Business and
sports have a close and strong relationship. Think of all those businesses that
sponsor football clubs, tennis events and so on. According to this article in the UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph: “Companies
in all fields are turning to sport to drive awareness of their own products –
with increasingly impressive results”.
If you look at the
qualities that sports and business share, you can see why the connection makes
sense.
Both business and sports:
·
require
certain skills
·
are
competitive
·
need
self- confidence
·
take
planning
·
use
strategies and tactics
·
take
concentration
·
teamwork
may be important
It’s no wonder
then that Business English is peppered with idiomatic expressions with a sports
flavour to them.
In the final post
in my series of theme-based business idioms, I explore the world of sports
through 10 idioms and the related sport or game.
#1: To keep your
cards close to your chest
Don’t reveal your
plans
“ I kept
my cards close to my chest during the negotiation.” (Card
games)
#2: Poker-faced
Expressionless (comes from the game of poker where
you must not let your face reveal whether you have a good or bad card)
“The clients
sat poker-faced all through my sales pitch. It was so
unnerving.”
#3: Knocked me for
six
Surprised and
upset me
“Jenny has just
announced that she’s leaving which has knocked me for six. I really
enjoyed working with her.” (Ball Games)
#4: Play the
trump card/ace
Use the advantage
especially when others do not know about it
“The CEO played
his trump card by promising a dividend payout at the shareholders’
meeting.”(Card Game)
#5: A whole new
ball game
A completely
different situation
“This is a
whole new ball game if we’re talking about expanding the business.” (Ball
Games)
#6: To play hard
ball
To be so
determined to get what you want that you will use unfair methods to get it.
“The people
here like to play hardball which can be very challenging.” (Ball
Games)
#7: Don’t pull any
punches
Speak in an honest and direct way without being tactful
“The CEO didn’t
pull any punches when he told the board that the company was in
trouble.” (Boxing)
#8. Below the belt
An unfair attack (in boxing, that is not allowed)
“There was no
need to mention my personal problems to the press. That was below the
belt.” (Boxing)
#9: Throw in the
towel
Giving up and
admitting defeat
“I think we
need to accept things as they are and throw in the towel before
we lose any more money.” (Boxing)
#10: Hold all the
cards
To be in a
powerful position
“ Management found that the trade union held all the cards during
the pay talks. (Card Games)