Learn English Through Football Podcast

We look back at some of the phrases that emerged from the 2020 Women's Olympic Final between Canada and Sweden, including 'sudden-death'

The language of football transfers in 4 easy steps: In this post we take a look at the language of football transfers. There is also a short vocabulary list at the foot of this post.

In this podcast we look at the phrase 'end a drought' which came from the 2021 Copa America final match between Brazil and Argentina

We look at the phrases 'soft penalty' and 'fall behind' from the 2020 European Championship semi-final match between England and Denmark.

This football language podcast looks back at the first semi final of Euro 2020 between Spain and Italy. We focus on the midfield battle with the phrase 'pull the strings'. You can read a 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 [email protected]. (DB=Damon) Pull the Strings - Football Language: Euro 2020 - 1st Semi Final DB: You're listening to languagecaster.com's football language Euro 2020 podcast. Hello there everyone, my name's Damon, one half of the languagecaster team and today I'll be talking about some football language connected with the first semi final of Euro 2020. What a fantastic game, first of all! congratulations to Italy, who go through after penalties - full-time ended 1-1 and extra time was a stalemate. And commiserations to Spain, who were probably the best team on the night, but experienced the heartbreak of losing a penalty shoot out. Spain certainly played brilliantly, as did Italy, and I want to kick off with the phrase 'pull the strings'. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Italian). Pull the Strings DB: Yes you are listening to languagecaster and our football language podcast and that message was in Italian. http://gty.im/1327330411 OK, to pull the strings: this means to control something. The strings are the strings of a puppet, a doll that moves according to how you pull its strings. This phrase is most often used to describe midfield players, as it is they who are usually in control of the ball. For Spain, a deep lying midfielder, like Busquest, or perhaps someone further forward, like Pedri, could pull the strings. And they did. They dominated the ball and controlled the flow of the game - mostly. Spain had over 65% possession. This is how the Washington Post described Spain's dominance: "With Barcelona phenomenon Pedri pulling the strings, the Spaniards knocked the ball around with ease, occasionally unlocking the Italy defense through smooth passing patterns." Another phrase similar to pull the strings is to run the game, and here is the Guardian on Pedri: "the brilliant 18-year-old midfielder who ran the game and completed 98% of his passes." http://gty.im/1326673170 Knock the Ball Around DB: But let's return to that Washington Post quote with PedriA pulling the strings, knocking the ball around with ease. To knock the ball around, is to pass the ball several times between players and in a relaxed way. If you knock the ball around, you are in control and the opposition cannot get close to you. It gives a nuance of calm and skill. Spain definitely showed both those qualities - calmness and skillfulness. Another phrase, which is similar is to ping the ball around, to ping it around. This perhaps adds another layer of meaning, speed. To ping something is to hit it hard, like a bell being hit, or a ball being passed firmly from one player to another. Held Their Nerve DB: But even though Spain ran the game and their midfield pulled the strings, it was Italy who won. And this is where we would use the cliche 'they held their nerve' or 'nerves' in the penalty shootout. If you hold your nerve, you are calm in a stressful and tense situation. You are cool and rely on your skill. I think every single player was as nervous or as calm as the other, but often the winning team in a penalty shootout is praised for holding their nerve. And that is the headline that uefa.com chose for this game: "Italy 1-1 Spain (pens: 4-2): Azzurri hold nerve to reach EURO final." So well done again Italy. Who will they meet in the final? England or Denmark? Let's just hope it is another cracking game. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in English). Good Bye DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com and that was in - English for a change! Right, that brings us to the end of this short football language podcast. We looked at describing a dominant midfield display with pull the strings, run the game, knock the ball around, ping the ball around, and finally discussed the cliche for penalties - held their nerve. Drop us a line anytime at [email protected]. Remember, you can read the transcript for the show by coming along to our website at languagecaster.com. Enjoy all the football.A Ta-ra!

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'tally' from the UEFA.com report on the quarter-final between Ukraine and England.

Roof of the net - This football language podcast looks back at the first day of the quarter final action at Euro 2020 and a penalty shootout

We look at the phrases 'talisman' and 'steer' from the BBC report on the 2020 European Championship last-16 match between England and Germany.

