The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

Did You Know? 39Did You Know?How Many Ways Can a Team Win or Lose?There is a constant stream of news from the action-filled world of sports.Sports writers, the people who compose this news, are masters of theEnglish language. However, they have a challenging task. Day after day,they report thousands of basketball, baseball, soccer, and hockey results.In each contest, one team (or person) wins and another loses. Yet thereports that sports writers compose are original and enthusiastic.How do they do it?One important trick is the use of clever synonyms (words that meanthe same thing) for the words win and lose.Let’s look at two of the many ways to say win, with examples takenfrom newspaper sports pages. The synonyms appear in italics.Patriots top Panthers.Brazil clinches World Cup.And here are synonyms for lose.Cubs drop heartbreaker.Hawks are doormats again.These headlines show big wins.Aussies overpower Sri Lanka.Iowa State rips number 4 Kansas.On the other hand, the connotations of these words show that thewinners barely got by.Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.Bengals slip past Rams.Johnson edges Liukin for Olympic gold.This headline shows that the game changed in the middle.Bears struggle, then cruise past Packers.Names can be used with great imagination. The headlines thatfollow are metaphors, whose meanings are suggested by team names.Cowboys lasso Steelers. (Cowboys commonly lasso animals.)Stars outshine Redwings.Buffalo Bills shipwreck Vikings. (The original Vikings wereinvaders who traveled by boat.)Pirates slice up Cubs. (The Pirates take their swords and “sliceup” the Cubs.)Hurricanes blow away Bruins.