Here are some words and phrases you can hear on this weeka€™s languagecastera€™s Good, Bad and Ugly section of the podcast. For more English practice check out our worksheets, football glossary and English for football phrases.
- Fierce rivals: Strong enemies, when a really negative feeling exists between clubs
Example: Fierce rivals Liverpool were held at lowly Stoke City on Saturday evening …
- To be held: To not be able to beat a lower-ranked team, to draw a game
Example: Liverpool were held at lowly Stoke City last weekend.
- Thrashing: To beat another team heavily
Example: Manchester United gave Chelsea a thrashing last weekend.
- Woeful: Awful, really bad
Example: Chelsea were woeful in their 0-3 defeat at Man Utd last weekend.
- Lacklustre display: Really poor performance from the team, no fight at al
Example: Tottenham gave a lacklustre display against Wigan last week.
- To slip into the bottom three: To move into the relegation zone
Example: Tottenham slipped into the bottom three after their defeat to Wigan.
- To point the finger at: To blame, to accuse
Example: Felipe Scolari pointed the finger at some of his payers after the defeat at Old Trafford last week.
- Capitulation: Complete disintegration, to fall apart, to be beaten easily
Example: Chelsea’s capitulation really angered fans and manager alike.
- Foul language: Bad language, swearing
Example: Wayne Rooney was yet again accused of using foul language at the referee last weekend.
- Steely determination: Showing great resolve, stubbornness
Example: West Ham are showing steely determination by not wanting to sell their best players.
- To go into receivership: To become bankrupt, to go out of business.
Example: West ham may go into receivership if the club does not find a buyer by March.
- Harsh: Extremely unfair, strict
Example: It seems harsh that West Ham are in trouble when top clubs owe a lot more.
