0

Here is a sentence from a football game app:

If you bend the ball right into the corner you’ll get triple the points.

I am not sure about the meaning of the phrase right into the corner. Does it mean that the ball would bend when it goes near corner? What does the word "corner" signify here?

3 Answers 3

2

Right

"Right" here is not being used as an indication of direction (e.g. left/right), but rather as a synonym for "exactly"

Right
ADVERB
1) To the furthest or most complete extent or degree (used for emphasis)
‘the car spun right off the track’

Notice the similarities between "right off the track" and "right into the corner". It's stressing that it's really in the described location.


Corner

The corner of a goal is the cornerpiece of the goalpost.

enter image description here

Your context doesn't particularly specify football/soccer, but it is one of the most common use cases (especially when referring to bending a ball, which means kicking it in a way that it follows curved trajectory).

But it could refer to any sort of corner, e.g. the leftmost and rightmost bucket of a plinko board or any other contextually appropriate corner you can think of.


Right into the corner

If you bend the ball right into the corner you’ll get triple the points.

Means

If you get it exactly in the corner (of the goal), you'll get triple the points.

2

To bend the ball means to kick it in such a way that instead of travelling in a straight line, it swerves in a curved path (or arc). A skilled footballer can do this by kicking the ball on one side to make it spin as it flies through the air.

The aim of bending the ball is to make it more difficult for the goal keeper to assess where it may arrive in the goal mouth. The ball will initially appear to be heading for a point well to the left or right of its actual target point.

Right into the corner means right into the corner of the net. The corner of the net is the point most distant from a goal keeper who typically takes up a stance right in the middle of the goal mouth.

Thus a ball that is bent right into the corner of the net is the most difficult for the goal keeper to stop.

2

I assume you know what a corner is - the point where two edges meet. A rectangular sports court has 4 corners. In football (soccer) for example, the ball is sometimes returned to play from one of these corners. However, in the same sport where the aim is to get the ball into a goal, the netted area of the goal is also rectangular and you may hear people speak about the corners of the goal, eg "the ball went right into the corner".

"Right into" idiomatically means either as far as possible, or as accurately as possible, for example:

He went right under the table.

This would mean that the subject put his whole body under the table as opposed to just reaching under it with his arm.

He shot him right between the eyes.

This would mean that the shot was so accurate it was as good as equidistant between both eyes.

So without additional context, your question about "right into the corner" could mean either the ball goes very accurately into the corner, or as far into the corner as possible. This secondary meaning is more likely if talking about the corner of the goal, as a goal in soccer is scored merely by the ball crossing the goal line, but powerful kicks are celebrated in the game and it would be noteworthy if the ball went "right into the corner of the goal" as opposed to just rolling gently over the line.

"Bending the ball" does not mean that the ball physically bends. In soccer it refers to the trajectory of the ball, ie it is kicked in such a way that it travels in an arc.

1
  • "right under the table" I think that means to go under the table immediately (i.e. without preparation or explanation), not to go as far as possible. Compare "The grocery store is right down the street, second building on the left, you can't miss it" Jun 25, 2019 at 21:45

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .