• Saved! Ishmael Miller sees his penalty kick saved by Liam O’Brien - who only signed on loan from Barnet on Friday! Who needs a naked butler in nets? Brilliant stuff.
– Confess, never heard of a naked butler in nets. Perhaps something unmissable?
You have to know the story it’s referring to. Apparently O’Brien was a late replacement for someone called Matt Armstrong-Ford who has done work as a “naked butler”:
thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp … utler.html
I do not fully understand the “in nets” part. The obvious thought is that “nets” refers to goal nets, but “in nets” is not an expression I know.
I thought it referred to fishnet stockings!
Doesn’t bear thinking about…
Have to confess again, not so familiar with what’s happening in the minor leagues, to say nothing of the non-league Hastings. Couldn’t picture one between the sticks in the Premier League. Still tastes differ…
Oh, “in the nets” = “between the sticks” (being a goalie).
However, I think the article is essential.
You mean the original message? Yes, but the insiders will get the meaning. Reading fans’ text messages is a special treat for a buff…
You may be right. However, I think that “in the nets”, in the sense of “between the sticks”, is effectively a set expression. Normally you can’t mess with set expressions, even articles therein, without destroying them – like saying “out of blue” instead of “out of the blue”, or “in the trouble” instead of “in trouble”: it doesn’t make sense any more.