U. S. Information Service

American English & Culture

Dear readers:

The past few weeks have been ones of mixed emotions for me. First of all, there was the excitement of the opening of the Olympic Games in Atlanta where thousands of athletes from around the world came together to compete for fun and glory. Then came the death and injuries from the horrible, senseless bombing at Centennial park which was so contrary to the Olympic spirit. Fortunately, the Games continued successfully and I’d like to dedicate this page to the language of sports and the international flavor of the competition with a crossword puzzle featuring the seven continents.

I would also like to say good-bye. After three years in Russia as the English Language Officer of the U.S. Information Service, I have had the pleasure of “meeting” many of you through my travels and through this page. You have so much to be proud of in your profession and I consider myself fortunate to have joined you in our pedagogical partnership. I’ll remember you always.

Sincerely yours,

Gregory John Orr

Talking Sports

A number of idioms heard in everyday conversation began as phrases used in sports. The definition given below show the meanings of these idioms in common parlance.

baseball

have two strikes against one: to be in a position where success is unlikely (in baseball, one is “out” after three strikes.)

She couldn’t win. She had two strikes against her before she started.

keep your eye on the ball: to remain alert to the events occurring around one (informal)

If you want to succeed in this business, you have to keep your eye on the ball.

go to bat for someone: to support or help someone;to stand up for or defend someone (informal)

He was being treated unfairly until his friends went to bat for him.

throw someone a curve: to confuse someone by doing something unexpected (in baseball, to pitch a curve to someone)

I had prepared a speech on the subject I thought they wanted, but they threw me a curve; they asked for a different topic.

out in left field: offbeat; unusual and eccentric (informal)

He has some pretty strange ideas. That one’s really out in left field.

touch base (with someone): to talk to someone; to confer with someone (slang)

I’ll touch base with John on this question and let you know what he thinks.

Swimming

swim against the tide/current: to do the opposite of everyone else; to go against the trend

She probably won’t go along long with the rest of us on this; she usually swims against the current.

make a splash: to receive widespread notice or publicity for a remarkable or successful action

He made quite a splash when he entered the business world.

go off the deep end: to become deeply involved (with someone or something) before one is ready; to follow one’s emotions into a situation (informal) (refers to going into a swimming pool at the deep end – rather than the shallow end – and finding oneself in deep water. Applies especially to falling in love.)

I hope he’ll think carefully about making that decision instead of just going off the deep end.

boxing

pull one’s punches: to hold back in one’s criticism (usually in the negative) (slang) (in boxing, to strike with light blows to enable the other boxer to win)

I didn’t pull any punches. I told him just what I thought of him

beat someone to the punch: to do something before someone else does it

I was going to write an article on that subject, but someone beat me to the punch.

hit someone below the belt: to do something unfair or unsporting to someone (informal) (in boxing, a blow below the belt is not permitted)

We shouldn’t spread that gossip about him; that would be hitting below the belt.

blow-by-blow account/description: a detailed description (of an event)

She gave us a blow-by-blow account of their argument.

billiards

behind the eight ball: in a highly disadvantageous or baffling position (informal)

I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this situation; I’m really behind the eight ball.

Tennis

the ball’s in your court: it’s your turn (or responsibility) to take action

I’ve done my part of this project. Now the ball’s in your court.

Words and their Stories:

“Go For It!”

The expression “Go for it!” is a way of urging someone to try something. “Go for it!” means you should not worry about failure, or be too careful. You should take a chance, be brave, and act firmly.

The expression comes from football. Not football as it is played in most countries, but the kind of football played in the United States and Canada.

American football is a difficult game to explain. but the basic idea is that each team tries to move the football across the goal line of the other team. A team must continue to move the ball steadily in the direction of the other team’s goal line, or surrender it to the other team. One of the rules is that a team must move the ball ahead at least ten yards – a little less than ten meters – in four attempts. It loses the ball to the other team if it fails to move that far.

One of the most exciting times in football comes when a team has failed, after three attempts, to move the ball forward ten yards. Then the team must make an important decision.

One choice is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed. If the team succeeds, it keeps the ball and continues to move forward. but if it fails, the other team gets the ball at that place on the field.

The second choice is to kick the ball. The teams surrenders the ball if it makes this choice. but a good kick can put the other team at the far end of the field, making it more difficult for that team to score.

What should the team do? The conservative choice is to kick the ball. Accept temporary defeat to gain good position for the next time your team gets the ball. The more exciting choice, however, is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed.

people watching a football game are certain to shout their advice. Some will shout: “kick the ball!” but others will urge the team to take a chance, to live dangerously. “Go for it!” they will scream. “Go for it!”

In the 1980″s, people began using this expression in many kinds of situations to urge someone to take a chance. for example, a student wants a date with the most beautiful girl in his classroom. but he is not sure she will accept. “Go for it,” his friends advise. “Ask her.”

A young woman wants to buy an exciting dress. but it costs almost a week’s pay. Should she buy it? “Go for it,” her friends tell her. “buy the dress.”

There is no guarantee that the action you “go for” will succeed.

but that is the chance you take when you put your fears behind you and accept the unknown. You hold your breath, and you “go for it.”

A Continental puzzle

Across Down

1. Coldest continent 1. Second word of two contents

9. Missouri (abbr.) 2. part of speech

10. brave; confident 3. Over: on top of: higher than

11 preposition 4. Heavy cords; twined or braided

12. Continent strands of fiber

13. Organ of hearing 5. An office worker who keeps

14. Registered nurse (abbr.) accounts and records;

15. Intensifier a salesperson in a store/shop

16. Eleven (Roman numeral) 6. Touchdown (abbr.)

17. Table for writing or 7. persuade by kindness, patience

studying or flattery

19. Sodium bicarbonate; 8. Second largest continent

carbonated water;soft 17. Negative prefix

drink 18. bubble up: reach the

21. Island continent temperature where a liquid

26. Without difficulty; with changes to gas

facility; in a smooth, 19. past tense of slide

free manner 20. 24-hour periods

27. 1st person pronoun 22. Employ; utilize

28. Dry; lacking moisture; 23. pull apart or to pieces; parched by heat damage by pulling sharply;

29. Thus, in the same manner drop of salty water coming

or way; to a great extent from the eye

or degree 24. Unusual; uncommon

31. Region; extent of space 25. Largest continent

or surface; scope 27. possessive pronoun

30. Correlative of either; function word used to

indicate an alternative

Letters

We invite you to send us your questions about American English and American culture. We will answer on this page when space permits. And if there are particular subjects you want us to discuss, please let us know. Our address is:

English Language Office/USIS

Embassy of the United States

Novinskiy boulevard, 19/23

121099 Moscow

Tel: (095) 956-4493

Fax: (095) 255-9766