A gift-worthy playbook of common and unexpected words and phrases that have their roots in sports and games. The language of sports resonates beyond the grass and dirt of the local ball field because it is so evocative. The gridiron as a battlefield, the quarterback as the man in charge--these concepts slip seamlessly into the words of everyone from politicians to businesspeople. There are many metaphors we can quickly identify from the realm of recreation- ballpark figure (baseball), being caught flat footed (boxing) or having the inside track (horse racing) are all examples. But the English language is also peppered with not-so-obvious instances of sports and games influence like stymie (golf) and shoo-in (horse racing). Filled with pithy little entries on each idiom, plus quotes showing how the likes of President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, and Donald Trump use them in a sentence, this quirky little handbook is sure to be a conversation starter at tailgates, cocktail parties, and in the boardroom.

Author Biography

JOSH CHETWYND is a journalist, broadcaster, and author. He has served as a staff reporter for USA Today, the Hollywood Reporter, and U.S. News & World Report, and his writing has also appeared in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the Times (of London), the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, and Variety. As a broadcaster, he has worked for BBC Radio, among other outlets. In terms of his sports bona fides, he primarily earned them on the baseball diamond, where he played at the NCAA Division I college level for Northwestern University and had professional stints in both the United States for the Zanesville Greys in the independent Frontier League and abroad for Sweden's Oskarshamn BK in Europe. His book, The Secret History of Balls: The Stories Behind the Things We Love to Catch, Whack, Throw, Kick, Bounce, and Bat, was named an NPR best book that year. He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and two children. Visit www.JoshChetwynd.com.