The first day of the quarterfinals! Lots of action and a few questionable situations. Not bad overall for a day of football.
We're going to jump right in with our list of English selections today. We've picked grouping of expressions that mean the same things. All have been taken from games since the beginning of the Cup.
1) He is "giving chase". = He took off in "hot pursuit". - Both these phrases mean to chase someone. Chasing someone is running after them. A child that is running away from Mommy with her wallet, will soon be chased by Mommy. A criminal that is trying to get away from police will be chased. The phrase "hot pursuit" is commonly used to describe police chasing criminals. Urgency is definitely suggested when you use the phrase "hot pursuit".
2) The "door has been slammed shut". = They've "put the final nail in the coffin". - These both mean that whatever you are talking about is finished. In football, these expressions are used when there is no possibility that the losing team can recover. We use these expressions any time something is nearly over. When you are just waiting for the last moments of the meeting, movie or game to happen but you know the ending. When the boss comes into the meeting and tells everyone that there will be no bonuses this year, the door has been slammed shut in the face of the salespeople wanting to prove their positive effect on the company.
3) "a whisker away from" ="a hair's breadth away" - These both mean to be extremely close to something. In football, you could use either expression to describe an shot at goal that almost was a score or when a player has a yellow card already and has just committed another foul and he is now a "whisker away form" being red carded. You can use these expressions anywhere something is almost complete. Positively, in a business meeting, you could tell your client that their firm is "a hair's breadth away" from reaching their goal of one million customers served. You could use these expressions in a negative way like a warning to someone. For example: "You are a whisker away from being fired. You have to work harder."
Let's see who gets into the semifinals next. Enjoy tomorrow's games!
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