This short football language post talks about the verb ‘to pounce‘, which is often heard in relation to scoring. You can read the 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 admin@languagecaster.com.
Football Language: (to) Pounce
The verb ‘to pounce‘ describes the action of a cat attacking its prey – think a tiger jumping on a deer. The movement is quick and doesn’t allow the deer to react. In football, if a striker pounces on the ball, he or she reacts quickly to a loose ball in the area and shoots, usually scoring. The verb usually collocates with ‘on’, and also ‘error’ and ‘ball’ – so pounced on an error.
Here are some more examples.
- Example (BBC): Swansea were back on level terms when Bony pounced on Rangel’s delightful 33rd minute cross.
- Example (BBC): The hosts took a half-time lead when Samuel Eto’o pounced from close range.
- Example (BBC): Gouffran was at his sharpest when he pounced after Hooiveld’s error.
Glossary
A-BC-DE-FG-HI-K L-NO-QR-ST-VW-Z0-9The action ‘to pounce‘ is a trademark of a poacher. Check out our description of poacher and more phrases by coming along to languagecaster.com and accessing our football glossary.
