Football Glossary

www.sacredheartbahamas.org As we go through the “Announcer Alterations” I will keep an up to date glossary of all the terms used.   I also want to encourage others to include their suggestions on different ways to vary vocabulary and I will include those suggestions in the glossary as well.

Football Glossary

Runs violently: Bursts; Barrels; Blasts; Explodes; Erupts; Breaches; Surges; Punches; Cannonballs; Trucks; Charges; Hedgehogs; Assaults; Storms; Batters; Punishes;  Collides; Crashes; Thunders; Bulls; Churns; Bulldozes; Steamrolls; Plunges; Plows; Bashes; Gallops; Crushes; Pounces through; Careens; Bows; Tanks; Rumbles; Propels; Bashes; Rambles;

Run up the middle: Up the gut; Down the chute; Down main street; In the thick of it; Down their throat; Behind the center; Into the heart of the defense; Straight downhill; Belly play; Up the seam; Into the pile; Into the teeth; Inside run; Tries the interior; Between the tackles; Among the big eaters; Punches through the line;

Spin Move: Corkscrew; Whirls; Cyclones; Like a tazmanian devil; Circle button;

Runs to the outside: Turns the corner; Finds the edge; Outside the tackle; Sweeps R/L, Loups R/L;

Follows a blocker: With a convoy; With teammates paving the road; Follows the leader;

Churns the legs: Keeps the train chugging; Keeps the butter churning; Pumps the pistons; Chops the cleats; Tills the turf; Pumps the bellows; Keeps the wheels rolling; Pushes the pile;

Runs lightly: Dances; Tiptoes; Water bugs; Spurts; Squirts; Slips; Squirrels; Slithers; Snakes; Glides; Darts; Scoot; Squirms; Wiggles; Jukes; Jives; Shimmies; Jitterbugs;  Tap-dances; Worms; Scampers; Sneaks through; Drifts R/L; Swivels;

Makes A Quick Move: Dodges; Shifts; Shuffles; Jukes; Breaks the ankles of; Jives; Plants the foot; Cuts on a dime; Breaks the ankles of; Pops; Snaps;

Breaks a tackle/makes a guy miss: Pops free; Sheds a tackle; Escapes; Powers through; Eludes; Evaporates; Melts away from;

Runs through Traffic: Weaves; Navigates; Maneuvers; Winds; Zigzags; Meanders; Roams; Thread his way; Picks through; Searches for room; Dodges oncoming traffic; Searches for real estate;  Finds daylight;

Runs at an angle: Angles; Slants; Diagonal; Curving; Projecting; Sweeping towards; Banking; On a trajectory towards; Sweeps; Peels;

Avoid Pressure: Evade; Elude; Escape; Slips away; Puts on the grease; Tuck and runs; Vanishes; Evaporates; Liquefies; Houdini’s;

Accelerate: Pedal to the floor; Steps on the gas; Presses the NOS button; Eating dust behind; Runs like he stole something; Burst of speed; Zooms; Zero to sixty; Turns on the jets; Jumps to warp speed; Comes out of the blocks; Zero to sixty;

Breaks Away From The D: In front of the pack; Making a bid for freedom; Running towards the light; Green grass in front; Pulls away;

Throws a short pass: Zips; Throws a dart; Fires a bullet; Lazers; Rifles; Pegs; Peppers; Throws the fastball; Shoots; Put mustard on it; Zooms; Whiz; Whips; Rockets; Streaks; Beams; Flits; Whisks; Fireballs; Missiles; Aims an arrow; Wings; Threads the needle; Uncorks; Wobbler; Throws a strike; Dumps off; Checks down; Thrown with high octane gasoline;

Thrown into a tight space: Tight window; Dropped in a bucket; Threads the needle; Squeezes in; Dials in; Pipes it in;

Throws an arching pass: Rainbows; Loops; Lobs; Lofts; Throws a duck; Soft toss; Throws it with touch; Throws it up for grabs; Throws a jumpball; Wobbles; Flutters; Launches a satellite; Floats; Corkscrews; Spirals;  Airs it out; Air mails; Dials it up long; Bombs; Rainmaker; Launches into orbit;

