The omni-prevalence of U.S. cultural offerings has led to the use of American idioms.

Particularly strange is the use by Europeans of expressions related to an American sport hardly played in Europe – baseball.

Here are ten expressions regularly heard in EU Brussels. I once attended a meeting with a visiting American senator who used so many sports expressions that most of the people listening had no idea what he was talking about.

• To throw a curve ball: To spring a surprise.
• Touch base: To review an item with someone.
• Step up to the plate: To volunteer to take something on.
• Cover your bases: Make sure all details are taken care of.
• Strike out: To fail at a task.
• Out of left field: Something that comes unexpectedly.
• Ballpark estimate: A broad guess of a numerical figure.
• Pitch an idea: To present a suggestion to others.
• In the home stretch: The final stages of something before completion.
• To take a rain check: To pass on something. This comes from baseball clubs who would allow fans to leave up to a certain point in a game if the weather was bad and then reuse their ticket stub as a ‘rain check’ to return another day.

Beyond baseball, there are other Americanisms to avoid. 

Don’t make verbs of words which are not: ‘deplaning’ or ‘elevatoring’ or ‘diarize’.

Don’t use teenagers’ language: ‘my bad’ or ‘awesome’ or ‘it’s like’.

Other Americanisms are good: ‘passing’ instead of ‘dying’, ‘movie’ instead of ‘film’, ‘reach out to’ instead of ‘ask’ and ‘have an ‘issue’ instead of a ‘problem’.