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Marcus Rashford runs with the ball while Aston Villa players chase him

This Week: A Boxing Day thriller

This Week: A Boxing Day thriller

Welcome to This Week from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of football action for learners of English from across the globe. In This Week, Jack talks about three stories from this week in the Premier League and there are lots of football English words and phrases for you to learn.

Transcript

If the listening was difficult, you can listen and read the transcript at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

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 premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org 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.

This week, I’m talking about two matches that were played on the 26th of December, on the day we call Boxing Day. But before I get to the football stories, I want to talk about football at Christmas in the UK. You see, football at Christmas has a long history in the UK. Even before the Football Association was created and the first leagues were formed, festive football was part of the holidays.

The word festive is an adjective that we use to describe something that makes us happy and that is related to a special time or festival. The time around Christmas is often described as the festive period and if you go somewhere that has lots of Christmas decorations you might say that it looks very festive.

As I said, festive football has a very long history. Years and years ago, the game was quite different. We call it medieval football and it was played in towns and villages and there were often tens or even hundreds of players on each team.

The adjective medieval is used to say that something happened in the Middle Ages, that is between around 600 to around 1500.

In medieval football, teams were based on where you lived or where you were born and a goal or marker was set up on either side of a town and the two teams would battle to get the ball, usually an inflated pig's bladder, to the marker or into the goal. Inflated means filled with air, like a balloon. It was a very physical game. I read that the only rules were that you could not kill your opponents. Apart from that, there were no rules.

On Christmas day, in Kirkwall, the largest town in the Scottish Orkney Islands, the town turns out for a game of Ba’ which is also the name for the ball. Kirkwall ba’ is a version of medieval football. On Christmas morning, around 100 boys gather or meet together in the same space outside St Magnus’ Cathedral. The teams are the Uppies who have to get the ball up the town to the site of the old town gates and the Doonies who have to get the ball down the town and into the sea. At ten o’clock, the ba’ is thrown into the crowd of boys and the game begins. At one o’clock, the men’s game starts. The men’s game attracts over 300 players and is supposed to be quite impressive to watch. Once the ba’ is thrown into the crowd, the players form a massive scrum to push and jostle for the ball. A scrum describes a situation where two teams try to physically push each other to get to a ball. It’s an important part of rugby. It might look like a bit of a scrap, but it’s all just part of the game. If a player gets the ball, they try to dodge their opponents and weave through the crowd to reach the goal.

Nowadays, Premier League teams don’t play on Christmas day, but in Victorian times there were matches on Christmas day. This was partly because it was the only day off for many workers so it was their only chance to watch a match. In 1871, the day after Christmas Day was made an official holiday. This day is called Boxing Day and very quickly, Boxing Day fixtures became an important feature of the festive period. Now that people have TVs and can watch films as well as football at home, the number of matches over the holidays has fallen, but when most of the country eats too much and relaxes with their families, footballers have to be ready to put their boots on to entertain their fans.

And now, I want to talk about two matches that were played on Boxing Day. Aston Villa travelled to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United and Nottingham Forest went north to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle United.

The words and phrases I am going to talk about today are:

  • To break the deadlock
  • To surge forwards
  • To evaporate
  • To break through
  • To bamboozle
  • A cheeky shot

Listen out for this vocabulary in the stories.

After each story, there will be a language focus and then there will be a language challenge for you 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 *** *****. A *** ***** is a tactic that has been practised on the training ground. These moves are practised from predictable setups, like from throw-ins, corners and free kicks. Some managers are very good at designing tactics from these positions that are hard to defend against. Teams that practise these a lot are described as dangerous from *** ******.

Congratulations to Alex from Ukraine, AndreTorre102 from Brazil, Mobeckham from Turkey, Ryohei from Japan, Hasan from Turkey, Goku from Japan, Vietnguyenngo from Vietnam, Wojciech M from Poland, YurriPrado from Brazil, Lukas from Czechia and Denis2000 from Belarus.

You all worked out that the phrase I was looking for was a set piece.

Keep listening till the end of the podcast for a new football phrase.

Now it’s time for the first story.

