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Soccer & Football

Why is football called soccer in the United States?

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286 Comments and 56 threads

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  1. packcat says: 114

    A few points about some of the comments…

    First of all “America” by itself IS indeed the U.S.A. North America & South America are name of Continents. When FSU women are coming to America, they are not talking about Peru or Bolivia, but Madison and Park Ave., or maybe Rodeo Drive.

    Sometimes in Europe they call it “American Football” when they refer to the NFL. (National Football League) Football (Soccer) in Europe is chump change compared to the NFL version of Football, which is a multi-billion dollar industry.
    That is like a Googolplex in Roubles.

    Isn’t Soccer or European Football event called a “Match”… like in Tennis?
    Whereas American Football is called a game.

    So if someone says they went to a Football match, we know they are talking about a bunch of sissies in shorts that get less physical action than most of its fans in the stands…
    Whereas, if someone says they went to a Football game, we know they are talking about the pigskin… which is kind of sily, because everyone knows they are made out of horsehide! LOL just kidding.., they are really made from Cows.

  2. This is good. i always sondered about this

  3. ditto says: 110

    “Its called soccer in America!”

    In America????

    Only in the U.S.A. is called “Football”, everywhere the “Soccer” is called Football, in Central America, South America (because America is a continent not a country) that sport is called Fútbol (the latinism of that word, or literally translated as “Balón Pie”).

    And that sport is called Footbal because its played with your “Feet” not with your hands and arms like the “U.S.A.`s Football” or Rugby.

    I hope you understand my poor english.

  4. A soccer ball walks into a bar. The bartender kicked him out

  5. jaredgreer says: 108

    you should become a striper at my strip culb in las veges

  6. BillyB says: 107

    I was showing off your soccer vid to someome & noticed you pulled off a front double biceps pose, at 17 sec in…very nice, didn’t catch it first time through.

  7. davecodave says: 106

    The teacers pet is #269 !!!

  8. omaar says: 105

    because its a nick name :evil:

  9. okay4now says: 104

    I may have requested this word :oops: but only to be funny(?)

  10. foxbow15 says: 103

    cool, Most viewed today :grin:

  11. nw2394 says: 101

    Talking of words that the Americans use differently – why is jam called jelly in the US, but jelly is something different in Britain?

    And then there are words which are the same but said differently. In England we usually say the word oregano as oregahno – with the stress on the “a”. But I remember a Star Trek film where William Shatner says “oreganoh” withe the stress at the end. When that came on the screen my wife and I looked at each other as if to say “what?” – then we realised what the devil he meant.

    Nick

  12. headwaves says: 100

    In my lifetime in the UK it has always been called Football – it used to be nicknamed Soccer, but this fell into disuse because of Americans calling it Soccer period – the nickname for Football is now Footie.

    There are also two Rugby codes over here – Rugby Union and Rugby League – coming from the north west of England I prefer Rugby League, but living in Wales I can only talk about Rugby Union with my friends and colleagues

    x for teacher x

  13. capman911 says: 99

    Miss M what about the letters XoXoXoXos which mean love and kisses. How did this originate :?: .

  14. Hitman says: 98

    But Spain was the Champion.
    At least we failed against the best team. :roll:
    Still this suck, I had so much hopes with Hiddick

  15. Football and rugby are more or less equally popular in England so we do not recognise both sports as variations of old football. Rugby is a seperate sport because the rules have evolved until they have nearly no relation to original football. Because of this the Association Football which became soccer does not need to be recognised as seperate rules so it remained just football.

    • capman911 says: 96.1

      I thought for a minute by reading the headline on the first page of the dictionary, that they had put your name prospero in the dictionary. My mistake, but it would have been an honor to know you for being placed in the dictionary. :cool:

  16. capman911 says: 95

    Is that your dream catcher you have around you’r neck. If so what are you hoping to catch :?: MOI

  17. Can you please explain the origin of the word “book” Thanks.

  18. duby brecht says: 93

    another word learned.. thanks
    i was waondering if u can explain the origin of the word “sled”
    plz..
    thanks so much :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

  19. capman911 says: 92

    Thank you for making my second covetted position come true. Being recognized for a word request. I know the others are just as elated as I. Well maybe some of them. I’ll let the ones that live in England do the proper answer for your homework request. I really don’t know where to start looking. So I guess I get an F in homework today. :sad: But I loved the class and learned something again today. It’s weird why we call it football. It’s like baseball, we don’t hit the ball with the bases. Oh well maybe that could be another problem solver. :smile:

  20. What does “shiver me timbers” mean?

  21. kelt111 says: 90

    Why silverware is called flatware?

  22. BillyB says: 89

    Soccer (Football) requires a minimum of equipement… a uniform and a ball. The ball is not optional,.

  23. kaibanator says: 88

    Australians call the game “soccer” as well.

    Mainly because we have a game very popular to our country called Australian Rules Football, which is now known as AFL (Australian Football League).

    We also have Rugby League and Rugby Union. These sports can be confusing if you don’t know how each of the game’s rules operate.

    Since there has been some sports-related lessons lately (ie soccer, and 15-love in tennis), I have been watching some of the “Tour De France” lately, and I have been wondering about the origin of the word “pelaton”.

    From what I have noticed, a pelaton is described as a big/huge group of cyclists in pursuit of (usually) one or few cyclists who had broken away from that big group to establish a big lead.

    Sorry if that sounded confusing to anyone :mrgreen:

    • Howya going, mate? I’m English and accused you fellas (below) of taking the piss if you call football soccer. :twisted: So apologies and thanks for setting the record straight. So youse call Aussie Rules Football just football then? I only watch rugby and cricket when I’m in your country… Aussie Rules too antipodean for us!

      Glad to read yer watching the Tour in Oz. Should be good this year… we got Cavendish riding… v fast sprinter… and Hushovd trains in Wales! Allez Le Tour!

