"Unanswered points"

[PurpleRush]

Mainly in football, basketball and hockey.

Any time a team scores twice without giving anything up, this phrase is brought out.

With all sorts of possessions left for the other team.

90% of the time in football, it's used before the ensuing kickoff!

How can a team answer those points if they haven't even got the ball back?

The only time the prhase should be used is when the game is over.

Last night's Cetlics - Cavs game is the perfect example:

The Cavaliers ended the game by scoring 12 unanswered points.

It should not be used when it is 6-0 and there is 46 minutes of basketball left to play,

or 2-0 with 2 1/2 periods of hockey left, or at 10-0 in the 1st quarter of any football game.

These sposts is where "consecutive points" fits in perfectly.

[Saintsfan]

Wow thats a very minor point to complain about.

If we are getting at this kind of phrase lets start with these

Any sports commentator ever using the phrase 'literally'

Something shouldn't be very unique, or more unique or a bit unique. Its either unique or it isn't.

Unanswered points is a reasonable phrase really. Its accurate, in that it describes that a team has scored consecutive points without the other team have any answer, and is somewhat more poetic than saying 'consecutive' points.

[sc49erfan15]

Yeah, I feel like this is trifling.

Remarking that the points are "unanswered" before the opposing team gets the ball (such as before the kickoff in football) or even while the scored-on team still has possession is a bit ridiculous. But any time a team puts together multiple scores... "unanswered" points fits, IMO.

[charger77]

I hate it when a team is up 3-0 and the announcer says "Three unanswered goals". Only the 1st 2 are unanswered, not the 3rd in that scenario.

[PurpleRush]

Sure, it's poetic and it fits, but not when a team has so much time left to respond.

Late in the game it would be a bit more fitting to me, or during a timeout.

I've just noticed that the NFL announcers overused it this year, especially before the kickoff,

and basketball announcers seem to use it while the other team has the ball in play.

This is where 'consecutive points' is the best fit.

[Saintsfan]

I hate it when a team is up 3-0 and the announcer says "Three unanswered goals". Only the 1st 2 are unanswered, not the 3rd in that scenario.

It's still an unanswered goal. At least until the other team score.

[charger77]

I hate it when a team is up 3-0 and the announcer says "Three unanswered goals". Only the 1st 2 are unanswered, not the 3rd in that scenario.

It's still an unanswered goal. At least until the other team score.

The third goal is not unanswered until the team that is up 3-0 scores their 4th.

[Saintsfan]

I hate it when a team is up 3-0 and the announcer says "Three unanswered goals". Only the 1st 2 are unanswered, not the 3rd in that scenario.

It's still an unanswered goal. At least until the other team score.

The third goal is not unanswered until the team that is up 3-0 scores their 4th.

It is unanswered, the other team has yet to score, or 'answer' in this metaphor. It may yet become answered, but whilst the score remains 3-0, it's still unanswered.

[WSU151]

Other minor things that are annoying:

In American football, it's "offside", not "offsides". Not sure what correct call is in hockey or soccer...I'm assuming it should be the singular form in all cases.

A game is scoreless, it's not "tied at zero" or a "0-0 tie".

There's no such thing as RBIs. Correct term is solely RBI.

Hook-and-ladder (though widely used) actually dates back to the play-call of a hook-and-lateral.

Time outs or times out? Pick one and stick with it, broadcasters.

[charger77]

Other minor things that are annoying:

In American football, it's "offside", not "offsides". Not sure what correct call is in hockey or soccer...I'm assuming it should be the singular form in all cases.

A game is scoreless, it's not "tied at zero" or a "0-0 tie".

There's no such thing as RBIs. Correct term is solely RBI (plural or singular).

Hook-and-ladder (though widely used) actually dates back to the play-call of a hook-and-lateral.

Time outs or times out? Pick one and stick with it, broadcasters.

[BBTV]

I hate it when a team is up 3-0 and the announcer says "Three unanswered goals". Only the 1st 2 are unanswered, not the 3rd in that scenario.

It's still an unanswered goal. At least until the other team score.

