Vocabulary – Week 36

Here are some more useful phrases from this week’s podcast. For more English practice try our online quizzes and crosswords, worksheets and English for football phrases.

• mate – a friend, pal, used especially in British and Australian English

How about In Tokyo mate? what’s it like?

• relegation – the act of dropping down a level or a division, from the verb to relegate

We’re going to be looking at the relegation battles in Spain and Italy.

• to stuff – in sport, to stuff means to beat another team by a large score / easily

It was good for Liverpool who stuffed Arsenal 4-2 in the Champions League.

• to remind – to cause you to remember, to put in your mind

Theo Walcott’s run reminded me of Michael Owen in 1998 against Argentina.

• to go for it – to really attack, to really try, to make a strong attempt at something

Gamba Osaka: great open style of play. They really go for it they won 4-3 at Melbourne Victory.

• humdinger – a really exciting game, full of excitement

Osaka scored the winner in the 90th minute in a real humdinger of a game.

• be well poised – be in a good position to (do)

Brazilian sides are well poised too (to progress in the Copa Libertadores).

• snivelling and whining – crying and complaining in a childish way

‘Come on Arsene Wenger! Stop your snivelling and whining. Take it like a man. You were beaten by the better team over two legs.’

• to butt in – to interrupt (rudely), to join a conversation without asking

Can I just butt in a minute here?

• to slag off – to criticise, to bad-mouth, to say bad things about

Jens Lehmman slagged off his main rival, the number one (goalkeeper at Arsenal) Almunia.

• a whiff of – a stink (bad smell) of, often used to indicate that there is something dishonest happening

At Birmingham FC there’s a whiff of fraud and dodgy dealings.

• to dock – to take away money or points as a punishment, to punish

It could end up with Birmingham being docked points.