Learn English Through Football languagecaster.com

The learn English through football podcast explains the language of football: the words, phrases, and cliches used in the game.  This week, we look at the word ‘claw’, and how it is used in combination with other words. You can find a transcript of the show below, which is great for learners of English to practice listening and reading skills. Teachers of English can also use it to create activities, such as fill in the blanks, true/false, comprehension questions, sentence ordering activities, etc. You can also check out our massive glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. All  can access these resources for free.  Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

Learn English Through Football

DB: Hello there. Welcome to languagecaster.com’s football language podcast. My name’s Damon, and I’m based in Tokyo. Damian, the other half of the team and based in London, has recently posted a podcast on the Champions League semi-finals and describing close ties. Remember, all four quarter finals were close games, with teams either drawing the first leg or only having a one-goal lead. Check it out to learn how to use phrases like slender advantage, in the balance, and others.

On this podcast, I’ll be talking about the verb ‘to claw’. But first let’s hear a message from a French fan of the show.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in French)

DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and it’s time to kick off and discuss the verb ‘to claw‘.

Claw out

DB: Did you watch the FA Cup semi final between Chelsea and Manchester City? It was an interesting game, and Man City were perhaps lucky to win 1-0. I was reading a BBC match report and read this description of a key moment:

Jackson also shot low and tamely for Ortega to save in the second half, then saw a header clawed out by the keeper seconds later when the striker should have done better.

The Manchester City keeper made a good save to stop a header by Chelsea forward, Jackson. The keeper clawed out the header.

To claw something is to scratch something. Imagine a cat fighting another cat. It uses its paws and sharp nails to cut its opponent. If a human claws something, they use their fingers to grab something and pull, or dig. In football and used with out, to claw out, it means to use the fingers or hand to grab the ball and pull it away from the goal. It is almost in the goal but the goalie keeps it out.

Another Example

DB: Here is another example from a game in the Women’s Champions League between Chelsea and Madrid earlier in 2024:  She hit an audacious, dipping effort that was just clawed out from underneath the crossbar.

This time it is a shot not a header, but the idea of the ball nearly going across the line is the same. To claw out a shot or a header is to just stop the ball going across the line. You might also hear claw the ball away too.

Claw Back

DB: To claw is also used with back – to claw back – in football, to mean recover from a losing position or get one goal back. So, to claw back a goal, means your team was losing by more than one goal, so maybe 2-0 or 3-0,

In this football language podcast we look back at some of the language that described the four first-leg quarter finals of the Champions League which are all delicately poised as all eight sides feel they still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

 

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Delicately Poised – 2024 Champions League Quarter Finals

DF: Hello everyone. You’re listening to languagecaster.com’s football-language podcast – the show for everyone who wants to improve their English and who loves the beautiful game of football. My name is Damian and I am one half of the Languagecaster team – the other of course is Damon who is based in Tokyo, Japan. I’m in London where the weather is a little more spring-like – the sun is shining and the birds are singing – maybe they are excited as we approach the business end of the season!  

Now on today’s show we will be looking back at those wonderfully exciting last-eight first-leg matches in the [2024] Champions League in which all four matches are delicately poised. And this phrase means that none of the games are decided yet – all eight of the teams still think they can qualify for the semi-finals. The phrase ‘delicately poised‘ means that something is balanced but the smallest touch or movement might change this situation. So, for example, in football, none of these ties from the Champions League have been decided yet with all eight sides in with a chance of making the last four. It means that we cannot really predict the winners in any of the matches – or at least with any certainty! So, we will go through each of the four quarter-final first legs and choose a phrase that sums up the fact that they are all delicately poised – the ties are all delicately poised.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Spanish).

Vocabulary

So, here are some of the expressions that we are going to look at from each of the four quarter-final ties:



* Far from over

* Hanging in the balance

* Hold a slender lead/advantage

* Nothing to choose between the sides



PSG v Barcelona: Tie is far from over 

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Paris Saint Germain hosted Barcelona in their fir...

