Each day during the 2014 World Cup the languagecaster team is explaining a key word or phrase for learners of English in our World Cup Language posts. Today, we focus on the phrase ‘to edge past or to edge out‘. Why not try our World Cup Word Quiz, too, to see how well you know your football language!World Cup Phrase – (to) Edge out/past
The verbal phrase ‘to edge out‘ is similar ‘to squeeze past’ in that one team has defeated another team by a small margin – but only just; it was a close affair. The word ‘edge‘ suggests something narrow and so we use this to describe a win that was not easy at all. To edge out is similar to edge past but when we use ‘out‘ it suggests that a team has not only been defeated but also been knocked out of a competition. In the 2014 World Cup second round game between hosts Brazil and dark horses Chile, the Brazilian side edged past Chile on penalties.
- Example: Brazil edged out Chile in their last sixteen match in Belo Horizonte.
- Example: The USA edged past Portugal in the group stages.
Dear all. Please help me understand what the phrases in bold mean.
Dwight McNeil’s sensational long-distance curler was the difference as Burnley edged away from the relegation dogfight and condemned Everton to yet another Goodison defeat
Hi Kontol,
When we use ‘the difference’ we often use between A and B, so the difference between Burnley and Everton was McNeil7s long-distance shot. The teams were equal except for the goal scored by McNeill. ‘To Edge’ away means to slowly go ahead or move away from someone chasing you. So the win meant Burnley moved a little further up the table away from the bottom.
Hope that helps,
Damon
The languagecaster team