Why American Football is called "Football."

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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Angharrad »

Nutso wrote:
Angharrad wrote:A bar near my apartment shows rugby games.


I like hockey.
You must have been in heaven today.
Yeah my team won.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Jim »

I wish that I could see more Aussy Football.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Mikey »

That explanation sounds bogus. I'd guess that our sport is called "football" simply because in origin, in the mid-19th century, it was precious little different from what's now known as rugby or Oz-rules football. The differences we see in the modern games arose well after the name was established.

Besides, we won that little insurrection in the late 1700's. We could name a sport "Your Mom's Hairy Ass" if we wanted, but:
a) the name's already taken by a picnic game, and
b) the etymology would be just about a bitch to explain.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Captain Seafort »

Mikey wrote:Besides, we won that little insurrection in the late 1700's.
And we won both a) the final battle and b) the rematch thirty years later. :P
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Mikey »

Captain Seafort wrote:
Mikey wrote:Besides, we won that little insurrection in the late 1700's.
And we won both a) the final battle and b) the rematch thirty years later. :P
Funny, be that as it may I still haven't seen any Union Jacks flying over any of our government buildings, nor any pictures of HM on our folding money.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by McAvoy »

Nor put the letter u in a bunch of words... or drive on the wrong side of the road.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by stitch626 »

McAvoy wrote:Nor put the letter u in a bunch of words... or drive on the wrong side of the road.
No, we drive on the right side of the road, quite literally. :mrgreen:

Also, those u's are unnecessary and less efficient. Then again... we now have txt language so I guess who dropped what letters doesn't matter much.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Angharrad »

stitch626 wrote:
McAvoy wrote:Nor put the letter u in a bunch of words... or drive on the wrong side of the road.
No, we drive on the right side of the road, quite literally. :mrgreen:

Also, those u's are unnecessary and less efficient. Then again... we now have txt language so I guess who dropped what letters doesn't matter much.
LOL ICWYD
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

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stitch626 wrote:Also, those u's are unnecessary and less efficient.
More elegant though.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by McAvoy »

Elegant? What's elegant about armour over armor?
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Mikey »

Captain Seafort wrote:
stitch626 wrote:Also, those u's are unnecessary and less efficient.
More elegant though.
Simplicity has a beauty all its own. More baroque =/= more elegant.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Praeothmin »

McAvoy wrote:Elegant? What's elegant about armour over armor?
That with that much armour/armor, you're less likely to die? :mrgreen:
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Jim »

Praeothmin wrote:
McAvoy wrote:Elegant? What's elegant about armour over armor?
That with that much armour/armor, you're less likely to die? :mrgreen:
Doesn't matter how you spell it... we pronounce it as if it had an "e" anyway: armer
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by Mikey »

That's just a trick of the fact that "e" isn't an r-controlled vowel, while "o" is.
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Re: Why American Football is called "Football."

Post by McAvoy »

The English language. The language that seems like it was created during a night of heavy drinking.
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