The learn English through football podcast explains the language of football: the words, phrases, and cliches used in the game.  This week, we look at the word ‘cameo’ There is a transcript of the show below, which can be used by learners of English to practice listening and reading skills. It can also be used by teachers of English to create activities, such as fill in the blanks, true/false, comprehension questions, sentence ordering activities, etc. You can also check out our massive glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. All  can access these resources for free.  Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

Learn English Through Football

DB: Hello and welcome to languagecaster.com’s Learn English Through Football podcast. These podcasts explain the words, phrases and cliches used in the beautiful game of football. My name’s Damon, and I’m based in Tokyo, while Damian, the other half of the team, is based in London. It’s a bit cold over here in Japan, which is a shame as it is about peak Cherry Blossom season. Tradionally a time for strolling under and sitting under the trees enjoying the spring.

At least there’s football to enjoy though. And I have been enjoying the race for the Championship in the Premier League, which has turned into a three-horse race between Liverpool, that’s my team, Arsenal, and Manchester City.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Arsenal fan)

DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and thanks for that message from an Arsenal fan.

OK, on today’s podcast, we’ll be talking about the word ‘cameo‘.

Cameo

DB: Right, the word cameo in football means a short appearance in the match, so not playing the whole match. Usually, it is used with substitutes who maybe come on to play late in the game. In addition to this, the player has an important impact on the game, they stand out from the other players.

Originally, a cameo was a small piece of jewellery, usually a small portrait. The picture of the face was highlighted in a different colour from the background, so it was easy to see, or, it stood out. Of course, if something stands out, it is different from what is around it; it is special in some way. So, this gives us the meaning in football: a cameo performance is when a player stands out and plays really well.

Words used together

DB: When cameo is used in football we use verbs like have, make, enjoy. So, a player can have a wonderful cameo, or make a cameo appearance, as well as enjoy a brilliant cameo.

As in these examples, adjectives are also used, especially late: a late cameo.

Examples

DB: Let’s look at some examples. First, this classic example: ‘Allan Saint-Maxim, threatened in a late cameo from the bench‘. So we have the player, Allan Saint-Maxim, threatening, so playing well and causing problems for the opposition. He makes a late cameo from the  bench. So, he comes on to the pitch late in the game and is used as a substitute.

Here is another: ‘An extended cameo from Roberto Firmino, who came off the bench to replace Divock Origi in the first half, was instrumental in Liverpool’s victory.” Here the player again comes off the bench, and plays an extended cameo, so a little longer than usual. Firmino has an important impact on the game,

In this football language podcast we look at the word ‘stand‘ and see how it is used in different ways in football. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

 

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Stand

DF: Hello again everyone and welcome to Languagecaster.com – the football-language podcast for learners and teachers of English. My name is Damian and I am in London where the sun is shining and the rain has finally stopped! What’s the weather like where you are? And I wonder what the weather is like for the other member of the Languagecaster team Damon who is in Tokyo, Japan?

Now on today’s show we will be looking at the word ‘stand‘ and how it can be used in football. We’ll be looking at the phrases ‘as it stands‘ and ‘the standings‘ both of which are used when describing the league table.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Spanish).

Standings

DF: Right, let’s take a look at the word ‘standings‘ which refers to the positions of teams in a league table. The standings show where each team is in the division; where they ‘stand‘ in the table. Another word that is used to describe this is ‘ranking’ though maybe this is not so common. So, the standings show us the position of each team in comparison to other teams – which teams are at the top and which ones are at the bottom. But they also give us information about how each team has reached this position or place in the division. For example, how many points they have, how many goals they have scored and how many goals they have conceded and even sometimes what each team’s form has been. We might hear commentators and pundits talk about the current standings which refers to where the teams are in the division at a certain time. 

As it stands

DF: Another phrase that we use to describe the positions of teams in the league is ‘as it stands‘ which refers to something more current or to describe what the standings look like at a particular moment – it is a little more fluid or flexible as the standings or positions are not finished yet. We sometimes hear this phrase during a game to suggest what the positions might be like if the game were to finish at that time. This phrase is often used on the final day of the season, for example, to describe the standings of the teams as different goals go in. [For example,] ‘As it stands, Tottenham and Manchester United will go into the Europa League but of course that could all change if either of them score in the last 20 minutes of the game’. The phrase can also refer to a moment in time during the league season – to describe the current positions in the league but also to suggest that this might change before the end of the season. 

