I used to begin a Sport Sociology class with the thought of aliens flying over Earth and seeing the numerous stadiums on Saturday and Sunday afternoons filled with 80,000 to 100,000 Earthlings cheering something happening on a field. Whatever was happening, they had to get the impression that it was clearly important to humans.
Thus, the reason we should study sport. Sport is such a huge part of our everyday lives that it should be no surprise that it has influenced and entered our language as well. Some of the terms seem nonsensical. Let’s try to make sense of them.
“Catch a crab” in rowing is to make a bad oar entry in the water. “Bonk” in running is to become exhausted, usually because of total depletion of carbohydrates. “Fartlek” is a type of training, also in running. It does not involve flatulence, though I suppose it could. It is derived from a Swedish term meaning “speed play” that involves interval training where the rest period is still running but at a slower pace. It usually involves a line of runners where the last person in line sprints past the others to take the lead, followed by the next last person, etc. “Nutmeg” in soccer is when a player dribbles the ball between his defender’s legs, thereby totally humiliating his opponent.
Consider this description of a baseball game: The leadoff is a backward K and the second batter hits a can o corn, but after some chin music, the cleanup hits a frozen rope in the gap with ducks on the pond, thereby taking the lead.
Translation: First batter strikes out looking, second batter hits an easy fly ball for out No. 2. Next batter takes a high and tight fastball pitch that knocks him down and almost hits him. He then hits a hard-line drive between the center and right fielders that scores the base runners.
Baseball: “Can o corn” derives from a grocery store stocker retrieving a can of corn from a high shelf by knocking it off with a long stick. “K” is a strikeout. “Backward K” is strikeout looking. “Frozen rope,” “chin music,” “ducks on the pond,” “touch ’em all.”
Or this describing basketball: The rebounder drops a dime to the cherry picker who finishes and goes to the line. The flopper questions the call, while the guy at the line promptly lays a brick that confirms that the ball don’t lie.
Translation: The rebounder makes a long pass to his teammate who released early. He makes the layup and gets fouled. The defender who falls down intentionally acting, argues the call. The free throw shooter misses badly, and the defender says, “ball don’t lie,” meaning proof I didn’t foul him.
Basketball: Dime, brick, bricklayer, cherry picking, ball don’t lie, nothing but net.
Ice Hockey: He dekes the last defender and scores through the 5 hole knowing the tender doesn’t butterfly, giving him a hat trick.
Ice Hockey: “Deke”- fake out, “5 hole” – between the goalie’s legs, “hat trick” – originally from three consecutive wickets in cricket whereby the fans would hold a collection and buy him a hat, butterfly – goalie technique.
Be careful: Icing means something very different in basketball or football than it does in ice hockey. And pepper can be used as a warmup for baseball and volleyball.
In volleyball: “Roof” is to block the opposing spiker. “Leather sandwich” and “six pack” mean spiking a ball and hitting your opponent in the face. Tennis: Love means zero from the French term for egg, l’oeuf. An ace is a serve untouched by the receiver. Boxing: On the ropes, throw in the towel, low blow, gloves are off. Football: Hail Mary is a last chance TD pass. Blitz – to rush the QB is derived from World War II German bombing of London term Blitzkrieg. Throws a duck, a pass that doesn’t spiral well. Peyton Manning drops back, avoids the blitz and throws a Hail Mary, duck for the game winner.
This brings to mind a famous Boston hockey bumper sticker from years ago. It read: “Jesus Saves … but Espo scores on the rebound.”
Congratulations! You are now bilingual.
Jim Cross is a retired Fort Lewis College professor and basketball coach living in Durango. Reach him at cross_j@fortlewis.edu.
