Idioms: Sports and Competition
Sports and competition idioms is the B2 figurative collection extending sports metaphors into the competitive-life domain. Win hands down (win easily), neck and neck (very close competition), come out on top (win), be a long shot (unlikely to succeed), play hardball (negotiate aggressively), go the distance (persist to the end), be in a league of your own (unmatched), give it your best shot (try your hardest), throw your hat in the ring (enter a competition). Learners build the competition-idiom range.
This worksheet builds B2 fluency with sports-and-competition idioms.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- An idiom bank with 18 competition expressions
- Matching task: idiom to meaning
- Gap-fill in business and personal-competition contexts
- Production task: describe a competitive situation using three idioms
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes
Common challenges: Competition-context transfer at B2 — many idioms apply equally to sports, business, and personal goals. Play hardball (aggressive negotiation) vs give it your best shot (effortful attempt) carry different emotional weight. Frequency: give it your best shot (high), throw your hat in the ring (medium-formal).
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Sports & Nature Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Nature and the Environment.
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