THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2012
PAGE 7B
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"if it was camera crews following us tonight, it would be something like a movie and that's no b.s."
Senior guard Tyshawn Taylor on his Twitter account, @tee_y after Saturday night's win.
As of 5 p.m. on Feb. 26, Taylor has 17,282 followers on Twitter.
THE MORNING BREW How to respond to and use sports terms
Q: Not counting the ones he has deleted, how many times has Taylor tweated as of 5 p.m. on Feb. 26?
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
A: 9,688 tweets
I just learned a few days ago that the phrase "saved by the bell" originated as a boxing metaphor. As a self-proclaimed wannabe Mrs. Zack Morris, you can see how this fact might have blown my '90s-sitcom-loving-mind.
Sports phrases are a tricky thing. There's a fine balance between using obvious lingo and speaking straight-up nonsense. As I've edited sports stories, I've been amazed by the creativity people have when it comes to describe one basic thing. For instance, the free throw line, otherwise known as the charity stripe, the foul line, the keyhole or the ever-so-ambiguous, line. I get it. It can get redundant using the same terms throughout an article. It is understandable, but it can get out of control.
Garbage time, kiss the rim, drop a dime, rip a c, coffin corner, saddle him up, stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, bounced like a check, banjo hitter, duck
snort, keystone sack, rubber doorbell, bricklayer, serving it up with extra cheese... all of these are phrases used to describe certain sports actions; all except for three that I made up on
the spot. You see what I mean?
Don't get me wrong, the context makes all the difference. I'm sure if I saw a duck snort or banjo hitter occur, I'd only be able to describe it as such. But we all know that without context, we start making assumptions. And we all know what assumptions can lead to... that's right, making us look like a fool. (Not what you thought I was going to say was it? That's because you assumed. Boom.)
So naturally, unless you know exactly
what someone is talking about when they are saying someone ripped a c, here are a few words of advice as to how you can respond.
1. Take the old approach of being a follower. You know, like in elementary school when you'd secretly want to raise your hand
in gym class to vote to play parachute, but everyone else raised their hands to vote for dodgeball and you said, "Yeah, Dodgeball rocks!" Do that. Just yell, "Yeah, it's garbage time! You better believe it!" if everyone is yelling that around you.
2. Just "Woo!" It's simple. As some famous man (but I can't remember his name, so he obviously wasn't that famous) once said, "Simple is beautiful."
3. Follow this formula a la mad libs:
a random noun plus a verb and conjugate to fit the situation. Such examples include, but are not limited to: He was chased by a hammer! His refrigerator was emptied! What a Poptart pileup! If you yell this with conviction, no one will confront you. For all they know this is the latest phrase and they didn't get the memo. Extra points if you can make a meaning up on the spot and convince others to use it. Let's be honest. The first guy to yell, "kiss the rim" received some funny looks the first time he yelled it, but who's laughing now?
Edited by Pat Strathman
This week in athletics
Monday
Men's Basketball
Oklahoma State
$ p.m.
Stillwater, Okla.
Tuesday
Women's golf
Sir Pizza CARDS
Challenge
All day
Weston, Fla.
Women's golf
Sir Pizza CARDS
Challenge
All day
Weston, Fla.
Wednesday
Women's Basketball
Oklahoma State
7 p.m.
Lawrence
Thursday
There are no athletic events on this day.
Friday
Softball
10.00 a.m., 2:00 p.m.
Charleston, S.C.
Saturday
Baseball
BUCKMAN
UTSA
6:00 PM
San Antonio, Texas
Track
Arkansas Last Chance
All Day
Fayetteville, Ark.
Women's Soccer
Alumni
1:00 PM
Lawrence, Kan.
Men's basketball
Texas
8:00 PM
Lawrence, Kan.
Women's Tennis
North Texas
TBA
Tulsa, Okla.
Sunday
Baseball
Gonzaga
12:00 PM
San Antonio, Texas
Women's basketball
Oklahoma
2:00 PM
Norman, Okla.
Women's Tennis
Tulsa
TBA
Tulsa, Okla.
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