Vocabulary - week 29 | languagecaster.com

Here are some of the words and phrases that we used on this week’s show.
You can practise the vocabulary with our online crosswords and quizzes here
Also, check out the BBC’s football vocabulary page here

To focus on - to concentrate on, to look at in detail

We’re going to focus on the Champions League.

To bode well - to indicate something good will happen

Maybe Huracan’s win over Lanus bodes well for the league. It might be an exciting one this year.

From zero to hero - from failure to success, from bad to good

It’s a funny old game. Liverpool go from zeros to heroes in four days.

Virtuoso - highly skilled

Wayne Rooney, a virtuoso striker’s display as Manchester United demolished Arsenal.

To scrape a draw - just get a draw, barely achieve a draw

I think Bolton are going to scrape a draw against Athletico Madrid.

A great leveler - bringing something to an equal situation

Derby’s are usually great levelers.

To tip - to predict, to give advice, to choose

I remember tipping Juventus to win Serie A.

To falter - to lose form, to stumble, to weaken

Are Inter faltering?

To tight to call - to difficult to choose

Newcastle versus Manchester United is too tight to call.

on 26 Feb 2008 at 10:17 pm English

Great list, although, isn’t a virtuoso not just a highly skilled person, but someone who is exceptionally skilled? Almost like a prodigy?

on 26 Feb 2008 at 10:29 pm admin

Yes, you are right. The definition for virtuoso was a difficult one. We decided on ‘highly skilled’ rather than ‘an exceptionally skilled / talented person’ because in this case the word is used as an adjective, so we dropped ‘person’. Also ‘exceptionally’ is perhaps less familiar than ‘highly’. It’s always difficult to write the perfect definition.

Glad you liked the list and thanks for the comment!