Athletics and vocabulary

Have you ever wondered what "love" meant in tennis?

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The world of sports is definitely ripe with unique terms and idioms. Not only that, but some of these words eventually make their way into our wider vocabulary. Have you ever stopped to think about how many sports idioms we use in our daily lives? In any case, we've decided to take some time to analyze 10 sports terms and what they truly mean. Maybe, with a bit of luck, we can finally understand what makes these idioms so unique. What we can guarantee, though, is that we’ll have fun in the process. Enjoy!

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We’ll start with one of the most baffling sports terms: Have you ever wondered why a score of 0 in tennis is called "love"? This word has been synonymous with zero since the 1800s, and the reason for this is that the English word "love" sounds phonetically similar to "l’oeuf," which in French means "the egg," a common metaphor for the number zero.

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The story behind the idiom "to have something in the bag," which means certain victory or success in a specific situation, comes from the world of baseball—more specifically, from the New York Giants, a team that played in the Big Apple during the 1910s. This team had a good luck tradition of taking away their ball bag whenever the Giants were in the lead, as this symbolized that victory was metaphorically "in the bag."

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This one is rather self-explanatory: who doesn’t know what a home run is or where it comes from? Regardless, it is perhaps the quintessential sports term. We often describe a particularly successful meeting as "a home run." When you think about it, it makes perfect sense—the feeling of watching a baseball fly out of the stadium is the perfect representation of what great success feels like.

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The phrase "off the clock" is commonly used to describe times when we are not working. It can refer to downtime or be used to remind someone that you are now in your personal time. In a similar sense, the world of swimming uses this phrase as well. Swimmers all around the world describe a swim that is not being timed as off the clock, and for the love of the sport.

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In the world of tennis, an ace is one of the most difficult and satisfying points you can score. This term describes when a player wins a point with only their serve. As you would expect, "acing" something means doing an extremely good job in a particularly stressful situation. For instance, you can ace a job interview, an assignment, or a difficult exam.

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Let’s continue with one of the most adorable sports terms out there. For such a demanding and stressful sport, golf definitely has some of the most rewarding names for a high score. Case in point: Whenever you score one stroke under par, that shot is known as a "birdie." Not only that, it’s followed by an "eagle" (two under par) and the even rarer "albatross" (three under par).

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Sometimes a good score seems like a work of magic, a trick that a particularly skillful magician pulls out of his hat. See where we’re going with this? In soccer, a "hat-trick" is a term used to describe when a single player scores three goals in the same match. This idiom can also be found in other sports, like baseball and cricket, but it is most often associated with the feats of a remarkable soccer player.

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While resistance and stamina are also essential, some boxers make their name in this sport thanks to their speed and cat-like reflexes. These boxers usually live by the simple truth of hitting the other fighter before they hit them, living up to the phrase held as a sacred text by boxers everywhere: "You need to beat your opponent to the punch." As you would expect, this idiom is now synonymous with reaching an objective or goal before someone else.

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In American football, an audible is an often improvised call that changes or replaces the previously planned play. As you would expect, the term "to call an audible" comes from this practice. It describes completely improvising a solution on the spur of the moment, without major certainty about whether the decision will be beneficial or not.

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Horse racing is definitely a short but exciting sport. There’s a reason why the Kentucky Derby is widely known as "the most exciting two minutes in sports." In that sense, the outcome of this fast-paced sport is often decided at the very last minute. These races are commonly characterized as "down to the wire," in reference to the wire stretched across the finish line. Nowadays, those of us who are not fortunate enough to be involved in horse racing still use this expression to describe everyday situations that are resolved at the last second.

BAD IDEAS

Crash and burn: The 10 biggest product fails of all time

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Not every innovation is destined to succeed. Some ideas might sound promising on paper but fail to meet real-world consumer needs. And these flops aren’t always easy to prevent— even the most successful companies make mistakes that end up costing millions. From the infamous Ford Edsel to Colgate-branded frozen meals, there’s no shortage of failed products that should have never left the drawing board. Join us on a journey through 10 of the biggest commercial failures of all time!

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In 1985, Coca-Cola made the bold decision to change its classic formula in an attempt to compete with the rising popularity of Pepsi. The new version, known as "New Coke," was sweeter and aimed at capturing Pepsi's younger customer base. Coca-Cola’s executives believed this shift would boost sales but completely underestimated the emotional attachment millions of loyal Coke drinkers had to the original formula.

Consumer outrage was immediate, and the company was flooded with angry letters, petitions, and protests, all accompanied by disappointing sales. Just three months later, Coca-Cola was forced to reintroduce the original formula under the name Coca-Cola Classic. The episode is now remembered as a cautionary tale about the risks of tampering with beloved brands.

