FINALLY!!! We got to watch a game that flowed the way we expected. Portugal "creamed" People's Republic of Korea (North Korea to most of us). What else can you say but 7 - 0? We have not been quiet about the fact that we are Portugal fans. What will happen with the Brazil vs. Portugal game? We can't wait.
Today we gathered a bunch of phrases that announcers and commentators have used through the first 11 matchdays to explain difficult situations that some teams have found themselves in.
1)"turn the screw" - This expression is used when one team (or person) applies pressure on their opponent. If one team has the ball and is working a play with strong passes toward the goal, they are "turning the screw" on the defense of the other team. This can be used in a business negotiation to describe forcing someone to make a decision before they are ready. You might say you are "turning the screw" on the marketing manager to get the job finished this week.
The origin of this expression is very unpleasant. It refers to a device that was used to torture and therefore control people many years ago. A device was fitted over the thumb or some other body part and then a screw was turned so that a plate or spike would slowly be forced against and perhaps through that thumb or body part.
2) "torn to shreds" - non-literal use: When anything, including the defense of a football team, is forced to into chaos and/or change plans it can be considered to be "torn to shreds". It essentially means that whatever the original plan or design was, it now cannot be followed because some other person or team forced a dramatic change. For example: "My plan to throw a surprise party for my niece was torn to shreds when my mother called her to ask what she would like as a present."
literal use: When something is physically broken or ripped into pieces it can be considered "torn to shreds". For example: "I left my book on the table when I left the room, but when I returned ten minutes later there were pieces of it all over the room. It was torn to shreds. I discovered that my sister's new puppy was to blame."
3) a bit of a "mishmash" - The word "mishmash" can be negative or neutral and is a synonym for "mess", "disorganization", "jumble" or mixture. In the case of one of two teams' offensive strategy, this would be a negative term. For example: "The team is not working together and nobody seems to know where the ball is. It is a real mishmash out there."
To use the term neutrally you could say that "at the end of the day, the sales counter at the mall had so many things mixed together I couldn't find what I was looking for. It was a mishmash of products".
4) nil - Nil is zero. Portugal beat PRK 7 to nil. Sad but true. You only use nil in a competition situation. You would never say you have nil cash in your wallet or that there is nil milk in the fridge.
5) "by the skin of their teeth" - This expression means "by a very narrow margin". You (or they in this case) did succeed in what you were trying to achieve but only by the smallest possible amount. This expression is common and can be used in all kinds of circumstances. Some teams have avoided a red card only by the skin of their teeth. Your son may have passed an exam by the skin of his teeth. Your firm could have won a lawsuit by the skin of their teeth.
6) They got "creamed". - To be "creamed" in a competition, like this FIFA World Cup, is to be beaten badly. Creamed corn is corn niblets that have been crushed to make a wet, loose mixture that is not easily recognizable as corn. So to have been "creamed" by another team in a competition is to have been completely and thoroughly beaten. Your team would have been absolutely defeated.
Sorry if number 6 happened to your team. I hope it doesn't happen to mine. But who knows? This World Cup is definitely full of surprises.
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