Oh, let me tell you, folks! You ever wonder what them soccer scores be callin’ that zero? Well, it’s somethin’ I learned while watchin’ all them games on the telly. When a team ain’t got no goals, they call it “nil”. Funny, ain’t it? Now, don’t go askin’ me why they don’t just say “zero” like the rest of us. But in soccer, it’s “nil”. That’s just how it is.
Now, “nil” comes from this old word, Latin I think, “nihil”. It means nothin’. Kinda fancy, right? But in soccer, it’s been around forever, especially over in places like England where soccer’s more popular than Sunday lunch! I reckon the announcers just love sayin’ it, makes ’em sound real smart, like they know somethin’ the rest of us don’t.
So when you’re lookin’ at a match, like say England vs. Germany, and neither of ‘em can seem to get that ball in the net, the score stays “nil-nil”. That’s a big ol’ zero to you and me, but “nil” for them. I guess if you wanna sound proper, you gotta go with “nil” when talkin’ soccer scores.
Let’s make it real simple:
- If nobody scores? That’s nil.
- If the score is zero to zero? That’s nil-nil.
- One team scores and the other doesn’t? You’ll hear something like “two-nil” or “three-nil”.
And you know what’s funny? This whole “nil” business ain’t so common in the U.S. We just say “zero” for most things. But when it comes to soccer, the Brits have rubbed off on us a bit. You might hear some announcers here say “nil” too, tryin’ to keep up with all them fancy soccer terms.
I remember watchin’ a game with my nephew once. He’s all into them soccer stats and numbers. So, there’s me, confused as ever, and he’s explainin’ how “nil” is just their way of sayin’ nothin’. That cleared it up right quick. “Ain’t that somethin’?”, I thought, “They got a whole word just for nothin’!”
But here’s somethin’ for ya—when you’re into them crosswords and the clue says “zero in soccer scores”, well, now you know the answer. It’s “nil”. I seen it pop up a lot, especially in them British puzzles. Ain’t no mystery to it once you know, but boy it used to stump me.
So next time you’re watchin’ a soccer game or doin’ a crossword, and you see that zero, just remember: it’s “nil”. You’ll sound real smart, like you been watchin’ them matches for years.
Quick Recap:
- Soccer zero is called nil.
- It comes from Latin, meanin’ “nothin’”.
- Common in British soccer talk, and even shows up in crosswords.
- In the U.S., we still mostly say “zero”, but for soccer, you might hear “nil”.
And there ya have it! Next time someone asks ya what “zero” is in soccer, you can tell ‘em all about “nil”. Makes ya sound like a real soccer fan, don’t it?
Tags：[soccer, nil, zero, soccer scores, crossword, football, soccer terminology]
