The Field Guide to Sports Metaphors: A Compendium of Competitive Words and Idioms

by Josh Chetwynd

A gift-worthy playbook of common and unexpected words and idioms that have their roots in sports and games. 

There are many metaphors we can quickly identify from the realm of covering all the bases (baseball), game plan (football), and par for the course (golf). But the English language is also peppered with the not-so-obvious influence of sports and games, such as go-to guy (basketball) and dead ringer (horse racing). Filled with pithy entries on each idiom, plus quotes showing how big talkers from President Obama to rapper Ice-T use them, this quirky little handbook from former minor league ballplayer and award-winning journalist Josh Chetwynd is sure to be a conversation starter at tailgates, cocktail parties, and in the boardroom.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Baseball

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

A longtime journalist, I've worked as a staff writer for USA Today, The Hollywood Reporter and U.S. News & World Report. My byline has also shown up in such varied publications as The Wall Street Journal, The Times (of London), Variety, MLB.com, The Harvard Negotiation Law Review and the Chicago Tribune.

To date, I've written seven books.Notably, How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun was released by Lyons Press, which tells the tales of accidental discoveries and unexpected inspirations in the food world, charted on the New York Times best seller list in 2015. Another of my books The Secret History of Balls, was named a "Best Book of 2011" by NPR.

Other titles have ranged in topics from how show business changed the English language to the origins of all things nice to the history of European baseball.

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A gift-worthy playbook of common and unexpected words and idioms that have their roots in sports and games.”
This is the manner in which Ten Speed Press promotes Chetwynd’s book and I don’t disagree at all. This book has been handy on my desk for most of the year.

It’s a “labor of love” type book. By which I mean that it wants to cover everything and be comprehensive on each word or phrase. This might suit you or it might overwhelm your interest. For example the discussion of the phrase, “pinch hit,” goes on for three pages!

It devotes separate sections to metaphors specific to a certain sport, whether that be baseball, billiards, golf, wrestling, horse racing, track and field, etc. There is a section devoted to more ubiquitous metaphors such as: “benched,” “bowled over,” “game face,” and “head start.”

Every time I flip through the book, I am amazed about how pervasively we use sports metaphors in our daily conversations.

A frequent and delightful dive for me, I know several friends/family who would appreciate it as a gift.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sports metaphors have become an integral part of everyday language. Everything from “making the big leagues” to “lucky break” (from billiards) is covered in this short, entertaining book by Josh Chetwynd. Just about everything you wanted to know – or didn’t realize you wanted to know – is covered in just about every sport imaginable.

From American football to baseball to horse racing, nearly every phrase or metaphor that is used in communications by many people is covered. The origins of the phrase, whether it truly came from that sport or was merely a legend that has been passed down through generations, are also explained by Chetwynd.

These are all written in a manner that is easy to read and comprehend and will entertain the reader at the same time. Sports fans will enjoy reading about how phrases from their favorite games worked their way into the mainstream lexicon, but even those who do not follow sports would also enjoy reading about these common phrases and their unusual paths into our everyday language.

I wish to thank Ten Speed Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone interested in language and all its twists and turns will have a great time reading through this discussion of where different sports metaphors originated. Because of the connection to athletics, it will also appeal to sports fans. Chetwynd has researched sayings from all types of activities, both team endeavors and individual events. He has traced back to the earliest recorded appearances of each idiom and explained what country and sport it can be attributed to. He also tells what writers or medium first popularized it and when it became a part of common parlance.

Everything from baseball to wrestling is listed, with the phrases attributed to each sport listed in alphabetical order. If there is some question or disagreement, then the possibilities are laid out and the merits of each one are explained. Those that cannot be satisfactorily narrowed down to a single starting point are gathered in a final section at the end labeled "Free Agents: Unattached Sports Idioms and Words."

