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!

  • MrNesser@lemmy.world
    9725·
    10 months ago

    English people understand the limitations Americans have to live under when it comes to language

    Edit: jesus you make little high brow joke and all the idiots gets butthurt.

      • WashedOver@lemmy.ca
        131·
        10 months ago

        When I get asked if I watch soccer as a hockey fan I have the same feelings. The Women’s version of soccer is much tougher and I would rather watch that. They take a beating and get bloodied but keep playing unlike the men falling over including the coaches from being brushed by a piece of paper.

        This video does a good job capturing the differences between coaches: https://youtu.be/9HxzLEqI-qE?si=VPWHKI081v80eA3k

        This one does a great job highlighting the competition diving angle. I think artist *artistic diving might be more applicable though: https://youtu.be/_OXdfJgCmLc?si=7n-tIrOIsxznm49W

        • Synthuir@lemmy.ml
          2·
          10 months ago

          Hey, that’s not fair! It’s actually just rugby with commercial breaks every 5 minutes!

    • irish_link@lemmy.world
      6015·
      10 months ago

      You do realize the word Soccer for the actual game originated in England right?

      It just so happened that “Rugby football” got shortened to Rugby and this “Associa toon (Socker) football” got shortened to Football.

      Since since an American sport came around the same time called “Football” they kept the name “Soccer” for Association Football.

      Just letting you know a little back story.

      A small article about it can be found here. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-some-people-call-football-soccer And there are plenty more info out there about it.

        • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          121·
          10 months ago

          I’m going to be an insufferable pedant and reply, “Do you mean association football or rugby football?” whenever anyone uses either :P

        • WashedOver@lemmy.ca
          94·
          10 months ago

          I refer to Soccer the football played with your foot and then the American version as " Egg-ball" played with your hands.

          That said I’m also Canadian and for many years in our small “hand egg-ball” league we had 2 teams with very similar club names called the Rough Riders and the Roughriders so I shouldn’t be throwing so many stones…

    • matthewmercury@reddthat.com
      2812·
      10 months ago

      Do English people know that they originated “soccer” as Oxford slang for “association football?” Nothing hits like the English ignorantly shitting on their colonies for adopting the stupid English practices forced upon them by the English at the time.

      • MrNesser@lemmy.world
        296·
        10 months ago

        English shitting on our colonies is our favourite past time. You should come along sometime.

        • RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.worldEnglish
          310·
          10 months ago

          Imagine going from one of the biggest powers in the world, owning more than 25% of the entire Earth and having one of the biggest navies on the planet, to losing nearly all of it and returning back to an island approximately the size of Madagascar. Even losing a war of independence, and having to ask the winner that beat them for help in WWII because they were losing. All that, and it’s citizens have the audacity to keep making fun of Americans.

          You know, looking at it that way, it really makes Britain look really petty. Which is rather appropriate.

    • SCB@lemmy.world
      33·
      10 months ago

      One reason it’s dangerous for me to drink in the UK is that everyone from the UK sounds like a small child to an American.

      So yeah, big language differences. Some soccer hooligan would get all mad at the telly about his footy and I’d end up being stabbed for laughing.