United and Villa in five-goal thriller

Manchester United had not lost a home match on Boxing Day since 1978, the Red Devils were unbeaten in 19 Boxing Day home matches. Aston Villa have been playing brilliantly under Unai Emery and looked like they were set to break that record.

John McGinn broke the deadlock at Old Trafford. A slightly rash challenge by Fernandes on Dendonker outside the box on the right wing and Villa were awarded a free kick. McGinn’s ball in sailed over everyone and bounced straight into the goal.

The second goal came from another set piece, this time a corner. McGinn played the ball over the box to the rear post where Lenglet headed the ball back into the middle. Dendonker caught the ball with a backheel and scored his first Aston Villa goal.

In the second half, Garnacho halved the deficit with a good finish for a well-worked team goal that started when Fernandes intercepted Diego Carlos’s pass. Fernandes surged forwards before passing to Rashford who slipped the cross through to Garnacho who guided the ball into the net.

Not long after, Garnacho brought the scores level. Garnacho started the attack running with the ball. He passed the ball wide and when the cross came back, it was to Hojland who had slightly overrun it so tapped it back to Garnacho who powered the ball into the net and Villa’s 2-goal lead had evaporated.

In the 82nd minute, United had a corner. When the ball was played, McGinn was the first to the ball. He caught the ball on his thigh to control the ball ... but in the end, he controlled the ball for Rasmus Hojlund who volleyed it into the net, scoring his first Premier League goal.

Final score: Manchester United 3 - 2 Aston Villa

The word and phrases from the story that I want to talk about are:

  • To break the deadlock
  • To surge forwards
  • To evaporate

To break the deadlock
This has come up before because it’s quite common in football English, but I’ve not spoken about it for a long time. A deadlock is a situation where two or more people or organisations are competing for something and neither side can make progress and win. In sport, this is easy to understand. When two teams are very equally matched, sometimes, neither team can gain an advantage and so neither team can score. We also use the word deadlock when two groups or organisations are negotiating a deal and each side is being stubborn, that is, they won’t compromise over something that the other side is also being stubborn about. We can say that there is a deadlock in the negotiations if neither side is prepared to compromise. When someone finds a way through to score or when a negotiator finds a compromise that the deadlocked companies can agree on, this breaks the deadlock. In football English, more simply, it just means that in a well-matched game, one team has been able to score. For the first 20 minutes at Old Trafford, both Manchester United and Aston Villa looked good and neither team had a clear advantage. It didn’t look like either team would score until John McGinn broke the deadlock for Villa.

To surge forwards
A surge is a sudden increase in something. I think most commonly, we talk about surges in electricity and in money. In some places, the electricity supply is not very stable so you can buy a surge protector that stops any surges or sudden increases in voltage from reaching your TV or computer. The verb form, to surge, means to increase suddenly and strongly if you’re talking about electricity or perhaps prices going up but you can also use it to talk about people and then it means to move quickly and powerfully. So you read about crowds surging towards the pitch at a football match and on the pitch, when a team all attacks at once, the team surges forwards. You can also say that an individual player surged forwards if they moved forwards quickly and powerfully.

To evaporate
The verb evaporate’s literal meaning is to turn into a gas. When you boil water in a pan, it turns into steam. The word evaporate has the word vapour in it. Vapour is not technically the same as steam, but you get the idea. As well as the literal scientific meaning, we use the word to say that something has disappeared completely as if it turned into vapour or gas. We use the word evaporate when something disappears surprisingly or in an unexpected way. So when Garnacho equalised for United, Villa’s advantage had disappeared, it evaporated.

Let’s move on to the next story.

Newcastle bamboozled by Tricky Trees

Newcastle broke through Forest’s early resistance from the penalty spot. Alexander Isak was clipped when he tried to turn to shoot in the penalty area and the referee didn’t hesitate to point to the spot. Isak took the penalty well and Newcastle had the lead.

Just before half-time Newcastle were attacking and looked good, but Almiron played a weak cross that was intercepted by Montiel and knocked forwards for Gibbs-white who ran back up the pitch. He played the ball for Elanga who managed to cut the cross back for Chris Wood to tap in.

