Here are some of this weeka€™s words and phrases from languagecastera€™s week four podcast.
- a flying start – a great start, a succession of good results
Bayern Munich have got off to a flying start in the Bundesliga.
- off the mark – to start scoring, to get some points
All four of Liverpool’s strikers are off the mark.
- industrious – busy (in a positive way), diligent
Kuyt scored two after an industrious performance.
- to overshadow – be more prominent than, exceed, ruined (usually in the passive ‘overshadowed by’)
Last year, Serie A’s season was overshadowed by scandal.
- match fixing – where money is used to bribe players or officials to alter the result of a game
Teams were deducted points or demoted after a match-fixing scandal.
- to dock – to deduct, to reduce an amount (money or points)
Fiorentina were docked a huge 15 points.
- to hamper – to make something difficult to achieve, to impede
A lack of Championship League experience last season may hamper Juventus’ ambition.
- old stomping ground – a place that is very familiar to someone, a place where a person used to live or work for a long time
Roy Keane will go back to his old stomping grounds when Sunderland play Manchester United at Old Trafford.
- to kick start – to get going perhaps after a slow start, to invigorate
I think River Plate will kick start their season in this game against Racing Club.
- to grind out a result – to win in an ugly fashion, to play boring football and win
Chelsea continue to grind out results.
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