Sports idioms

Sports idioms refers to theparlance (i.e.idioms orterminology) originating in varioussports.

Archery[]

Point blank[]

Baseball[]

(In the) ballpark[]

(TNG: "The Perfect Mate")

(LD: "I, Excretus")

Batting a thousand[]

To bebatting a thousand was to get ahit every time one batted the ball.Metaphorically, it meant to be continuallysuccessful or correct at whatever one tried. (ENT: "Oasis", "Shockwave")

Cover all the bases[]

Tocover all the bases was to have aplayer standing on or at eachbase, ready to catch the ball. Metaphorically, it meant to have every aspect of asituation in control.

In2366,Jean-Luc Picard commendedWilliam T. Riker for his readiness upon detection of theBorg inFederation space, saying he'd covered all the bases. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")

Eye on the ball[]

To have or keep one'seye on the ball was to literally watch the incoming baseball being pitched to you. Metaphorically, it meant to remain focused on any main objective.

In2374,Benjamin Sisko justified his growing disinterest in the minuteethics of his actions by saying he had to keep hiseye on the ball – "Win thewar, stop thebloodshed.". (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight")

In2375, he remindedRom to keep his eye on the ball while training for abaseball game against thecrew of theUSST'Kumbra. (DS9: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite")

Go to bat for someone[]

Grand slam[]

To hit agrand slam was to hit ahome run with the bases loaded. (DS9: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite") Metaphorically, it could refer to any bigachievement.

In1953, while talking with baseball playerWillie Hawkins,Benny Russelldescribed having one of hisSisko stories published at a pay rate of threecents a word as him having hit a grand slam. (DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars")

In 2375, while preparing for a baseball game against thecrew of theUSST'Kumbra,Ezri Dax quizzedMiles O'Brien on what a grand slam was. He replied that it was "a home run hit when the bases are crowded", and she corrected him, saying it was "loaded", not "crowded". (DS9: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite")

At the Federation'sDivision of Advanced Synthetic Research, creating sentient synthetics that appear Human inside and out was considered the grand slam. However, it was also considered far out of reach. (PIC: "Remembrance")

Play ball[]

Meant to cooperate with someone.

(TOS: "A Piece of the Action")

(DS9: "Little Green Men")

Miss your one chance at bat[]

Tomiss your one chance at bat was to miss out on one's onlyopportunity to do something memorable. It was howPaul Stubbs described missing out on achance to attempt hisexperiment toWesley Crusher in2366 (TNG: "Evolution")

Out of one's league[]

To beout of one's league was to be beyond one's understanding or ability to handle or deserve.

In2154, Trip Tucker admired T'Pol's skill at "crunching numbers", but noted she was a little out of her league when it came to appliedengineering duties. (ENT: "The Aenar")

In2365,Q told Picard that he was out of his league compared to the threat of theBorg. (TNG: "Q Who")

Also that year, Picard described hiscadet self as "an undisciplined, loud-mouthed, opinionated young man who was way out of his league" when it came to theNausicaans he had picked a fight with. (TNG: "Samaritan Snare")

In2366, Geordi toldWesley Crusher thatSuzanne Dumont was out of his league. (TNG: "Sarek")

In2367, Geordi described theequationsReginald Barclay wrote on ablackboard as being out of both of their leagues. (TNG: "The Nth Degree")

Scorcher[]

Ascorcher was an extremely fast hit.

In a1957 game,Dix hit a scorcher down the right field line. (ENT: "Carbon Creek")

Squeaker[]

Asqueaker was a hit baseball that narrowly missed from being stopped in play.

In2369, whileconversing in theoperations center, a recreation ofBuck Bokai talked about his days inbaseball, saying "But I remember. I remember all the games, all theopening days. Thehome run that won the '42World Series. The squeaker that went underEddie Newsom'sglove. The day I brokeDiMaggio's consecutive streak." (DS9: "If Wishes Were Horses")

Strike three / Strike out[]

Strike three referred to one's third unsuccessful attempt to hit a baseball. (DS9: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite") It could also refer to an individual's last unsuccessful attempt at doing anything, and was otherwisereferred to asstriking out.

In1953, afterWillie Hawkins attempted to charmCassie, she rejected his advances, promptingBenny Russell to comment to thebaseball player, "Strike three, you're out." (DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars")

Swing for the fences[]

Toswing for the fences was to hit abaseball hard enough to hit ahome run. The phrase was used to describe someone who gave an objective their all.

