This Week: Cool as a cucumber

Hello my name’s Jack and welcome to the weekly round-up called This Week on Premier Skills English.

In This Week, we’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.

If you are listening to this podcast on Apple podcasts or Spotify you can also visit the Premier Skills English website at britishcouncil.org/premierskillsenglish where you’ll be able to download the podcast.

On the Premier Skills English website, you can read the transcript and join the Premier Skills English community by completing a language task in the comments section. This will really help you remember the new words and phrases from the stories from the Premier League.

The words and phrases we are looking at this week are: vice-like grip, to relinquish, on their way, as cool as a cucumber, to lose your nerve, jeers turned to cheers and the lion’s share.

Listen out for these phrases in the headlines and stories.

After each story there will be a short language focus. After the stories, there will be a language challenge for you to complete and then at the end of the podcast there will be a new football phrase.

But before that, I want to look at last week’s football phrase. If you didn’t hear it last week, here’s one more chance to guess now.

Last week’s football phrase was a medium phrase. It was a little tricky. The phrase was ** *****. This phrase means that somebody’s body is in good condition. The second part of the phrase is a word which means the physical form of a thing. You can say that someone is ** good ***** on ** bad *****. However, if you just say that someone is ** *****, it means that they are physically fit and healthy.

Congratulations to Shohei and Hayato from Japan, Hsn from Turkey, Daniel_06 from Mexico and his friend Gonzalo Reyna who gave him a hand, hello Gonzalo and Taha Gashout from Libya. You all worked out that the phrase I was looking for was in shape.

Before we get to this week’s football stories, here are the answers to the language challenge from last week.

Number 1. I'm sorry you didn't get the job, but don’t take it out on me.

Number 2. A slick pass from De Bruyne to Sterling set up the goal.

Number 3. His shot took a deflection and sailed into the net.

Number 4. The Supreme Court overturned the decision and declared the defendant innocent of all charges.

Number 5. After the team’s defeat, the manager came in for some ferocious criticism.

Number 6. When they lost their captain just before half-time, it really took the wind out of their sails.

Number 7. The last leg of the race was Paris to London.

OK, let’s get on with this week’s three football stories!

Liverpool reach FA Cup Final

Liverpool took the initiative in the first half of the semi-final match against Premier League leaders Manchester City with an early goal headed home by the Red’s towering centre back Ibrahima Konaté. Then, after 17 minutes, Zack Steffen, City’s American keeper, made a dreadful mistake, not clearing the ball and allowing Sadio Mané to fly in, tackle him and tap in to make it 2-0. Mane scored again at the end of the first half and Liverpool had a vice-like grip on the match that it was difficult to see them relinquishing.

After the break, City showed their champion courage and pulled a goal back through a powerful strike by Jack Grealish. The two teams never gave up and the score remained the same until the 90th minute when Riyad Mahrez’s tore up the side of the pitch, beating the Liverpool defence. His shot almost made it through the legs of the Liverpool keeper who managed to deflect it away from the goal but into the path of Bernardo Silva who tucked it home to make it 3-2.

With only 4 minutes of stoppage time, it was not enough and Liverpool were on their way to the final against Chelsea.

Final score: Manchester City 2 - Liverpool 3

The words I want to talk about from this story are a vice-like grip, to relinquish and on their way.

In the phrase a vice-like grip, the word vice does not mean the second in command, like in vice president or vice chairman. It doesn’t mean a moral fault like drinking too much or er ... not telling the truth ... like in the TV programme Miami Vice or the video Game Grand Theft Auto III - Vice City.
No. A vice is a tool that you can use to hold whatever you are working on really tightly. It’s similar to a clamp, only a vice is usually mounted on a workbench. A vice has a handle you can turn to tighten the grip. So a vice-like grip is a really tight grip, it means someone is holding something tight and won’t let it go.

To relinquish means to give something up, usually a power or some sort of authority. So you might hear someone say that the president will never relinquish power or control. Or perhaps if you sign a non-disclosure agreement, you relinquish the right to talk about something. In the example, Liverpool had a grip or control over the match and it did not look like they were going to give it up, they were not going to relinquish their control.

I said that Liverpool were on their way to the final. The phrase on your way to something means you are close to doing something. It can be used in a more literal sense if you are on a journey towards a place, you are on the way or on your way to the place. Perhaps you are meeting someone and they are late so you call them and they tell you. I’m almost there. I’m on the way. However, in the story, the meaning is more figurative. You could also say Mohamed Salah is on his way to securing his second golden boot with 20 goals so far this season. You can make this stronger by saying that someone is well on their way to something.

Let’s move on to the next story.