Goalfest - This football language podcast looks back at the third day of the last 16 action and Spain vs Croatia and France vs Switzerland.

In this football language podcast we look at the phrases 'let fly' and 'dipping' from the 2020 Euros match between Belgium and Portugal...

Stalemate - This football language podcast looks back at the first day of the last 16 and the match between Italy and Austria.

In this football language podcast we look back at the Euro 2020 group stages and focus on the some of the best and worst of the tournament...

Full stretch - This football language podcast looks back at Day 13 of Euro 2020 and football phrases connected with goalkeeping.

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'outside of the boot' after Croatian captain Luka Modric's goal against Scotland. You can read a 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 [email protected]. https://media.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/content.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/LearningEnglishThroughFootballPodcast_Euro2020Day12_OutsideoftheBoot.mp3 Learning English Through Football Podcast Euro 2020: Day 12 - Outside of the boot DF: Hello everyone, this is Damian from the Learning English Through Football team - I hope you are all doing well. Apologies for the slight delay in this post but I am looking back at some of the language from day 12 of the 2020 Euros - remember we are posting a football expression from the tournament every day - and today I am looking at a phrase that was used to describe Croatian captain Luka Modric's goal. Outside of the boot. http://gty.im/1233600529 Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Spanish). ...with the Real Madrid midfielder using the outside of his boot to bend a shot into Marshalla€™s top right-hand corner from 20 yards. (Guardian.co.uk June 22 2021) This is how the Guardian newspaper reported on Croatia's second goal against Scotland. So, Croatian captain Luka Modric scored his side's second goal in their 3-1 win over Scotland with a wonderful strike from outside the penalty area. Modric hit the ball first time with the outside of his boot which then curled into the top-right corner of the goal (top bins maybe?) making it almost impossible for the keeper to save it. Modric is well known for using the outside of the boot or outside of the foot when passing or shooting and it demonstrates the complete control that the Croatian star has over the ball. Normally players use the instep or the inside of the foot when passing or shooting as it tends to give them more control but using the outside of the foot can give some advantages. For example, the direction of the ball moves slightly differently so defenders, or in this case keepers, may not be ready for a pass or shot. Of course there are some disadvantages when using this technique of striking the ball as the player does not always have control over the ball as they are much more used to playing it with the side or the instep of the foot which can then result in a misplaced pass. Players may also prefer to use their stronger foot - the one they feel most comfortable with when passing or shooting - and so use the outside of their foot to do this, which means sometimes they are predictable - we know which foot they are going to use. So, when using the outside of the boot for a shot the player has to be extremely confident to take it on. Former Portuguese international Quaresma was famous for his 'trivela' a shot in which he used the outside of his boot to bend the ball into the goal - he did so in the 2018 World Cup game against Iran - the goalkeeper had no chance as the ball curled into the top corner; something which Modric did yesterday in the game against Scotland. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Dutch). Good Bye DF: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com - that message was in Dutch. Don't forget that there's a transcript to this podcast and lots of vocab support which you can access by coming along to our site. OK, that's it for this short podcast - again, apologies for the delay. We hope you enjoyed our look at the phrase 'outside of the boot' from the 2020 Euros and we'll be back with more tomorrow. Don't forget you can also come and play in our predictions competition, vote in our Euro 2020 poll and find lots of football language on our site here at languagecaster.com. Enjoy all the football and we'll see you again soon. Bye bye.

