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Football Phrase of the Week: (to) Rattle
This week’s football phrase of the week is the verb, ‘to rattle’ and how it can be used in footbal to talk about shots and also pressure. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
Rattle the Crossbar
DB: Hello everyone. Welcome to our Football Phrase of the Week podcast. My name is Damon, and I am one part of the Languagecaster team and I hope you are all doing well. The other half of the team, Damian, is in London. I wonder how he is feeling after his team, Tottenham, finally beat fourth-tier side Tamworth in extra time in the FA Cup?
And talking about the FA Cup, this episode’s phrase is taken from the 3rd round FA Cup tie between minnows Accrington Stanley and Liverpool played at Anfield. The word is a verb, ‘to rattle‘.
Liverpool won the game comfortably but Accrinton Stanley nearly scored when Josh Woods rattled the Liverpool crossbar in the 57th minute. To rattle is to shake something so that it makses a noise. To rattle the crossbar is a common phrase in football. It describes a powerful shot that hits the frame of the goal – usually the crossbar, but also the post. The crossbar shakes and you can hear the sound the ball makes as it hits the wood.
Here’s an example from Reuters: ‘Accrington, who had no shots on target in the first half, almost got a goal back in the 57th minute but Josh Woods’ shot rattled the crossbar at Anfield, the stadium where his father used to work as a matchday steward.’
Rattle a Team
DB: To rattle has another meaning, which is to make someone nervous or worried. Again, this phrase is used in football. It describes when a player or a team’s actions make their opponents nervous, irritated, worried, so the opponent’s play worsens.
In competitions like the FA Cup, if a smaller team is aggressive and positive they can often rattle their more famous opponents. Here is an example from an FA Cup tie between Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City in 2014: The centre-back… reacted first when City keeper Costel Pantilimon fumbled Rudy Gestede’s header and sidefooted home. City were rattled and Blackburn… clearly scented another upset here.
So, the underdogs, Blacburn Rovers scored first, ‘sidefooted home’, and Manchester City, the favourites were rattled; they became nervous and worried.
How would you say these expression in another language that you know? Let us know by dropping us a line at admin@languagecaster.com.
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Related Terms
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