In2374, when trying to deterCaptainCharlie Reynolds of theUSSCentaur from attacking anattack ship commandeered by members ofDeep Space 9'screw,Benjamin Sisko, familiar with Reynolds, noted that the other captain liked to "swing for the fences" and recommended the tight maneuverattack pattern omega. (DS9: "A Time to Stand")

Boxing[]

Blow-by-blow[]

Theblow-by-blow was adetailed description of anevent that described each step of it.

In2375, after theseries 5 long-range tactical armor unit expressed itsdesire to know whatB'Elanna Torres was doing to it, she commented that she couldn'tconcentrate on her work and give a blow-by-blow description of what she was doing at the same time. She then askedHarry Kim to do so.(VOY: "Warhead")

In2376, responding to a call fromChakotay, Torres asked him whether he was calling to give a blow-by-blow description of thetsunkatse match he was at. (VOY: "Tsunkatse")

Glass jaw[]

Aglass jaw was a term used inboxing to describe someone's inability to take a blow to thejaw without losingconsciousness.

In2369, after socking aHunter in the jaw and knocking him out,Miles O'Brien remarked that he had a glass jaw. (DS9: "Captive Pursuit")

In (someone's) corner[]

• TNG: "Lonely Among Us", "Deja Q";VOY: "The Fight"

Ringside seats[]

To haveringside seats to something was to have the bestpossible vantage point from which to witness it, such as front row or next to the ring.

In2374,Julian Bashir opined that the best part aboutDamar andWeyoun 5 visitingDeep Space 9 was that he and the othergeniuses from theInstitute would have ringside seats to thepeace talks happening there. (DS9: "Statistical Probabilities")

Saved by the bell[]

To besaved by the bell was to be rescued from a knockout by the ringing of thebell thatsignaled the end of a round. It could also referred to being rescued from an uncomfortable situation by another's summons orappearance.

In2369,William T. Riker was interrupted in the latest of many attempts to master thesolo section of "Night Bird" byData's summons to thebridge of theUSSEnterprise-D, prompting him to remark that he had just been saved by the bell. (TNG: "Second Chances")

In2376, after hisinquiry intoTuvok's age was met with resistance on theVulcan's part,Tom Paris was interrupted by hiscommunicator chirping, after which he commented, "Saved by the bell." (VOY: "Alice")

Toe-to-toe[]

• TNG: "Samaritan Snare"

Fishing[]

Fishing expedition[]

Fishing for something[]

Football[]

An end run[]

• TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds"

End zone[]

• See:End zone

Run interference[]

Torun interference was to make room for another individual to do something by occupying theattention of anopponent.

In2369, Sisko suggested using aRigelian freighter to run interference betweenOdo andAh-Kel's raider. (DS9: "Vortex")

Tackle[]

• See:Tackle

Triple threat[]

Atriple threat was someone who was equally and highly skilled at three different disciplines.

In2381,Winger Bingston, Jr. used the term to describe himself (namely, his skills beingacting,singing, anddancing) andPandronians, who could split theirbodies into three segments. (LD: "I, Excretus")

Golf[]

Par for the course[]

Stemming from theexpected score for agolf course,par for the course meant a typicalresult.

In2285, afterCarol Marcussarcastically thanked her sonDavid Marcus for not respecting her, he replied that it was par for the course. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

Horse racing[]

By a nose[]

To winby a nose was to win with little difference between the first and second finishers. The phrase referred to onehorse's literalnose crossing the finish line before that of another.

In2377, theDelta Flyer won a short race between itself andIrina's ship by a nose. (VOY: "Drive")

Champing at the bit[]

One who waschamping at thebit was eager to do something.

Dead heat[]

• VOY: "Extreme Risk"

Inside track[]

Tohave the inside track meant to be the one most likely to be chosen for a position.

In2365,Lwaxana Troi claimed thatJean-Luc Picard had the inside track among her candidates for a potentialhusband. (TNG: "Manhunt")

Jumping the gun[]

Meant proceeding before one ought to.

