When you’re watching the World Cup matches on TV this summer, see if you can hear these turns of phrase:??
- 负けられない戦い (makerarenai tatakai): A must-win match. Often emphasized as 絶対に负けられない戦い (zettai ni makerarenai tatakai), or a “match that absolutely cannot be lost.
- 番狂わせ (ban kuruwase): An upset. This is a result that defies the odds and is often referred to as ジャイアントキリング (jaianto kiringu, giant killing) or ジャイキリ (jaikiri) for short.
- 流れが来る (nagare ga kuru): The momentum is shifting to our side. For example, 流れが日本に来ています (nagare ga Nippon ni kite-imasu) translates as “the tide has turned in Japan’s favor.”?
- 気持ちで押し込む (kimochi de oshikomu): To push in with sheer will. This is used to describe a gritty goal in which a player forces through the effort: 最後は気持ちで押し込んだ (saigo wa kimochi de oshikonda, in the end, he willed it over the line).?
- 魂のディフェンス (tamashī no difensu): Body-on-the-line defending. The expression 魂の (tamashī no) suggests playing with heart, spirit and total commitment.
- 体を张る (karada o haru): To put one’s body on the line. While 気持ちで押し込む refers to mental determination and 魂のディフェンス deals with spirit, 体を张る is about the physical act of sacrifice: 体を張った守備 (karada o hatta shubi, a defense that puts one’s body on the line).??
- 球际 (tamagiwa): Control of the ball. 球际に強い (tamagiwa ni tsuyoi) means someone is good at controlling the ball.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.