Two idiomatic expressions
 

Hello everybody!

Would you help me with the meanings of these two idioms?

1) 'To Step up to the plate'. I've heard it a few times on the radio (a british one, by the way) but I haven't been able to find the meaning of it in the dictionary...

2) 'To Be in the zone'. I heard it on Tv and the context was a dialogue between two friends, one saying that her friend was 'in the zone' after catching a ball...

I hope this isn't very confusing and I look forward to your answer!

Thanks in advance! :)

Re: Two idiomatic expressions
 

1. "step up to the plate" is originally an American expression - it comes from baseball. the "plate" is the area where the batter stands to hit the ball when it's pitched, so to "step up to" the plate means to get ready to act / take responsibility for doing something. It was used as the title of a 2008 British cookery programme, where amateur and professional cooks competed, the title obviously playing on the meaning of the word "plate". It's now used regularly in British English - here's the start of a recent article on the economic crisis from the UK newspaper The Independent:
25 Sep 2011 – Leadership is what the markets craved; and it now seems the world's leaders have finally stepped up to the plate. Reports that European ...

2. To "be in the zone" means to be in a mental state in which you do everything absolutely right, to the best of your ability and even to a level you hadn't previously realised you could reach. You are 100% concentrated and focused on the task, energised, and totally positive. Technically, the psychological term for this is "flow".
You'll often find it used in connection with sport - obviously it's a mental state that athletes try to obtain - but it can be used for anything.

Re: Two idiomatic expressions
 

Thank you very much for your explanation, Susan!

I really appreciate it. :)

Re: Two idiomatic expressions
 

Great explanations. I'd like to add that "to be in the zone" is when you seem to do things without thinking too much about them. You're in the moment and it's easier to get out of the zone than it is to get into.