Chris Wood is a New Zealand forward who played for Newcastle for part of last season. He only scored one Premier League goal for the club at St James’ Park in 20 appearances before he was loaned to Forest who signed him officially last June.

In the second half, Forest went ahead. Once more, on the counter, Elanga ran with the ball with Isak on his heels. Chris Wood was the only Forest player making a run and Elanga picked him out among half a dozen Newcastle players. Wood bamboozled Dan Burn and got a cheeky shot away before the rest of Newcastle's defence could close in. Wood played a gentle chip over Dubravka and into the Newcastle goal.

Wood got a hat-trick in the 60th minute after a clever run saw him beat the offside trap. In a few strides, he’d rounded Dubravka and calmly fired the ball into the open goal.

Final score: Newcastle United 1 - 3 Nottingham Forest

The word and phrases from the story that I want to talk about are:

  • To break through
  • To bamboozle
  • A cheeky shot

To break through something
If you break through something, you force your way through something. We normally use this phrasal verb in situations where there are barriers or other things that are supposed to hold you back. So you might hear that protestors broke through a police barricade. It’s also common in sport to hear about a player breaking through the opposition’s defence.

To bamboozle
This is a nice word. If you bamboozle someone you trick or confuse them, usually so you can beat them or steal from them. However, magicians also try to bamboozle their audience so it’s not always about swindling or stealing. I tried looking up the origin of the word because bamboozle doesn’t sound like other words, but the origin isn’t clear. The word has been around for a while though; people have been bamboozling each other for over 300 years. I don’t think it’s that commonly used in football English but I did hear it in the commentary, describing Wood’s second goal in which he cleverly sent a defender the wrong way by tricking him; Wood bamboozled the defender.

A cheeky shot
Cheeky is a fun adjective. It basically means disrespectful but in a good way or at least not in a very serious way. It’s most commonly used to talk about children because we expect children to be respectful towards their parents and teachers. So if a child is not respectful, if they call their teacher a name for example, that is rude. But if it’s also funny, then it’s cheeky. When Wood chipped the ball over Dubravka, it was a bit cheeky. It was a good shot and absolutely the right shot to play in that situation, but a little chip looks like it’s not that serious compared to a thundering strike.

Today, I’ve spoken about 6 useful words and phrases. The words and phrases I have spoken about are:

  • To break the deadlock
  • To surge forwards
  • To evaporate
  • To break through
  • To bamboozle
  • A cheeky shot

Listen to the story one more time to hear this language in context.

United and Villa in five-goal thriller

Manchester United had not lost a home match on Boxing Day since 1978, the Red Devils were unbeaten in 19 Boxing Day home matches. Aston Villa have been playing brilliantly under Unai Emery and looked like they were set to break that record.

John McGinn broke the deadlock at Old Trafford. A slightly rash challenge by Fernandes on Dendonker outside the box on the right wing and Villa were awarded a free kick. McGinn’s ball in sailed over everyone and bounced straight into the goal.

The second goal came from another set piece, this time a corner. McGinn played the ball over the box to the rear post where Lenglet headed the ball back into the middle. Dendonker caught the ball with a backheel and scored his first Aston Villa goal.

In the second half, Garnacho halved the deficit with a good finish for a well-worked team goal that started when Fernandes intercepted Diego Carlos’s pass. Fernandes surged forwards before passing to Rashford who slipped the cross through to Garnacho who guided the ball into the net.

Not long after, Garnacho brought the scores level. Garnacho started the attack running with the ball. He passed the ball wide and when the cross came back, it was to Hojland who had slightly overrun it so tapped it back to Garnacho who powered the ball into the net and Villa’s 2-goal lead had evaporated.

In the 82nd minute, United had a corner. When the ball was played, McGinn was the first to the ball. He caught the ball on his thigh to control the ball ... but in the end, he controlled the ball for Rasmus Hojlund who volleyed it into the net, scoring his first Premier League goal.

Final score: Manchester United 3 - 2 Aston Villa

Newcastle bamboozled by Tricky Trees

Newcastle broke through Forest’s early resistance from the penalty spot. Alexander Isak was clipped when he tried to turn to shoot in the penalty area and the referee didn’t hesitate to point to the spot. Isak took the penalty well and Newcastle had the lead.

