Winter or Summer?

Winter or Summer?

Nope, I'm not asking you which season you prefer, but which type of sport you prefer. Seeing as the Winter Olympics are being held this week, I thought it was a fine time to talk about one of my favorite things in the world...snowboarding!

I'm kidding, you're not here to read about my favorite things, but I am going to give you some great sports related idioms that you can use both when talking about your favorite athletes, or even in everyday conversation topics.

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Let's talk about winning

To have the upper hand: to have an advantage

Cold weather countries tend to have the upper hand in the Winter Olympics.

To be in the lead: to be in front, to be winning

So far, Sweden is in the lead with 4 gold medals.

To land or to nail [something]: to accomplish something with outstanding results

Zoi nailed her final run in the Women's Snowboard Slopestyle!

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Winning is great, but losing builds character...

To be on the ropes: to be doing very badly

The Jamaican bobsled team was on the ropes during the whole race.

To throw in the towel: to give up

His fall on his first ski run made him want to throw in the towel.

To sink or swim: to fail or succeed

After 2 bad runs, she knew her last run was or sink or swim.

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Surprise surprise...

To throw a curveball: a surprising or unexpected event

Jamie was expected to win, but New Zealand's Zoi threw her a curveball with her last run!

To come out of left field: to come or appear out of nowhere

Norway was in the lead for the whole race, but Canada came out of left field and won!

To be the underdog: the person/team least expected to win

Athletes from warmer countries are often considered the underdog in their category during the Winter Olympics.

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So there you have it, short and sweet because I want you to have time to actually watch these much awaited games! And even if you hate sports, keep in mind that all of these idioms are completely acceptable when talking about just about anything!