Why we use it: There are only so many characters you can fit in a headline so, sometimes, you have to describe Emile Heskey the same way you’d describe Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Why we use it: Some of us in TheScore.ie think this is an oxymoron and should never be used but, when it is, it’s a far nicer way of saying a player was dropped.
Why we use it: We want you to think David Moyes is ploughing through bottles of Lynx — or any other brand of deodorant — every time Wayne Rooney hobbles out of training.
Farmed out on loan
Image: Tony Marshall/EMPICS Sport
Why we say it: Despite the fact you’d never farm your DVDs out to your mates, it adds colour to the most mundane of moves in sport, the loan.
Why the media uses it: Sports journalists love alliteration more than they love coffee, free food at press conferences and footballers saying stupid stuff on Twitter.
Why we use it: To describe it as a fight might make you think contact sport is only played by thugs and we couldn’t have that.
Reeling
Why we use it: Because it wouldn’t be half as dramatic to say the Chelsea fan above was feeling slightly disappointed by the news Rafa Benitez has been appointed as interim coach.
9 words and phrases sports journalists just love to use
Ace
Image: Stephen Pond/EMPICS Sport
Why we use it: There are only so many characters you can fit in a headline so, sometimes, you have to describe Emile Heskey the same way you’d describe Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Starting on the bench
GIF: SB Nation
Why we use it: Some of us in TheScore.ie think this is an oxymoron and should never be used but, when it is, it’s a far nicer way of saying a player was dropped.
Sweating on an injury
YouTube: Mark Frauenfelder
Why we use it: We want you to think David Moyes is ploughing through bottles of Lynx — or any other brand of deodorant — every time Wayne Rooney hobbles out of training.
Farmed out on loan
Image: Tony Marshall/EMPICS Sport
Why we say it: Despite the fact you’d never farm your DVDs out to your mates, it adds colour to the most mundane of moves in sport, the loan.
Midfield maestro
GIF: The Football Ramble
Why the media uses it: Sports journalists love alliteration more than they love coffee, free food at press conferences and footballers saying stupid stuff on Twitter.
Altercation
YouTube: nickxjones
Why we use it: To describe it as a fight might make you think contact sport is only played by thugs and we couldn’t have that.
Reeling
Why we use it: Because it wouldn’t be half as dramatic to say the Chelsea fan above was feeling slightly disappointed by the news Rafa Benitez has been appointed as interim coach.
Embattled
GIF: Reddit
Why we use it: It’s a bit nicer than saying somebody, particularly a coach or manager, is nervous about getting their P45.
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