# Kickoff, First Pitch, Puck Drop, Tip Off **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 9, 2018, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331 "2018-08-09T12:19:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [August 9, 2018, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/1 "2018-08-09T12:19:24Z")
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:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/2 "2018-08-09T12:34:17Z")
Soccer and rugby it’s always “kick-off”. In fact that term is often used (sometimes jokingly) for the start of any event of any kind, here in the UK, as a colloquial thing. For cricket I believe the usual term is “start of play” - a bit literal and clunky, perhaps. For some reason “first ball” is not used, even though that is the opening action of a cricket match. For field hockey I think “bully-off” could be used, from the practice of each player from opposing teams hitting sticks 3 times at the start of the game before trying for possession of the ball (which isn’t used any more). I think most other sports (e.g. tennis, croquet) just use “Play starts at…”. But I expect there are other examples. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2018, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/3 "2018-08-09T13:13:55Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Soccer and rugby it’s always “kick-off”. In fact that term is often used (sometimes jokingly) for the start of any event of any kind, here in the UK, as a colloquial thing. That’s also true in the US. We use “kick-off” as a generic term for starting non-sports events, and it’s the only sports term for starting an event I’ve ever heard used that way. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/4 "2018-08-09T14:41:46Z")
Cricket is “Play starts at …” and concludes when “Stumps are drawn” Aussie Rules is “The first bounce” and ends with “The final siren” Rugby is “Kick-off at …” (Field) Hockey is sometimes now “push back” ---
**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:** [August 9, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/5 "2018-08-09T19:28:43Z")
Anyone know what is used for lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, or water polo? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/6 "2018-08-09T19:40:07Z")
I think for Ultimate Frisbee it’s “whenever enough people show up, more or less”. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/7 "2018-08-09T19:40:23Z")
For Ultimate Frisbee, the opening throw of the game and the second half is called “pulling” or is referred to as “The Pull.” A water polo match starts with a “swimoff.” I’m not sure about lacrosse. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/8 "2018-08-10T14:32:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think for Ultimate Frisbee it’s “whenever enough people show up, more or less”. ‘Disc in the air’ is a way of describing the starting moment of an Ultimate game. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickoff-first-pitch-puck-drop-tip-off/819331/9 "2018-08-11T12:16:29Z")
For Ultimate, I’ve mostly heard “first pull is at…”. For water polo, I assume it’s “dirty play begins at…”, because that sport apparently has the most dirty play.