Dictionary — ontologydriven

leave it all on the field en · X

(idiomatic, usually) Used to remind players not to dwell on minor mistakes, issues or conflicts that happened during the course of play.
- Use the same advice football coaches give their teams: "Always do your best. When you return to the locker room at the end of the game, leave it all on the field. Don't replay what you might have done or what someone else might have done..." 1996, Lucile Wilson, Blanche Woolls, chapter 5, in People Skills for Library Managers: A Common Sense Guide for Beginners, →ISBN, page 56:
- Don't worry about it, just leave it all on the field.
(idiomatic, often) Used to encourage players or anyone to give their best performance, not sparing any effort, not going away with any unspent energy.
- Go and give it your all! Leave it all on the field!
- But the stakes couldn't be higher, so we've got to leave it all on the field. 2012, Barack Obama, “Administration of Barack Obama, 2012/Sep. 18”, in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Barack Obama: 2012 (Book II: July 1 to December 31, 2012), page 1395:
- Football players have an expression: "he left it all on the field." Leave it all on the field when you go fishing. Resolved: When I fish, I give everything I have to fishing. 1997, Kevin Nelson, The Angler's Book of Daily Inspiration, Contemporary Books, →ISBN, page 61:
- Near-synonym: give it one's best shot