Just before half-time Newcastle were attacking and looked good, but Almiron played a weak cross that was intercepted by Montiel and knocked forwards for Gibbs-white who ran back up the pitch. He played the ball for Elanga who managed to cut the cross back for Chris Wood to tap in.

Chris Wood is a New Zealand forward who played for Newcastle for part of last season. He only scored one Premier League goal for the club at St James’ Park in 20 appearances before he was loaned to Forest who signed him officially last June.

In the second half, Forest went ahead. Once more, on the counter, Elanga ran with the ball with Isak on his heels. Chris Wood was the only Forest player making a run and Elanga picked him out among half a dozen Newcastle players. Wood bamboozled Dan Burn and got a cheeky shot away before the rest of Newcastle's defence could close in. Wood played a gentle chip over Dubravka and into the Newcastle goal.

Wood got a hat-trick in the 60th minute after a clever run saw him beat the offside trap. In a few strides, he’d rounded Dubravka and calmly fired the ball into the open goal.

Final score: Newcastle United 1 - 3 Nottingham Forest

Language Challenge

Right, now it’s time for you to think about the language again. I have found examples of the words and phrases in stories online and edited them slightly. I have removed today’s vocabulary so I want you to fill in the gaps with the correct form of the language from the podcast.

Number 1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often ______________ when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

Number 2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence ______________.

Number 3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit _______.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

Number 4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to ______________ in their brainstorming session.

Number 5. Boris Johnson was “__________” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

Number 6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has _________ now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

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

Football phrase

Now it’s time for this week's football phrase.

This week’s football phrase is to **** *** ******* ****. This is quite difficult to explain without using the words in the phrase. The phrase is an action and to do it, a player has to time a run forwards perfectly so that they can run onto and behind the last defenders without breaking the ******* rule. Defenders try to catch attackers out by pressing forwards and so that attacking players are ******* when the ball is played forwards. This is the ******* **** and attacking players have to get their timing right if they want to **** *** ******* ****.

If you know the answer, be sure to leave it in a comment on the page for this podcast on Premier Skills English.

Before I finish, I am going to go through the answers to last week’s language challenge.

Number 1. A bad week for Wall Street closed with big drops in stock value as worries worsened about the banking industry and strength of the economy.

Number 2. Police have reported that mopeds (small motorbikes) are being driven recklessly on the streets of Oxford.

Number 3. On this day in 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was beheaded on Tower Green at the Tower of London. She protested her innocence until the last.

Number 4. A man has admitted being too drunk to care for a toddler after he staggered around a bowling alley with a bottle of beer in his hand. The man has narrowly avoided jail.

Number 5. UK psychologists say slow motion helps referees to better distinguish yellow card and red card incidents during football matches.

Number 6. Stargazers hopes of a glimpse of the Northern Lights were dashed when clouds rolled in and covered the night sky on Wednesday.

Number 7. A man was so angry with his neighbour who had been tipping leaves over his fence, so he took matters into his own hands and blew all the leaves back into his neighbour's garden using leaf blowers.

Number 8. Marc Polmans was on the brink of victory, but had it all snatched away after a moment of madness. The Aussie tennis star was disqualified from the Shanghai Masters qualifying tournament after smashing the ball into the umpire's face.

Number 9. The state of Minnesota in the USA has a new flag that has riled up some right-wing conservatives who really don’t like change.

And 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 who are celebrating are having a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to the new year and I hope everyone stays fit and healthy and safe.

Bye for now and enjoy your football.

This week, I’m talking about two matches that were played on the 26th of December, on the day we call Boxing Day. But before I get to the football stories, I want to talk about football at Christmas in the UK. You see, football at Christmas has a long history in the UK. Even before the Football Association was created and the first leagues were formed, festive football was part of the holidays.

The word festive is an adjective that we use to describe something that makes us happy and that is related to a special time or festival. The time around Christmas is often described as the festive period and if you go somewhere that has lots of Christmas decorations you might say that it looks very festive.

As I said, festive football has a very long history. Years and years ago, the game was quite different. We call it medieval football and it was played in towns and villages and there were often tens or even hundreds of players on each team.