Jonathan Archer feltPhlox was jumping the gun when he expressed his desire to beeuthanized rather than become aBorg. (ENT: "Regeneration")

Geordi La Forge accused his fatherEdward M. La Forge and others who were mourning the crew of theUSSHera of jumping the gun, as nothing of the ship had been found to suggest it was annihilated. (TNG: "Interface")

Seeing Nog wearing aStarfleet uniform when he had just decided to attendStarfleet Academy,Benjamin Sisko opined that theFerengi was jumping the gun. (DS9: "Facets")

Tom Paris believedNeelix might be jumping the gun when theTalaxian explained that he was learning aboutAmerican cuisine so he'd have "marketablejob skills" whenUSSVoyager returned toEarth. (VOY: "Message in a Bottle")

After learning that Neelix dreamed he had been assimilated,Chakotay assured the Talaxian, "Yoursubconscious was jumping the gun, but not by much." (VOY: "Collective")

Neck and neck[]

• DS9: "Explorers"

Never get out of the starting gate[]

• DS9: "Tears of the Prophets"

Under the wire[]

To come inunder the wire was to finish just in time.

In2269,DoctorLeonard McCoy believed that theUSSEnterpriselanding party had time to gather and process moreryetalyn after their initial samples contained an unacceptable amount ofirillium, saying they probably had time to get in under the wire before the outbreak ofRigelian fever aboard theEnterprise grew toepidemic proportions. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")

Vet something[]

To scrutinize something for accuracy or legitimacy, as aveterinarian would examine a horse for soundness.

(DIS: "Lethe")

(DIS: "Species Ten-C")

Tennis[]

The ball's in your court[]

To havethe ball in your court was to have it be one's turn to reciprocate after the otherparty had made their move.

In2152,Jonathan Archer remindedSoval that theAndorians were willing to talk with theVulcans and therefore the ball was in their court.T'Pol further explained that theHuman expression meant they would have to move next. (ENT: "Cease Fire")

Track and field[]

Jump the gun[]

Tojump the gun was to start too early.

When Nog donned a Starfleet uniform in anticipation of joining Starfleet, Sisko said, "I'm afraid you jumped the gun putting on that uniform." (DS9: "Facets")

Multiple sports[]

Dropped the ball[]

Todrop the ball was to make amistake that was out ofcharacter.

In2370, Sisko apologized to areplicant ofMiles O'Brien for re-assigningDeCurtis without O'Brien's knowledge, saying he guessed he had dropped the ball. (DS9: "Whispers")

Even the score[]

• See:Even the score

Get one's wind back[]

Toget one's wind back was to catch one's breath, or to rest briefly after physical exertion.

In2370, Miles O'Brien said he was "out of shape" and needed to "get [his] wind back" after aracquetball match with Julian Bashir. (DS9: "Rivals")

Have the ball[]

Tohave the ball was to have control of the situation.

Kirk told McCoy that the latter had the ball, and it was up to him to possibly recommend a better place than the mental facility. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind")

Home field advantage[]

To havehome field advantage was to have a greater chance of success due to one'slocation or situation being territory that was familiar or one's own home, rather than that of their adversary.

In1996,Henry Starling believed himself to have home field advantage over the crew ofUSSVoyager, as they were visiting hiscentury, the20th century, rather than theirs, the24th century.VOY: "Future's End"

Out of bounds[]

To beout of bounds was to be located somewhere outside thearea of play, and therefore not usable. It could also refer to someone who had said or done something they ought not to have done, either by overreacting to a situation or acting/speaking withauthority they did not have.

• DS9: "Captive Pursuit"
• DIS: "All In"

Second wind[]

Finding a second wind meant regaining one'senergy anew while engaging in acertain activity.

During a 2153 engine test aboardEnterprise, field fluctuations dropped to zero, which led captain Archer to suggest that they had gotten their second wind. That impression was incorrect. (ENT: "Similitude")

Upon James Kirk asking Montgomery Scott if theEnterprise could hold its speed while rushing to theGenesis Planet in2285, Scott remarked in the affirmative, saying that she had just gotten her second wind. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

In2381,Beckett Mariner feigned being tired to stay onPetra Aberdeen's ship to search her private files for who was funding heroperation. When Petra caught her, she asked if Mariner "got a second wind." (LD: "The Stars At Night")

Sidelines[]

Thesidelines were the location outside of play. To be sidelined was to be uninvolved in the action going on, either due to one's inability to participate or orders prohibiting the same.

In2375, afterVice AdmiralDougherty expressed his surprise at seeing theUSSEnterprise-E,Jean-Luc Picard told him that the matters he was involved in were too important for theEnterprise-E to be on the sidelines. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

External links[]

• List of sports idioms atWikipedia
• Glossary of English-language idioms derived from baseball atWikipedia