      • no worries. :cool:

        Yeah I hope the same with the tour de france. The drug scandals from last years tour de france certainly didn’t help the sport’s reputation. I have heard that maybe in 2 years time Aussies will have their own team, which would be sweet :mrgreen:

        The funniest thing I remember from last year’s tour de france was where a guy wearing a mankini was running alongside the cyclists. I was glad that there wasn’t any wardrobe malfunctions :lol:

      • Ya sexeeetiiiiime! They say we’ll have our own British team by 2010… we’ve got enough good riders and Millar has enough money :wink: …and by then the Tour may rule cycling (having wrested it from the ICU) so who knows what kind of strange stuff’ll be going on… mankinis as team uniforms? O, the humanity!

  24. kevino says: 87

    thank you Marina you’ve given me the article I’ve been waiting for :grin:

    The Word Soccer Is…English ?

  25. tedt says: 86

    Germans lost the final, dumm***** .

    Russians did very well, except for the first match (after they got the 300000 Euro offer they won :mrgreen: ).

    In Germany we go for both, Football and Soccer, depends where the match is (England, USA) :lol: . Hum, I think as a German I prefer Football in German it is Fußball so it is easier to remember :wink:

  26. wetsuit5 says: 85

    So Princeton is indecisive on name choosing. :shock:
    I want to take HotForWord’s sister out for Blueberry Crepes, what is her name :?:

  27. faylinameir says: 84

    I have a word request, most gamers seem geared on the word Pwned or powned or pawned or PWN. However you wanna spell it, it usually means I kicked you butt at whatever task you’re doing. Got anything for us beyond that so maybe we can finally understand what they are insulting us with?

    Thanks so much!
    FaylinaMeir
    (Fay-lee-na Me-ir) Yeah its made up, sue me!

  28. roflz says: 83

    :idea: i have a request :idea:

    word: computer or pc :lol: :lol:

  29. By the way even if many know the etymology of the world hooligans it would be so interesting watching MARINA discussing this word with a nice video :cool:

    • FYI, football violence has virtually disappeared from the domestic game here in England. It’s often a family event these days. And racism has massively declined among English football fans.

      We have the best leagues of the best sport in the world…

      • i do agree with you about the most of what you said,however, things with football fans on the continent are quite different from England as you can easily realize so we can immediately spot the difference between rugby and football supporters :sad:

      • Ya… but the idiots from England who cause trouble OUTSIDE football matches in mainland Europe are NOT football fans. They do not go to watch the game. They go just to fight. They are idiots.

        There are are hardly ever any problems from the English INSIDE football stadia these days…

        I have travelled from England to matches in France, Italy, Russia, Macedonia, Sweden, Azerbaijan and Ghana and never witnessed any problems among the true English fans who come to watch football.

      • presumined,forgive me if i’m bothering you but when i was talking about the difference between rugby and football supporters on the continent i wasn’t just talking about English supporters :smile: i was globally talking about idiots coming from any country,unfortunately idiots do not run the risk of extinction in any nation..anyway i love ENGLAND and i have many good English friends with whom i watch both football and rugby even abroad…peace and respect.

      • Ya… the Germans and Poles are doing a good jog trying to take over from the English hooligans of the 70s and 80s. Meanwhile, I heard hooligan stems from the name of the notoriously unruly Hooligan family from Ireland who emigrated to UK in the 19th century. But, of course, life is way safer in Ireland… even though the Irish drink more than the Brits, the streets in Ireland a safe to walk weekend nights whereas, in Britain, few regular people brave the drunken fighters and pukers who come out en masse in all our big towns and cities every weekend… stay blessed…

  30. ”FOOTBALL IS A GENTLEMEN SPORT PLAYED BY HOOLIGANS while RUGBY IS A HOOLIGANS SPORT PLAYED BY GENTLEMEN” ……who agrees with this?

  31. s2dio says: 80

    Dear Teacher… With a spoon! Sorry. Had a lapse of self control.

    I’ve got a word for you that came to me in that ultimate place of pondering… The shower!

    I’m washing my hair, and a little lather gets in my eyes causing me to cry out like a 4 year old girl… Then it hit me. What is “SHAMPOO”? How did that word come to be used for hair soap?

    Isn’t a “sham” a deceit, or lie? And isn’t “poo”… Well… Uh… Something that doesn’t smell good?

    So “shampoo”… What gives?

  32. bobsully says: 79

    Amazing!!!! Another mystery solved by our HotForWords! :smile:

  33. stokesjrj1 says: 78

    Marina, two different questions. One written under the video and another from your mouth. Soccer is still called soccer in England. Rugby was invented in England also and was a sport which allowed holding the rugby ball and running with the same.As for America’s style of football called football, I Am speculating the colonists of America to differentiate from English style soccer and rugby designed their own ball and rules.
    Again speculating without looking up the answer, America’s football is about a foot in length measuring end to end, allowing for measuring penalties when no official measurement system was in effect in the early days of the sport. Hence by rolling the football end over end a measurement could be made. Three football lengths to a yard, ten yards to a first down, 100 yards the length of a football field.

    New words request: burkett…….persimmon………….cottonwood

  34. ahszi says: 77

    Dear Marina,

    Hi there. Another request from me, about words like “Flip-Flops” and “Sandals” (especially referring to beach sandals), or even the word “Thongs”. Sometimes, the word “Slippers” is still being used in our country (the Philippines) even if we can also use the words “Sandals” and “Flip-Flops” here, nowadays. I hope you can discuss these words to us.

    And also, if it is okay with you, will you please show us that you’re wearing a pair of it? Thanks.

    -Ahszi

  35. It’s funny, my aunt was all talking about the “World Cup of Soccer” and how Beckham is a SOCCER player and I told her he plays Football because that’s what it’s called in England, and she just insisted that it’s called Soccer in England too, because it’s the “World Cup of Soccer” and I was like… and what station was this on? ESPN? Yes, you see that’s an AMERICAN station so they had AMERICAN titles and AMERICAN announcers… so yeah they’re not gonna call it “The World Cup of Football” and confuse all the American Football fans. She continued to insist she was right, even after my cousin Sharon, in the one time she’s EVER been on my side in an argument, agreed with me.

