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Glite Dictionary
goalmouth

goalmouth

1 5.9
The area directly in front of the goal where most attacking and defending happens
  • noun
  • /ˈɡoʊlˌmaʊθ/
: área de gol
  • It was actually the Canaries who came closest to scoring, worrying Anders Lindegaard in the United goalmouth with a couple of crosses.

Football goalmouth, sorry, soccer goalmouth from from the amateur Saturday evening, Friday evening games, games we play.

Examples

  • During the match, the striker found himself unmarked in the goalmouth and scored easily.

  • Football goalmouth, sorry, soccer goalmouth from from the amateur Saturday evening, Friday evening games, games we play.

    Chris Williamson

  • The goalkeeper dived to his left, but he couldn't reach the shot that went straight into the goalmouth.

  • After a flurry of activity in the goalmouth, the referee awarded a penalty kick for the foul.

Surface Forms

goalmouth singular
goalmouths plural

Morphology

goalmouth = goal + mouth (semi-transparent) = goal + mouth

The parts 'goal' and 'mouth' are literal and recognizable, but 'mouth' functions metaphorically as 'opening/area in front of the goal', a sport-specific usage that is not purely compositional for all learners.

Etymology

The word goalmouth combines goal and mouth, so imagine the goal as having a 'mouth' that the ball can 'enter'. So the goalmouth is the area right in front of the goal where most attacking and defending happen.