Trossard’s cool as a cucumber

Brighton and Hove Albion have had a respectable season. They have shown their quality through solid performances at home and away, but they have been criticised for their inability to score, as if they lose their nerve when they get into their opponents’ box. At the other end, there are no complaints. At the match on Saturday, Yves Bissouma led the seagulls’ defence from the front and earned high praise from Brighton Manager Graham Potter who described his quality as “Champions League level”.
So when the ball fell to Leandro Trossard in the 90th minute and the Belgian forward cut inside from the left before driving the ball into the bottom right corner giving Spurs’ keeper no chance, it was the coolest piece of play seen all afternoon. For the second time in a week, Trossard had put a goal past a north London keeper, doing damage to the club’s Champions League aspirations.

Final score: Tottenham Hotspur 0 - Brighton and Hove Albion 1

The words I want to talk about from this story are as cool as a cucumber and to lose your nerve.

The simile as cool as a cucumber was first recorded in a poem called New Song on New Similes which was written in 1732 by a poet called John Gay. The word cool does not refer to temperature, it means calm and under control and confident. If someone is cool, they are confident that they can do whatever they need and they are calm and self-assured. They are not afraid or nervous or stressed at all. So why cool as a cucumber? I think the poet wrote the line because it sounded good. I don’t think that any fruit or vegetable is particularly relaxed or stressed. The alliteration, the repetition of the first sounds in cool and cucumber is probably the only reason the poet wrote the line and is the reason that the phrase stuck and people are still using it nearly 300 years later.

The other phrase I want to discuss is to lose your nerve. Your nerve in this case means your sense of control and composure. If you have the nerve to do something, you have the courage or confidence to do it. We sometimes describe people who have the courage to do dangerous things as having nerves of steel. However, if your courage or confidence fails when you are trying to do something, you can say that you have lost your nerve. I don’t do many scary things. When I was a teenager, the scariest thing I ever did was ... talk to girls, I mean, about my romantic feelings. More than once I attempted to ask a girl to go on a date with me and then at the last minute, I lost my nerve and made up another excuse to talk to them.

Let’s move on to the final story.

Guimarães wants to be a legend

Bruno Guimarães arrived in Newcastle in the January transfer window and has already established himself as a cult hero. When the match kicked off at St James’ Park, the Foxes looked in control. After 19 minutes Ademola Lookman put the visitors ahead and the home crowd was booing their own side. But Guimarães was not to be put off and his positive attitude paid off 11 minutes later when he equalised with a close range shot scrambled into the corner. Leicester City still dominated possession but by half-time jeers had turned to cheers.

After the break, Leicester still enjoyed the lion's share of possession but couldn’t do anything with it. They held the ball for 67% of the match but only managed 8 shots and only 2 on target. On the other hand, whenever Newcastle got the ball, they drove it towards the goal, managing 16 shots at goal with 7 on target. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said: “We struggled to get hold of the ball today but Bruno was magnificent.” Howe said Bruno lifted the team and is prepared to give the team everything.

He may have left it late, but he did give it his all with a last-gasp winner 5 minutes into stoppage time. After the match he said: This is my home now ... I want to be a legend here.”

Final score: Newcastle United 2 - Leicester City 1

The phrases I want to talk about from this story are the jeers had turned to cheers and the lion’s share.

I chose the phrase jeers had turned to cheers because I like the way it sounds. In fact, I copied the line from a match report I read in the Guardian newspaper. Jeers are rude and mocking shouts. These can sometimes be booing. When the crowd shouts boo to show they are not happy or they can be insults. The crowd might shout ‘terrible’ or ‘that was pathetic’. The home crowd at the Newcastle match was not happy with their team’s performance and were letting the team know, but this didn’t deter or put off Guimarães. He kept his head up and his positive attitude and changed the attitude of his team and the home crowd who were soon cheering. To cheer is the opposite of jeer. It means to shout in approval, often people shout yes or whoop or woohoo.

The last phrase I want to talk about is the lion’s share. This comes from some fables by Aesop. A fable is a short story that says something that is true - usually it’s some kind of metaphor. Aesop lived and wrote fables in Greece over 2500 years ago. None of his actual writings survive, but there are lots of stories that are credited to him. Many of his stories were about animals with human characteristics. In one story, a lion goes hunting with some other animals. At the end of the hunt, the lion tries to take all of the meat and so in the fable, the moral is that if you share the work of the great and powerful, they will not share the profit or the proceeds of that work. However, over time, the meaning of the lion’s share has changed and now it means the biggest and best portion. When I was growing up, it was common for me to be told off for taking the lion’s share. You see, I had a big appetite. Anyhow, I had to share with my sisters and so could not take the lion’s share. I don’t think that the meaning has connotations of selfishness, it just means the biggest part.

