goalpost en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈɡəʊlpəʊst/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɡɔʊl-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɡoʊlpoʊst/ (General-American)
Etymology
From goal + post.
Meanings
-
One of the two vertical side poles of a goal.
Some kids were having a kickabout on the grass beside the walkway, cheering, groaning, calling for the ball, absorbed in the game, a self-contained universe marked out by jackets for goalposts and invisible touchlines.
2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 107:
- The tall Y-shaped upright, now usually of fiberglass, at either end of the playing field, through which a football must go in order for a field goal to be scored. (They were originally H-shaped, with one wooden post on either side.)
-
A rule or target that is "moved" (changed) unfairly; see move the goalposts.
[…] whatever you eat, how much you drink, you know the goalposts keep moving all the time, and it's difficult to be sure that, but I don't think it's harmful, not the amount I drink.
2012, Sarah L. Holloway, Mark Jayne, Gill Valentine, Alcohol, Drinking, Drunkenness: (Dis)Orderly Spaces, page 55:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| goalposts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
jumpers for goalposts · move the goalposts
Translations (40)
mi pou piro (vertical side pole of a goal) · ru шта́нга (vertical side pole of a goal) · sv målstolpe (vertical side pole of a goal) · ro ștachetă (vertical side pole of a goal) · mi pou ūhanga (vertical side pole of a goal) · el κάθετο δοκάρι (vertical side pole of a goal) · no stang (vertical side pole of a goal) · fr poteau de but (vertical side pole of a goal) · it palo (vertical side pole of a goal) · fo málstong (vertical side pole of a goal) · ko 골포스트 (vertical side pole of a goal) · ja ゴールポスト (vertical side pole of a goal) · ms gawang (vertical side pole of a goal) · izh rajapatsas (vertical side pole of a goal) · fo stong (vertical side pole of a goal) · sv stolpe (vertical side pole of a goal) · id tiang gawang (vertical side pole of a goal) · cmn 門柱 /门柱 (vertical side pole of a goal) · fr poteau (vertical side pole of a goal) · ko 골대 (vertical side pole of a goal) · uk шта́нга (vertical side pole of a goal) · de Torpfosten (vertical side pole of a goal) · ka სპორტული (vertical side pole of a goal) · is marksúla (vertical side pole of a goal) · is markstöng (vertical side pole of a goal) · ca pal de la porteria (vertical side pole of a goal) · ml ഗോൾ പോസ്റ്റ് (vertical side pole of a goal) · ka კარების ძელი (vertical side pole of a goal) · hy շտանգա (vertical side pole of a goal) · fi maalitolppa (vertical side pole of a goal) · cy postyn gôl (vertical side pole of a goal) · tr gol direği (vertical side pole of a goal) · pt trave (vertical side pole of a goal) · zu uthi class 11/10 (vertical side pole of a goal) · gd post-bàire (vertical side pole of a goal) · hy ուղղահայաց դարպասաձող (vertical side pole of a goal) · fi tolppa (vertical side pole of a goal) · no målstang (vertical side pole of a goal) · pl słupek (vertical side pole of a goal) · ga cuaille báire (vertical side pole of a goal)