I have really had it with "nil"

[fossywriter8]

Side note:
Years and years (and years) ago, one of the local college soccer coaches (British) called in a result and said "We dominated in a nil-nil tie."
We understood his use of nil — he was a foreigner, after all — but dominate and tie do not go in the same sentence.

 

[Bubbler]

While we are at it ... can we talk about how "time and space" are the same friggin' thing?! If you have time to shoot, you have the space to do it. If you have the space, you have time to shoot it.

Not the same. “Space” in soccer is a sort of geographic designation. When you play a ball wide, or into any open area for that matter, hoping someone will run on to the ball, you are “playing it into space”.

 

[spikechiquet]

Not the same. “Space” in soccer is a sort of geographic designation. When you play a ball wide, or into any open area for that matter, hoping someone will run on to the ball, you are “playing it into space”.

I'm talking about when color commentators use the phrase "time and space" to describe how the person was open to shoot ... hockey or soccer especially.

 

[Bubbler]

I'm talking about when color commentators use the phrase "time and space" to describe how the person was open to shoot ... hockey or soccer especially.

Even then, if I’m being pedantic, I can see where one is separated from the other in specific circumstances.

In soccer, you can have time, but not space. Say you’re a holding midfielder or attacker with your back to the goal, essentially backing down a defender, keeping the ball to make a decision who and when to pass to.

You can have space and not time if you’re wide by yourself, but you need to make a quick decision to cross, shoot or keep the ball depending on the run of your teammate and whether he might go offsides or not.

 

[Tighthead]

Getting back to the nil thing, my only real rugby fight was when an opposing prop, with a distinctly Canadian accent, accused me of “whinging” about his technique to the ref. It was a pretty testy game already and he had been on mr nerves all game.

Playing in Canada and having a Canadian talk like an Etonian was the last straw. Next scrum I stomped on his hand, which wasn’t supposed to be on the ground, and we traded a series of unremarkable punches and got yellow cards.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Side note:
Years and years (and years) ago, one of the local college soccer coaches (British) called in a result and said "We dominated in a nil-nil tie."
We understood his use of nil — he was a foreigner, after all — but dominate and tie do not go in the same sentence.

"Tie" in terms of an even score is a "draw" to Brits and they regularly make fun of overseas countrymen who refer to "draws" as "ties."

A "tie" to Brits properly refers to tournament pairings, i.e. a "third-round FA Cup tie between Manchester United and Yeovil Town."