For when things take more time than expected (a baseball game has nine innings).
Idiom: extra innings
Definition
Later than normal or expected. This idiom comes from the sport of baseball, where one game has nine innings. Extra-inning can be used as an adjective.
Examples
→ Tom’s extra-inning home run meant an extra-inning win for our team.
→ Talks between the two companies went into extra innings (lasted longer than expected).
This sports idiom refers to baseball games, which have nine innings. When two teams are tied at the end of the ninth inning, the game goes into additional, or extra, innings. This phrase is also used figuratively outside of baseball.
Related Terms
• overtime (synonym). Other sports such as basketball and American football use the word overtime when the game goes on longer than normal because of a tie. Overtime is also use figuratively.
Level
The idiom extra innings is advanced-level vocabulary. It is seen often in news stories, and is used in business English.
Idioms: Idioms are phrases whose meaning is not clear from the words in them. Idioms come from many sources. This is a sports idiom from baseball, a phrase that is now used figuratively outside of baseball. It is an example of the many popular, colorful idioms that come from the sport. Check out the book English for Baseball for more vocabulary from the sport. Or for general sports idioms, check out English Idioms 2: Sports—Hit a Home Run.
Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.
(C) 2021 by Targets in English. All rights reserved.
