Cliches are expressions or sayings that have become so overused that they have lost some of their original impact. In football, cliches are used quite a lot and they are often associated with the emotional aspect of the game. Sometimes the meaning is clear or extremely obvious, e.g. football is a game of two halves but more often than not the original meaning of a cliche is often difficult to understand. Why, for example, are parrots sick? How can a player give 110% when 100% surely is the maximum? And why does a victory send players and managers over the moon?
Many feel that the overuse of cliches demonstrates the fact that football players, managers, fans, commentators and pundits have a poor vocabulary and are lacking in imagination. However, cliches form part of the football discourse and though there is often no logical explanation to their meaning, they do provide some colour and humour for the football world.
If you hear any other cliches then let us know by posting a comment here. It will, to paraphrase the great manager, Brian Clough, only take a second.
- Football Cliche Quiz (Online version)
- FA Cup Cliche Quiz (Online version)
Latest Football Cliches
- Football Glossary: (to) Choke
- Football Glossary: Business End of the Season
- Football Glossary: Brought Down to Earth
- Football Glossary: (to) Bounce Back
- Weekly Football Phrase: Against the run of play
- Weekly Football Phrase: Cliche – Too good to go down
- Football Glossary: At the end of the day
- Football Glossary: At Sixes and Sevens
- Football Cliché: There are no easy games
- Football Cliché: A Game of Two Halves
- Euro 2012 Football Phrase: To chase shadows
- Not here to make up the numbers
- Euro 2012 Football Phrase: Group of Death
- Football Cliche: It’s The Hope that Kills You
- To Nutmeg
- Football Cliche: Their Name is on the Cup
- Football Cliche: Lose ground on
- Football Cliche: A great advert for the game
- Football Cliche: To Be Under the Microscope
- Football Cliche: A sweet strike
- Football Cliche: To pit against
- Football Expression: Shot to pieces
- Football Cliche: To wind someone up
- Football Cliche: Headless Chicken
- Football Cliche: The Table Doesn’t Lie
- Football Cliche: Spare their blushes
- English for football expression: To ride your luck
- Football Cliche: Have one foot in
- Football Cliche: To Gatecrash the top 4
- Languagecaster Football Phrase: To Cancel Out
- Football Phrase: To End in tears
- Football Cliche: Leave everything on the pitch
- Languagecaster Weekly Football Phrase: Be up for it
- Football Cliche: The Red Mist
- Languagecaster weekly football phrase: Pull the trigger
- Weekly English for Football Phrase: To hold the ball up
- Weekly English for Football Phrase: Off the ball incident
- Weekly English for Football Phrase: To draw a blank
- Weekly English for Football Phrase: To Hit on the Break
- Weekly Football Phrase: Top drawer
- Weekly Football Phrase: To be in acres of space
- Football Phrase: To dump out of
- Weekly Football Phrase: To be in the dark
- Weekly Football Phrase: A Wake Up Call
- Weekly Football Phrase: To slam
- Football Cliches: A manager speaks
- Can we really translate the language of football?
- Weekly Football Phrase: To lose the plot
- Weekly Football Phrase: to fear a backlash
- Weekly Football Phrase: Form is temporary, class is permanent
- Weekly Football Phrase: To Play to the Whistle
- Weekly Football Phrase: A sorry performance
- Weekly Football Phrase: To stick it in the net
- Weekly Football Phrase: To pull out of the bag
- Football Cliche: To be as sick as a parrot
- Football Cliche: To be over the moon
- World Cup Phrase of the Day – To Not Take Lightly
- 2010 World Cup Phrase of the Day: To Hold On
- 2010 World Cup Phrase of the Day: The Hand of God – Part II
- World Cup Phrase of the Day: Lack a creative spark
- 2010 World Cup Phrase of the Day: Out of their depth
- 2010 World Cup Phrase of the Day: Blow wide open
- English Football Phrase: To Thump A Team
- To give the ball away cheaply
- To run riot