World Cup Phrase – Penalty shout
A penalty shout (or a shout for a penalty) is when one team claims they should have had a penalty but this claim is usually denied or turned down by the referee. The idea behind this expression is that a team ‘shouts’ for a penalty, i.e. they ask the referee to award them a spot kick. The noun phrase ‘penalty shout‘ sometimes collocates with the adjective ‘good’ or ‘decent’, for example, a decent penalty shout – which means that on another day another referee might have given the penalty.
- Example: France felt they had a decent penalty shout in their game against Germany but the referee turned down their appeals.
- Example: The team’s shout for a penalty was ignored by the officials.