    • You and Sharon are right. You’re aunt is sooooo wrong :lol:

      In England it’s just known as the The World Cup, as it is all over Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. The suffix “of football” is completely unnecessary. The World Cup is the The World Cup.

      An analogy: we have a national newspaper in England called The Times which has been publishing since 1785. In the US people call it The “London” Times. This is completely incorrect.

  36. mello-g37 says: 75

    Me born in london….South east….plumsted….37…still in the S.E..area of London…..COR BLIEMY GOVNER ! ….mmmm….why did us Brits stick with FOOTBALL …..the sport is used by the FOOT …its a ball……When you play it s all done BY FOOT CONTROL….so i recon thast Why we call it Foot ball……

    My dear marina ! SPAIN BEAT GERMANY ! preety cool for a spainish team that last time WON in the 1960’s ….’ Hat off to them ‘ they done well .
    Take it easy……oxoxoxoxo

  37. Dear teacher,
    This was a real mystery, so thank you! It is strange that anglo-saxon always abreviate their idiomatic expression or tittle etc… Is there any reason (I mean a linguistic one other than lazyness ! ! ! !)?
    Thank you for the lesson.
    Amicalement,
    Don Felipe Gonzales the curious

  38. mariosti says: 73

    I have always wondered were the word MARIACHI comes from…

    you know like the mexican music haha

  39. gwillikers says: 72

    gwillikers on July 6th, 2008 10:52 pm

    Hi Marina, Sex Goddess From Russia With Love,

    I’m wondering if you can haddle a nice, well-ordered set … something makes me think … DAH!! … and … DAH! … lol …

    Here is the nice set: [wiggle, giggle, jiggle]

    They all seem related in a way but they are different … how did they originate? In what order did they originate?

    HotFor”HotForWords” (that’s me) wants to know.

    And maybe you could demonstrate the difference between those three words, so that we could more easily remember them? :>)

    Send me a kiss soon. Or a wink, or a hug or giggle or a wiggle or a jiggle or something!

    MWAAAA!!

    Gwillikers

    ps: When did MWHAAAAMWAAAMWAAAA come into being?

  40. dearest marina

    please investigate the word copenhagen

    geographically and then why it is related to chewing tobacco

    and your sister, is she in your head?

  41. skyedance says: 70

    were does “xxx” come from? :roll:

  42. gawdess559 says: 69

    Hey Marina,

    Ive got another Word for you… Twat, now heres the reason.

    My mother claims that a pregnant goldfish is called a twat. There are other people that beleive this also, however goldfish cannot become pregnant as they are egg layers… whats the connection?

  43. spelcheck says: 68

    Because soccer is soccer

  44. presumined says: 67

    Marina… I vote for your friends’ place but the best diner in LA County is The Potholder in Long Beach… Eat at the Potholder!

    Bizoo and pancakes…

  45. doothemad says: 66

    Interesting. How about the origin for fencing or some of the fencing terms? Maybe hockey or other sports that aren’t imminently obvious in their name origin. Thanks Duane

  46. bml1212 says: 65

    Suggested words:

    “copacetic” – an American word often considered slang, but I think it has moved into the mainstream language enough to lose the “slang” designation. It isn’t in my 1971 OED and I haven’t checked the newer edition.

    “quiz” – has a great unproven legend.

    “beatnik” – usually attributed to columnist Herb Caen in a 1958 article.

    “geostationary” and “geosynchronous” – Arthur C. Clarke came up with the idea using the concept for communications satellites in 1945, but when were the words coined?

    Could you cite your sources? Maybe in a link next to each entry on the “All the Words and Phrases” page? (In the video about OK you didn’t cover the “Old Kinderhook” and “OK Club” story. Many older etymology books list it as the definite origin. This was thrown into doubt when antecedent use of the term was found. Was the “Old Kinderhook” story omitted for time or has it been eliminated from most modern reference books?)

  47. lcl4 says: 62

    I would very much like to see your sister once in a while. Your reluctance to show her makes me wonder if she is perhaps even hotter than you. Is my teacher jealous?

    • ken says: 62.1

      her sister is just as hot as she is and she loves me

      :)

    • lcl4, check out the Butterfly-Answer video and the Spitting Image-Answer video in the Lessons menu link up above. Her sister is just as hot, but the evil twin is always butting in. :wink:

      Hey, ken, Marina’s sister told me she loved me too. I’ve got proof.
      Look at the Image-Answer video (2:22). She said, “I love You”.
      My middle name is “You” as in ‘Pedanitc You Karl’. :lol:

  48. jarkaruus says: 61

    Wonderful explanation Teach. I’ve wondered about this subject from time to time over the years. Nice to finally have it worked out in my head….maybe I can get some sleep now… :twisted:

    As for why it’s not called soccer in England since they invented the word,…..I have no idea. Next time I talk with a friend of mine over there, I’ll have to ask him.

    Wonderful lesson, as always, and that’s a beautiful necklace you have on. Is it Native American, or does it signify something for you?

    Keep up the great work Teach!

  49. i think you should talk about why people are trying to help tibet escape chinese control :cool: :cool: :cool:

  50. pagedoll says: 59

    I request the word SHILL. From what I gather the origin is unknown…might be a good challenge, right? :grin:

  51. presumined says: 58

    And BTW, football violence has virtually disappeared from the domestic game here in England. It’s often a family event these days. And racism has massively declined among English football fans.

    We have the best leagues of the best sport in the world!