The adjective medieval is used to say that something happened in the Middle Ages, that is between around 600 to around 1500.

Orkadians take part in the New Year’s Ba’ Game played with a hand crafted leather ball in Kirkwall Scotland

In medieval football, teams were based on where you lived or where you were born and a goal or marker was set up on either side of a town and the two teams would battle to get the ball, usually an inflated pig's bladder, to the marker or into the goal. Inflated means filled with air, like a balloon. It was a very physical game. I read that the only rules were that you could not kill your opponents. Apart from that, there were no rules.

On Christmas day, in Kirkwall, the largest town in the Scottish Orkney Islands, the town turns out for a game of Ba’ which is also the name for the ball. Kirkwall ba’ is a version of medieval football. On Christmas morning, around 100 boys gather or meet together in the same space outside St Magnus’ Cathedral. The teams are the Uppies who have to get the ball up the town to the site of the old town gates and the Doonies who have to get the ball down the town and into the sea. At ten o’clock, the ba’ is thrown into the crowd of boys and the game begins. At one o’clock, the men’s game starts. The men’s game attracts over 300 players and is supposed to be quite impressive to watch. Once the ba’ is thrown into the crowd, the players form a massive scrum to push and jostle for the ball. A scrum describes a situation where two teams try to physically push each other to get to a ball. It’s an important part of rugby. It might look like a bit of a scrap, but it’s all just part of the game. If a player gets the ball, they try to dodge their opponents and weave through the crowd to reach the goal.

Uppies celebrate winning the New Year’s Ba’ Game played with a hand crafted leather ball in Kirkwall Scotland

Nowadays, Premier League teams don’t play on Christmas day, but in Victorian times there were matches on Christmas day. This was partly because it was the only day off for many workers so it was their only chance to watch a match. In 1871, the day after Christmas Day was made an official holiday. This day is called Boxing Day and very quickly, Boxing Day fixtures became an important feature of the festive period. Now that people have TVs and can watch films as well as football at home, the number of matches over the holidays has fallen, but when most of the country eats too much and relaxes with their families, footballers have to be ready to put their boots on to entertain their fans.

And now, I want to talk about two matches that were played on Boxing Day. Aston Villa travelled to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United and Nottingham Forest went north to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle United.

Language

The language from the stories that I’m going to talk about this week is:

  • To break the deadlock
  • To surge forwards
  • To evaporate
  • To break through
  • To bamboozle
  • A cheeky shot

Story 1

United and Villa in five-goal thriller

Rasmus Hojlund celebrates with teammates after scoring Manchester United's third goal during the match against Aston Villa

Manchester United had not lost a home match on Boxing Day since 1978, the Red Devils were unbeaten in 19 Boxing Day home matches. Aston Villa have been playing brilliantly under Unai Emery and looked like they were set to break that record.

John McGinn broke the deadlock at Old Trafford. A slightly rash challenge by Fernandes on Dendonker outside the box on the right wing and Villa were awarded a free kick. McGinn’s ball in sailed over everyone and bounced straight into the goal.

The second goal came from another set piece, this time a corner. McGinn played the ball over the box to the rear post where Lenglet headed the ball back into the middle. Dendonker caught the ball with a backheel and scored his first Aston Villa goal.

In the second half, Garnacho halved the deficit with a good finish for a well-worked team goal that started when Fernandes intercepted Diego Carlos’s pass. Fernandes surged forwards before passing to Rashford who slipped the cross through to Garnacho who guided the ball into the net.

Not long after, Garnacho brought the scores level. Garnacho started the attack running with the ball. He passed the ball wide and when the cross came back, it was to Hojland who had slightly overrun it so tapped it back to Garnacho who powered the ball into the net and Villa’s 2-goal lead had evaporated.

In the 82nd minute, United had a corner. When the ball was played, McGinn was the first to the ball. He caught the ball on his thigh to control the ball ... but in the end, he controlled the ball for Rasmus Hojlund who volleyed it into the net, scoring his first Premier League goal.

