Learn to Use a 'Full-Court Press'

 

Now, the VOA Learning¹ English program, Words and Their Stories.

Each week we explore the meaning of words and expressions used in everyday American English.

People all over the world love sports. Some of us play a sport for fun; some to stay in shape; a few, for the love of the game; and even more play to win.

If you play to win, you had better have a game plan. A game plan is just like it sounds – a plan to win the game.

But we use this expression for just about anything!

If a friend says “Hey, let’s take a trip this weekend,” you could answer, “Sure! What’s the game plan?” If your business is facing competition from another company, you might need to change your game plan to beat them in sales.

But, now let’s go back to the world of sports.

Many English expressions come from how we play sports. For example, we play some sports – such as baseball and football – on a field. We play basketball on a court. And that leads to our next expression: a full-court press.

“Court,” in this case, has nothing to do with trials and judges. It is a basketball court. And “press” does not mean newspapers or the news. In basketball, it means a very forceful effort by one team to take control of the game.

In everyday life, “press” means to put pressure on someone to do something. Of course, this does not work with everyone. With some people, the more you press them, the more they will NOT do what you ask.

For those who do not watch the sport, a basketball team scores by putting the ball through the basket at the opponent²’s end of the court. Then the team usually runs quickly back to its own end of the court to defend its basket. The players try to keep the other team from scoring.

However, in a “full-court press,” a team does not retreat³ after it scores. Instead, it attacks or pressures its opponent with a very aggressive defense⁴.

So, when someone decides to make an extra strong effort to get something done, that person is making a full-court press. You could say a full-court press is an all-out effort.

So, do not save “full-court press” for a basketball game. You can use this expression anywhere! Use it in any situation where you want to meet a goal or solve a problem.

For example, we can use it in politics.

“The supporters of the safe cosmetics⁵ bill launched⁶ a full-court press to help it pass. Activists⁷, consumer watchdog groups and women’s health organizations used all of their resources to achieve this goal.”

We can use it when talking about business.

“The clothing company planned a full-court press to beat its competitors during the profitable⁸ Christmas buying season. They cut prices, planned special in-store events and gave away prizes to attract more customers.”

We also can use it in our personal lives.

“When Sally ran into health problems, her friends used a full-court press to help her out. Until she felt better, they cooked her meals, cleaned her house and walked her dogs.”

So, if you have a really important problem to solve or project to do, make sure that your game plan involves a full-court press. Be aggressive and attack it from all sides.

And that’s Words and Their Stories. I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

cosmetics – n. a substance (such as a cream, lotion⁹, or powder) that you put on your face or body to improve your appearance

consumer – n. a person who buys goods and services

watchdog – v. one that guards against loss, waste, theft, or undesirable¹⁰ practices

attract – n. to cause (someone) to like or be interested in something — usually used as (be) attracted

customer – n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 opponent   

n.对手，敌手，反对者；adj.敌对的，反对的

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• After a fierce struggle,he got a beat on his opponent.经过殊死的较量，他占了对手的上风。

3 retreat   

n.休息寓所，撤退，隐居；v.撤退，向后倾

参考例句：

• You cannot retreat from your responsibility in this affair.你不能回避在这一事件中的责任。
• They knew when to attack and when to retreat.他们知道什么时候进攻和什么时候撤退。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

6 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 profitable   

adj.有益的，能带来利益的，有利可图的

参考例句：

• That business became profitable last year.那项生意去年变得很赚钱。
• The convention business is very profitable for the hotel industry.承办会议业务能给旅馆业带来很高的利润。

9 lotion   

n.洗剂

参考例句：

• The lotion should be applied sparingly to the skin.这种洗液应均匀地涂在皮肤上。
• She lubricates her hands with a lotion.她用一种洗剂来滑润她的手。

10 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。