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Steve Martin playing the banjo.

Hard: Couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo

Hard: Couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo

Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time. We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.

This episode is hard so we’re looking at more difficult football phrases and idioms.

Summary

Learn more football vocabulary with Premier Skills English. Each lesson in our Premier Vocabulary section looks at one football word or phrase. This lesson looks at the phrase couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo

You can find more lessons on the side of this page.

Transcript

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich and welcome to Premier Skills English - Premier Vocabulary.

Jack: Hi there! I’m Jack. We’re here to help you with your football English. 

Rich: Remember you can find transcripts for all of our podcasts on the Premier Skills English website.

Jack: Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time. 

Rich: We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.

Jack: This episode is hard so we’re looking at more difficult football phrases and idioms. These phrases can be used to talk about football but are often useful when talking about other topics.


Rich: The phrase we are looking at in this episode is: couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo.

Jack: Sorry, can you repeat that phrase again, please?

Rich: He couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo. It’s honestly one of my favourite football phrases.

Jack: It’s not a football phrase. You’ve just made it up.

Rich: I haven’t, honestly.

Jack: Really? What does he couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo mean then?

Rich: Well, imagine that you’ve got a banjo - it’s an instrument in the shape of a guitar with strings and ...

Jack: Yes, thanks I know what a banjo is. I can play a bit if you like.

Rich: No, you’re all right.

Jack: And I know what a barndoor is. It’s the door to a barn - a building you get on farms where you put animals or hay and things.

Rich: That’s right.

Jack: So …

Rich: Well a barn door is really big, isn’t it?

Jack: Yes, so?

Rich: And it would be really easy to get a banjo and hit it against a barn door, wouldn’t it?

Jack: Yes it would if you had a banjo. But what’s the football connection?

Rich: The barn door is the goal and the banjo is the ball.

Jack: Oh, I see - it’s a metaphor. If we say a player couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo we’re saying that they can’t do something that’s really easy to do.

Rich: Yeah, exactly. We use it to describe strikers mainly. Strikers that never score or don’t even hit the target. When a player misses we say ‘he couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo today’.

Jack: Well you say he couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo, I don’t. I think it’s silly. I prefer to say something like ‘he’s having a bad day at the office’.

Rich: Now that is silly.


Jack: There is the final whistle!

Rich: We’ll be back soon with more Premier Vocabulary from Premier Skills English.

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

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Comment

Discuss

Who couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo in your team?

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Komentar

Michaelsun
12/03/2022
CN
738
points

I sometimes hit a ban door with a banjo.


Michaelsun
12/03/2022 03:33
China
Manchester United
738

I sometimes hit a ban door with a banjo.

Richard J's picture
Richard J
26/08/2021
EC
2846
points

When I understand the meaning of the phrase I instantly think about Timo Werner of Chelsea although I don't think he is a bad player. Hopefully for Chelsea, Romero Lukaku came back.


Richard J's picture
Richard J
26/08/2021 02:21
Ecuador
Liverpool
2846

When I understand the meaning of the phrase I instantly think about Timo Werner of Chelsea although I don't think he is a bad player. Hopefully for Chelsea, Romero Lukaku came back.

Gabriel Amaral's picture
Gabriel Amaral
24/05/2021
BR
1512
points

Hahaha I prefer not to say.


Gabriel Amaral's picture
Gabriel Amaral
24/05/2021 18:14
Brazil
Arsenal
1512

Hahaha I prefer not to say.

Robert Tavares's picture
Robert Tavares
24/09/2020
BR
399
points

That was a funny phrase.
The striker of my team couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo.
It's very sad to me!


Robert Tavares's picture
Robert Tavares
24/09/2020 15:38
Brazil
Leeds United
399

That was a funny phrase.
The striker of my team couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo.
It's very sad to me!

ldzingirai's picture
ldzingirai
19/09/2020
ZW
1749
points

On their debut, Chelsea new signings, Kai Haverts and Timo Werner, could not hit a barn door with a banjo.


ldzingirai's picture
ldzingirai
19/09/2020 02:54
Zimbabwe
Chelsea
1749

On their debut, Chelsea new signings, Kai Haverts and Timo Werner, could not hit a barn door with a banjo.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
18/09/2020
TR
6539
points

I'd say Jesse Lingard and Andreas Perriera couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo throughout the last season despite both players were doing well the season before especially Lingard who was exceptional in the previous two seasons before the last one.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
18/09/2020 08:00
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

I'd say Jesse Lingard and Andreas Perriera couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo throughout the last season despite both players were doing well the season before especially Lingard who was exceptional in the previous two seasons before the last one.

wsanta's picture
wsanta
18/09/2020
AR
5086
points

Nice phrase, I did not know it. To describe the same situation I have heard this striker cannot make a goal to the rainbow.


wsanta's picture
wsanta
18/09/2020 03:59
Argentina
Leeds United
5086

Nice phrase, I did not know it. To describe the same situation I have heard this striker cannot make a goal to the rainbow.

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