goalpost

Everyday

1. A goalpost is one of the two upright posts that mark the sides of a goal in games like football, rugby and hockey. tree →
2. «Move the goalposts» means to change the rules or the target unfairly once something has started. tree →

In the lessons

In sport, a goal is usually two goalposts joined by a crossbar; the ball must go between them. In rugby and Australian football the ball goes between or over tall posts. The idiom «move the goalposts» is used in everyday life and at school when someone changes what you have to do after you started. In safety, goalposts must be fixed to the ground so they cannot fall over.

Examples

• The ball hit the goalpost and bounced back into play. tree →
• We used two jumpers as goalposts in the park. tree →
• In rugby you kick the ball over the crossbar and between the goalposts. tree →
• Never swing on the goalposts; they can tip over. tree →
• The goalposts were painted white so the players could see them. tree →
• It is not fair to move the goalposts after the game has started. tree →

Note

One word: goalpost (sometimes «goal post»). Countable. A goal has two goalposts and a crossbar. Hitting the post is not a goal unless the ball crosses the line between the posts.