American Football Idioms -- Go Forty-Niners! Like many of our games, American football derived from English games.

The colonists brought a form of soccer with them, which was later combined with rugby to create a new game with new rules. Two teams of eleven men meet on a field that is 100 yards long. The game begins when one team kicks the ball to the other team. Players are lined up in formations or lines, with an offensive and defensive line. The team receiving the ball is the offensive team. It tries to move the ball down the field towards the opponent's goal for a touchdown. The offensive team has four chances (plays or "downs" ) in which to do this. If the ball is moved 10 yards within the four downs, a first down is made and the ball may be kept for another four downs. The ball is moved by throwing ("passing") or running with it ("carrying it"). The offensive "line" helps "block" or stop the opposing team so its players can run or throw the ball. If the ball is not moved ten yards in four tries, the offensive team must give the ball to the opposing team. The defensive team tries to stop the offense by tackling players and blocking passes.

1. carry the ball - to be in charge of something, to be responsible for something The director let his assistant carry the ball on the assignment for the new sales contract. 2. first-string - the best group of players on a team Our company will use their first-string players at the conference today. 3. game plan - strategy (Teams practice various "plays". During the game, the quarterback calls the plays.) I don't know if my boss has a game plan for the meeting. 4. kick off (something) or kick (something) off - to begin something, to start something, to kick the ball and start the game. The hospital kicked off the campaign to raise money with a large fund raising event at a restaurant. 5. run interference - to intervene on behalf of someone in order to protect him or her from something. The company ran interference on their salesman to protect him from the scandal. 6. run with (something) - to implement something (to take the ball during a game and run with it) My boss took my idea and ran with it.

7. tackle a problem - to attack a problem with much effort (one player tackles another player) All of the members of the sales team gathered to tackle the problem of decreasing sales. 8. touchdown --to achieve something, to win something (A team scores six points for moving the ball past the goal line.) You scored a touchdown when you hired Jane. She's a great accountant. 9. to do an end run --to go around the usual line of authority (--a player can go around the end of the opponent's defensive line.)The student did an end run and complained directly to the principal of the school rather than to his teacher. 10. sidelined --to stop working on something -- (to be taken out of the game) We'd better sideline that project till next year when we'll have more funding. 11. to hold the line -- to stay and not move (The defense line tries to stay in its position against the opponent's attack. ) Hold the line on that offer. We are not going to pay any more. 12. huddle -- to confer or go into conference to decide something (the team gathers together and decides on the next play) Let's huddle to decide on the next step in this plan. 13. fumble --Making a mess of something when responsibility is passed to you. (When a player in possession of the ball, but loses it before being tackled or before scoring. ) Paul fumbled the sale when he failed to return the client's call. 14. pigskin (the football) --A 'pigskin roast' is a barbecue party before a game (usually hot dogs and hamburgers) Amador High School has a pigskin roast every year before the Homecoming Game. 15. Tailgate Party --a picnic held in the parking lot of a sports stadium before a game 16. Monday morning quarterbacking --When someone pretends to know all the right strategies on the day after the big game. After John's failure to win the Stephens contract, his colleagues only made things worse with their Monday morning quarterbacking.