  52. pagedoll says: 57

    football
    the open-air game, first recorded 1409; forbidden in a Scottish statute of 1424. The first reference to the ball itself is 1486. Figurative sense of “something idly kicked around” is first recorded 1532. Ball-kicking games date back to the Roman legions, at least, but the sport seems to have risen to a national obsession in England, c.1630. Rules first regularized at Cambridge, 1848; soccer (q.v.) split off in 1863. The U.S. style (known to some in England as “stop-start rugby with padding”) evolved gradually 19c.; the first true collegiate game is considered to have been played Nov. 6, 1869, between Princeton and Rutgers, at Rutgers, but the rules there were more like soccer. A rematch at Princeton Nov. 13, with the home team’s rules, was true U.S. football. The earliest recorded application of the word football to this is from 1881.
    soccer
    1889, socca, later socker (1891), soccer (1895), originally university slang, from a shortened form of Assoc., abbreviation of association in Football Association (as opposed to Rugby football); cf. rugger, but they hardly could have taken the first three letters of Assoc.
    I know you know where this came from, but do I get an A for effort? :wink:

  53. presumined says: 56

    Hola from England Marina,

    I answered this question on your website message board some time ago. It’s common knowledge here in the Old Country :razz: Some fool started doubting me saying soccer could not be short for Association Football, displaying a singular lack of lateral thought. I simply dismissed this but you’ve answered it beautifully in your video.

    Anyhoo, we call it football because, like the word soccer, we invented it and we’ve been playing it since the 1860s. Come on you Blues! (Ipswich Town FC… we beat Torpedo Moscow in 2001 UEFA Cup :wink: )

    Bizoo!

    • Marina says: 56.1

      presumined, but you originally called it football.. then invented the word soccer as a form of football with feet only.. exported that name to the US.. but somehow shifted back to football in the UK. Do you know why that second change occurred?

      • Hola again Marina… thanks for letting me rant ad nauseam about The Beautiful Game on your message board… :grin:

        This my testimony: The word soccer never, ever caught on here in Angleterre… simple as that. It was just some uptight fellows feeling the need for differentiation from rugger… but the people, with their flat caps and bad teeth, kept right on calling it football…

        OK America, listen up: We never have and never shall use the term “soccer” in England to describe our game of football. If you use the word soccer in a London bar you get wedgied and deported to Alaska.

        But I must say, Marina, if you create a league of your Ass Football (as demonstrated by the picture in your video) I shall move immediately to the US and buy a season ticket…

        Bizooooo…

        PS We can’t get too emotional here about Russia’s defeat in Euro 2008, btw… if you recall, you guys helped knock out a particular Western European team in the qualifiers… clue: its name begins with E and ends with a “ngland”… :wink:

      • nw2394 says: 56.1.2

        Presumined, how old are you? I’m guessing you’re well under 50. It definitely was called soccer when I was a kid – also called football too – indeed more commonly. But it was evident from the books I read that it used to be called soccer a lot more before I was born.

        Go on the blues!

        Nick

      • nw2394 says: 56.1.3

        Marina, I don’t know why the Brits stopped calling it soccer. Soccer was a word still in use when I was a kid – but it was dying out. If you said “soccer” to the other kids they would think you were from a very posh, snobby family. So “soccer” became a word not of the common man I think.

        This would be a reason why the word soccer eventually died in Britain. But it doesn’t necessarily explain why it started it’s decline in the first place. I’d have to ask my father – but he’s dead.

        Nick

  54. greenbush says: 55

    Answer: Mmm…social custom, it gets popular, need to delineate boundaries of the word. I was born in Michigan, and appreciate sweet corn to eat. During my Army term in Germany(1975), I learned that people there thought of sweet corn, as only fit for pigs to eat. So maybe it goes like this: word origins/social custom/popularity. Okay, since I don’t want to feel left out with the word request, here are three: circumcision, female circumcision (also know under other terms for this religious practice), and aphrodisiac. Well with more than 200 videos, guess who has homework now? Plastic M-16?

  55. Hey Marina can u give me the origin of Breasts??

  56. pagedoll says: 53

    Can someone tell me what a HFW Wall is, over there :arrow: , to the right?

  57. pagedoll says: 52

    They won’t change the name because if they did all the soccer thugs and hooligans would riot and that wouldn’t pretty. :smile:

    • capman911 says: 52.1

      Hi bro whatsup, a little shorter version this time. :wink: Isn’t it Spain that riots every time wheither they win or loose. Or just riot for the heck of it. It seems like every time they play they are rioting about something tearing down fences, running out on the field. :roll:

  58. Heya Marina,
    requesting:
    Word Farfetched
    Phrase Pull my finger
    they call soccer in Spain Futbol and u pronounced it well
    and football in spain is call Futbol Americano
    i think that the britsish call soccer football because hey maybe they like the word football better
    Souljablacc66 Aka Vgwiz28 <— Youtube Acc

    • “i think that the britsish call soccer football because hey maybe they like the word football better”

      Hola Souljablacc66… your theory about why we say football and not soccer in England is probably the best answer I have ever seen on this site… :grin: Viva football, futbol, fußbal, Le foot, footy (England), fitba (Scotland), The Beautiful Game!

  59. cruzinlane says: 50

    Hey Marina

    Just letting you know I did vote for Blu Jam. I go to L.A, weekly so I will have to try them out.
    Thanks

    Todd

  60. pagedoll says: 49

    That dress or top KILLS!…that mean its awesome!…so do the pigtails…well put together today Teacher! :grin:

  61. Please help if possible. The word ” skipper” used to address the captain of a ship or plane. Sometimes even the commanding officer of military unit and occasionally in the civilian world the boss of dept. or group. How did this word come to this use. Thank You. c.l.p.

  62. koalabear says: 47

    Are the poltergeist back again at 2:14? :shock:

  63. protac6 says: 46

    Since you live in L.A and like soccer/futbol, do you too have a man crush on David Beckham? haha

  64. Shenanigan

    My favorite word,
    because it sounds so funky!

    I know what it means,
    but who was the Irish bloke to invent it?

