Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Cliché Central – another update
Some more trite favourites to add to the list.
“consolation goal”
Of course, when you’re 3-0 down with ten minutes to play and you manage to get one into the back of the net, it could be described as consolation. Unfortunately, it never gets described as anything else.
Words such as “encouragement”, “relief”, “pride”, “respectability” and “dignity” are all equally applicable to getting on the scoresheet in a long-lost match. But all we ever get is consolation.
“gilt-edged chance”
Far too prosaic, these days, to merely talk about “an excellent chance”, “an easy chance”, or “a chance that should have been taken”. Far more appropriate, apparently, to reach straight for a metaphor that has been done to death.
One of the problems with this phrase is that it tends to obviate any discussion of why the chance may have been missed. On a player’s weaker foot? At a slightly difficult height (such as Reinaldo’s 69th-minute free header against Sydney on Saturday)? Or was the player caught in two minds, with another option available?
I’m still waiting for some witty caller to refer to a platinum-edged chance one of these days.
“that just about sums up X’s night…”
Simon Hill has proved himself an excellent caller over the last few years, but he does tend to rely a little heavily on the comment above. It can refer to teams or individual players, although it tends to be applied more commonly to the former.
Some other options: “pretty typical of X’s performance tonight”, “in keeping with X’s performance tonight”, “indicative of X’s form tonight”, “a fair reflection of how X has/have played overall…”
“last throw of the dice”
Team down 2-1. Striker on for a defender. The phrase above appears with monotonous regularity.
I refer you to my previous comments about managers as gamblers. An interesting concept, and often not far wide of the mark, in my view…
“consolation goal”
Of course, when you’re 3-0 down with ten minutes to play and you manage to get one into the back of the net, it could be described as consolation. Unfortunately, it never gets described as anything else.
Words such as “encouragement”, “relief”, “pride”, “respectability” and “dignity” are all equally applicable to getting on the scoresheet in a long-lost match. But all we ever get is consolation.
“gilt-edged chance”
Far too prosaic, these days, to merely talk about “an excellent chance”, “an easy chance”, or “a chance that should have been taken”. Far more appropriate, apparently, to reach straight for a metaphor that has been done to death.
One of the problems with this phrase is that it tends to obviate any discussion of why the chance may have been missed. On a player’s weaker foot? At a slightly difficult height (such as Reinaldo’s 69th-minute free header against Sydney on Saturday)? Or was the player caught in two minds, with another option available?
I’m still waiting for some witty caller to refer to a platinum-edged chance one of these days.
“that just about sums up X’s night…”
Simon Hill has proved himself an excellent caller over the last few years, but he does tend to rely a little heavily on the comment above. It can refer to teams or individual players, although it tends to be applied more commonly to the former.
Some other options: “pretty typical of X’s performance tonight”, “in keeping with X’s performance tonight”, “indicative of X’s form tonight”, “a fair reflection of how X has/have played overall…”
“last throw of the dice”
Team down 2-1. Striker on for a defender. The phrase above appears with monotonous regularity.
I refer you to my previous comments about managers as gamblers. An interesting concept, and often not far wide of the mark, in my view…
Comments:
<< Home
I bet all these cliches would have been in heavy rotation watching the last few Mariner games...
# posted by 
: January 25, 2007 at 3:14 PM
: January 25, 2007 at 3:14 PM 
My favorite is from Robbie Slater.
Everytime a shot is too high he laments...
'Just lent back too much there...'
or
'Didn't get the head over the ball..'
You can almost predict it as soon as the player shapes to shoot.
Post a Comment
Everytime a shot is too high he laments...
'Just lent back too much there...'
or
'Didn't get the head over the ball..'
You can almost predict it as soon as the player shapes to shoot.
<< Home
