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Reprinted with permission from The San Francisco Chronicle

New York Giants Football Glossary
Released by yourDictionary.com


Glossary contains everything you need
to better understand the Giants

To view the CNN article, Click Here

January 24, 2001, DANVILLE, California - yourDictionary.com, the linguistic portal of record, sent its linguistic specialists into the heart of the New York Giants country to compile this glossary of terms, which is an indispensable aid for casual fans to better understand the Giants and their fans. The sports editors of the Giants hometown newspaper, the Star-Ledger, provided crucial guidance in this effort.

According to Paul J.J. Payack, president and C.E.O. of yourDictionary.com, "The purpose of creating the Giants Fan Glossary is to help the casual observer better understand the culture that emanates from the Meadowlands of North Jersey and its hitherto uncompiled language, linguistic devices, and idiomatic expressions".

Robert Beard, Chief Linguistic Officer of yourDictionary.com, further explained, "Giants fandom should not be looked upon as a typical set of fans, but rather as embodying a linguistic milieu that's truly unique to the Tri-State Metropolitan area."

The New York Giants play the Baltimore Ravens for the championship of the National Football League in the Super Bowl on Sunday, January 28th in Tampa, Florida.

Giants Football Glossary


Commentary by Paul JJ Payack, Robert Beard, Lou Lorenzo, and Peter Payack
Giants Term Comment
1. Big Blue The perennial nickname of the great Giant defensive lines. Linguistically traced back to the once dominant IBM colossus. If coined today, might be referred to as the Big Bill (Gates, that is).
2. Defensive End L.T. on Trial.
3. Draft For old-timers that would be Ballantine tap.
4. ",,,Dud …" Bruce Springstreen's machine, "…stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey," (AKA the Meadowlands).
5. Fair Catch A date with an XFL cheerleader (since they don't have any).
6. Football The All-American game, descended from rugby, first played by Rutgers and Princeton in the 19th century and, later, popularized by Las Vegas odds makers.
7. Fuhgetaboutit Local term with 38 different nuances of meaning, depending upon inflection and accompanying gestures.
8. Goodbye Allie Chant by Giant fans in the 60's demanding the removal of head coach Allie Sherman while playing at Yankee Stadium.
9. Gnats Official name of Jets fans, as rendered by the Giants 'cognoscenti'. (Cognoscenti can be translated here as 'tough guys,' 'know-it-alls,' or 'wise guys'.)
10. Hoffa End Zone The end zone under which former Teamsters head honcho, Jimmy Hoffa, is reputedly buried at the Meadowlands. Takes on special meaning when a punter goes for the 'coffin corner',
11. Incomplete Pass Being turned down for a date by an XFL cheerleader. (See also, fumble).
12. Jints Official pronunciation of 'Giants'. One syllable only, please; linguistic construction known as syllable reduction.
13. Kicked Off (See Hoffa End Zone.)
14. Las Vegas The site of the real action on Super Bowl Sunday.
15. Mara Tech The illustrious school of higher education founded by Wellington Mara.
16. Meadowlands Euphemism for the Swamps of New Jersey. Coined because The Petrochemical-Lands was too long to fit onto the stadium marquee.
17. "Nevermore" Nostrodamus-like utterance of Edgar Allen Poe's protagonist in his poem, "The Raven".
18. New York City Hinterland to the Meadowlands.
19. Raven Five dollar word for maladjusted, malnourished avian creature on the verge of extinction. (See also, 'eat crow'.)
20. Sack Something to stuff Raven QB Trent Dilfer in, before sending him off to the swamps of North Jersey.
21. Snap The act of the center hiking the ball (obsolete). When used in the past tense, obligatory plea of any NFL player who commits an off-field crime.
22. Spread Law enforcement maneuver; also, a lush presentations of food at Super Bowl parties.
23. Tailgate Party 24/7 activity, with brief three-hour interlude on Sundays that includes fermented beverages, salty snacks, salty language and barbecued winged creatures. (See also, Raven).
24. The Boss Applied to any, or all, of the following: a) Bruce Springsteen, b) George Steinbrenner, or c) Wellington Mara
25. The Donald In Central Florida, Donald Duck. Please! In the tri-State area, of course, Donald Trump.
26. The Tuna Nickname (condensed over the years from The Big Tuna) for Bill Parcells, the currently unemployed ex-Giant coach who took the team to two Super Bowl titles. (Warning: Do not order Tuna in Tampa seafood houses.)
27. Time Out Each team is strictly limited to three time outs per half. (See Television Time Out.)
28. TV Time Out A strictly unlimited number of television timeouts when all action on the field comes to a complete standstill. Cost to teams: Possible loss of momentum. Cost to advertisers: $2.3 million per 30-second spot.
29. Yalta Conference The NFC East from Y.A. Tittle, to Lawrence Taylor, to Bernie Accorsi.
Bonus Word
Giants Football Term Comment
30. The Sopranos How the Ravens will sing at the end of the game on Sunday. (See also, 'hitting the high notes'.)

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