Final score: Manchester United 3 - 2 Aston Villa

Story 2

Newcastle bamboozled by Tricky Trees

Alexander Isak shoots to score Newcastle United's goal from the penalty spot past Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner

Newcastle broke through Forest’s early resistance from the penalty spot. Alexander Isak was clipped when he tried to turn to shoot in the penalty area and the referee didn’t hesitate to point to the spot. Isak took the penalty well and Newcastle had the lead.

Just before half-time Newcastle were attacking and looked good, but Almiron played a weak cross that was intercepted by Montiel and knocked forwards for Gibbs-white who ran back up the pitch. He played the ball for Elanga who managed to cut the cross back for Chris Wood to tap in.

Chris Wood is a New Zealand forward who played for Newcastle for part of last season. He only scored one Premier League goal for the club at St James’ Park in 20 appearances before he was loaned to Forest who signed him officially last June.

In the second half, Forest went ahead. Once more, on the counter, Elanga ran with the ball with Isak on his heels. Chris Wood was the only Forest player making a run and Elanga picked him out among half a dozen Newcastle players. Wood bamboozled Dan Burn and got a cheeky shot away before the rest of Newcastle's defence could close in. Wood played a gentle chip over Dubravka and into the Newcastle goal.

Wood got a hat-trick in the 60th minute after a clever run saw him beat the offside trap. In a few strides, he’d rounded Dubravka and calmly fired the ball into the open goal.

Final score: Newcastle United 1 - 3 Nottingham Forest

Vocabulary

Language challenge

Number 1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often ______________ when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

Number 2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence ______________.

Number 3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit _______.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

Number 4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to ______________ in their brainstorming session.

Number 5. Boris Johnson was “__________” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

Number 6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has _________ now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

Leave your answers in the comments section at the bottom of the page and I will go through them next week.

Challenge!

Football Phrase

Now it’s time for this week’s football phrase.

This week’s football phrase is to **** *** ******* ****. This is quite difficult to explain without using the words in the phrase. The phrase is an action and to do it, a player has to time a run forwards perfectly so that they can run onto and behind the last defenders without breaking the ******* rule. Defenders try to catch attackers out by pressing forwards and so that attacking players are ******* when the ball is played forwards. This is the ******* **** and attacking players have to get their timing right if they want to **** *** ******* ****.

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Comentários

eugenpetcu12's picture
eugenpetcu12
09/01/2024
RO
154
points

1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often break through when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence surge forward.

3."Through the legs", reflected Jurgen Klopp. "That was a bit cheecky". This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings and impishness and an impudence to his duties.

4. A fresh prespective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to break the deadlock in their brainstorming session.

5. Boris Johnson was "bamboozled" and "confused" by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK's Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden's poll numbers are plummeting.


eugenpetcu12's picture
eugenpetcu12
09/01/2024 17:14
Romania
Chelsea
154

1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often break through when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence surge forward.

3."Through the legs", reflected Jurgen Klopp. "That was a bit cheecky". This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings and impishness and an impudence to his duties.

4. A fresh prespective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to break the deadlock in their brainstorming session.

5. Boris Johnson was "bamboozled" and "confused" by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK's Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden's poll numbers are plummeting.

elchueco's picture
elchueco
08/01/2024
AR
20
points

Language challenge
1. broke through
2. surged forwards
3. cheeky
4. brake the deadlock
5. bamboozled
6. evaporated

Football phrase
to break *** ******* ****


elchueco's picture
elchueco
08/01/2024 15:01
Argentina
Tottenham Hotspur
20

Language challenge
1. broke through
2. surged forwards
3. cheeky
4. brake the deadlock
5. bamboozled
6. evaporated

Football phrase
to break *** ******* ****

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/01/2024
TR
6539
points

I believe this week's football phrase is ( **** *** ******* **** )


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/01/2024 11:59
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

I believe this week's football phrase is ( **** *** ******* **** )

hsn's picture
hsn
05/01/2024
TR
5558
points

Second guess:-)
To take for running away


hsn's picture
hsn
05/01/2024 14:17
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5558

Second guess:-)
To take for running away

Jack Radford's picture
Jack Radford
05/01/2024
GB
22
points

It's a really tricky one this week!


Jack Radford's picture
Jack Radford
05/01/2024 14:26
United Kingdom
Arsenal
22

It's a really tricky one this week!

min lee
05/01/2024
KR
37
points

1)Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often "broke through" when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

2)From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence "surged forwards".