    A funny one I know,

    Love you Marina

    • I second that word. I think I asked about shenanigans a while ago, but not enough people expressed interest. Maybe this time we will be lucky :)

      another word I thought was kind of funny as well is “Ragamuffin” :lol:

  65. roadrunrnch says: 44

    I put this on the I have a favor, see what you all think?

    roadrunrnch on July 6th, 2008 8:45 pm

    Oh God could you imagine a Meet Hotforwords breakfast a this place? Like a book signing . Bring her videos , Posters, Book, Autographed Pictures.
    A Meet and Greet? Man that could be a big deal.. Catering tents LoTs of Security, A publicist, Maxum Radio promotion, Utube mentions and word of mouth.

    Get on it Marina. Damn If I must say so myself Sounds GOOD . \\\\\\\\\\What do all of YOU think./////////

    • BillyB says: 44.1

      Is your truck able to transport all the stuff… are you discounting your rates or hoping for a %?
      Some of the stuff you say RRR , I agree with, Some stuff, I guess goes over my head, & other, I can’t think about :smile: I’m too simple I guess. Glad to see you keep working on new ideas, hope you have them all docummented & where neccesary patented. I do want to know when your truck is behind me on the freeway as you seem a little unpredictable at times…thats good right?

      • BillyB I just read your bio in jrc’s blog if thats what we call it. the part that struck me the most was your Motto: What I do, doesn’t make much difference, what I teach, does. Billy you can’t get any more meaningful in a comment or motto than that. It’s a great pleasure to have met you on this site.
        Mike

    • pagedoll says: 44.2

      I’d show up!…maybe she will after her book comes out so theres something for her to sign…mmmm?

    • Funny, a similar thought crossed my mind today!
      there would have to be two events, one east and
      west -shoot, man maybe three – to include Canada!
      security isn’t going to be tough, keep the event
      low stress, green room environment – no sweaty
      bodyguards to blow the decorum. Yeah, been
      thinking how to work the group dynamics for
      best affect. Lots of possibilities. She’d have to
      work her tookie off just to plan it, but it would
      pay of with a LOT of zeroes. Roadrunmch,
      take some time. Write a detailed outline,
      leave fleshing out details, for now. Give
      us your idea in a coherent chronologic
      series of events, something like a Primavera
      construction timeline. What you and I have
      thrown in here is all fine, pie in the sky.
      Make a serious proposal; all this stuff
      is fine but it ain’t free. I thought Pete
      Jackson would make a great local host
      when she does the New Zealand show!
      Set your task to writing this as a business
      proposal you would take to a banker,
      for a loan to fund this project. Then,
      present it here for refinement, criticism,
      etc. After that? Not up to me.

      This is a nice way to work through
      your desire to contribute, much
      bigger dream than being a minion :mrgreen:

      • All I meant was, I would keep it very light. I have other sites for abstract thoughts. This is a light site, I get it.
        As for the above idea?
        I am done, All I am qualified for is the Ideas.
        But Marina will need a lot encouragement. ( talk it up )
        My Trucking is in Construction , no help .
        RRR
        The lite hearted

      • We can’t let her do it any where near Russia. They might want her back for themselves. We can’t have that to happen. She’s Russian American now. To be policticly correct. Just like RRR who is a cool Hinds 57 so to speak as he put it so gracefully the other day. I couldn’t remember all of the origins you were from so I kinda grouped you all in to one. Sorry. RRR. I am a Confederate American myself. My wife is going to NY soon it would be a good time for me to slip out to California to have a meal at the Blue Jam and meet Miss M. :mrgreen: :cool:

  66. shane says: 43

    I’m curious about the origin of the word ‘Prix’ in Grand Prix. When did it become the word to refer to a major car race.

    Also, I voted for Blu Jam too. I love that place!

    • Pretty sure it means “prize” in French as in “Big Prize” for winning the race…

      • shane says: 43.1.1

        Thanks.

        That’s interesting though, because the first Grand Prix ever held was in Monza Italy. So why would they have used a French word to name the race “Big Prize”?

        Why didn’t they use the Italian translation and call it the ‘Grande Premio’ instead?

      • Think it’s because the French invented Formula 1… it’s the same in cycling; the French pretty much set up all the regulation and, of course, the world’s greatest race (currently hurtling out of Brittany) so French is still the lingua franca in that sport (altho English encroaches)… :razz:

    • capman911 says: 43.2

      It’s weird how the word Prix in Europe is pronounce like Pree. And if we used it in a sentence in America it would sound like pricks=priX. I guess its all the placement of the ” or ‘ or what ever symble they put above the letter to mean something different. Very good question to ask teach Shane :cool:

  67. protac6 says: 42

    Hi beautiful can you please derive the word “gangster” because there seems a trend of some people around where I live that call themselves gangsters but I can see right though them. haha I’m just curious and who better to ask than you.

    Thanks a lot
    Matthew

  68. auvergne says: 41

    Marina, can u do one for the origin of “kudos” Please do kudos!!!! KUDOS!!!!!

  69. Hi Marina, can you investigate the origin of the word “cocktail”? Bye…mexicanyakuza

  70. nedarizona says: 39

    Marina:

    Request for word origin: “boo-boo” as in a mistake. “I made a boo-boo.” I have tried to research it myself, and found nothing. Thanks

  71. beantownjim says: 38

    hiya cuty i voted for your freinds restaraunt hugs and kisses xxxxooooo :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

  72. Marina, what is that song at the very end of this video and who is that band? It sounds really cool and kickin’ if I might add and I just did.

  73. yankeegato says: 36

    I theorize, but England at ome point started playing soccer internationally, and it would be quite natural for them to adopt the name everyone else used rather than the entire world to adopt the phraseology of just 4 schools in 1 country.
    tt

  74. theparamo says: 35

    i want to know about spanish words like ahorita and puto/a

    and lambisconiando

  75. stokesjrj1 says: 34

    Maia Marina, A friendly Joke, How did the devil get into the egg? He poked it with his pointy little tail

  76. I actually am having a hard time finding why England wouldn’t use the word soccer. The only reason I can think of, is that since rugby is still played there, they want to make sure that the game is differentiated from rugby.

