Today’s football phrase is ‘whip’.
- Find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below.
- You can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here.
(to) Whip
During a match, when we say that a player whips in the ball we mean that he or she has crossed the ball with power from one of the wings. If a player whips in a cross it means that the ball has been hit – possibly first-time – towards the goal with pace and possibly some curve as well. This kind of cross can be very effective indeed as the defence is often not expecting it or are not prepared to defend against it. (to) Whip
- Example: The winger whipped in a first-time cross that caught out the defence.
Thanks, Damian, for the explanation. I really get it now.
In the sentence “whip in a cross”, what does “in” mean here? I sometimes see commentators say “send in a ball”, “swing in a ball”, etc. So what does “in” actually mean?
Hi Sandara,
Thanks for the question. The particle ‘in’ here sugests that the ball will be played into the penalty area, the box or a dangerous attacking area. The idea is that if a ball is swung in it suggests that the ball will arrive into the box.
I hope that helps
Damian