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British Grammar Invades the American World Cup | The New Yorker

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The World Cup has brought Britishisms to U.S. soccer coverage. “Linguistically, as on the pitch, the Americans can often be found ball-chasing,” Zach Helfand writes.

The World Cup can be enlivening for American English. Every four years, we import some Britishisms. The phrase in abundance during this year’s tournament, especially after a certain controversial red card, has been “a coming together,” which describes an incidental collision, as in, “That’s not a foul, just a coming together.” It’s a practical term. I plan to use it while parallel parking in a tight spot. The British have given us other gifts: “hat trick,” “nutmeg.” There’s “argy-bargy” (a verbal scuffle), “afters” (argy-bargy turned physical), and “handbags” (afters but minor). “Soccer,”…

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