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[title]What words come to mind when we mention the Olympics? Prestige? Excellence? Medals?
Or is it: ‘Grom’?
The Olympic games have been around for nearly three millennia. As the entire planet tunes in to watch as the top sports people compete for those coveted gold medals, there’s some stuff you’ll probably want to get your head around to make the most of your viewing experience: jargon for you normies to weave into your vocab that will have you sounding like proper Olympic pros in no time.
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We’ve done some digging and unearthed some 100 percent real words and phrases that will almost certainly be used by professional Olympians and commentators across the next few weeks. What’s more, there’s something inherently funny about words which sound out of place to the average Joe. There’s nothing worth giggling about hearing the word ‘jaeger’ at a bar (especially as it’s usually followed by a friend trying to convince you to neck a shot of sweet battery acid and gone-off liquorice), but watching it earnestly come out of the mouth of a world-class gymnast? Now that’s entertainment.
So what are you waiting for? Brush up on your sporty lingo and drop these into convo next time you’re watching the Games to impress your mates.
Skateboarding
‘Goofy stance’: Refers to when a skateboarder has their left foot on the back of the board. Also used in surfing and snowboarding. ‘He’s a goofy-footed skater’.
‘Fakie’: When a skater is riding backwards. ‘She’s riding a fakie’.
Surfing
‘Grom’: A surfer under 16 years of age. ‘The young grom is showing great promise this games’.
Artistic swimming
‘Flamingo’: A move where one leg is extended perpendicular to the surface of the water while the other leg is drawn to the chest, the lower leg parallel to the surface. ‘Performing a beautiful flamingo’.
‘Eggbeater’: A circular motion of the legs which propels the swimmer upwards. ‘Moving with a tight eggbeater kick’.
Gymnastics
‘Eagle giant’: A move on the parallel bars where the gymnast performs a 360-rotation with shoulders first. ‘Onto the eagle giant over the top of the bars.’
‘Jaeger’: Another move on the parallel bars, where the gymnast lets go of the bar, does a somersault and grabs it again. ‘She killed her jaeger in tuck’.
Equestrian
‘Hackamore’: A type of reins used to control the horse. ‘He took the hackamore off the horse.’
‘Bridoon’: A snaffle bit placed inside the horse’s mouth. ‘They’re attaching the bridoon bit.’
Breakdancing
‘B-boy’ and ‘B-girl’: Refers to the athletes who breakdance. ‘Out come the B-boys’.
‘Toprock’: A simple breakdancing move performed when standing, used to easily transition into other moves. ‘Nailing the toprock is core to the foundation of breaking.’
Golf
‘Bogey’: When the golfer takes more tries then the par. ‘The game is a bogey.’
Mountain biking
‘Granny gear’: A low gear on the bike. ‘Up the hill in the granny gear’.
‘Bonk-bags’: Satchels worn by bikers. ‘All the necessities in the bonk-bag’.