This football language podcast looks back at Day 11 of the 2020 European Championships. We talk abut some football phrases describing Finland after their defeat to Belgium. You can read a 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 [email protected]. (DB=Damon) In the Balance - Football Language: Euro 2021 - Day 11 DB: You're listening to languagecaster.com's football language Euro 2020 podcast. Hello there everyone. My name is Damon, one half of the languagecaster team. How are things with you? We hope you are well and enjoying the feast of football at the Euro 2020 tournament. As regular listeners know, we are doing a podcast everyday from the Euros, talking about some of the football language used to describe the matches and competition. On this show, I'm going to talk about Finland, who are in third place in Group B after losing to Belgium.A I'll be focusing on their hopes of going through to the last 16. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Danish). In the Balance DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Danish. After day 11, the qualification for the last 16 is becoming clearer. There are 24 teams competing, so 8 will have to go home after the group stages. That means all first and second place teams go through, along with four third place teams. After losing to Belgium 2-0, Finland now find themselves in third place in their group on 3 points and -2 goal difference: they have scored one but conceded three. Their hopes of securing a last 16 spot are in the balance. In the balance means undecided, not in a strong position. http://gty.im/1324767791 This is how the BBC described it: "Belgium secured wins in all three group games at a European Championship for the first time with a battling victory that left Finland's hopes of qualifying for the last 16 in the balance." Notice the verb 'leave' is used with 'hopes' - so the lossA leaves the team's hopes in the balance. Slim & Hang By a Thread DB: In fact, Finlands hopes of progressing are very slim. You can use slim to describe a small chance, so a slim chance, or a slim hope. We can also say their hopes hang by a thread. This is when you want to say a team really needs a miracle to go through. In fact, this is how Denmark's position was described before day 11. This is from totalfootballanalysis.com: "Denmark were desperately unlucky to lose this match, and their hopes of qualification now hang by a thread, while Belgium have qualified for the round of 16." Well, Denmark had a stunning 4-1 win over Russia and have qualified for the last 16, leaving Finland's hopes hanging by a thread or in the balance. Can the Finns progress? Well, it is out of their hands now; out of their hands means not in their control; they have to wait for other results. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Welsh). Good Bye DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com and that message was in Welsh. Right, time to wrap up this short podcast. We talked about ways to describe situations where the chance of progressing in a competition is small. A team's hopes are left in the balance, or hang by a thread. We can also say the chance of progressing is slim. And finally, if a team has no control over their fate, the chance of progressing is out of their hands. That's it for this short podcast. Remember, you can also come along and play in our predictions competition, vote in our Euro 2020 poll and find lots of football language on our site here at languagecaster.com. Enjoy all the football.A Ta-ra!

Send a team home: We look at the phrase 'send a team home' which has been used at the 2020 European Championships to describe when a...

This football language podcast looks back at Day 9 of the 2020 European Championships. We explain some phrases connected with talking about the woodwork. To do this, we focus on the Portugal versus Germany game. You can read a 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 [email protected]. (DB=Damon) Frame of the Goal - Football Language: Euro 2020 - Day 9 DB: You're listening to languagecaster.com's football language Euro 2020 podcast. Hi there everyone. My name is Damon, one half of the languagecaster team? How are things with you? On this show, I'm going to talk about how to talk about the woodwork in football, and I'll be focusing on the match between Portugal and Germany in Group F. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Swedish). Woodwork DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Swedish. So, day nine and the match between Portugal and Germany. What a game! I hope you had a chance to watch it. Six goals and a game full of incidents. There were a brace of, or two, own goals by Portugal in the space of five minutes, a goal chalked off, which means disallowed, stunning counter attacks, and exciting play in the box, especially by Germany. But I want to talk about the near misses, the shots that nearly found the net. We had two examples of the ball hitting the woodwork in the match, so leta€™s take a look at those incidents and the football language to describe them. First, in the 78th minute, with Portugal trailing Germany by two goals at 2-4, Renato Sanches smashed a shot which hit the woodwork. This is how the Guardian minute-by-minute described it. "They play it short. Sanches, the substitute, thunders a fantastic shot from distance which crashes back off the frame of the goal." The Frame of the Goal DB: In this description the writer uses a€˜the frame of the goala€™ instead of woodwork. Woodwork and theA frame areA general terms that describe the whole goal - the two vertical posts and the horizontal bar. These three pieces make the woodwork, the frame of the goal. When describing the ball hitting the woodwork we can use the verb a€˜to hita€™ - to hit the frame, to hit the woodwork. In the example from the Guardian we have a€˜to crasha€™. You could say the shot crashed against the woodwork, or crashed back off the post for example. Smash could be used instead of crash with the same meaning - a hard shot against the woodwork. http://gty.im/1324428912 So, Sanches' shot crashed back off the frame of the goal. It actually hit the post, the vertical piece of the goal, so if we want to make the description clear, we could say the shot crashed back off the post. One more option would be a€˜the uprighta€™.A OK, leta€™s look at the second example, which was an attempt by Goretzka from outside the box. A shot that just touched the woodwork as it flew over the goal. Here, again, is the Guardian minute-by-minute. "Goretzka bears down on the Portuguese goal on the counterattack, and cracks a right-footed shot from a central position which flies just over, kissing the crossbar as it flashes by." Kiss the Woodwork DB: Goretzka's shot is different to Sanches' as it only just touched the woodwork. The writer uses the verb 'to kiss' to describe this light touch. As in the example with Sanches' shot, we can describe the incident with more detail by replacing woodwork with crossbar orA bar - the horizontal part of the goal. So, the shot kissed the bar as it flashed by. Alternatives to kiss, would be to graze or to shave. Both of these verbs describe delicate contact. Indeed in the live commentary of the game, the commentator said the shot shaved the crossbar. Of course when we talk about the ball hitting the woodwork, we use many different prepositions, such as against, on, off, over, past and so on. Maybe that is a good topic for another podcast on the language of football! Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Polish). Good Bye DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com and that message was in Polish. Right, today we talked about ways to describe the different parts of the goal - the woodwork, the frame, the upright, the post, the crossbar. We also looked at verbs to describe the shots that hit the woodwork - hit, smash, crash, kiss, graze, shave. That's it for this short podcast. Remember, you can also come along and play in our predictions competition, vote in our Euro 2020 poll and find lots of football language on our site here at languagecaster.com. Enjoy all the football.A Ta-ra!