Something that I especially enjoyed was the author's sense of humor and the way he throws in references to popular culture. Speaking of a baseball player named "Candy" Cummings, he says that "he had a name that was more Willy Wonka than ace pitcher." Discussing the fact that wrestling rings are square, he quips, "You don't have to be a J.R.R. Tolkien expert to know that a ring is supposed to be circular." But my favorite reference has got to be during his explanation about how rounding the bases in a baseball game has come to mean scoring in a romantic sense. He says, "rounding the metaphorical bases reached iconic standing when Meatloaf used it in his 1977 rock anthem "Paradise by the Dashboard Light.""

The phrases that are included in the book range from Monday morning quarterback to wild-goose chase. Some things that you might think logically came from one sport, you learn actually came from something completely different. And some phrases come from the most unexpected places. Not just the humor, or the cool references, but the surprises will keep you turning the pages just so you can see what else there is to discover.

This would make a great gift or be handy to have around as a conversation starter.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

[Susan Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I chose this book. The title was compelling and, being a sports enthusiast, I knew I’d find it interesting. This handy, convenient-sized book didn’t disappoint me.

The author includes common and not so common sports-related metaphors. Most Americans love their sports. Most Americans love their quirky, descriptive sayings. Put the two together and you get some very clever phrases. Some I had already heard of, some I hadn’t.

The author includes metaphors from every imaginable sport, to include:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Football
• Hockey
• Soccer
• Auto Racing
• Billiards (Pool)
• Bowling
• Boxing
• Golf
• Horse Racing
• Tennis
• Track & Field
• Wrestling

Not only has the author included a comprehensive list of sports metaphors, he’s given readers the backstory to each one. I appreciated the extensive amount of research that must have gone into this book. For instance, although football is probably my favorite sport of all, I didn’t know that the term Hail Mary Pass had come from a statement made in 1975 by then Cowboys Quarterback Roger Staubach after a game. Everyone uses this phrase now and it tickled me to know how it had come about. And who hasn’t heard the metaphor “Soccer Mom”. Everyone, since it’s used so much nowadays! But how many of us know it didn’t really gain momentum until politicians began using it in their campaigns?

I could see this book being used as a way to pass the time during road trips, at tailgate parties or other get togethers. And you really don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy it. It’s a wonderful reference book to have on hand!

http://ebookreviewgal.com received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content and physical form of this book seem decades old, but it was published in 2016. It's the literary equivalent of two Office scenes combined: Jim's fake garden party etiquette book designed to mess with Dwight, and his lame attempt to bond with Charles Miner over soccer. This reads like a survival guide for the sports-illiterate office worker surrounded by jock colleagues who use way too many athletic idioms. Somewhat related, I hear people saying they're going to "take a stab" at something at work way too frequently. Maybe they should "spin up a directional strawman to anchor discussion" for a new phrase.

The majority of these are super obvious, but some were actually pretty cool. How else would I have ever learned that Manute Bol accidentally coined the phrase "my bad" because his broken English forgot "my fault"? That's a fun fact if I ever heard one.

[Patrick Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about how sports metaphors have entered daily life and visa versa. I found the metaphors from the less popular sports to be more interesting. A source of some good pieces of trivia. Probably best read in small doses.

[Bryan Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like sports, and I like language, and I like weird trivia I have no one to share with, so this was an easy read for me. A sport-by-sport tour through everyday idioms and expressions that have gradually become part of our language. So many of them are so common as to have become completely divorced from the sport that originally helped to coin them, but most interesting were the occasional sidebars of "unexpected idioms", things like bias, fluke, and free-for-all, which you would have no idea actually do have their origins in the language of sports.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Blogging For Books/10 Speed Press in exchange for an honest review.]

