The following is a list of phrases from sports that have become idioms (slang or otherwise) in English. They have evolved usages and meanings independent of sports and are often used by those with little knowledge of these games.
The sport from which each phrase originates has been included immediately after the phrase. In some cases, the specific sport may not be known; these entries may be followed by the generic term sports, or a slightly more specific term, such as team sports (referring to such games as baseball, football, hockey, etc.), ball sports (baseball, tennis, volleyball, etc.), etc.
This list does not include idioms derived exclusively from baseball. The body of idioms derived from that sport is so extensive that two other articles are exclusively dedicated to them. See English language idioms derived from baseball and baseball metaphors for sex.
Examination of the ethnocultural relevance of these idioms in English speech in areas such as news and political discourse (and how "Rituals, traditions, customs are very closely connected with language and form part and parcel of the linguacultural 'realia'") occurs. The occurrence is of note for philologists, linguists. Phrases from sports are a "part of a nation’s linguoculture." where "members of common culture not only share the same information but also the methods of coding, storing and retrieving the information.
B
ball (is) in one's court Tennis: It's one's turn, or responsibility, to take action. ballpark figure / in the ballpark baseball: a rough estimate or approximation. low/high bar; clear the bar; set the bar higher/lower Track and field: A high bar refers metaphorically to a more difficult standard to achieve, while a low bar refers to an easier one. The related term "clearing the bar" refers to exceeding the standard, and setting the bar higher or lower refers to raising and lowering the standard, respectively. The term is derived from the sports of high jump and pole vault, where competitors are required to jump or vault over a bar in order to advance in the competition, with the bar raised by a small height after each round. A higher bar is more difficult to clear, both literally and metaphorically.
beat someone to the punch Boxing: to anticipate and potentially react to a move or action.
block and tackle American football, rugby, etc: The basics, to get back to the basics. When referenced, it is usually speaking to changing the behavior or going back to an earlier time when things were functional or building basic skills to ensure the success of various endeavors. In some ball games (for example American or Canadian football, rugby, etc.), blocking and tackling are basic components of the game. In order to be successful in the game, a player must understand when to block and when to tackle. (Not the block and tackle system of cables and pulleys for lifting heavy loads.)
C call an audible American football: To improvise, often in the spur of the moment. The term is based on the practice of changing a play right before the play is run in American football. call the shots Cue sports: To be the decision-maker, to have the final word. carry the ball American football, rugby, etc: To take charge, to assume responsibility. In some ball games (for example American or Canadian football, rugby, etc.), the ball can be carried to advance toward a goal. ADHI dates figurative usage from the "early 1900s". Compare drop the ball, below.
come out fighting or come out swinging Boxing: To go immediately on the offensive, often pre-emptively; or, to strongly defend oneself or one's beliefs. CIDI,
D double-team Basketball: to apply pressure from two different directions, in two different ways, and/or by two different elements at the same time. down and out Boxing: Lacking money or prospects; penniless or destitute. A boxer who is "down" has been knocked to the canvas, and one who is also "out" is unconscious or unable to resume the fight; thus a down-and-out boxer is utterly defeated. AHDI states the term "probably" came from boxing, circa 1900; OED references boxing rather obliquely, and cites first figurative usage to 1889. down for the count; out for the count Boxing: To be defeated. Refers to a boxer being knocked down; the referee will count off ten seconds, the time allotted for the boxer to regain his feet or lose the fight. Down for the count may imply a temporary setback, as down does not necessarily imply out. AHDI dates "down for the count" to the 1920s; OED cites out for the count to 1930. Compare take the full count, below. down to the wire Horse racing: To the very end or last minute. From the length of wire stretched across a racetrack at the finish line. AHDI dates its figurative use to about 1900. drop the ball Baseball, rugby, American football, etc: To make an error, to miss an opportunity. In games where a ball may be legally caught (e.g. baseball) or carried (e.g. American football), a player (or the player's team) may be penalized for dropping the ball; for example, an American football player who drops a ball ("fumbles") risks having the ball recovered and carried by the other team; in baseball, a player who drops a thrown or batted ball may be charged with an error. AHDI dates the figurative usage to about the 1950s. Compare carry the ball, above. drop the gloves Ice hockey: To engage in a fight, whether figurative or literal. Refers to the act of hockey players throwing off their gloves to punch with bare knuckles.
E end around American football: An evasive tactic; an attempt to avoid or bypass opposition. In American football, it is an attempt to run around one's own end (of a line of players) and towards the goal. OED dates football usage to 1902, figurative to 1952.