    But, the question still arises, why not call it soccer. From what I found that it’s not just called soccer in America. It’s called soccer in Canda, and Australia as well. I wonder if anyone else is having trouble with this question.

    • It’s called football virtually everywhere in the world… the word soccer, as Marina explained, was only created when rugby was invented (some time after football) but even then it was a lesser-used synonym.

      In England, rugby became known simply as rugby (even though, technically, it is rugby football… FYI, rugby was devised at Rugby School (in England) when some kid picked up the ball and started running with it in his hands – she shoulda been sent off :wink: ) and football REMAINED football… it’s simple.. a game played with feet and a ball.

      Canadians obviously say soccer because, like the US, they play gridiron and any Aussie who says soccer is just taking the piss :wink:

  77. I like the work “gams”, despite my friend who says “Nobody says that!” Still, people seem to know what I am talking about when I say it. But where does the word come from?

    Incidently, you have great gams!

  78. Hey, sorry I wasn’t sure if you would read my request on Youtube, so I got an account here.

    I wanted to know the origin of the word “period”
    the state of manstaration (sorry if I didn’t spell it properly!) for women.
    Why is it the same word for “.” the symbol to end a sentence?

    lol via Spain!!! >:D

    Keep up the fantastic job! I love your videos!

  79. sgrock says: 30

    :?: What happened on the soccer video?
    Marina you have the hottest blue eyes I have ever seen.

    Another slang for the LOO. Head because it was at the head of the old sailing ships; Latrine; John; Crapper (named for the inventor of the flush toilet); Out House (It was outside, DUH!)

    All for now my dear teacher.
    SGROCK

  80. Hi Marina, greetings from Mexico, can you tell us the origin of “Cesar Salad”? Or can you make it like a game? Hugs…Mexicanyakuza…

  81. Where does the word Roanoke come from? (Its also some times spelled Roanoak/ Roanoake).

  82. #29 five stars x 2!
    scared me to death :sad:
    with all the recent
    holiday server fun… :!:
    …anyway I was glad to
    see you were merely
    “acting” bummed

    Congratulations to all
    listed who were actively
    pursuing this word for
    a lesson! You are now
    the official HFW “soccer”
    lesson tourguides. As the
    new folks tend to ask for
    the same words over and
    over, your duty is to help
    the ones asking for “soccer”
    to find that lesson, wherein
    your name is listed in the
    roll of Honor. It may be
    rough, lots of haters out
    there, but you proved to
    have the will and perseverence
    to win Marina’s favor.
    I salute you. :mrgreen:

    Homework: i am as homegrown
    as Mom’s topless American pie.
    We get mostly Jai Alai and
    stuff like that in Florida. :roll:
    Don’t get to England that often.
    We do have the soccer mom’s
    though, i see the bumper sticker :grin:
    quite a lot. Do they have Jai Alai
    in England – gee, i don’t know :roll:
    Does this mean I can still be a TA,
    someday? [best puppy eyes] :idea:

  83. leonidas says: 26

    Marina, did you play with one of these when you were growing up? http://www.dragonmodelsltd.com/html/svetlanamain1.htm
    sniperskaya would probably like one…

  84. seesixcm6 says: 25

    Dear Marina, I’d rate your video five stars. The Russian soccer team looked so good when they beat the Netherlands, 3 to1, so the loss to Spain was dissappointing. I hope you enjoy American football, and someday will get someone to take you to a USC football game. You would enjoy the USC marching band, the USC cheerleaders, and their great football team. Their season starts in a few months.
    GO USC!, seesix CM6

  85. nasdrovia! is a word my grandfather always likes to say. He is Russian/Ukranian. I know that it means “To your health”. But I would be interested to know where it originated.

    • geronimo says: 24.1

      There is an ugly American girl who does the origins of Russian words. You should ask your question there. It’s http://www.hotforcyrillic.com :lol:

    • geronimo says: 24.2

      The only lack of intellect here is yours. The proof that you didn’t get the joke is when you wrote that Russian girls are sexy. That was MY whole point. An ugly American girl teaching Russians about their own language is the opposite of Marina. Ever hear of bazarro world? I guess not. Maybe only superman comic readers will get my joke. Anyways, no good joke is ever a waste of space. I’m sorry it went over your head. Your bazarro person would be named “analog_apature and they would be smart. :lol:

      • Your arrogance is obvious. What’s funny is your pre-teen slandering methodology for trying to compensate for a lack there of. Humor. You are right, I wouldn’t know about comic books or bazarro world. What can I say? You got me. Hehe. Perhaps you can teach us all how to be funny. Did you get my joke? Hope so. Btw, I did find “analog_apature” rather amusing. Good work. Also, I said “russians are sexy”. Ebonics anyone? Best regards brother.

    • geronimo says: 24.3

      First, I am not arrogent. I only responded in the tone that was directed at me caused by your own ignorence. To call me slanderous would be to call yourself the same, as you are the one who questioned my intellect. You then escalated your slander by insinuating that I have no humor and have a pre-teen slandering methodology. Ever hear of projecting? That is the pot calling the kettle black. Thankfully you had enough sense to contradict yourself and admit that “analog_apature” was comedy genuis! Opps did my arrogence make me over state it? I KNOW you said “Russians are sexy” What I would like to know is what the hell does does that have to do with eboinics? Are you saying I am black? Oh that’s right you already did, Pot.

      What makes you think I am back?

      By the way, you can’t teach humor. Also, throwing around words that seem big to you doesn’t make you smart.

    • geronimo says: 24.4

      And one more thing. My original comment was meant to be funny but witha point. That point being, that 90% of Marinas’ subscribers speak English as their first or only language. If she started doing the origin of words 90% of her audience have never heard of, she would lose them no matter how hot she is.

