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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

someone kicked off while we’re at the fifty-yard line

English answer:

started an action before all of the participants (players) were ready and in their positons

Added to glossary by airmailrpl
Jul 28, 2016 12:59
7 yrs ago
English term

someone kicked off while we’re at the fifty-yard line

English Social Sciences Sports / Fitness / Recreation
I believe it is related to American Football. However, I can't understand the meaning since I have no background in that field.

Context:
Sports metaphors, popular with American speakers, are especially tough for interpreters. “If a delegate says someone ‘kicked off while we’re at the fifty-yard line,’ I think, ‘Great, let me explain American football first, and then I can interpret that.’”
Responses
4 +6 started an action before all of the participants (players) were ready and in their positons
4 +4 [See explanation]
References
fwiw, hth
Change log

Aug 8, 2016 12:29: airmailrpl Created KOG entry

Discussion

Lincoln Hui Jul 29, 2016:
I take it to mean the same thing as saying that the game started before the other side took the field.
airmailrpl Jul 28, 2016:
Good explanation about American football https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football
Yvonne Gallagher Jul 28, 2016:
@ Helena

I guess you're in the same camp as writeaway then! I'm no expert or fan either but I went to a few games when living over there since it IS a big part of the culture. But I much prefer rugby and soccer (and GAA football and hurling)!
Helena Chavarria Jul 28, 2016:
@Gallagy All I know about American football is that the players wear very strange outfits and it seems to be very popular in the US.

But I don't even like European football!
Yvonne Gallagher Jul 28, 2016:
@ Helena

I think your interpretation might be valid. More inclined to agree with it anyway. As far as I know the kick off happens on the 35-yard line with ball kicked to opposing (receiving) team. So, obviously if someone is at the 50-yard line and it's already kicked off at 35 yards they are not in the right place!
Of course, to muddy the waters further "kicked off" also means started a fight!

Maybe we do need an American football fan to interpret this!
writeaway Jul 28, 2016:
My inborn aversion to all things US football has kicked in. So I'm only interpreting what I see.
Helena Chavarria Jul 28, 2016:
@Writeaway A very basic example:

A couple of friends and I decide we need to clear out a cupboard. Two of us wake up early one morning and start working on the cupboard and two hours later, the third person appears and announces they are going to start clearing out the cupboard, as though they were the first person to take action; i.e. they start too late.

The example can be applied to practically everything. Peter decides to start doing something unaware that Anne and John have already begun without waiting for Peter.

That's my interpretation!
writeaway Jul 28, 2016:
@Helen That's what I thought -or when you're halfway there. BUT someone else kicked off when WE were on the 50 yard line. What the heck does that mean?
Helena Chavarria Jul 28, 2016:
I understand it to mean 'start when you're already half-way through'
airmailrpl Jul 28, 2016:
Kickoff (gridiron football) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickoff_(gridiron_football)

Responses

+6
3 hrs
Selected

started an action before all of the participants (players) were ready and in their positons

someone kicked off while we’re at the fifty-yard line => someone started an action before all of the participants (players) were ready and in their positons

in NFL Football the kicking team kicks off from their 35 yard line and the receiving team has to be below the fifty yard line and in their own territory in order to receive the kicked ball.

Peer comment(s):
agree Yvonne Gallagher : Seems plausible. As I said earlier: "if someone is at the 50-yard line and it's already kicked off at 35 yards they are not in the right place!" It can't be "meaningless" imo
1 hr
thank you
agree Lincoln Hui : This understanding is correct.
9 hrs
thank you
agree Mikhail Korolev
1 day 22 hrs
thank you
agree Harry Crawford
2 days 19 hrs
thank you
agree Tariq Khader (X)
3 days 1 hr
thank you
agree crossroad
4 days
thank you
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+4
38 mins

[See explanation]

I think this is just a meaningless metaphor being used as an example - there's no way of knowing exactly what this implies, assuming anyone ever said it.

But "kick off" means to begin play. It can also mean start something else, such as a meeting or project. And the 50-yard line is the one dividing the field down the middle.
Peer comment(s):
agree writeaway : well, the tense shift in the phrase being asked sure doesn't help. /but the English is weird. It's on the 50 yard line (not at) and where did they kick off from? So maybe it's not really even a metaphor, just everyday meaningless. /doesn't sound native
49 mins
So do you agree with my answer?// It is meaningless. It's just a random example of how Americans drop football terminology into everyday conversation.
agree Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
1 hr
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : don't know why you think a "metaphor" is "meaningless"
4 hrs
agree acetran
1 day 1 hr
agree Harry Crawford
2 days 22 hrs
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Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

fwiw, hth

Sporting Charts explains Yard Line
The football field is 120 yards long and 160 feet wide with 100 yards being the playing field. The end zones are 10 yards thus making up the remaining 20 yards of the field. The yard lines cross the field and are spaced 5 yards apart. The middle of the field is marked by the 50 yard line with the rest of the yard lines being marked every 10 yards to the goal line. From one side the yard lines will increase up to the 50 yard line then begin to decrease down to the other goal line. Example: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10. These markers help to determine how many yards a team has gained. A team must gain 10 yards for a successful first down. The yard lines help to determine whether the team has been succehttp://www.sportingcharts.com/dictionary/nfl/yard-line.aspxs... or not.



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Note added at 5 hrs (2016-07-28 18:40:00 GMT)
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Kicks off can be made from the 50 yard line for any number of reasons: after a penalty, after a 4th down etc.
Back with refs after Chrome stops playing 'snap' with Google and crashing it.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2016-07-28 19:02:53 GMT)
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When a team gets to kick off from the 50 yard line after a penalty, why ...
https://www.reddit.com/.../when_a_team_gets_to_kick_off_from...
Sep 22, 2015 - Football Subreddits: ... When a team gets to kick off from the 50 yard line after a penalty, why ... The lower you get under the ball, the more susceptible you are to shanking it, and thus the other team having it on the 40 yard line.

Game Recap: Patriots 27, Browns 26 | New England Patriots
www.patriots.com/.../game-recap-patriots-27-brow...
New England Patriots
Dec 8, 2013 - A 15-yard penalty against the Browns for unnecessary roughness on Edelman allowed the Patriots to kick off from the 50-yard line, rather than ...
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Yvonne Gallagher : yes, but kick-offs don't happen at the 50-yard line AFIK?? where did you see that? As you like to say: "Any refs?":-)
1 hr
they can after a penalty. Not that this matters but: A 15-yard penalty against the Browns for unnecessary roughness on Edelman allowed the Patriots to kick off from the 50-yard line, /I grew up watching the game, did you?
agree Larisa Horback : Penalties can be different: it can be personal fault, fault start, unnecessary roughness, illegal contact, etc. So team can start kick off at different field position. It also can be inside kick if team wants to score at last seconds.
3 days 48 mins
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