F flood the zone American Football: Filling a region on the field of play with the intention of overwhelming the defense.
fumble American Football: To miss an opportunity or embarrass yourself by a simple mistake or error.
full-court press Basketball: An all-out effort to exert pressure. In basketball, full-court press is an aggressive defence strategy in which the defenders put pressure on the opposing team over the entire court, trying to disrupt their dribbling and passing. It was widely used in this sense beginning in the late 1940s. AHDI cites the figurative usage to the "late 1900s". OED cites first basketball usage in 1976, and figurative usage in 1978, but the cite itself states that the term was used figuratively in "the late sixties".
G gambit Boxing: A stratagem or tactic; chess: an opening system that involves a pawn sacrifice to gain the initiative right from the start. The term arrives in modern parlance through chess, but originates in wrestling from the Italian , tripping the opponent. OED cites the chess usage to 1656, the figurative usage to 1855. get a second wind Sailing: To muster another burst of power or energy after seeming to fade or tire. get the ball rolling Some ball games: To start an endeavour. Some ball games are started by rolling a ball into play. AHDI dates to the late 18th century. See also keep the ball rolling, below. glass jaw Boxing: Vulnerability, especially of a public figure, to destructive criticism. In boxing, a fighter who is especially vulnerable or susceptible to a knockout is said to have a glass jaw.
the gloves are off Boxing, Hockey: See take off the gloves, below.
go the distance Boxing: Carry through a course of action to completion. A boxer goes the distance when he can fight through all the scheduled rounds. OED cites the boxing idiom to 1934, but does not date its figurative usage.
go for an early bath Association football, Rugby When a player is sent off for a serious foul or dismissable offence. The player therefore returns to the changing room and has an early bath or shower before the rest of the team. The phrase is sometimes modified to "go for an early shower".
go to the mat Wrestling: to engage in an argument or dispute, especially until one side is victorious. In wrestling, it means to engage in a wrestling bout, the mat being the surface on which the contest is fought. OED cites the wrestling usage to 1908, the figurative to 1912; however, AHDI states it has been used in its figurative sense "since about 1900". move the goalposts Association football: to change plans or rules, thus making it difficult for others to achieve something.
H hands down Horse racing: With great ease; unconditionally; often (and originally) in the phrase to win hands down, in which a jockey, certain of victory, drops his hands and relaxes his hold on the reins. The horse-racing phrase is first cited by OED in 1867, figurative usage in 1913. Hail Mary American football: A long shot, a desperate last-ditch attempt, as if relying on a prayer, specifically, the (Catholic) "Hail Mary" (Ave Maria). Usually a long pass into the end zone to win the game. hat-trick Cricket: A threefold feat in an endeavour. In cricket, a bowler who took three wickets with three successive bowls was entitled to a new hat (or some other prize) awarded by his club. OED cites to 1877, figuratively to 1909. Later used in many other team sports. have someone in your corner Boxing: To have the support or help of someone. A boxer's ringside support staff – second, cut man, etc. – are in his corner, and assist him between rounds. heavy hitter Boxing: An important or influential individual or organization. Refers to a boxer who is able to hit hard; The ability to end a bout with one swing; AHDI states it "was transferred to other enterprises in the mid-1900s". heavyweight Boxing: A person of great influence or importance. In boxing, it was historically a weight division of or higher, but the lower limit is now set at ; the term is also used for a boxer fighting in this division. OED dates the boxing usage to 1877, although it was used in newspapers as early as 1849. (It was previously used in horse-racing, and in wrestling as early as 1838). OED does not cite or date the figurative usage. See also lightweight, below. hit below the belt Boxing: To act unfairly or unscrupulously, in disregard of the rules. To hit an opponent below the belt is an illegal move in boxing. WNM dates this use to "1941–46"; Theidioms dates to 1891. hole in one Golf: To succeed in something on the first try, or accomplish something in a perfect way. home stretch or homestretch Horse racing: The final phase of an endeavour or project. On a racecourse, the home stretch is the final part of track on which the race finishes. OED dates racing usage to 1841, but does not date or cite a figurative usage; M-W defines a figurative use but does not date it. hospital pass Rugby: Passing the ball to a player who is already marked and sure to be tackled – implying being put into hospital by the severity of the inevitable tackle. hurler on the ditch Hurling: A non-participant who criticises from outside. Derives from a spectator (typically a man too old to play any more) criticising the players whilst observing from an earth bank (a ditch; most hurling clubs do not have stands so the crowd stands at the pitchside).
I in-fighting, infighting Boxing: Close-quarter fighting. Also, conflict between members of the same organization, often concealed from outsiders. Infighting in boxing is fighting in close quarters; when the fighters are extremely close, it may sometimes be difficult for spectators (or even the referee) to see each blow. OED dates the boxing usage to 1812, and the first non-boxing meaning to 1928, and the first non-physical meaning to 1960. OED does not refer to the second meaning, which is the one stated (but undated) by AHD and WordNet. J jump the gun track and field: to be rash; to begin something prematurely, too soon, or before one is supposed or allowed to.
K