Man Utd striker has lost venom, his fangs are not as sharp

[supermarioutd]

Hello to all,
I was watching football the other day and after Rooney lost many opportunities to score a goal the commentator said something like this:
Oh, that Rooney has lost his venom.
And the guy next to him aknowledged by saying something like this:
Yeah,his fangs are not as sharp as they once were.

So, are these common idioms? Are they used exactly like that? Can it be used to imply that someone is not as powerful and influential as they used to be? :
"The Prime Minister is basically a spent force. He has lost venom and his fangs are not as sharp as they used to be."
Thank you in advance

 

[PaulQ]

are these common idioms?

No - I've never heard them before.

"The Prime Minister is basically a spent force. He has lost venom and his fangs are not as sharp as they used to be.

As true as it might be, I would advise you to forget this metaphor completely. The football commentator's brain was not fully in gear.

 

[Barque]

I've heard "lost his venom" to mean "not as forceful/effective/aggressive/ruthless" as before, and usually in sports contexts.

The "fangs not as sharp as they once were" was just an acknowledgment in the same vein - not a commonly used idiom at all.

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

But inventive! And for someone who has been deprived of his capacity to do something, ususally something harmful, we say "He's been defanged."

 

[supermarioutd]

As true as it might be, I would advise you to forget this metaphor completely. The football commentator's brain was not fully in gear.

Do you know of any metaphors that can be used in this situation?

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

"He's lost his edge."? I'm not sure I'd call that a metaphor, though; an idiom, maybe. ("He's lost a step." refers specifically to speed or quickness.)

 

[supermarioutd]

"He's lost his edge."

Is this a fixed idiom? I can't find it in my dictionary. Can it be used to refer to a politician that no longer is powerful?

 

[Barque]

Can it be used to refer to a politician that no longer is powerful?

It means that someone isn't as effective or good as he once was, in a particular activity/field.

If this politician is no longer powerful for that reason, and if that's what you want to emphasise, then yes, you could use it.

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

It means that someone isn't as effective or good as he once was, in a particular activity/field.
If this politician is no longer powerful for that reason, and if that's what you want to emphasise, then yes, you could use it.

Or that someone has lost their motivation, intensity, passion.

 

[Rover_KE]

Rooney won't care about losing his venom; he's getting £250,000 a week.

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

Rooney won't care about losing his venom; he's getting £250,000 a week.

Chicken feed. Some athletes in the US make twice that (not counting endorsement fees).