3) “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit a cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

4) A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to "broke the deadlock" in their brainstorming session.

5) Boris Johnson was “bamboozled ” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

6) The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

Football Phrase: "Offside"


min lee
05/01/2024 00:53
South Korea
Tottenham Hotspur
37

1)Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often "broke through" when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

2)From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence "surged forwards".

3) “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit a cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

4) A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to "broke the deadlock" in their brainstorming session.

5) Boris Johnson was “bamboozled ” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

6) The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

Football Phrase: "Offside"

Denis2000's picture
Denis2000
04/01/2024
BY
713
points

Number 1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often break through when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

Number 2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence break through.

Number 3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

Number 4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to break the deadlock in their brainstorming session.

Number 5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

Number 6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.


Denis2000's picture
Denis2000
04/01/2024 11:48
Belarus
Tottenham Hotspur
713

Number 1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often break through when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

Number 2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence break through.

Number 3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

Number 4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to break the deadlock in their brainstorming session.

Number 5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

Number 6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

Denis2000's picture
Denis2000
04/01/2024
BY
713
points

Hello Jack. Football Phrase is **** *** ******* ****


Denis2000's picture
Denis2000
04/01/2024 09:47
Belarus
Tottenham Hotspur
713

Hello Jack. Football Phrase is **** *** ******* ****

RoEn
02/01/2024
RO
2
points

The football phrase is: to **** *** ******* ****


RoEn
02/01/2024 23:20
Romania
Liverpool
2

The football phrase is: to **** *** ******* ****

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/01/2024
UA
6578
points

**** *** ******* **** may be the FP.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/01/2024 18:29
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

**** *** ******* **** may be the FP.

hsn's picture
hsn
02/01/2024
TR
5558
points

Language Challenge
1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often surge forwards when the platform their train is departing from is announced.
2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence to break through
3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit cheeky.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.
4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to to break deadlock in their brainstorming session.
5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.
6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporate now that Biden’s poll s are plummeting.
Football phrase; to pass the through ball
Sentence
• On the first day of 2024, lots of people turned out for protesting hard living conditions
Riddle
• What deadlock is called in the chess game? Stalemate
Notes
• As I remember from an article, during medieval era football was very hard and stressful, Sometimes players could die accidentally while “tackling” .


hsn's picture
hsn
02/01/2024 15:05
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5558

Language Challenge
1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often surge forwards when the platform their train is departing from is announced.
2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence to break through
3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit cheeky.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.
4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to to break deadlock in their brainstorming session.
5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.
6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporate now that Biden’s poll s are plummeting.
Football phrase; to pass the through ball
Sentence
• On the first day of 2024, lots of people turned out for protesting hard living conditions
Riddle
• What deadlock is called in the chess game? Stalemate
Notes
• As I remember from an article, during medieval era football was very hard and stressful, Sometimes players could die accidentally while “tackling” .

Wojciech M.
02/01/2024
PL
26
points

To **** *** ******* **** is the answer to this week's quiz.


Wojciech M.
02/01/2024 10:48
Poland
Arsenal
26

To **** *** ******* **** is the answer to this week's quiz.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
01/01/2024
UA
6578
points

MEET *** ******* RULE is the FP.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
01/01/2024 15:35
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

MEET *** ******* RULE is the FP.

_h13uquach's picture
_h13uquach
01/01/2024
VN
2
points

Hello there! I'm new here
Number 1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often "break through" when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

Number 2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence "surged forwards".

Number 3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit a cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

Number 4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to "break the deadlock" in their brainstorming session.

Number 5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

Number 6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has "evaporated" now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

This week's football phrase is "*******"


_h13uquach's picture
_h13uquach
01/01/2024 15:10
Vietnam
Luton Town
2

Hello there! I'm new here
Number 1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often "break through" when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

Number 2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence "surged forwards".

Number 3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit a cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

Number 4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to "break the deadlock" in their brainstorming session.

Number 5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

Number 6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has "evaporated" now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

This week's football phrase is "*******"

_h13uquach's picture
_h13uquach
01/01/2024
VN
2
points

Hello there! I'm new here
Number 1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often "break through" when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

Number 2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence "surged forwards".

