Britain is a sporting nation, and many idioms and phrases in English refer to sports or games. Sometimes, it’s obvious how they’re connected to sport. For example, if someone says It isn’t a level playing field, they mean that a situation isn’t fair for everyone, or that it’s easier for some people than for others. This idiom comes from games such as football or hockey, which are played on a levelpitch so that neither side has an unfair advantage:
- Private schools can attract better teachers because they pay them more. It isn’t a level playing field.
Sometimes, it’s not so obvious where a sports idiom comes from. If someone says It knocked me for six, for example, they mean they were shocked or very surprised. This informal British phrase comes from the game of cricket. If you hit the ball all the way over the field boundary (about 70 metres), you score six “runs” (points), and this is called “knocking the ball for six”:
- My boss called me into her office and offered to double my salary. It completely knocked me for six – I couldn’t believe my ears.