Makes a catch: Grabs; Snatches; Pulls in; Snares; Plucks; Corrals; Reels in; High points; Rips down; Cradles; Corrals; Hauls in; Fingertip catch; Snow cones; Over the shoulder; Snags; Pinches; Gloves; Completes; Retrieves; Shoestring catch

Breaks Up A Pass: Separates body from ball; Deflects; Bats away; Gets a hand in;

Interception: Picked off; Taken away; Plucked out of the air;

Loose Coverage: Cushion coverage;  Space at the line; Giving a buffer;

Tackles: Blows up; Clothes lines; Ropes; Cuts down; Chops the legs; Stops in his tracks; Slams; Pummels; Crushes; Wallops; Belts; Undercuts; Punishes; Mauls; Planted; Wrestled; Mugged; Stuffed;  Upends; Dumps; Rocked; Smacked; Toppled; Derailed; Dragged down; Bullldogs; Forced to the turf; Wrapped up; Constricted; Crunch; Smothers; Pounds; Pastes; Spills; Jolted; Roughed up; Touched up; Repels; Stood up; Tripped up; Ripped down; Dumped; Roped down; Hog tied; Puts a blanket on him; Slams the gate; Muscled; Bottled up; Corked up; Dropped; Levels; Mows down; Capsizes; Rolls over; Bludgeons; Bullied; Jammed; Pops;

Gang Tackled: Engulfed; Into a blockade; Rounded up; Swarmed; Into a wall; Surrounded and pounded; Mobbed; Swallowed; Gummed up by the defense; Runs into a host of defenders; Into a collection of defenders; Barricaded; Puts up a road block;

Describing the football: Pigskin; Pig; Rock: Pill; Oblong ball; Leather; Pebbled Leather; Laces n’ leather; Spaces n’ laces; Hyde;

Hands Off: Gives; Prescribes the pill; Dishes; Puts the bread in the basket; Puts it in the gut; Makes the transfer; Dispenses the pigskin; Doles; Makes the exchange; Distributes; Swaps; Deals to; Forks it over; Quarries the rock to; Transfers; Feeds; Tucks it in;

Forced Fumble: Pried away; Wrenched out; Ripped away; Punched out; Stripped;  Jarred; Pokes it away; Discards; Swipes; Spits up the football; Plied from;

Recovers A Fumble: Picks up the loose change; Scoops; Rounds up the loose pig; Holds on for dear life;

Pile of players fighting for a fumble: Mass of humanity; Avalanche of men; Dogpile; Peels off the pile; Stacked on the ball; A hill of humans;

Takes the snap: Takes the exchange; Takes from center; Swap from center; Switch from center; Plucks the pigskin; Snatches the skin; Hikes the hyde;

Breaks/ avoids a tackle: Burst through; eludes; escapes; Houdins; Evades; Tears away; Rips free; Powers through; Gets greasy; Slips away; Shrugs off; Shakes away from; Slides away; like a gecko breaking it’s tail;

Made FG or XP: Clears the crossbar; Parks it between the lines; Parts the pillars; Splits the spires; Down main street; Between the pipes; Two hands in the air from both officials;

Kicking the football: The boot; Swings the leg; Swings the shoe; Swings the slipper; Lowers the lever; Foot meets leather;

Crosses The Goal Line: Pierces the plane; breaks the plane; Inside the pylon; Breaks through the membrane; Crosses the chalk line; Gashes the goal line; Punctures the plane; Punches it in;

Tie Game: Knotted up; Even on the board; Dead heat; Playing to a draw; Wash; All square; Carbon Copy;

Running Back Position: In the sidecar L/R; Offset L/R; Dots the I;

Tight Coverage: Press; Blanket; On him like a cheap suit; Shadows; Mirrors; Straightjacket; Draped; Like white on rice;

The End Zone: Paydirt; The House; The heezee;