If I’m talking to an English speaker from outside of the US, is there any confusion if I say “soccer”?
For example, when I was in college a friend asked for a “torch”. I was confused for quite some time, because I didn’t know it was another word for “flashlight”. Does the same thing happen with the word “soccer”? Should I clarify by saying, “…or football”?
Thank you!
I work in professional sports (in a tangentially related field, at least) and with NFL in particular for almost 25 years and I don’t think I’ve ever encountered “gridiron football” as a turn of phrase.
you see terms like ‘gridiron’ for football, ‘grapplers’ for wrestlers, and ‘harriers’ for (cross country) runners frequently (or overused) in small town newspapers covering local high schools.
I’ve been pissed that the Ravens didn’t incorporate the Maryland flag which literally has elements designed to emulate the “gridiron bars of a fortress” since the day their uniforms were unveiled because of that relationship.
I’ve heard it for sure
Agreed, and I’m not sure it was EVER used that way. I’ve only ever seen it written, and in places where someone wanted to distinguish it from the other codes without giving the impression they were excluding Canadian football. It’s a useful term in the right context, but it’s not “the full name”. Contrast to soccer, where many teams have “Association Football Club” right there in their names as “AFC.”
American football is (semi-)frequently called gridiron in Australia. I’d say most people would know what sport you meant if you called it that.
We usually call soccer, soccer but soccer nerds and those with close English heritage will call it football to feel superior.