      • Now you’re calling me racist? What a dick. You don’t even know what sex or race I am. haha. Try spell check. you’re only making yourself look like a jerk. You’ve got some really big internet balls. lol I’m scared. Don’t waste your time or mine.

    • geronimo says: 24.5

      You are either an idiot or insane. Maybe both. YOU are the one who brought up ebonics, I only asked you why. What ever your race or sex, is irrelevant. Why would I need to know that? Just answer the question: why did you say “ebonics anyone?”

      • Ok, how about phonics. As in “hooked on phonics”. As in “learn to read what you are writing about”. Or how about using your wasted negative energy and using it for something constructive. ie. learning. Something I believe this site was intended for. Seriously, get a grip. You call me crazy, an idiot or both. You have done nothing but pick a fight with someone trying to participate on this site. Go take your personal issues elsewhere. They’re not wanted here.

    • geronimo says: 24.6

      I didn’t start a fight, I just made a joke, and you started with the insults. Hooked on phonics is entirely different than saying “ebonics” If your going to attempt comedy get your references correct. Go back and read. You may be able to lie to yourself, but the facts are in writing. I am sorry that I am better at the insults. On the upside, you were right about this being a learning site. We have both learned that you are an idiot and not insane. I have no personal issues, just issues with hypocrites who blame others for what they do. Read my first comment and tell me where I insulted you.

    • geronimo says: 24.7

      And by the way, comparing ebonics (black urban speech) to hooked on phonics (a reading course) pretty much does reveal your proclivity toward racism.

    • geronimo says: 24.8

      I am shaking in by boots. Anyone can read who started with the insults.

    • geronimo says: 24.9

      The only person who is delusional here is the one who can read my first comment and see an insult somewhere hidden my words. You paranoid schizo!

  86. bunnirific says: 23

    Hey Marina! Good episode!! I’ve always wondered why Americans call it soccer.

    I was wondering today if the word sex has anything to do with the Latin word for six? I figured you’d be the person to ask. ;)

  87. tab says: 22

    I would think that they call it Football in the U.K. because they were annoyed at America for declaring independence, and wanted to cut off any ties between the two, so that the American “Soccer” teams could not come and play against the British “Football” teams.

    Also Marina, I was wondering if you could do a whole episode about how language is being affected by internet jargon, and explain the origins of all of the abbreviations that the internet has produced (lol, rofl, noob, etc.).

    • That’s CERTAINLY not the reason… (altho maybe you were just joking… :roll: ) …and England welcomes teams from all over the world, including the US :razz: …always has… (except during legitimate boycotts, of course – like when RSA was run by apartheid racists.)

      It’s called football virtually everywhere in the world… the word soccer, as Marina explained, was only created when rugby was invented (some time after football) but even then it was a lesser-used synonym.

      In England, rugby became known simply as rugby (even though, technically, it is rugby football… FYI, rugby was devised at Rugby School (in England) when some kid picked up the ball and started running with it in his hands – she shoulda been sent off :wink: ) and football REMAINED football… it’s simple.. a game played with feet and a ball.

      Canadians obviously say soccer because, like the US, they play gridiron and any Aussie who says soccer is just taking the piss :wink:

  88. jcr says: 21

    Soccer is my son’s favorite sport. He broke his foot playing it this year and was very bummed about that…. but when he came to us, at age 5, he said he wanted a football…but he meant a soccer ball. :smile: I don’t know why they call them footballs in other place. And he used to pronounce Chocolate like this: “Choco -latte (Choc -o – lah -tay) and it was considered proper to kiss women’s hands in greeting them. I think that kissing of the hands would be a lovely tradition here, if the guy was handsome (remember, I’m female).

    • You write to Marina like she’s
      your friend. Cool! Not to
      be out of line, but if you
      had a Gravatar* would it
      be Wilma? :roll: or Betty? :twisted:
      just kidding – want you to
      feel welcomed! You can be
      the Xena gravatar, if you want! :mrgreen:
      * http:\\www.en.gravatar.com

      • jcr says: 21.1.1

        Okay, I’ll try to find a gravatar but the last one I had was a raccoon and people got all attached to it and started talking to the “raccoon” so I’m nervous about avatars or gravatars and I do think of Marina as friendly because she was nice enough to comment on my article and link to it and everything. I hope it brought 10 zillion people here to this site. Off to find a gravatar.

      • cha-cha is the Gravatar-pimp…i’m sure he’ll be happy to send one… :cool:

      • jcr says: 21.1.3

        Does everyone here use Gravatar?

      • gravatars are universal icons for sites that enable that ability – it’s a gread concept, i think, if it spreads…imagine having the same recognition ability on hundreds of sites, and know who’s who by their icon…

        anyway, to answer your question, i think all of the icons you see here are gravatar.com icons – i don’t know it there are other sites that store that information, nor whether Marina’s site enables any other univeral icon other than gravatar’s…

        http://en.gravatar.com

      • jcr says: 21.1.5

        Okay, I did one so let me see if it came through. If it did, I might actually work up to my face :grin:

      • annuddermale called ME a pimp??
        guess I need a fuzzy hat, huh?
        i got the shades already…LA LA LA!
        Gravatars really come in handy
        on this blog when you become
        familiar with the different types
        who visit. These guys can
        hurt you with their humor.
        Marina, too. Read some of
        the comments under Bluetooth.
        There is a fine joke by Marina
        you must read for yourself.
        I won’t spoil it here. Lots of
        eligible men, too. Some with
        real good manners! then,
        there are guys like me who
        seek out the inteligencia.
        I just hawk the Gravatars
        as an ice breaker. Some
        good boys in here. It is
        definitely a good idea
        to get a Gravatar, though.
        that’s my “no autograph’s, please”
        picture, all nonchalant and junk..
        “the future’s so bright,
        I gotta wear shades”

    • That is such a cute post.