The third goal is not unanswered until the team that is up 3-0 scores their 4th.

What if it's 3-0, then the other team scores to make it 3-1, but they were really answering the second goal, because that's the one that really pissed them off? The 1st and 3rd are still unanswered.

The whole thing is silly. The whole phrase is silly, and complaining about the misuse of something that's silly to begin with is silly. The whole goddam thread is silly!

[-kj]

In American football, it's "offside", not "offsides". Not sure what correct call is in hockey or soccer...I'm assuming it should be the singular form in all cases.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

A game is scoreless, it's not "tied at zero" or a "0-0 tie".

Um... no. The score for both sizes is zero. Therefore, it's 0-0. If 1-1 can be said as "tied at one", then 0-0 can be "tied at zero".

[BBTV]

A game is scoreless, it's not "tied at zero" or a "0-0 tie".

Um... no. The score for both sizes is zero. Therefore, it's 0-0. If 1-1 can be said as "tied at one", then 0-0 can be "tied at zero".

Technically you're right, but I think of 0 as the absence of a score, as opposed to a score in an of itself. Therefore, while I wouldn't complain about someone saying that it's a 0-0 tie, I prefer "scoreless game".

[BlueSky]

We should have a thread on overused or annoying phrases. For example, in my airline days it was "at this time" as used in PA announcements. Another fave of mine was "this flight is completely full" - it's either full or it's not, and if it is, adding "completely" doesn't make it any more full. And so on.

[WSU151]

In American football, it's "offside", not "offsides". Not sure what correct call is in hockey or soccer...I'm assuming it should be the singular form in all cases.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

A game is scoreless, it's not "tied at zero" or a "0-0 tie".

Um... no. The score for both sizes is zero. Therefore, it's 0-0. If 1-1 can be said as "tied at one", then 0-0 can be "tied at zero".

0-0 is technically not "tied at zero". It's scoreless. You have to have two teams score to have a tie, which can happen at 1-1 (and above). A 0-0 end to a game results in a "scoreless game", not a "0-0 tie". There are no scores to tie to each other. The terms "tie" and "all knotted up" are based on keeping score with knots on a rope back in the old days. You can't tie a knot in the rope if you haven't scored.

Before the season starts, teams aren't tied with a 0-0 record. They don't have a record. Same concept.

[PurpleRush]

" We should have a thread on overused or annoying phrases. "

Other minor things that are annoying:

In American football, it's "offside", not "offsides".

I can't stand when someone says the offense "went offside".

They did not go offside.

It was a false start.

Thus the play is blown dead. On an offside penalty (that isn't unabated to the quarterback), the play continues.

And for the love of Pete Rozelle, Super Bowl is TWO WORDS!!!!!!

[Saintsfan]

I hate it when a team is up 3-0 and the announcer says "Three unanswered goals". Only the 1st 2 are unanswered, not the 3rd in that scenario.

It's still an unanswered goal. At least until the other team score.

The third goal is not unanswered until the team that is up 3-0 scores their 4th.

What if it's 3-0, then the other team scores to make it 3-1, but they were really answering the second goal, because that's the one that really pissed them off? The 1st and 3rd are still unanswered.

I would say that technically all 3 goals are answered by the 1, in that example. Which is why the team with 3 won, because the answer wasn't good enough.

[-kj]

You have to have two teams score to have a tie

Um... what?

No. A game score always includes two numbers. That score starts at 0-0. In some sports, such as soccer, games can end in 0-0 ties (or, if you prefer, "draws").

The reason you say a game is "scoreless" is because the "score" in that case is a synonym for a scoring act, such as a goal, run, touchdown, field goal, etc. It doesn't mean that the game doesn't have a score, it means that neither team has "scored".

[Gothamite]

Agreed. A 0-0 tie is a tie, and zero is a score (even if it also signifies the lack of a scoring play from that team).

It's awfully foolish to demand such precision from a language cobbled together after hundreds of years and characterized by arbitrary rules and massive exceptions to them.

[DaytonBlue]

This thread reminds me of a phrase my boss uses all the time: "moving forward"

What, am I going to backwards in time?