They jumped the gun and started selling products before receiving their business license. It means they started selling too early, before the right time. 6. Hit your stride To hit your stride means to achieve a good, continuous level of performance. Stride is a word that refers to the steps taken while walking or running, and when a horse hits its stride in the race, it means the horse maintains a good speed in a comfortable way. Here's an example. Our company's sales were weak in the beginning, but we really hit our stride after we launched our second product. 7. A can of worms This idiom comes from fishing, where worms are used as bait to help catch the fish. The idiom a can of worms means a difficult, complex, or unpredictable problem, or multiple problems. For example, the political situation in that country is a real can of worms. Saying something as a can of worms means it's complex and very difficult to resolve. 8. One-two punch The idiom one-two punch means a combination of two things that are especially powerful or effective. This expression comes from boxing, where hitting the opponent twice with one punch and then another punch is very powerful. One-two punch can be used for both positive and negative situations. For example, the one-two punch of excellent food and delicious drinks makes this the best restaurant in town. That's a positive example of a one-two punch. Here's a negative one. Losing his job and his house in the same month was the one-two punch that sent him into depression, so those are two powerful negative things. 9. The balls in your court This expression means you have the responsibility for the next action. In tennis, the area where the game is played is called a court, and if the ball is in your side of the court, it means you need to hit it to continue the game. For example, I've offered her $15,000 for her car, the balls in her court now. That means it's her responsibility to make the decision about whether or not she will sell the car. 10. Par for the course Par for the course means something normal and expected. The area where golf is played is called a course, and the word par refers to the average number of tries necessary to put the ball in the hole. So that's why par for the course means something average, normal, and expected in a certain situation. For example, of course the classes for your master's degree are difficult. That's par for the course. It is expected that doing a master's degree would involve taking difficult classes. You can discover hundreds of new idiomatic expressions in my English idioms course. I'll teach you the common idioms that are used in everyday spoken English. Just click on the link in the video for more information and to take a free sample lesson.