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'sweet volley' from the England-Scotland game from Group B in the 2020 European Championships.

Hit their stride - This football language podcast looks back at Day 7 of the 2020 European Championships. We discuss phrases from the action.

Telegraphed Pass & Ballooned Over: We look back at two pieces of language from the Wales-Turkey Group A game on...

Face of goal: This football language podcast looks back at Day 5 of the 2020 European Championships. We discuss some phrases...

Patrik Schick's Goal: We look back at how the Czech Republic's Patrik Schick's goal was described in the press here in the UK...

We look back at some of the language from the Guardian news report on the Spain versus Sweden game on Euro 2020 Day 4

Pull one back - In this football language podcast we look back at the third day of the 2020 European Championships.

We look back at day 2 of the 2020 European Championships and explain 'pounce on a mistake' from the BBC report on the Belgium win over Russia

During Euro 2020, we will be posting each day with a focus on football language from the matches. For Day 1 - Turkey vs Italy, we have three phrases.

Euro 2020 Preview: We look at some of the favourites for the title, as well as the dark horses and outsiders, the group of death and ...

Welcome to the 2020 Euros Predictions Competition. Play against Damon, Damian and lots of football-language fans around the world...

We look at some of the words and phrases used to describe Chelsea's win over Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final...

In this football language podcast we look at a phrase linked to the 2021 Champions League Final game - a player's name-shaped hole.

2021 Europa League Final: We look at some of the language from the 2021 Europa League Final between Manchester United and Villareal.

2021 Premier League Winners Through Numbers: We look at some of the numbers behind Manchester City's 2021 Premier League title win.

In this football language podcast we look at some of the language from the 2021 Women's Champions League Final between Chelsea and Barcelona.

In this short football language podcast we look at some of the phrases that emerged from the 2021 FA Cup Final, including...

For this week's football language podcast we look at the adjective 'leggy', which is often used to describe a player's fitness or performance.

5 Great Wembley FA Cup Finals: On this week's main listening report we preview the FA Cup final by taking a look back at five of the most memorable finals to have taken place at Wembley Stadium.

Dent their title hopes: This is used when a team loses a game which then affects their chances of winning the league...

In this short football language podcast we take a look at a football language cliche - 'They're like a new signing' with transcript.

In this short football language podcast we look at some football words and phrases from the 2021 Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.

In this week's football language podcast we look at words and phrases that describe a team suffering from a bad run of results: poor form.A

Euro 2020 in Numbers: In this football language podcast we start a series of posts on the Euro 2020 competition, which kick off this June.

Football Language: To blow a lead - Much like the phrase 'to blow a chance' which means to miss an easy chance, to blow a lead is to lose...

