Learn English Through Football

This podcast is for all those who love football and also want to improve their English. This week, we look at the word ‘thunder’ and how it is used in football. Read the transcript of the show below. It is a great way for learners of English to practice listening and reading skills. You can also check out our massive glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. If you are a teacher of English, you could use the audio and transcript to provide practice for your students: Try a fill in the blank activity, pick out some key vocabulary before playing the podcast as an audio quiz, etc. All  can access these resources for free.  Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
Learn English Through Football
DB: Hi there everyone and Happy New Year from Japan. My name’s Damon, and this is my first post of 2024, while Damian, the other half of the team has already posted on the Club World Cup, which of course was won by Manchester City. So check that out by coming along to 0ur site at languagecaster.com.
It hasn’t been a great start over here in Japan , with a massive earthquake striking on the 1st of January, but let’s hope the rest of the year is better!
On today’s football language podcast, I’m going to look at some phrases all connected with the word ‘thunder‘.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Japanese)
DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Japanese.
Thunder
DB: OK, let’s start by talking about the word thunder, which is the sound made during an electrical storm. The lightening is the flash of light and that is followed by the sound, the thunder. Of course, this sound is very powerful and dramatic and is a sign that you should take cover and stay inside, as the weather could be dangerous.
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So what about in football, how do we use the word thunder?
Blood & Thunder
Well let’s start with the phrase blood and thunder. A blood and thunder encounter or a blood and thunder tie, is a match with a lot of passion and a lot of strong tackles, perhaps between derby rivals. This week is the FA Cup third round matches in England. A lot of ties, or fixtures, will have smaller teams up against more famous teams, and sometimes derby rivals play each other. You will often hear the phrase blood and thunder to describe these matches.
For example, here is how the Mirror Online described the match between local rivals Sunderland, the ‘Black Cats’ and Newcastle, ‘The Magpies’: “The Black Cats and the Magpies squared off at a rocking Stadium of Light, with blood and thunder pumping from the stands onto the pitch.”
This describes the passionate atmosphere form the fans which influenced the play on the pitch.
Thunderous
DB: Next,