Skin In The Gane

[Alice Faber]

Laurence Horn wrote:
> At 5:40 PM -0400 4/15/07, Alice Faber wrote:

>>
>>
>> Well, as a sports fan (and observer of sports language), I suspect that
>> sports metaphors have long been creeping into the language. Even if the
>> expression "out of left field", say, has nothing to do with crazy
>> bounces in the Fenway Park outfield, the expression clearly has
>> *something* to do with baseball behind it. (As an aside, "hat trick" has
>> as clear a meaning in hockey as it does in soccer.)
>
> Agreed--it's just three goals by the same player,
> not too obscure.  There's "natural hat trick",
> which is a bit trickier, but still not terribly
> profound.

And, in my favorite mixed sports metaphor ever, I once saw a highlight
of Sammy Sosa hitting 3 homers in a game at Wrigley, followed by fans
throwing hats on the field (or at least on the roof of the dugout!).

--
 =============================================================================
Alice Faber
faber at haskins.yale.edu
Haskins Laboratories                                  tel: (203)
865-6163 x258
New Haven, CT 06511 USA                                     fax (203)
865-8963

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