sports keyword

The la,nguage of sports is used a lot in the media non-sporting context. For example, individuals or organisations with a strong influence on events, influential individuals or countries in negotiations, or important companies in a market are …

Key players

If some participants in a competitive situations feel that other have an unfair advantage, they complain about the lack of a …

Level playing field

If the objective for something changes, people expected to reach that objective complain about … or the fact that other people are moving the goal posts.

Moving goalposts

If you make an unforced mistake that gives an advantage to your opponent, you score an …

Own goal

Someone trying to gain advantage by doing something unacceptable, knowing it to be unacceptable, commits a …

Professional foul

An individual or organisation disciplined for unacceptable behaviour is … or ….

Shown the red card/ruled offside

A competitive situation may be discribed as a …

Race

The … are things that participants risk winning or losing as a result of competitive activities such as political negotiations.

Stakes

If participants …., they do something that increases the value of what may be won or lost.

Raise the stakes

The … are the probabilitty that someone or something will succeed.

Odds

The … is the person expected to succeed.

Favourite

An … is a participant with little chance of succeeding.

Outsider

A … in an election, for example to elect a party leader, is one who does not want or expect to win, but who wants to test the popularity of the main candidate or candidates.

Stalking horse candidate

In competitive situations, … is the person or organisation winning or leading before the final result is still decided.

Front runner

Two people or organisations with about the same chances of winning or with about the same amount of support are said to be … or to be ….

Neck and neck/running neck and neck

People or organisations losing in a competitive situation are …

Trailing behind

Those in the weakest position …

Bring up the rear

If it looks as if there will be no clear winner, or if the is no clear winner in the final outcome, commentators talk about a …

Dead heat

Someone's history, especially if it's a history of achievement is their …

Track record

If someone overcomes obstacles, these obstacles may be reffered to as …

Hurdles

A competitive or other activity that takes a long time and is tiring is often described as a ….

Marathon

A whole new … is a totally new situation where ideas peviously held no longer apply.

Ball game

A … or estimate is a rough estimate

Ballpark figure

If you play … in a business or political situation, you act or negotiate in an agressive way, and if you play softball, you don't.

Hardball

If something comes …, it happens suddenly and unexpectedly.

Out of left field

If you hit …. you have spectacular successes.

Homers

If you hit … and …, you work in an unspectacular but methodical way towards your goal.

Singles/doubles

… is usually used in the context of crime in the US to mean that criminals who commit three serious crimes should stay in prison for life.

Three strikes and you're out

If something … or … to something or someone, it affects them for the worse.

Deals/delivers a bodyflow

Someone or something … is in a bad situation.

On the ropes

If something or someone suffers a .. or a …., or if they are …, they are in a very bad situation from which they cannot recover.

Knockout (blow)/out for the count

If you use a … in order to achieve your goal, you use subtle means whose purpose may not be immediately clear to others, and which often involve taking a risk.

Gambit

Where there are no clear winner or losers in a competitive situation, or no apparent solution to a conflict, there is (a) ….

Stalemate

The final stages in a competitive situation or a conflict are the …, especially when the final outcome is not clear.

Endgame