Eight words and phrases that only make sense at the World Cup
Fans in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, cheer for their hero, Didier Drogba. Drogba, a former African Player of the Year, is the inspiration for the term, ‘drogbacité.’
Like most sports, soccer has its own technical language. It also has its own slang and neologisms. Here are eight of them.
1. A hora da onça beber agua. ("The jaguar drinks water.")
This Portuguese phrase is a popular colloquialism in Brazil. It means the moment of truth. It's often used in a soccer context.
2. Handbags
This is much-used by soccer players in Britain. It refers to a mini-fracas among opposing players, as distinct from full-on fisticuffs. It often involves shouting, pushing and possibly forehead-on-forehead contact—but not head-butting. David Beckham has been known to classify such a minor confrontation as "only handbags."
3. Drogbacité
Named after Ivory Coast veteran star Didier Drogba. In 2006, Drogba intervened in Ivory Coast's civil war, imploring both sides to lay down their arms and negotiate. The apparent success of his speech led to the expression drogbacité, which means a combination of good timing, speed and grace under pressure. See the video below for the drogbacité dance.
4. Catenaccio ("The chain")
An ultra-organized, defensive method of playing soccer popularized in Italy in the 1960s. Don't expect to see the Italians play that way at this World Cup: these days their strength is in attack, not defence.
5. The Beautiful Game
The origin of this phrase to describe soccer may be British. But it was popularized by Brazilian superstar Pele. And it sounds better in Portuguese: o jogo bonito.
6. Moñas ("Ringlets")
In his book, Soccer in Sun and Shadow, Eduardo Galeano describes how the these elaborate figure-of-eight moves were once loved by crowds in his native Uruguay. During the 1930 World Cup, the the move intimated and confused teams from Europe. One Uruguayan player even reputedly fooled French journalists into believing that the Uruguayans learned to perform moñas by chasing chickens.
7. Life and Death
The best soccer related quote may be one attributed to Bill Shankly, former manager of English club Liverpool. "Football is not a matter of life and death," he said. "It's much more important than that."
8. Soccer? Football?
Don't get me started. Just read this.
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Like most sports, soccer has its own technical language. It also has its own slang and neologisms. Here are eight of them.
1. A hora da onça beber agua. ("The jaguar drinks water.")
This Portuguese phrase is a popular colloquialism in Brazil. It means the moment of truth. It's often used in a soccer context.
2. Handbags
This is much-used by soccer players in Britain. It refers to a mini-fracas among opposing players, as distinct from full-on fisticuffs. It often involves shouting, pushing and possibly forehead-on-forehead contact—but not head-butting. David Beckham has been known to classify such a minor confrontation as "only handbags."
3. Drogbacité
Named after Ivory Coast veteran star Didier Drogba. In 2006, Drogba intervened in Ivory Coast's civil war, imploring both sides to lay down their arms and negotiate. The apparent success of his speech led to the expression drogbacité, which means a combination of good timing, speed and grace under pressure. See the video below for the drogbacité dance.
4. Catenaccio ("The chain")
An ultra-organized, defensive method of playing soccer popularized in Italy in the 1960s. Don't expect to see the Italians play that way at this World Cup: these days their strength is in attack, not defence.
5. The Beautiful Game
The origin of this phrase to describe soccer may be British. But it was popularized by Brazilian superstar Pele. And it sounds better in Portuguese: o jogo bonito.
6. Moñas ("Ringlets")
In his book, Soccer in Sun and Shadow, Eduardo Galeano describes how the these elaborate figure-of-eight moves were once loved by crowds in his native Uruguay. During the 1930 World Cup, the the move intimated and confused teams from Europe. One Uruguayan player even reputedly fooled French journalists into believing that the Uruguayans learned to perform moñas by chasing chickens.
7. Life and Death
The best soccer related quote may be one attributed to Bill Shankly, former manager of English club Liverpool. "Football is not a matter of life and death," he said. "It's much more important than that."
8. Soccer? Football?
Don't get me started. Just read this.
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