Sports Idioms

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spare someone’s blushes

Meaning: to stop someone from feeling awkward or embarrassed.

Example: My teacher spoke up to spare the blushes of the new student. Read more ➺


rain check

Meaning: declining an offer that might be taken up later.

Example: He said he would take a rain check on visiting us today. Read more ➺


second wind

Meaning: another burst of energy when you had been too tired to finish

Example: Come on, let's have that shovel again. I'm getting a second wind now. Read more ➺


play cat and mouse

Meaning: to play with or tease someone

Example: The cops do not like playing cat and mouse games with the culprits before catching them. Read more ➺


pass the buck

Meaning: passing blame to another person

Example: That particular supervisor tends to pass the buck of all light duties to newly hired interns. Read more ➺


the ball is in your court

Meaning: The initiative for taking action lies with somebody.

Example: We did what we could, and now the ball is in your court. Read more ➺


on the ball

Meaning: alert to new trends, ideas, and methods

Example: The mother is glad to know that her son is always on the ball to learn new things in class. Read more ➺


set the bar

Meaning: fix the standards acceptable for the task

Example: Don't set the bar so high that it's impossible to achieve anything. Read more ➺


lower the bar

Meaning: to lower standards or expectations

Example: The revision bill aims to lower the bar on picking candidates. Read more ➺


raise the bar

Meaning: to be better than what went before

Example: Our family is so competitive. Now that my cousin has gone to university, everyone will expect me and my brother to raise the bar too. Read more ➺


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