      BTW, in England a football is round and rolls along the ground, making it easy to play with using feet. A rugby ball (or American football) is not round. That’s why we call it a football. :grin:

  89. tanathos23 says: 20

    love your classes

    i always watch you in youtube, and always read your mails :D

    i’ve already voted for your friend’s restaurant

  90. epikkhap says: 19

    where does evolution com from? :?: :grin:

  91. where does the word BONG come from :???:

  92. Marina,
    I just noticed that the “Fake / Phoney” video is “Today – Most Viewed”
    video with 207,356 views. :cool: :cool: :cool:
    http://www.youtube.com/browse?s=mp&c=0&l=&b=0

  93. Hello Marina,
    Excellent video. 10+ stars in all categories, incl. cute range of facial expressions, video quality and lighting.

    A quick note about the polling archive. http://www.hotforwords.com/pollsarchive/

    As a visitor (i.e. not logged in), the pagination does not work properly. When clicking “Next Page”, the same page is displayed using several browsers.

    Maybe it’s a feature… it will force visitors to register to see the other polls pages. :grin:

  94. hueeeeey says: 15

    Hey Baby, I was wondering if you could tell me where the word “baby”
    comes from.

    • what a great name! still laughing
      i got the Baby Huey joke -pretty good.
      I considered getting a tat of Hot Stuff
      for awhile. One where he’s posed
      all coy (pitchfork behind his back)
      with a “Who? Me?” look on his face.
      glad i didn’t – too much red ink work.!
      She hasn’t done “baby” yet, and
      I’m surprised! It’s a strong word
      of affection for both men and
      women, like schatzi, or honey.
      Good request. :mrgreen:

  95. jellyman says: 14

    Investigate the word “SEXY” please

    come on Marina. Sexy is an interesting word, right?

  96. crazymick says: 13

    i was wondering where the word GUNG HO comes from. it sounds like it might be a compilation of two different words. :cool:

  97. crazymick says: 12

    I am not sure why but i would have to guess that the majority of them liked the word football better, so that’s the way they kept it. :cool:

  98. mf3177 says: 11

    Interesting video. I’m an American football fan who gets into arguments with soccer fans, so I’m happy that I can now tell them “England did it!”

    Also, I was going through old lessons and realized there has yet to be a word that starts with the letter Z.

    Thus, I’m requesting the origin of the word zombie, which sounds like it has little to do with the undead.

  99. I am for Spain, sorry Marina. Did you see Nadal today? What a match! I go to Spain and Mallorca (where Nadal is from) every summer–that’s where I took my avatar picture. Go to Barcelona if you haven’t been also–so fun!

  100. prospero811 says: 9

    It was no longer called soccer, because, basically, they didn’t need the word. Soccer football was what the British often call “proper” football, or just “football.” And, Rugger Football or rugby football just dropped the football part and became rugby.

    American football was already called football late in the 1800s, so soccer took the other half of the soccer football name, and just went by soccer.

    Lovely as always, Marina!

  101. annuddermale says: 8

    i’m going to faint!…Marina spoike my name!…and in a really, really sexy chipmunk voice!… ::oops: :shock: :mrgreen:

    as for why Brits call soccer “football”, i’ll defer to Bob, but i’d wager that it has something to do with American football not catching on in England, and so, left to their own devices, the Brits (stalwart lads that they are) simply didn’t adapt the new terminology when it came along…

    i hear they still crank their phones, too… :lol:

    btw, Marina, with the Olympics coming up, perhaps you could do a series on Olympic sport names or an Olympic theme…

    and May-Traynor/Walsh qualified for beach volleyball…

    where they get to wear bikinis
    …(hint, hint)… :cool:

  102. wetsuit5 says: 7

    Don’t be too bummed out HotForWords, Russia won Eurovision 2008 and there will be a big shindig in Moscow in May 2009. :lol: :lol:

    If they had that logo back then it would Ass Football. :twisted: :twisted:
    Somebody is in fine shape. :shock: :shock:

  103. puckman384 says: 6

    so i walking down the beach in my favorite pair of flip-flops…

    Hey!

    Where’s that word come from?

    Can you find out please?
    -Puckman384 :grin:

  104. roadrunrnch says: 5

    chacaha and captjack? OH well, mayBe next time :shock:
    cute video.
    rrr

  105. foxbow15 says: 4

    Because the english think it sounds stupid? Just a very stupid random guess…

  106. foxbow15 says: 3

    yay lol , kinda sucks that Russia lost in the Semi-final: Spain vs. Russia this year in the UEFA cup, i realy wanted them to win.

      • Hey, at least the Russians got there… the Norwegians never make much of a showing…..

        ….and, imagine being American and watching the Word Cup!

        (I am 100% Norwegian genetically, but geographically American)

    • foxbow15 says: 3.2

      They pwend the Netherlands in the quarter finals , and i didn´t even care:P even tough i’m dutch. They where just so much better.

      • foxbow15, i worked the Paralympic sitting volleyball venue when the Paralympics were in Atlanta in ‘96…and the Orange that the Netherlands fans wore ’bout knocked my eyes out… :shock:

        but a nicer crowd, of every country, you couldn’t have asked…

        the Paralympics are what the Olympics used to be like, before corporations took over… :cool:

      • foxbow15 says: 3.2.2

        hehe, i hate those dutch supporters, they’re so stupid:P They always think they’re the best , and go abselutly crazy with they’re costumes and behavior. I laughed so hard when they lost cause all those 150.000 people went to Switzerland for nothing :grin: You should have seen the streets over here, almost all of them where completly orrange, except mine :wink: People even cried lol, Its just soccer!

    • presumined says: 3.3

      Spain beat Russia (and later Germany, of course… viva Espana!) in the European Championship (UEFA Euro 2008) for national teams… the UEFA Cup is a European competition for club sides… my team won it in 1981… Ipswich Town FC, Suffolk, England…

Author: HotForWords