Matchday #14 - World Cup 2010 - "From World Cup Heroes to World Cup Zeroes."

Groups E and F have been finalized. We say goodbye to Cameroon, Denmark, New Zealand and Italy.

Some of these are not a shock but one was. My viewing partner and I were on opposite sides again and let us just say that there was a "little tension" in the room during the game. After the game finished, he got up and walked from the room. This was not a happy man. Oh well, more room for Portugal to stretch its wings. At least we agree there.

The CBC commentator had two great quotes today:

"Slovakian football has never had it so good." and "From World Cup Heroes to World Cup Zeroes."

I have nothing to add.

1) Italian hearts were in mouths. - To "have your heart in your mouth" is the same as "being on the edge of your seat" or "being on tender hooks". This means that anxiety was at a high level. You can use any of these expressions whenever you want to express a feeling of high anxiety. For example: "I had my heart in my mouth until they announced that employees would get bonuses this year." or "My mother was on the edge of her seat for the entire awards show."

2) "running into brick walls" - In the case of this football game, the "brick walls" were the defensive players of Slovakia. The Italian players were having a difficult time getting through to the goal (until near the end of the game when things started to go better). In business you can "hit a brick wall" when you try to sell a product to someone who is not interested. You can "run into a brick wall" when you ask the boss for a raise and the answer is "No." not "We'll talk about it in a month." or "Let's look at your performance record." Essentially "running into" or "hitting" a "brick wall" is getting to an impassable object or person. You cannot find a way through, around or over this object and you cannot find a way to change the opinion of the person. You have no recourse but to keep trying or give up.

3) the challenge was "nowhere near" the ball - "Nowhere near" equates to "not even close to" or "far from". We use all these expressions whenever someone has made a poor choice or has missed opportunity due to choice or ability. If I tried to hit a mosquito that was sitting on your arm and missed because the mosquito flew away, you could say "Your hit was not even close." or "That was nowhere near the target." In business you could say: "Our company's offer to buy that building was nowhere near the final purchase price."

4) This is a rather "dodgy" Italian defense. - "Dodgy" is used like "suspect" or "doubtful". It is not a formal word but is common slang in Britain more than North America. You could say that the cafeteria food in the hospital looks "dodgy". You could also say that the new patio your father-in-law built looks "dodgy". You would not say that your boss's wife looks "dodgy" unless you were not very interested in keeping your job.

"Rather" is a common addition to English expressions and in this context it equates to "a little bit" or "somewhat". "My hair is rather long." does not mean that it is very long but it is a little bit long. It is definitely a word used casually but you could use it in a business setting. For example: "The quote for repairing the copy machine was rather high so I fixed it myself."

5) "calamitous" - "Calamitous" is "disastrous", "devastating" or "catastrophic". Definitely a strong word. Perhaps a little too strong for some people, but for the real fans of football, it is always a calamity when your team loses. Particularly so when the team that beats them is nowhere near the same ranking. Oh well, that's life. Unpredictable.

Tomorrow is our big day. We will get to watch Portugal play and we'll find out whom they will meet in the knockout round of 16. Good luck to everyone else, but my heart remains steadfast.

Matchday #10 - World Cup 2010 - CBC Announcers' words/phrases

(Oops. Forgot to publish this one yesterday.)

What a lovely day of football - for some. We really enjoyed a couple of the games anyway.

There are two of us who get up religiously at 5:15am so we can watch the games live. Often, we are on opposite sides of the game regarding who we support. Today, one of us (not me) was supporting Italy. Not that I expected New Zealand to beat Italy. I just wanted them to make a good showing. And they did! They had a fantastic first goal and Italy were on their back foot (not "in charge" of the situation). It was great for me. Not for Italy supporters though. And then the only Italian goal was on a penalty. Not that a penalty goal isn't a goal but we expected more from Italy. Everyone did.

Expectations in this Cup are not being realized quite yet. Just talk to the French team. Actually, I wouldn't suggest it as they are in a bit of a cranky (not happy) mood. Or so we hear.

Today's expressions are taken from World Cup announcers and reporters during and between games because we can't ignore some of the words used to describe France's very public problems.

1) "vociferous, eye-catching fans" - "Vociferous" describes someone who makes alot of noise with their voice. People who talk abundantly and/or loudly are considered "vociferous". Fans that yell and sing during a game are vociferous.

"Eye-catching" refers to anyone or anything that does something or has an appearance that makes you look at them. They "stand-out" from the crowd. They are someone you must notice or look at. For example, someone wearing a tuxedo at the local coffee shop would be "eye-catching" because they are wearing something unexpected and different from others in the area. It would be difficult to ignore or not notice this eye-catching person.

2) "a team out of its depth" - To be "out of your depth" is the same as saying "out of your league". This means that you are playing, working or attempting something that is beyond your current level or ability. If you are new at sales, then trying to secure a big contract on your own would mean you are "out of your depth". You won't necessarily fail but you are not expected to succeed.

In the dating world, it is common to tell someone (usually a friend) that the person they are dating is "out of their league". Perhaps your friend is OK-looking but he is currently dating a professional model. They may have many things in common but they don't look equally attractive. So you would tell your friend that the girl he is dating is "out of his league".

Now let us delve into some of the French problems of today.

3) a real "dust-up" - The French team players were quite public with their displeasure at the sending home of one of their teammates - Anelka. The argument that they had in public with the coach and trainer was a "dust-up". This expression is taken from fights that are common in baseball between umpires (referees) and players or team managers. Because the baseball diamond is only dirt (sand and soil depending on the diamond), the yelling during these arguments often ends with one person literally kicking dirt onto the shoes of the other person. This is why we can call an argument a "dust-up" or even refer to is as "kicking up dust".

4) "shambles" - This is how one commentator described the whole public French team problem. A "shambles" is equal to a "mess", "chaos" or a "disaster". You can use any of these when you want to explain to someone that the situation needs help. The most polite and business-friendly way to state this is to say the situation is "disorganized". There was no reason to be overly polite in describing the French situation so "absolute chaos", a "total disaster" or a "shambles" are more appropriate.

Just so you know this..."shambles" is always used in the plural format (with the "s"). If you say "shamble", you are actually using the word as a verb that means to shuffle or drag your feet when you move. Some elderly people and teenagers "shamble" when they are in the mall.