In today's football language podcast we look at some of the words and phrases that emerged from the 2022 World Cup qualifier between England Poland, in particular we explain the phrases

In this short football language post we explain some words and phrases connected to the verb 'to rotate' - a word used when...

In this football language post we look at some of the words and phrases to describe the 2022 World Cup qualification process by looking at how teams from each region will qualify for the finals in Qatar.

In this week's football language podcast, we look at a phrase that is often heard in European knock-out games: to put the tie beyond another team

For this week's short football language podcast, we look at the verb 'to take on'. Also, check out our football glossary and football cliches

In this week's football language podcast, we look at some of the key words and phrases from the 2020 Club World Cup that recently took place in Qatar.

In this week's short football language podcast, we take a look at the verb 'to feed', along with some other football language.A Check out our football glossaryA andA football cliches pages for hundreds more explanations of the language of soccer.A If you have any questions, suggestions or comments then please email us at: [email protected] (DB=Damon) Listening Report: (to) Feed DB: Youa€™re listening to languagecaster.com. Hello everyone. Welcome to languagecaster and another short podcast on the language of football or soccer, depending on where you are in the world. A My name's Damon, I'm based in Tokyo, and, as you may know if you are a regular listener, I'm one of the languagecaster team, the other being Damian in London. We both hope you are all keeping away from the corona virus wherever you are and are enjoying the football. So, on today's show, I'm going to take a look at the verb to feed and how it can be used when talking about football. Stinger: You're listening to languagecaster.com (in Korean) To Feed Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com, and that message was in Korean. Send us your message - you are listening to languagecaster.com in your language and we'll add it to one of our shows. OK, let's get started. 'ToA feed' means to give food to. You can hear the resemblance between the verb 'feed' and the noun 'food', can't you. So, you might feed your family, or feed your pet dog. Picture in your mind yourself putting food on a plate or in a bowl and then handing it to someone. We can also use 'feed' to describe putting something in something - for example, you can feed wire or string through a hole, or you could feed data into a computer. You can even feed someone lies, tell them lies. But what about football? Well, I've already says that if you feed someone, it can mean you pass them food. In football if you feed a player, you pass them the ball, you supply them with the ball, so that they can then use it somehow - maybe run with it, shoot, or pass it on. Remember I talked about feeding some wire or string through a hole or a pipe - maybe an electrician is feeding an electric wire through a wall. Now, imagine a player feeding the ball between two opposing players so that his or her teammate can latch on to the pass, can collect the pass. Examples This week, I've been watching the Champions League, so let's imagine we have a player like Mbappe and his teammate Florenzi. We might say that Florenzi fed Mbappe, meaning he passed the ball to the striker. Other structures could be, Florenzi fed the ball through to Mbappe, or Florenzi fed the ball across the area. This last example is a little different as it is not feeding one player but giving an opportunity to anyone. Stinger: You're listening to languagecaster.com (Arsenal) Right, let's look at some real examples from football reports. First, the structure feed a player: (Bernardo Silva) patiently and inventively fed Raheem Sterling at the back post to extend the lead by a further goal.A (Liverpool Echo, Feb. 2021) And here is the structure, feed the ball to someone or somewhere. Peter Clarke fed the ball across the face of goal after Stanley failed to clear a corner and Ellis had the easy task of tapping into an empty net at the far post. (BBC, March 2020) And finally, the idea of passing through a gap: He fed a creative through ball to Haaland out on the left, though it looked to have strayed too wide. (Talksport, Jan 2021 Other Phrases DB: Right, so we know how to use 'feed' to talk about football, and we can obviously use other phrases. The first would be the easiest, pass to a player, pass the ball to a player. We could also use 'play in', 'play someone in', which means to pass the ball, or feed a player, so they have a shot on goal. Here's an example of play in from ESPN: The ball was immediately transferred right up the other end and Neymar played Messi in, but Hart did well to force him wide and close down the chance.A So Neymar fed Messi, played him in, for a shot, but the shot was prevented by the goalkeeper, Hart. Good bye OK, we've talked about the verb 'to feed' and how we can use it in football to mean pass or cross the ball, or give someone a chance, and we've also seen we can use 'play someone in' to mean the same thing, give someone a chance by passing them the ball in a dangerous area. And that brings us to the end of this short podcast., If you like what we do, tell your friends or support us via patreon.com/languagecaster. You can follow us on Twitter and most social media platforms, and you can get in touch us via [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Stay safe, enjoy the football, and we'll be back soon with some more football language to talk about. Ta-ra. Check out our glossary of footballing phrases here a

