tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post115179170715293323..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: World Cup wordslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-72932854765625257672007-01-03T00:22:00.000+00:002007-01-03T00:22:00.000+00:00Back in the 19th century, when base ball was the o...Back in the 19th century, when <i>base ball</i> was the only standard spelling, the players were <i>ballists</i>.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1152100376291345222006-07-05T12:52:00.000+01:002006-07-05T12:52:00.000+01:00...but the term is not at all common in the US.Yet...<I>...but the term is not at all common in the US.</I><BR/><BR/>Yet. It will be.skribehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02826058400982302630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1152088477703787382006-07-05T09:34:00.000+01:002006-07-05T09:34:00.000+01:00I was more interested in the word than which game-...I was more interested in the word than which game--one imagines that once the word is known, people'd apply it to any kind of football. <BR/><BR/>I notice that it's been applied to an American football player on <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Brown_(American_footballer)" REL="nofollow">Wikipedia</A>, on <A HREF="http://www.fotosearch.com/DGV050/1036008/" REL="nofollow">fotosearch</A> and <A HTTP://WWW.GIRLSTALKSPORTS.COM/AMERICAN-FOOTBALL/NFL/AMERICAN-FOOTBALLER-BRETT-FAVRE-MAY-RETIRE-20051104265/ HREF+ HREF="" REL="nofollow">Girls Talk Sports</A>, among others. Interestingly, a lot of these seem to be US sources...but the term is not at all common in the US.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1152073094678057732006-07-05T05:18:00.000+01:002006-07-05T05:18:00.000+01:00IIRC herofaxes started during one of the Olympics....IIRC herofaxes started during one of the Olympics. 96 I think. The general public were invited to call a 1800 number set up by our then government owned telco and leave a message for the Olympic team or for a particular member. Those messages were then transcribed and 'faxed' to the team. They were extremely popular with the public and a morale booster for the team-members. The scheme has been continued with subsequent Olympic and Commonwealth games. WC2006 is the first time they've been used for an individual sport.<BR/><BR/><I>They're taking a long-term view.</I><BR/><BR/>Could also be a case of projection. Particularly if Italy win.<BR/><BR/>BTW do you realise that the <I>Melbourne Bulletin</I> is probably referring to <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football" REL="nofollow">Aussie Rules</A>?skribehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02826058400982302630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1152025094367848342006-07-04T15:58:00.000+01:002006-07-04T15:58:00.000+01:00I have no idea what a "herofax" is, and can't even...I have no idea what a "herofax" is, and can't even find a definition of one on the web--definitely Australian!<BR/><BR/>I noticed the difference in UK/Australian attitudes too when I googled the Australian result (to make sure I was correct that they were out of the competition before teasing you about it). The articles were all about how Australia is going to win the World Cup--this was <I>after</I> they'd lost--I had to check the date a few times. They're taking a long-term view. <BR/><BR/><I>We are the source of all the good things on the planet =).</I><BR/><BR/>I'm not sure everyone counts the word <I>footballer</I> as one of the good things on the planet--but if you do, enjoy it.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1152016719820498022006-07-04T13:38:00.000+01:002006-07-04T13:38:00.000+01:00Skribe, I don't think Australia did much better! ;...<I>Skribe, I don't think Australia did much better! ;)</I><BR/><BR/>Don't you know the official word is that <B>we wuz robbed</B>? =)<BR/><BR/>Actually, it is interesting to see how the two countries media handled their defeats. The Pommy media pilloried the team especially the coach, whereas our coach has been hailed as the messiah. Even the <I>villain</I> from the Italian game (no not the ref =), Lucas Neil, has been hailed as a hero and a future captain. <BR/><BR/>The Australian public also took him to their hearts and he received more herofaxes (not sure if other countries do them) than all his team mates combined. Unfortunately, it's a sad reaffirmation that all Aussie heros are losers =).<BR/><BR/><I>so it seems to have started out in Australia.</I><BR/><BR/>We are the source of all the good things on the planet =).skribehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02826058400982302630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1151966068022808812006-07-03T23:34:00.000+01:002006-07-03T23:34:00.000+01:00Putting -er onto sport nouns to create player noun...Putting <I>-er</I> onto sport nouns to create player nouns is just not a productive process in English generally--so <I>footballer</I> and <I>cricketer</I> are oddities, and it's not surprising that AmE hasn't bothered with it. We don't have <I>*baseballers</I> or <I>*tennisers</I> or <I>*poolers</I> either (and neither does BrE).<BR/><BR/>Because <I>golf</I> is a verb as well as a noun, <I>golfer</I> is ok--as are <I>curler</I> and <I>skater</I> and <I>swimmer</I> (etc.). <BR/><BR/>The earliest citation that OED has for <I>footballer</I> is 1880 in the <I>Melbourne Bulletin</I>--so it seems to have started out in Australia.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1151963238549232912006-07-03T22:47:00.000+01:002006-07-03T22:47:00.000+01:00I don't know if there are "amateur footballers," b...I don't know if there are "amateur footballers," but I do know that players of American football — professional or amateur — are never called footballers. What's up with that?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17198310727349521010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1151941451177943562006-07-03T16:44:00.000+01:002006-07-03T16:44:00.000+01:00I don't know anything about Anna Benson--she doesn...I don't know anything about Anna Benson--she doesn't seem to have made it to my sources for US celebrity gossip. (Not that I pay much attention to the sport-related celebrities.)<BR/><BR/>The terms <I>football widow</I> and <I>golf widow</I>, etc. are now familiar on both sides of the Atlantic. The OED has <I>golf widow</I> going all the way back to 1928 in a dictionary of American English, but their next quotation for it is from the 1960s in the British magazine <I>Punch</I>.<BR/><BR/>Skribe, I don't think Australia did much better! ;)<BR/><BR/>Can you be a <I>footballer</I> if it's not your main occupation? I've only ever heard of professionals being called <I>footballers</I>. No Saturday afternoon footballers?lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1151935331484827692006-07-03T15:02:00.000+01:002006-07-03T15:02:00.000+01:00Two points...a US phrase that comes to mind is "fo...Two points...a US phrase that comes to mind is "football widow"--a woman who is alone on Sunday because her husband is planted in front of the TV watching football.<BR/><BR/>As for US women famous for being the wife of a sports star, the first one that leapt to mind is Anna Benson. She's very outspoken (and takes a lot of criticism for that). (Her husband, Kris, is a somewhat above average baseball player.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1151934845710733842006-07-03T14:54:00.000+01:002006-07-03T14:54:00.000+01:00If you ask now you'd get a few admitting that a lo...If you ask now you'd get a few admitting that a lot of them aren't actually footballers either =).skribehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02826058400982302630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1151878038565495672006-07-02T23:07:00.000+01:002006-07-02T23:07:00.000+01:00I don't think they wanted to counteract the associ...I don't think they wanted to counteract the association, but build on it, but <I>Footballers' Wives and Girlfriends</I> is just too much to fit into a headline. A lot of them aren't actually wives...lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1151861094695731602006-07-02T18:24:00.000+01:002006-07-02T18:24:00.000+01:00I was thinking they made up WAGs to combat the ass...I was thinking they made up WAGs to combat the associations of the TV programme, which is even trashier and more unbelievable than the real life ones.Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15114191808501237357noreply@blogger.com