Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time. We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.

This episode is hard so we’re looking at more difficult football phrases and idioms.

Summary 

Learn more football vocabulary with Premier Skills English. Each lesson in our Premier Vocabulary section looks at one football word or phrase. This lesson looks at the phrase pins and needles. 

You can find more lessons on the side of this page. 

Transcript 

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich and welcome to Premier Skills English - Premier Vocabulary. 

Jack: Hi there! I’m Jack. We’re here to help you with your football English. 

Rich: Remember you can find transcripts for all of our podcasts on the Premier Skills English website. 

Jack: Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time.

Rich: We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard. 

Jack: This episode is hard so we’re looking at more difficult football phrases and idioms. These phrases can be used to talk about football but are often useful when talking about other topics. 

Rich: The phrase we are looking at in this episode is: pins and needles. 

Jack: This is a very strange phrase. Pins are little bits of metal with a sharp point that are used to stick bits of paper on a board or to join bits of clothes together when sewing. 

Rich: And needles are also used when sewing. Needles are the bits of metal that you use to sew. There is a tiny little hole in them to put some thread. 

Jack: Needles are also used by doctors and nurses. 

Rich: Yes, it’s the bit of metal that goes into your body when you have a vaccine or a nurse or doctor needs to take blood from your body. 

Jack: The phrase pins and needles describes a type of tingly numbness that is not serious and everyone gets from time to time. 

Rich: Last night I was watching Liverpool against Tottenham and I got pins and needles in my leg. 

Jack: What a coincidence? What happened? 

Rich: Well, I was sat on the sofa. It was a really exciting game and I hadn’t moved for 45 minutes and then Liverpool scored. I jumped off the sofa and then fell on the floor. 

Jack: Why did you fall on the floor? 

Rich: I had pins and needles in my leg. I’d lost all the feeling in my left leg and my leg gave way and I fell on the floor. 

Jack: That’s a bit embarrassing. 

Rich: Nobody was about and the match was finished. 

Jack: It happened to me in a class once. All the students got up to leave. I had been sitting with my legs crossed - I stood up and fell on the floor in front of my students. I had pins and needles in my legs. 

Rich: Now that is embarrassing! 

Jack: My students were worried at first but then they found it funny. 

Rich: So, pins and needles is a type of uncomfortable feeling you get when recovering from numbness. 

Jack: I suppose they call it this because it feels like pins and needles sticking in your body. 

Rich: Yes, but I’d rather have pins and needles than actual pins and needles sticking in my legs. 

Jack: There is the final whistle! 

Rich: We’ll be back soon with more Premier Vocabulary from Premier Skills English. 

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Discuss

Have you ever had pins & needles? 

Have you ever had pins and needles and fallen over like Rich and Jack?