In this week's short football language podcast, we take a look at the verb 'to gift', along with some other football language.A Check out our football glossaryA andA football cliches pages for hundreds more explanations of the language of soccer.A If you have any questions, suggestions or comments then please email us at: [email protected]. Listening Report: (to) Gift DB: Youa€™re listening to languagecaster.com. Hi there everyone. Glad you could join us for another short football language podcast. My name's Damon, I'm based in Tokyo, and I'm one of the languagecaster team, the other being Damian in London. We both hope you are all well wherever you are and are enjoying the football. On this show, I'm going to take a look at the verb to gift and how you might use it, or hear it, when talking about football. Stinger: You're listening to languagecaster.com (in French) To Gift Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com, and that wonderful message was in French. OK, let's get started with our phrase for today and how to use it. Let's start with the word 'gift' as a noun. A gift is a present. You give people presents, or gifts, on special occasions like birthdays or weddings. Mostly, you hear 'gift' as a noun, but today, we're interested in its use as a verb. Notice I used the word 'give' with gift or present just now - give someone a gift, but you can also 'gift' someone something. But it would be unusual to hear someone say 'she gifted a gift' or 'he gifted his friend a present'. But in football you will hear this verb when a player makes a mistake and 'gives' or 'gifts' the opponent a goal, the ball, or a chance. Now, long term listeners will know I am a Liverpool fan and this weekend they played Manchester City. They lost 4-1 at home - ouch! But in the game, their goalkeeper made some big mistakes which led to Manchester City scoring twice - A . Here's how bt.com described it - Liverpoola€™s Premier League title defence appears to have ended at the feet of Alisson Becker as two awful errors by the goalkeeper gifted Manchester City a 4-1 victory at Anfield. And another report, this time from the athletic.com - Ilkay Gundogan missed a penalty for City in the first half but made amends by opening the scoring shortly after the break. Mohamed Salah then converted a penalty to equalise, before Alissona€™s errors gifted City a two-goal lead through Gundogan and Raheem Sterling. So the goalkeeper, Alisson's mistakes, gave, or gifted, Manchester City the victory, or a two-goal lead in A these examples. You can say gift the win, gift a victory, gift a lead, gift a goal, and so on. But remember, when we are talking about the game it will be in the past tense, gifted, they gifted the opposition the victory, they gifted the lead etc. Stinger: You're listening to languagecaster.com (Bayern Munich fan) (to) Put on a Plate DB: Another phrase, which is also about giving a chance to score to another player is the verb phrase, to put it on a plate. If you put something on a plate you serve some food to somebody In football it means you pass the ball to your teammate, giving the player a clear, easy chance to score. (to) Hand on a Plate But we've been talking about a goalkeeper making a mistake and gifting a goal. We can change this phrase a little to mean the same thing. If you say to hand on a plate, the meaning changes slightly to mean you have given the opponent a chance to score or to win the game. So in the example of Alisson, we would say he handed Manchester City two goals on a plate. We could also say, he handed the match to Manchester City. Put on a plate is to give your team a great chance by making a great pass, while hand on a plate is to give something away, so give your opponent a chance to score or win. Here's an example of this usage from the Daily Mirror: a€œThe trouble withA TottenhamA on this occasion was that they handed the points toA ChelseaA on a plate and Chelseaa€™s men took them.a€ (The Mirror, August 2017). And another from February 2020 in a headline in uknewschant.com: "David Luiz and Bernd Leno handed Wolves this win on a plate as their pricey red cards crushed Arsenala€™s possibilities on a horrible night for Mikel Arteta." Good bye OK, two football phrases that talk about giving another team a chance:A to gift and to hand on a plate. Thanks for listening. Stay safe, enjoy the football, and we'll be back soon with some more football language to talk about. Ta-ra. Check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and if you have any suggestions, contact us at [email protected] Contact Us