# "Kickoff at 6:20 p.m." **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [February 3, 2021, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171 "2021-02-03T23:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cardinal\_fang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal_fang/32/15316_2.png) [@cardinal\_fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardinal_fang)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/1 "2021-02-03T23:32:40Z")
Various sports use some vernacular related to the mechanics of the opening play to refer to the start of the match: “Puck-drop (or opening face-off) after this message.” “Tip-off at 8:07.” “First pitch coming up.” Some (like kickoff) have gained figurative meanings as well (although I can’t vouch for the etymology). “The conference kickoff will feature a cat-juggling expert.” What are some other examples that are used not just as the technical term for the opening play, but commonly used to refer to the match start? Not just sports, but games and other activities as well. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/2 "2021-02-03T23:42:40Z")
Not quite the same as your examples, but in horse racing, “post time” can refer to the time a particular race starts: “Post time for the fifth race is at 3:05 PM.” But it also means the start of the racing day, for all races: “Hey, join us at the track on Saturday. Post time is 1:15 PM, but we plan to get there about 12:30.” Meaning that the day’s card of six to ten races will start at 1:15 PM. Similarly, a radio or TV commercial for the local races will make mention that “Post time Saturdays and Sundays is 1:15 PM; it’s 5:30 PM for Friday evening racing.” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/3 "2021-02-04T00:35:10Z")
Maybe the starting gun as an example for footraces. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/4 "2021-02-04T01:06:20Z")
A game of Australian Rules football is started by the umpire bouncing the ball down at the centre of the field and players from competing teams then vie to secure possession of the ball. This is the “bouncedown”, and the word is in regular colloquial use as a term for the start or starting time of any event. The end of each quarter of play is marked by sounding a siren, and “siren” is used to refer to the end of play. But I haven’t heard it used for the end of any other event. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/5 "2021-02-04T02:49:33Z")
Previous thread with some more ideas: > [@Kickoff, First Pitch, Puck Drop, Tip Off](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331): > > When referring to the start of the baseball game people usually say “The First Pitch is at 7:05”. For football, “Kickoff is at 1:05”. I usually hear Puck Drop for hockey and Tip Off for basketball. I have no idea what you say for a soccer, rugby, cricket, or any other sports. Do folks usually say “The game/match starts at noon” or do they use specific terms like we generally use for major team sports in the States. ---
**Author:** ![cardinal\_fang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal_fang/32/15316_2.png) [@cardinal\_fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardinal_fang)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/6 "2021-02-04T05:50:47Z")
There’s always a thread. 🙂 @Spoons and @UDS, those are great examples. I’m going to start using them in emails at work. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/7 "2021-02-04T10:58:48Z")
First off the blocks (athletics) - to describe a person or subject that starts a meeting. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/8 "2021-02-05T01:47:15Z")
F1 says “the lights go out” at x’oclock. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/9 "2021-02-05T06:41:49Z")
Is that the start of the event, or the end? Either way, I don’t see that there’s much scope for this one to acquire a broader currency, since the image of lights going out is already in metaphorical use to talk about adverse developments. (“The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our life-time”.) ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/10 "2021-02-05T06:57:08Z")
That’s the start. The grid lines up, five red lights come on one at a time, then when they go out, everyone floors it. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-at-6-20-p-m/932171/11 "2021-02-05T07:04:28Z")
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