I’m putting together a trivia evening, and an idea I have for a question set it is to provide short statements/sentences laced with as much jargon specific to a particular sport and have the contestants guess the sport it’s talking about.
For example:
The chinaman delivered a googly which had the tail-ender padding up, luckily the delivery pitched far enough outside off, that leg before was not even considered, and the ball simply trickled out to silly mid on.
This sentence calls on a lot of jargon and a couple of older obscure terms from Cricket. To a knowledgeable fan, it makes perfect sense. To someone who doesn’t know the sport it probably sounds like total nonsense. However, even the average Aussie, with minimal interest in sport would be able to conclude that it was Cricket related.
So I’m hoping to get something similar for some sports not so familiar to your average Aussie, say Basketball, NFL, Ice Hockey, Baseball, etc. I don’t know enough about those sports myself (apart from maybe NFL*) to come up with a coherent but obscure statement.
Anyone feel like helping me out by taking a stab?
If I was to take a stab at an NFL one, it might be something like, *On 4th and Ten, the QB called an I formation. However seeing where the Cornerbacks and Safeties were positioned, he quickly called an audible to a Shotgun. The Centre almost fumbled the pigskin at the snap, but got it into the QB’s hand, who threw a perfect spiral to his go to guy. *
I know this doesn’t sound particularly obscure, but to your typical Australian it would be.
“The visiting nine’s southpaw hurled a three-hitter at the home side - helped much by several flashes of leather at the hot corner - but nonetheless was bested by a walk-off jack in the final frame.” - Baseball.
Translated into normal English, “The visiting baseball team’s lefthanded starting pitcher pitched a terrific game in which he gave up only three hits, though he was helped by the third baseman making several terrific fielding plays. Unfortunately, one of those hits was a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning that won the game for the home team.”
It was 3rd and long, and the offense had stalled in the red zone. The defense put in their nickel package. The OC called for a draw play, but the QB read the D and audibilized. He tried to thread the needle to a double-covered man, and the safety made a pick.
Jargon from American football: the “red zone” is the area within 20 yards of the end zone, the part of the field from which teams hope to score. A “nickel package” means a team puts in 5 defensive backs, because they expect the next play to be a pass. The OC is the Offensive coordinator, the assistant coach who tells the QB (quarterback) what play to run. But a quarterback is allowed to “audibilize” (change the play). A “pick” is an intercepted pass.
“Jones screwed into the pack off the cushion with a lot of reverse side, a superb shot which gave him the oppotunity to close out the match with a total clearance” - snooker.
“Smith picked up a break with a four-ball cannon from second corner, and was able to finish with a delayed triple peel, pegging out to win the match by 26 points to 9” - croquet.
“The number 9 smashed it into the onion bag to secure his hat-trick, and 3 points for the home team” - football (soccer).
“He took his mashie from the bag and chipped over the hazard and in for stunning three” - golf.
As a Brit with good general knowledge (but very little interest in American football), I have a feeling anything with “QB” in it is going to be too obvious. Is there an alternative term that can be substituted?
He brings the ball across the line, up to the top of the circle… there’s the pick and roll, drive to the hoop, now kicks it out to the corner…there’s a pump fake, now he puts it on the floor, driving the baseline, finger roll…rejected! Loose ball chased down by the two-guard…clock running down, he launches from downtown, and it’s off the glass for three!
The grinder blew the guy and the bowman stuffed the chute for a perfect leeward douse as they rounded the mark. - sailing
Translation: one crew member released a rope that allowed the spinnaker (big colorful poofy sail that is only used going downwind) to be lowered and gathered and shoved down into a hatch in the front of the boat by another crew member. All this happened as the boat changed course while passing a buoy at the downwind end of the racecourse.
The swingman made a backdoor pass of the rock to the chucker who threw up a brick. - basketball
The swingman (versatile player capable of playing shooting guard or small forward) stepped away from the basket which drew the defender towards him. The swingman then suddenly changed direction towards the basket going behind the defender. The swingman passed the basketball to a another player (the chucker) who is known to take unwise shots at the basket. This poor shooter shot the ball but it hit the rim and bounced away.
American Football could be further hidden by using play names such as:
end around
flea flicker
hook and ladder
trap play
(double) reverse
draw
(naked) bootleg
shovel pass
lateral
pitch
turn the corner
option
statue of liberty
and on the defensive side:
blitz
free safety
zone coverage
bump and run
After attempting the (double) reverse, the signal caller ended up keeping it for a naked bootleg.
After receiving the long snap, the field general ran a flea flicker successfully until the hook and ladder for more ground/yardage was broken up by the free safety.
‘The sweeper crumbs the spillage, squares it to the designated kicker who pumps long to the fat side. The loose man hits the corridor for the overlap who takes a screamer! And he’s off to the races, runs through the lines, and goes long for a sausage!’.
“He gave him the bump-and-run, and forced an opening low to cross the stripe for the win.” - Auto-racing (specifically NASCAR since F1 and Indy don’t do the bump-and-run).
Alternatively,
“He broke high out of the train and slid by to cross the stripe for the win.”
The point man took a one-timer from the high slot, and there was a scramble in the crease before the winger slipped the rebound five-hole to complete his hat trick.
“The back chipped the blitzing sam and drifted out into the flat, where he took the checkdown, made one man miss, and ended up with a new set of downs.”
“The coffin-corner kick should have pinned the return team deep, but the gunners let up on the outside and the up man was able to clear a lane for a decent return.”
“The corner bit on the double-move, but he had help over the top and the safety managed to break up the long post.”