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Though you may have never heard of it, the Edsel was Ford's failed attempt to introduce a new automotive brand in the late 1950s. Marketed as the car of the future and named after Henry Ford’s son, Edsel Ford, the first model featured innovative elements like a push-button transmission and an overall modern design.

Unfortunately, it became a major commercial flop. While Ford executives expected it to dominate its price segment, consumers found the car unattractive and plagued by mechanical issues. The marketing hype had raised expectations so high that the car ultimately failed to live up to them, leading to one of the biggest automotive failures in history.

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Anyone with common sense would know that perfumes and Harley-Davidsons are not exactly a match made in heaven. The rugged, tough image of the motorcycle brand doesn’t align well with the idea of a pleasant fragrance—unless grease and gasoline are your go-to cologne.

Well, despite this being obvious, Harley-Davidson briefly ventured into the fragrance business in the 1990s. The ill-advised idea didn’t last long, as the brand’s consumers were confused by it, and the high-end fragrance market showed little interest. The result? The mismatched perfume was quietly pulled from shelves shortly after its release.

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While not a complete failure—similar devices made by other companies are still being made after all—the product never lived up to its inflated expectations. When the Segway was introduced in 2001, it was billed as a groundbreaking personal transport device that would revolutionize how people got around in cities.

And while the self-balancing technology was impressive, the high cost that came with it put it out of reach for most consumers. Additionally, city infrastructure wasn’t really designed to accommodate the device, making it impractical for daily use. The original Segway was discontinued in 2020, after almost two decades of poor sales.

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Who in their right mind sees a can of baby food and thinks, "We can market this to adults, you know"? Apparently, Gerber's marketing executives did. In 1974, Gerber, a brand known for its baby food, made a puzzling attempt to target adults with "Gerber Singles," a line of pureed meals.

The concept was simple: convenient, single-serve meals for adults seeking quick nutrition. However, most people weren’t interested in eating what felt like astronaut food on a daily basis. As expected, the product flopped almost immediately, with consumers finding the idea unappealing and even infantilizing. It quickly became an industry joke and was swiftly pulled from the market.

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When companies rush to introduce innovative products for quick profits, they sometimes overlook the testing phase. In 1998, Frito-Lay launched Wow! Chips, a revolutionary product marketed as fat-free snacks made with olestra, a fat substitute that couldn’t be absorbed by the body.

While the idea of guilt-free snacking seemed appealing, the new component caused very unpleasant—and rather laxative—effects on people. The product quickly earned a bad reputation, and consumers avoided it. A few years later, most olestra-based chips were removed from the market.

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What’s with well-established companies trying to venture into the fragrance industry? In the 1980s, Bic, a brand famous for its disposable pens, reliable lighters, and inexpensive razors, attempted to introduce a line of cheap, disposable perfumes. The idea was that consumers would buy fragrance as easily as they would a pen or lighter.

However, the concept of throwaway perfume didn’t resonate with the public, who typically associate perfumes with luxury and longevity. Additionally, the market for cheap perfumes was already oversaturated. Why would consumers choose a Bic perfume over other options? Sales were dismal, and the product quickly disappeared from shelves.

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Sometimes companies give too much credit to the bizarre conclusions of hare-brained marketing brainstorm sessions, but rarely as much as when Colgate decided to enter the frozen food market in the 1980s. Colgate Kitchen Entrees offered a range of ready-to-eat meals, from lasagna to roasted chicken.

However, consumers were clearly put off by the idea of buying food from a brand so closely associated with dental hygiene. Unsurprisingly, sales were terrible, as the Colgate name universally evokes thoughts of toothpaste rather than appetizing meals. Remembered as one of the worst marketing decisions in history, the experiment was quickly terminated.

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You could excuse McDonald’s for trying to expand into the pizza industry. After all, their business is fast food, and pizza is one of the most popular fast-ish food items in the world. They tried their luck with the concept in the late 1980s by introducing the McPizza, hoping to capture a share of the pizza market.

However, the pizzas took too long to prepare, clashing with McDonald’s fast-food model. Additionally, customers didn’t really associate McDonald’s with pizza, preferring their classic menu items instead. As a result, the experiment was short-lived, and most locations phased out McPizza by the mid-1990s.

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Google Glass debuted in 2013 as a cutting-edge wearable device offering augmented reality. The futuristic glasses allowed users to take photos, access the internet, and receive notifications. Despite the hype surrounding its potential, privacy concerns emerged over the built-in camera, with fears that it could lead to covert surveillance in public spaces.

But what ultimately doomed the concept was its high cost combined with limited functionality for everyday users. More of a prototype than a finished product, Google Glass struggled to find a mainstream market. It was quietly discontinued in 2015, though it is still credited with advancing the trend of wearable technology.