L.A. SPEAK

British hooligan slang, coming soon to the Rose Bowl via the World Cup:

bollocks: n. an angry exclamation. Often heard when someone misses a goal.

firms: n . organized gangs of fans.

ground, pitch and terraces: n . stadium, field and bleachers. “We’ll be in the ground by noon and meet you on the terraces at the west end of the pitch. “

knockout competition: n. the playoffs. “Local police were relieved to hear that England didn’t make it to the knockout competition. “

man of the match: n . most valuable player of the game. “I’ll bet you 10 quid that Baggio will be named man of the match. “

penno: n . penalty kick allowed to a team after a foul. “If that bloody idiot hadn’t gotten a penno, we might have won.”

simple squeeze: v . using one’s arm to wedge an opening in a crowd, followed by twisting one’s body into same space. “We simple-squeezed up to the front and got a jolly good view of the match.”

support: v. violence used by firms to show team loyalty. “No firm gives the support to Manchester United that our boys do.”