No one can accuse the publisher of this book of false modesty. On the back cover to the book, the reader is asked a multiple choice question: “This book is a: a. Home run, b: Slam dunk, c: Game changer, or d: all of the above.” The reader will be gratified to know that all of these expressions are discussed in the short book of about 200 pages that appears to be particularly geared towards an audience made up of people who enjoy idiomatic phrases and who also enjoy sports and sports history. As an added bonus, the author includes terms that seem like sports terms even though their history does not indicate that origin. The book is full of entertaining stories, clever citations, witty (and occasionally profane) uses of terms that started in sports, like “to score” or “rounding the bases” or “peeing like a racehorse” but quickly found alternate applications far outside the world of sports. The author also seems to indicate that Shakespeare was an unacknowledged sports fan from his many contributions of sporting language in his plays, which makes this worth a worthwhile look from a literary perspective as well.

In terms of its contents the book is straightforwardly written. After a short introduction that discusses the importance of sports to the development of the English language, the book contains fourteen chapters divided between team sports (baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer) and individual sports (auto racing, billiard pool, bowling, boxing, golf, horse racing, tennis, track and field, and wrestling), followed by some “free agent” words and expressions that are clearly sports terms but are not attached to any one sport for certain, as well as some endnotes and suggestions for further reading for those who love to discuss word origins [1]. Not only does the author include a term with history and contemporary use and development, but also includes some words and expressions that have yet to catch on that the author wishes to encourage the reader to use, in the hope that some of them will in fact become more common in the future. At other times the author expresses puzzlement that a seemingly obvious term took so long to catch on, as is the case with slow out of the blocks, a term that was definitely slow out of the blocks, as a manner of speaking.

With an entertaining style and a worthy historical approach, this is a book that combines the sheer nerdiness of studying the origins of words along with a great deal of wit and humor in referencing the speech of such diverse people as Denver soccer mom city council candidates, rapper Ice-T, and hat-deuling enthusiast Conan O’Brien, among many others. Reading this book will help the reader prevent an own-goal in using sporting language incorrectly, will fulfill anyone’s trivia requirement, and makes for a read that is both informative and entertaining. Despite the fact that few people (aside from me [2]) would be enthusiastic readers of the book as a compendium, those readers who are willing to take a chance on this book will find themselves both wiser and in better spirits, for the mental image of reading about the flag-passing relay racers who only later passed batons is alone worthy of the price of admission, as is the understanding that boxers used to throw in the sponge, which is not nearly as entertaining as throwing in the towel, nor as entertaining as reading this well-written guide to the enduring influence of sports on the development of the English language.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

[2] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

[Kyrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Mr. Chetwynd has given us an interesting look at a selection of expressions and where they came from, I found this book to be somewhat disappointing.

For starters, unless you have a decent familiarity with a variety of sports, much of what is referenced simply does not make sense. Mr. Chetwynd uses a lot of sporty jargon, seemingly assuming anyone who picks up his book is an avid and knowledgeable sports fan. If someone unfamiliar with sports, but interested in words and where they come from, reads this book, many times throughout it they will be struggling to follow what he's communicating. Add to that the fact that the author seems to have a fascination with using distracting puns, annoying satire, pointed sarcasm, and lots of metaphors in general, it makes for difficult reading.

Secondly, in many of the entries, there seemed to be a focus on how the word or phrase came to be used in the world of sports, instead of how the expression began to be used outside that context. Several times, there was not even a definition of how the expression in question is even used outside of sports, just a statement that it is. By reading the descriptions of this book, one is led to believe that the opposite is what they will be experiencing.

Also, Mr. Chetwynd persistently used the notation "BCE" when referencing relevant sports facts from ancient times, when "B.C." is correct.

Lastly, while the small font size possibly enabled the book to be contained in a compact, almost pocket-sized little volume, I am afraid the tiny print was another drawback for me.

The best thing about this book was it's design. The cover's navy, rich green, and bright white color scheme was refreshing and eye-pleasing, and the vintage artwork agreed with the "Field Guide..." title.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books for my honest review.

[Eileen Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprising little book, in that the phrases and sayings that litter the English language today can be traced back to sporting terms.
Next time you hear or use the word "stymie" as an example, remember it is a golfing term when one ball obstructs another on the green.
It's used in everyday language meaning to be thwarted or held up.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Ten Speed Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.