Each week we explore the meaning of words and expressions used in everyday American English . People all over the world love sports . If you play to win , you had better have a game plan . A game plan is just like it sounds – a plan to win the game . But we use this expression for just about anything ! If a friend says “Hey , let's take a trip this weekend ,” you could answer , “Sure ! What's the game plan ?” If your business is facing competition from another company , you might need to change your game plan to beat them in sales . But , now let's go back to the world of sports . Many English expressions come from how we play sports . For example , we play some sports – such as baseball and football – on a field . We play basketball on a court . And that leads to our next expression : a full-court press . “Court ,” in this case , has nothing to do with trials and judges . It is a basketball court . And “press ” does not mean newspapers or the news . In basketball , it means a very forceful effort by one team to take control of the game . In everyday life , “press ” means to put pressure on someone to do something . Of course , this does not work with everyone . With some people , the more you press them , the more they will NOT do what you ask . Then the team usually runs quickly back to its own end of the court to defend its basket . The players try to keep the other team from scoring . Instead , it attacks or pressures its opponent with a very aggressive defense . So , when someone decides to make an extra strong effort to get something done , that person is making a full-court press . So , do not save “full-court press ” for a basketball game . You can use this expression anywhere ! Use it in any situation where you want to meet a goal or solve a problem . For example , we can use it in politics . “The supporters of the safe cosmetics bill launched a full-court press to help it pass . Activists , consumer watchdog groups and women's health organizations used all of their resources to achieve this goal .” We can use it when talking about business . They cut prices , planned special in-store events and gave away prizes to attract more customers .” We also can use it in our personal lives . “When Sally ran into health problems , her friends used a full-court press to help her out . Until she felt better , they cooked her meals , cleaned her house and walked her dogs .” So , if you have a really important problem to solve or project to do , make sure that your game plan involves a full-court press . Be aggressive and attack it from all sides .