Number 3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit a cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

Number 4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to "break the deadlock" in their brainstorming session.

Number 5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

Number 6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has "evaporated" now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

This week's football phrase is "OFFSIDE"


_h13uquach's picture
_h13uquach
01/01/2024 15:09
Vietnam
Luton Town
2

Hello there! I'm new here
Number 1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often "break through" when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

Number 2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence "surged forwards".

Number 3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit a cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

Number 4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to "break the deadlock" in their brainstorming session.

Number 5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

Number 6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has "evaporated" now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

This week's football phrase is "OFFSIDE"

Lukáš
31/12/2023
CZ
32
points

This week’s football phrase is to **** *** ******* ****


Lukáš
31/12/2023 22:03
Czech Republic
Liverpool
32

This week’s football phrase is to **** *** ******* ****

TeddyEnQrager's picture
TeddyEnQrager
31/12/2023
TR
243
points

1)Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often "broke through" when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

2)From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence "surged forwards".

3) “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit a cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

4) A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to "broke the deadlock" in their brainstorming session.

5) Boris Johnson was “bamboozled ” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

6) The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

Football Phrase: "Offside"


TeddyEnQrager's picture
TeddyEnQrager
31/12/2023 09:28
Turkey
Arsenal
243

1)Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often "broke through" when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

2)From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence "surged forwards".

3) “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit a cheeky shot.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

4) A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to "broke the deadlock" in their brainstorming session.

5) Boris Johnson was “bamboozled ” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

6) The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

Football Phrase: "Offside"

Ryohei
31/12/2023
JP
39
points

The phrase is to **** *** ******* ****.


Ryohei
31/12/2023 00:05
Japan
Brighton and Hove Albion
39

The phrase is to **** *** ******* ****.

andretorre102
30/12/2023
BR
223
points

Hello Jack!

First of all, I would like to wish you and the Premier Skills English community a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Find below my answers for the Language Challenge:

1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often surge forwards when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence broke the deadlock.

3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit cheeky.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to break through in their brainstorming session.

5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

Football Phrase: To **** *** ******* ****.


andretorre102
30/12/2023 18:59
Brazil
Nottingham Forest
223

Hello Jack!

First of all, I would like to wish you and the Premier Skills English community a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Find below my answers for the Language Challenge:

1. Passengers waiting on the station's concourse often surge forwards when the platform their train is departing from is announced.

2. From ChatGPT to machine learning, 2023 was the year artificial intelligence broke the deadlock.

3. “Through the legs,” reflected Jurgen Klopp. “That was a bit cheeky.” This word sums up Curtis Jones, who brings an impishness and an impudence to his duties.

4. A fresh perspective from an outsider was exactly what the team needed to break through in their brainstorming session.

5. Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” and “confused” by the scientific modelling and data presented to him during the pandemic, the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry heard on Monday.

6. The most powerful anti-Trump argument in the Republican party has evaporated now that Biden’s poll numbers are plummeting.

Football Phrase: To **** *** ******* ****.

vietnguyenngo
30/12/2023
VN
118
points

This week's phrase is: **** *** ******* ****.


vietnguyenngo
30/12/2023 03:23
Vietnam
Manchester City
118

This week's phrase is: **** *** ******* ****.

Ken@United Kingdom
29/12/2023
JP
40
points

This week’s football phrase is **** *** ******* ****.


Ken@United Kingdom
29/12/2023 22:37
Japan
Manchester City
40

This week’s football phrase is **** *** ******* ****.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1Alex_from_Ukraine6578
2mobeckham6539
3hsn5558
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4779
6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia74676
2Ukraine33870
3Spain29492
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23475
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20455
8Turkey20109
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United146932
2Liverpool111418
3Chelsea90252
4Arsenal86253
5Manchester City58861
6Tottenham Hotspur19474
7Newcastle United10626
8West Ham United7671
9AFC Bournemouth4915
10Crystal Palace4539

Level

4
Average: 4 (1 vote)

Goals

  • Improve your vocabulary
  • Develop your listening skills