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Some Stray Thoughts on Tom Brady Inventing the Phrase “Like a Butterfly With Sore Legs”
By Matt Schultz
Published:
The Eagles beat the Commanders 24-22 on Sunday, and despite all the game’s ups and downs, the big plays and defensive stops and momentum-swinging punts, I’m not really thinking about any of that stuff today. What happened on the field came and went. It had no lasting power in my mind.
What has lingered, though, is one particular line from Tom Brady during the broadcast: when he said Jalen Hurts dropped “the ball in there like a butterfly with sore legs” on a long pass to Dontayvion Wicks:
It should go without saying that this is a phrase I had never heard before. But since Tom Brady used it on a national broadcast, I assumed it must be a well-known idiom that I’ve somehow never come across. That happens. I only recently learned the phrase “three sheets to the wind,” which means being drunk. There are all kinds of idioms out there. Not knowing them all is understandable. But I am always eager to learn.
So this morning, with the butterfly phrase still heavy on my mind, I Googled it to check exactly what it means, how often it’s used, if I was dumb for never having heard it, etc. Here’s what Google AI told me:
Tom invented this phrase. He made it up. He had the idea about a butterfly with sore legs and how that image probably looks a lot like a well-placed deep throw and said it on the air. This is all Tom.
That’s extremely good stuff. That rules. Knowing this is a TB original, a few thoughts ran through my mind:
- Tom clearly thought of this a long time ago.
- He couldn’t wait to use this phrase.
- He used it on the first long pass of the year.
- Tom was champing at the bit (another good idiom, comes from horse riding, also it’s not “chomping,” I thought it was “chomping at the bit” for many years) to get this phrase off.
- He probably wrote it out in the Notes app on his phone.
- He probably has a bunch of other phrases in that Notes app as well.
- I cannot wait to hear more of Tom’s made-up idioms.
- I wonder what they could be.
- Hope they’re all butterfly-themed.
- I like the idea of Tom having 70ish butterfly phrases ready to go in his phone.
- I would also accept it if they’re all sore legs-themed.
- Different football situations remind Tom of different animals with sore legs.
- Or maybe Tom only has this one phrase. That could be good too.
- For all kinds of scenarios, Tom just keeps shoehorning in “like a butterfly with sore legs.”
- “This review is taking forever. The refs are standing at the monitor, taking their time like butterflies with sore legs.”
- “That hit was a scary one. BLANK PLAYER is now wobbling as he heads to the blue tent, looking like a butterfly on sore legs.”
Really excellent stuff, Tom. Keep up the good work. I will impatiently await your next made-up phrase like a butterfly with sore legs.
Kinkead: I prefer a bullet with butterfly wings:
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…) email: M.Schultz@sportradar.com