OK. That’s 7 words and phrases today. The words and phrases from the stories were: vice-like grip, to relinquish, on their way, as cool as a cucumber, to lose your nerve, jeers turned to cheers and the lion’s share.

Listen to the headlines one more time to hear these words and phrases in context.

Liverpool reach FA Cup Final

Liverpool took the initiative in the first half of the semi-final match against Premier League leaders Manchester City with an early goal headed home by the Red’s towering centre back Ibrahima Konaté. Then, after 17 minutes, City’s American keeper made a dreadful mistake, not clearing the ball and allowing Sadio Mané to fly in and tackle him and tap in to make it 2-0. Mane scored again at the end of the first half and Liverpool had a vice-like grip on the match that it was difficult to see them relinquishing.

After the break, City showed their champion courage and pulled a goal back through a powerful strike by Jack Grealish. The two teams never gave up and the score remained the same until the 90th minute when Riyad Mahrez tore up the side of the pitch, beating the Liverpool defence. His shot almost made it through the legs of the Liverpool keeper who managed to deflect it away from the goal but into the path of Bernardo Silva who tucked it home to make it 3-2.

With only 4 minutes of stoppage time, it was not enough and Liverpool were on their way to the final against Chelsea.

Final score: Manchester City 2 - Liverpool 3

Trossard’s cool as a cucumber

Brighton and Hove Albion have had a respectable season. They have shown their quality through solid performances at home and away, but they have been criticised for their inability to score, as if they lose their nerve when they get into their opponents’ box. At the other end, there are no complaints. Yves Bissouma led the seagulls’ defence from the front and earned high praise from Brighton Manager Graham Potter who described his quality as “Champions League level”.
So when the ball fell to Leandro Trossard in the 90th minute and the Belgian forward cut inside from the left before driving the ball into the bottom right corner giving Spurs’ keeper no chance, it was the coolest piece of play seen all afternoon. For the second time in a week, Trossard had put a goal past a north London keeper, doing damage to the club’s Champions League aspirations.

Final score: Tottenham Hotspur 0 - Brighton and Hove Albion 1

Guimarães wants to be a legend

Bruno Guimarães arrived in Newcastle in the January transfer window and has already established himself as a cult hero. When the match kicked off at St James’ Park, the Foxes looked in control. After 19 minutes Ademola Lookman put the visitors ahead and the home crowd was booing their own side. But Guimarães was not to be put off and his positive attitude paid off 11 minutes later when he equalised with a close range shot into the corner. Leicester City still dominated possession but by half-time jeers had turned to cheers.

After the break, Leicester still enjoyed the lion's share of possession but couldn’t do anything with it. They held the ball for 67% of the match but only managed 8 shots and only 2 on target. On the other hand, whenever Newcastle got the ball, they drove it towards the goal, managing 16 shots at goal with 7 on target. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said: “We struggled to get hold of the ball today but Bruno was magnificent.” Howe said Bruno lifted the team and is prepared to give the team everything.

He may have left it late, but he did give it his all with a last-gasp winner 5 minutes into stoppage time. After the match he said: This is my home now ... I want to be a legend here.”

Final score: Newcastle United 2 - Leicester City 1

Language Challenge
Right, now it’s time for you to think about the language again.

Here are seven sentences with gaps in them and you have to complete the gaps with the words and phrases from this podcast.

Number 1. The owner __________ control of the club and handed everything over to the board of directors.
Number 2. I saw Mohamed Salah in the restaurant. I almost asked to take a selfie with him but I ____________.
Number 3. During the scary parts of the film, he held her hand with a _________.
Number 4. It was supposed to be a team effort, but you did _________ of the work on your own.
Number 5. The team started off badly and the home crowd was not happy, but the ___________ when they got their first goal.
Number 6. After the scandal, I didn’t think we’d see her again, but on Monday, she strolled into the classroom __________, as if nothing had happened.
Number 7. My five-a-side team is _________ to our best ever league finish.

Leave your answers in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

Football phrase

Now it’s time for this week’s football phrase. This phrase will be the same in this podcast and the podcast on Friday, if I can get one out of Friday, so I will announce the answer and the usernames of people who have got it right next Monday ... or Tuesday.

I’ve selected a hard phrase this week from the Premier Vocabulary section. The phrase is *** ***** ** ****. We use this phrase to say that it’s not possible to predict the result of a match or a competition or even an election. Earlier in the season, I thought Manchester City were going to be well ahead by now, but with Liverpool hot on their heels I’d say that league is *** ***** ** ****.

It’s a tricky one this week. Good luck everyone.

That’s all I have time for today. Before I finish, I just wanted to say that I hope you found this podcast useful, and I hope all of you stay fit and healthy and safe.

Bye for now and enjoy your football.