View source for Glossary of football slang terms

{{compact ToC|side=yes|num=yes|seealso=yes|refs=yes}}
==A==
* '''Agrikùn''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Akach}}'' <br /> Meaning "farmer athlete". Refers to a "no nonsense" type player who does the job as simply as possible, but effectively. Usually a defender.
* '''Angry shadow''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Cobrio}}'' <br /> See [[#P|Piano carrier]].
==B==
* '''Ball tamer''' <br /> See [[#T|(to) tame the ball]].
* '''Before coffee''' <br /> A bad performance typified by low energy. Implies the player needs a coffee (or similar drink) to "wake up", or some sort of energy boost.
* '''Butterfly hunter''' <br /> A goalkeeper who has misjudged the flight of the ball, and "flaps" at it with both hands, only to come up empty handed.
==C==
* '''Canoe foot''' <br /> A player who is inaccurate in front of goal, or has a poor first touch. The phrase implies this is because they have long feet.
* '''Cat chasing a fly''' <br /> See [[#B|Butterfly hunter]].
* '''(to) chop before breakfast''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Cobrio}}'' <br /> An accomplished performance that looks effortless, languid, or otherwise slow. The phrase implies the player has not fully woken up yet, but is still able to "cook".
==D==
* '''(to) dance at (multiple) weddings''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Cobrio}}'' <br /> To do well in multiple competitions at once.
* '''(to) dig under the mountain''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Osarius}}'' <br /> To bring through talented young players. Also called "making glass" in [[Tubriss (Osarius)|Tubriss]].
==E==
* '''Enyagha''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Cobrio}}'' <br /> See [[#W|War elephant]].
* '''Erinogun''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Cobrio}}'' <br /> See [[#W|War elephant]].
* '''Eristicean horse''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Osarius}}'' <br /> Also sometimes referred to as an '''''Erisian horse'''''. A team that starts well but falls away toward the end of a competition. So called because [[Eristicea|Eristiceans]] are stereotyped as grifters and fraudsters.
==F==
* '''Fur''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Novum-castrum}}'' <br /> Meaning [[#T|Thief]]. 
==H==
* '''Hungry child''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Cobrio}}'' <br /> A ball hog.
==I==
* '''(in the) Ice''' <br /> A player left out of the team after a bad performance.
==K==
* '''Kléftis''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Eristicea}}''<br /> Meaning [[#T|Thief]]. 
==L==
* '''Ladrón''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Aquillian}}'' <br /> Meaning [[#T|Thief]]. 
* '''Lleidr''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Diwedd Ardal}}'' <br /> Meaning [[#T|Thief]]. 
* '''(to) lock the door''' <br /> To adopt an ultra-defensive strategy. Like "parking the bus" in English.
* '''Lumberjack''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|The Limey Isles}}'' <br /> A violent ball-winner. A "hatchet man".
==M==
* '''(to) make a cloud''' <br /> A hopeful long aerial punt into the box, particularly late in the game. So named because the ball falls like rain from a cloud.
* '''(to) make glass''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Osarius}}'' <br /> A Tubrissian variation of [[#D|Digging under a mountain]].
==O==
* '''Onyo!''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Cobrio}}'' <br /> Truncation of "onye ohi", meaning [[#T|Thief]]. 
==P==
* '''(to) Paint (with the toe)''' <br /> A beautiful piece of play that could be considered "art".
* '''Piano carrier''' <br /> A hardworking player who does the dirty work, so that a more talented teammate can shine. Variants on this phrase exist, referring to other bulky musical instruments.
* '''(to) piss in the wine''' <br /> To beat a team who have just won a trophy, thus spoiling their party.
* '''(to) play in a suit''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Akach}}'' <br /> A deceptive performance (e.g. trying to get a player sent off), insinuating that people in suits are untrustworthy. Commonly used in [[Akach]] (Akachese: ''láti ṣeré nígbà tí a wọ̀ ọ́ aṣọ iṣowo'')
* '''Plank''' <br /> Used to refer to any formation with "two banks of four" (e.g. 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1, 4-6-0, etc). Because it's "two-by-four".
==R==
* '''(to) reverse (the shirt/colours)'''<br />Used to refer to a player leaving a club to join a rival.
==S==
* '''(to) set the grass on fire''' <br /> To play very intensely. Usually said at half time during a boring match or after a disappointing performance. "They will have to set the grass on fire in the second half", meaning they will need to "up their game" significantly.
* '''Shaving paint''' <br /> To hit the post or bar.
* '''Shoeshiner''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Osarius}}'' <br /> See [[#P|Piano carrier]].
* '''Shuttle train''' <br /> A player who runs up and down the pitch a lot. Typically a fullback or wingback.
* '''(to) start the dance''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Aquillian}}'' <br /> Dribbling aggressively toward someone, creating a one-on-one situation.
* '''(to) squeeze sand''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Osarius}}'' <br /> Originating in the Tubriss region of Osarius, used to refer to a manager persisting with the selection of an out of form player. Sometimes the phrase "(to) squeeze a stone" is used in other regions.
==T==
* '''(to) tame the ball''' <br /> To master the fundamentals of the sport.
* '''Thief!''' &ndash; ''Origin: Various'' <br /> A shout made&mdash;typically in a player's native language&mdash;to warn a teammate that an opponent is approaching to make a tackle, similar to the colloquial English "man on!". See also: [[#F|Fur]], [[#K|Kléftis]], [[#L|Ladrón]], [[#L|Lleidr!]], and [[#O|Onyo!]].
* '''Tukarist(a/o)''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Aquillian}}'' <br /> A hardworking, selfless player. Typically an attacker. Refers to the philosophy of [[Tukarism]], named for revolutionary [[Cobrio|Cobre]] leader [[Tukari Kaita]].
==W==
* '''War elephant''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Cobrio}}'' <br /> A striker who leads the line aggressively, relying on physicality and brute force. Typically known as '''''Enyagha''''' or '''''Erinogun''''' within Cobrio (both phrases translate to "war elephant").
* '''Where the joiner works''' &ndash; ''Origin: {{flag|Akach}}'' <br /> A shot placed right in the top corner of the goal, near the angle of post and bar. Also known as '''"where the bat sleeps"''' in [[The Limey Isles]], or '''"in the spider's web"''' or '''"shaving paint twice"''' in other places.