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Reprinted with permission from The San Francisco Chronicle

Raider Nation Glossary Released by yourDictionary.com


Glossary contains everything you need
to better understand Oakland Raiders fans

To view the CNN article, Click Here

January 12, 2001, DANVILLE, California - yourDictionary.com (YDC), the linguistic portal of record, sent its linguistic specialists into the heart of the Oakland (CA) Raider Nation to compile this glossary of terms, which is an indispensable aid for casual fans to better understand the Raider Nation.

According to Paul J.J. Payack, president and C.E.O. of yourDictionary.com, "The purpose of creating the Raider Nation Glossary is to help the casual observer better understand the hitherto undocumented language, linguistic devices, speech patterns, and idiomatic expressions of this grouping which apparently spans socio-economic, political and racial barriers".

Robert Beard, Chief Linguistic Officer of yourDictionary.com, further explained, "The Raider Nation should not be looked at as a typical set of fans, but rather a extension of the concept of fandom, taken to an extreme. As such, this exercise was interesting in the extreme".

The Oakland Raiders play the Baltimore Ravens for the championship of the American Football Conference of the National Football League on Sunday, January 14th at the Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, California.

Raider Nation Term Comment
1. Raider Nation A unique grouping of Oakland Raider fans. For the uninitiated, best imagined as a cross between outlaws of the Old West, maraudering Vikings, pirates of the high seas, Star-wars type aliens and 60s-styled bikers.
2. The Black Hole An astronomical anomaly, usually found in deep space. A remnant of a star that has collapsed upon itself, from which no light can escape. Also, refers to the indigenous (and endangered) habitation of the Raider Nation.
3. Chuckie The amazing similarity of the physiognomy of Jon Gruden, the Raider's Head Coach, to his fictional movie counterpart. Inexplicably, Gruden is also known as "Coach Gorgeous".
4. The Lost Years
1982-1994		 The time the Raiders spent in exile in the deserts and (as viewed from the Bay Area) 'wastelands' of Southern California.
5. Mt. Davis The seats added to the Coliseum to lure the Raiders back from LA; geologically speaking, actually more resembling an escarpment than a mountain.
6. Al Davis The Managing Partner of the Oakland Raiders, with the team since 1960, and one of the original founders of the old American Football League. Later had a mountain named after him.
7. Polyester Haute couture of the Raider Nation (when chain link fencing, nails, iron mesh and associated materials are in short supply). Also, fabric of choice for Oakland Raider ownership.
8. The Coliseum Preferred name of the stadium where the Raiders play. Second choice is the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Never, ever referred to as Network Associates Coliseum.
9. Pancake To flatten an opponent. In San Francisco, the preferred term would be crepe (you crepe an opponent). In Silicon Valley, the preferred term would be Captain Crunch.
10. Extra Point If you wear Mad Max or Bland Runner costumes, you get extra points in the Black Hole.
11. "Nevermore" Poe's Raven had it right. Never more playoff games for Baltimore.
12. San Francisco Suburb of Oakland, on the other side of the Bay Bridge.
13. Gov. Moonbeam No one refers to Jerry Brown as Gov. Moonbeam any more; now more properly Hizzoner should be referred to as Mayor Moonbeam.
14. Silver and Black Official colors of the Raiders, also refers to current hair styling of Hizzoner.
15. Sunday School Where you might find the former 'Dirtiest Player in the League,' Steve Wisniewski, teaching during the off-season.
16. The Big Uglies Steve Wisniewski and his cohorts on the offensive line as dubbed by halfback Tyrone Wheatley.
17. No there here? Gertrude Stein's famed comment, "There is no there, there," referred to Oakland's purported lack of a defining sense of place, with a style all its own, which sets it apart from all others. Obviously, Ms. Stein had never envisioned the Raider Nation.
18. Call of the Wild Early reference to Raider Nation Tailgate Parties by local denizen Jack London.
19. Tailgate party 24/7 activity of The Raider Nation with brief three-hour interludes on game days. Includes fermented beverages, salty snacks, salty language and barbecued winged creatures (see Raven).
20. Turnover Something found in a San Francisco bakery shop; in Oakland, referred to as donuts.
21. The Bores One of the three passageways of the Caldecott Tunnel, passing under the Oakland Hills. Also, the local 49er fans.
22. Excellence As in "Commitment to," official motto of the Oakland Raiders.
23. The Draft Looking forward to the 2001 draft (of Budweiser that is).
24. The Raiderettes "Footballs Fabulous Females." Nuff Said.
25. Blackout Oakland pioneered the term blackout, years before the current California energy crunch, by simply not selling out the Coliseum before the NFL-mandated deadline.
26. Brownouts Home games without Hizzoner.
27. The Left Coast All of California on the seaward side of the San Andreas fault; also what opponents of the Raiders do after losing the game.
28. PSL Prime rib, scotch and lobster: culinary favorites of Raider Nation Tailgate partiers; also (derisively) 'personal seat licenses'.
29. Survivors III Pilot "The Snake, The Ghost and the Assassin"
Bonus Word
Raider Nation Term Comment
Turducken John Madden's miracle weight-loss recipe: a duck stuffed inside a chicken which, in turn, is stuffed inside a turkey. Enjoy!

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