An Ear to the Ground Series: Part Four - "Cut and Thrust"...

Sport of various kinds, is second only to seafaring as a supplier of common idioms to the English language. Think of such familiar phrases AS TO KNOW THE SCORE, 'to know what's what', TO BE ON THE BALL, TO PLAY THE BALL, "to cooperate', TO PLAY A WAITING GAME, TO PLAY FOR TIME, TO BE TOP OF THE LEAGUE, TO KICK OFF, 'to begin', and TO WATCH FROM THE SIDELINES.

From tennis comes the expression THE BALL'S IN YOUR COURT: from wrestling, NO HOLD'S BARRED; and from rowing the phrase TO PULL ONE'S WEIGHT and also( though just possibly from swimming or golf) TO PUT SOMEONE OFF HIS STROKE.

From archery comes everyday phrases AS TO HIT THE BULL'S EYE, TWO STRINGS TO ONE'S BOW, WIDE OF THE MARK, and TO FALL SHORT OF THE TARGET.( Note the common use in business circles nowadays of the phrase TO EXCEED THE TARGET,a somewhat slapdash expression: to HIT the target, not overshoot it,)

The art or sport of fencing, finally, has to share a large part of its vocabulary with the art of debating. The verb TO FENCE has itself come to mean "to argue or debate skilfully."You PARRY awkward questions or accusations in the CUT AND THRUST of debate, and counter with a RIPOSTE. And if this counter- argument is effective, your adversary will say TOUCHE (French for 'touched') - in fencing, an acknowledgement from your opponent that you succeeded in touching his body with your sword and have therefore scored a hit.

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