own goal

[ohn gohl]

noun

1. Soccer, Ice Hockey.,  an unintentional goal scored to the offense when the ball struck by a defensive player goes into the defensive team’s net: o.g.

   The goalkeeper's own goal was a stunningly bad moment.

2. an unintentional harm or disadvantage to oneself or one’s associates, brought about by one’s own action, often when the intention was to harm or disadvantage someone else.

   The prosecution’s relentless badgering proved to be an own goal, and a much-relieved defendant went free.

own goal

noun

1. o.g. soccer a goal scored by a player accidentally playing the ball into his own team's net

2. informal,  any action that results in disadvantage to the person who took it or to a party, group, etc with which that person is associated

Word History and Origins

Origin of own goal¹

First recorded in 1920–25