Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life

Impr
ov
e Y
our Englis
h: Englis
h in Ev
er
yda
y Life
144
at bat:
When a baseball player stands ready to receive a 
pitch from the opposing pitcher.
big deal:
A special or noteworthy event or occurrence.
box scores:
In baseball, a play-by-play record of the prog-
ress of the game from inning to inning.
’cause:
Short for 
because
.
colors the game:
To have an eff ect on the progress or 
various aspects of the game.
dead center:
Th
e exact middle of something.
Deadheads:
Nickname for the fans of the band the Grate-
ful Dead.
Detroit Tiger:
A member of the professional baseball 
team the Detroit Tigers.
eighteenth hole:
Th
e last hole of a standard round of 
golf. 
’em:
Short for 
them
.
farm team:
In sports, a minor league or semiprofessional 
team that is used by a major league or professional team 
to develop its future players.
fi ght it off:
In baseball, refers to the batter’s eff ort to pre-
vent being struck out or making an out in his confronta-
tion with the pitcher.
fi rst cut:
A term commonly used in sports in the process 
of selecting team members that refers to the fi rst round 
of eliminating those players who are not good enough, 
who are undesirable, or who do not meet the criteria to 
become a member of a team.
fouled off:
A phrase used in baseball when the batter 
hits a pitch but the ball does not land in the “fair” part of 
the playing fi eld.

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