We know that you need a ball to play cricket, golf, or tennis, and we refer to the balls used in those sports as "cricket ball", "golf ball" and "tennis ball" respectively: you take the name of the sport and then add the word "ball".
But as "football" is the name of the sport itself, why isn't a football referred to as a "football ball"? The same applies to "netball ball" and "basketball ball" of course.
UPDATE: as BFOD suggested, I posed the question here.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Why is it called a "football"?
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18 comments:
I always refer to it as a 'football ball', but then I am frequently corrected by the Spouse for referring to 'the audience' at a football match.
Some of the older members of my family, however, talk of a game of 'footer' and thus a 'footer ball' - might this have anything to do with it?
And, incidentally, what about the game of handball - surely that is played with a handball ball.
Soccer Ball.
McH, add "handball ball" to the list.
AC1, "soccer" is merely short for "association football" so that is still a tautology, as is "footer ball" or "PIN number".
re AC1:
But 'soccer' is derived from Association Football, so we're back at square one.
MacHeath. me too.
Interesting. All the ball games where you touch the ball include the word 'ball', volleyball, again another example. All the ball games where you use a bat don't.
Apart from baseball, which is really rounders, any exceptions?
RLJ, most insightful. Baseball is of course just rounders, and 'squash' also follows your rule, but 'bowls' and 'bowling' don't.
MW/RLJ: Snooker? Billiards? Eton Wall Game?
'you take the name of the sport and then add the word "ball" '
Not always true. No one ever adds the word 'ball' to pocket billiards but you still play with them
What about "hand-egg"?
;)
Word Association Football?
Sounds like a simple extension of the old habit of stating the obvious in naming things. The road to Uxbridge is called Uxbridge Road. The bridge over the Cam is called Cambridge. The road past the station is Station Road.
Hence, football the sport is played with a football, so called because you kick the ball with your foot, or other parts if from a certain nation in South America.
Alternately, it could be that 'useless, boring waste of time' was already taken.
Lola, I don't think the Eton Wall game has a ball does it?
D'oh...yes it does.
When I was there it didn't.
...
(wonder if they'll fall for it...)
In Russia, they have Baskethalls. I thought that was cute.
Why is American Football called football?
The ball is hardly ever played with the feet. In fact most players never touch the ball at all.
Football is obviously that game played with the round ball, under FA rules.
I have heard paradoxical exhortations from disgruntled spectators at Rugby Union matches who thought that too much kicking was going on or, heaven forbid, the attacking team was attempting to score with drop-goals.
The exhortation from the fans unhappy at too much kicking,
'Come on, play football.'
RLJ, as a counter example I can think of pinball (you don't touch the ball yourself). But as supporting examples, what about the fictitious games of Rollerball and Spinball.
You could try asking here... http://english.stackexchange.com/
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