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from Sweden).

DF: Yes, that message was in Swedish and remember that you can send us an audio in any language letting us know that you are listening to Languagecaster.com. 

Glossary

DF: Remember, that here at Languagecaster,  you can find out more about some of the words a...

This learn English through football podcast explains the language of football: the words, phrases, and cliches used in the game.  This week, we look at the word ‘byline’, and how is it different from goal line. There is a transcript of the show below, which can be used by learners of English to practice listening and reading skills. It can also be used by teachers of English to create activities, such as fill in the blanks, true/false, comprehension questions, sentence ordering activities, etc. You can also check out our massive glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. All  can access these resources for free.  Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

Learn English Through Football

DB: Hi there everyone. Welcome to languagecaster.com’s football language podcast. These podcast explain the words, phrases and cliches used in the beautiful game of football. My name’s Damon, and I’m based in Tokyo, while Damian, the other half of the team, is based in London. It’s international football at the moment and most domestic leagues are taking a break. I wonder if your watching any of the international matches where you are.

Over here, Japan took on North Korea, in an ASEAN World Cup qualifying second round match, beating them 1-0, and will play the return leg next week. Japan look favourites to qualify for the third round of qualifying, but nothing is taken for granted when playing their bitter rivals. Check out an excellent Guardian article for more on this rivalry.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Polish)

DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Polish.

OK, on today’s podcast, I’m going to be looking at the word ‘byline‘, which is something we have talked about before, way back in 2017. Recently, we received a comment about this word, and I thought it would be worth talking about it again.

Byline

DB: Ok, well let’s start with what we mean by the byline. The football pitch is marked with white lines to help players, the referee and spectators better follow the game. So, for example, we have the penalty area, the six-yard box, the centre circle and of course the touchlines. The shorter lines that run at either end of the pitch are known as the bylines.

Often, attacking teams will try to take the ball to the byline, as it opens up spaces and also makes it easier to deliver dangerous crosses into the box.

Goal Line

Now, we had a comment this week from Colin, questioning our definition of byline. This is what he said: ‘There is no byline. Check law 1. It’s a goal line.‘

Now, Colin is right in saying that the IFAB Rules of the Game dealing with the field of play, or the pitch, state that ‘The two longer boundary lines are touchlines. The two shorter lines are goal lines.‘ They don’t say byline.

But there is a difference between the official, and formal, way of talking about the game, and the way people who watch and play the game speak about it. Take for example Law 1 itself. This is about the Field of Play, but most people call the ‘field of play’ the pitch.

In the same way, the goal line is the official way of talking about the shorter line at the end of the pitch...

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase ‘turn around (the game)‘ which is used to describe comebacks in football. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

 

Learn English Through Football Podcast: (to) Turn around (the game)

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DF: Hello again everyone and welcome to Languagecaster.com – the football-language podcast for learners and teachers of English. My name is Damian and I am in London where Spring is starting to slowly appear. I wonder what the weather is like in Tokyo where, of course, the other member of the Languagecaster team, Damon, is living?  Now, first of all, I’d like to apologise for the lack of podcasts in recent weeks – both Damon and myself have been pretty busy at work but we will be publishing some more football-language podcasts over the next couple of weeks – we’ll try and catch up – especially as we now approach the business end of the season.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Spanish).

DF: Yes, that message was in Spanish and remember that you can send us an audio in any language letting us know that you are listening to Languagecaster.com.

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Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from a Besiktas fan).

DF: Now, on today’s show we will be looking back at three of the big games from the Premier League this weekend: Tottenham against Crystal Palace; West Ham versus Everton and the Manchester derby between City and United. Do you know what all these games have in common? Yes, they all finished 3-1 (Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester City all won). But all three matches had stoppage-time goals and in all three games the winning side had to come from behind to win. This means that although their opponents were winning at some stage in the game (s...