Laces

Laces are the thread, string that is used to fasten the football boots. The word can also be used as a verb, as in to lace up your boots, but we’re going to focus on the noun here. Now, you may hear a commentator say a player has stopped to tie up their laces, when they come loose, but a more interesting phrase is to put your laces through the ball. This means to strike the ball with power, using the top of your foot, the top part of the boot. Of course, this is where the laces are, so if you put your laces through the ball, you strike it hard and with full power.

Laces are sometimes in the news when, for example, players wear rainbow coloured laces in support of LGBT rights. But back to the phrase describing a shot, here’s an example from the Derby v Manchester United League Cup game in a report from Sky Sports: “It was a bit too far out to curl it so I’ve just gone to put my laces through it, try to put a bit of movement on it”,  Wilson told Sky Sports. “I’ve done that and it’s nestled in the corner so it’s nice”.