Sports metaphors everywhere.
Even the most athletically challenged among us, including this blogster, inevitably learn the meaning of many sports metaphors. Highschool sports or PT play their part, reading and everyday communication does the rest.
As an American, even if the only baseball you have ever held is one of the company shwag baseballs they give away by the box when your brilliant and essential start-up is acquired by an evil empire, you will use terms like home run correctly and without hesitation.
When you change countries, one of the many aspects of getting along with the new neighbors (the official Euro-English term is "integration") is that you may encounter a whole raft of new sports metaphors.
It feels a bit like someone moved the goal posts. There is no use crying foul, you have to learn the rules of the language game. It won't be a slam dunk, but eventually you will find yourself on the home stretch. Don't worry if you limp across the finish line.
In the process, the locals may get a few hours of great entertainment out of your usage of sports metaphors gone awry.
Enterprising linguists have written volumes about the subject, so rev up your favorite search engine if you feel like it.
We won't mind a yellow card for playing fast and loose in this posting or for picking up a ball in the offside.
Time for some Monday morning quarterbacking?
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