SPORTS IDIOMS - BALL

• KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL

In English, when we want someone to give their complete attention to something, we say ‘keep your eye on the ball’.

• IT IS A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME

In English, if there is a situation we know little about or is totally different, we can say ‘It’s a whole new ball game.

• ON THE BALL

In English, if someone is very quick to understand something, we say 'they’re on the ball.'

Some examples

When I met her I tried to KEEP MY EYE ON THE BALL. When I kissed her, she said:" I'm a man!", well IT WAS A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME for me. I ran away.

Learning English was a WHOLE NEW BALL GAME to me, but step by step and with the help of my brother now I am ON THE BALL because I KEEP MY EYES ON THE BALL

When I study English, I try to KEEP MY EYE ON THE BALL.I have never studied English at school, IT'S A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME FOR ME. Instead with French, I'M ON THE BALL.

ENCHANTING COCHIN

Monday to Thursday 9.30 am

Step back in time. Visit historic old Cochin with its Chineese fishing nets, the Dutch palace, the Jewish Synagogue - oldest in the Commonwealth. St. Francis Church where Vasco da Gama was buried and quaint Jew Town where you can browse through the shops for antiques. After your sightseeing you can shop in Ernakulam, the commercial centre for gold, handicrafts, cotton and silk fabrics as well as garments.

HOUSE BOAT CRUISE DAILY

The inland water ways of Kerala or the backwaters link islands and villages to the mainland. Big boats or Kettuvalloms as they are locally known were used to transport goods and people. These Kettuvalloms have now been converted to houseboats, elegantly furnished and eco-friendly, with rooms to accommodate a whole family. You can have the boat exclusively to yourself with a cook in attendance and two boatmen.

TEMPLE TRAIL

Daily 9 am to 1.30 pm

Start off with a visit to the Mararikulam Mahadeva Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and then the Sree Jain Shwetambar Temple at Alleppey 32 kms to south is the famous Mannarasala or Nagaraja Temple where worship is performed by a priestess. On your return trip step into the Subrahmanaya temple with Kooth Ambalam, a place where traditional art forms of Kerala will be performed during festival days, then Ambalaappuzha Sree Krishna Temple where the idol of Lord Guruvayurappan was concealed during Hyder Ali’s mass destruction of Hindu shrines.

DISCOVER ALLEPPEY

Monday to Saturday 3.30 pm

The port town of Alleppey was built in 1776 by Diwan Raja Kesava Das. Known as the “Venice of the East” this town was planned and built around two canals. In the old days it was busy place bustling with trade and attracting people from All over world. Coir manufacturing and exporting was the principal business that was carried on here. Step into Sree Jain Shwetambar Temple, visit a coir factory, watch a goldsmith at work using his traditional tools, stop for some shopping and round off your trip with a visit to light house, port office and Alleppey beach.

FARM TOUR

Daily 9 am to 3.30 pm
Travel to Pulincunnu 30 kms away from and then for 30 minutes ride a boat through arecanut, coffee and pepper farms to dock at Alencherry Tharavadu, a Kerala Homestead. You will be accorded a traditional welcome followed by a typical Malayali Sadhya on a banana leaf. After lunch, walk around the farm and acquaint yourself with the old methods of tapping toddy and various other farm activities.

COUNTRY BOATING

Daily 4 pm to 6.30 pm

Glide on a vallom, a traditional fishing boat over the serene backwaters. Let it transport you to a mystical world where time stands still. Watch the villagers at their traditional crafts untouched by modernization..... coirmaking, farming, fishing and if you are lucky, you will bump into a local fishermen catching fish and shrimp with their bare hands.