How Much American Football Slang Do You Know?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Much American Football Slang Do You Know?
Image: Wiki Commons by Keith Allison

About This Quiz

American football was partially born out of rugby, with a few changes to the game that made it its own thing. As a professional sport, it's about 100 years old at this point, making it relatively new compared to some of the other big games in the world which have a couple of centuries of history at their back. But in that time, this uniquely American game has become a phenomenon. Just look at Super Bowl XLIX back in 2015. Do you know how many people tuned in to watch that game on TV? Over 114 million. That's amazing! Football is like its own culture, and that means it also has a good deal of slang, jargon and lingo to get to know if you're serious about the game. While anyone on the street knows what a pass, or a kick is, only someone into the game is going to know what the Statue of Liberty play is, or what the heck a muffed punt might be.

If you have an eye for the game but also an ear for all of its extensive slang, then now's your chance to show your stuck. If you're an expert at American football slang, take the quiz and prove it!

Football Slang 14
Wiki Commons by Rickyrab
This term can describe the crew on the sidelines managing the signal poles. What is it?
Riders
Slinky
Chain gang
Busters
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can call the crew holding the signal poles on the sidelines the chain gang. There are three people in the chain gang; a rod man who holds the rear pole where the current set of downs is, the boxman at the line of scrimmage and the second rod man who is 10 yards from the first one at the first down line.

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Football Slang 7
Wiki Commons by Ken Lund
What's the term for when you have as little time between plays as possible?
Dink and dunk
Pump fake
Hitch route
Hurry-up offense
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You're running the hurry-up offense if you're not stopping between plays, you're just going as fast as you can. This can throw the defense off their game by not giving them time to get organized.

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Football Slang 8
Wiki Commons by Austin Kirk
This is an old school name for the football itself. What is it?
Pigskin
Pocket
Brick
Leatherhead
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People still call footballs pigskins even though they haven't been made of pigskin in just short of forever. But it's true, footballs were made of inflated pig bladders at one point. These days they're cowhide.

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Football Slang 19
Wiki Commons by VaMedia
You could use this term when the punt returner messes up pretty badly. What is it?
Muffed punt
Onside kick
Squib kick
Pulled punt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you somehow mess up returning the punt, maybe by letting it go through your hands, then that's a muffed punt right there. You've touched the ball, thus making it a live ball, but you haven't caught it, so it's bounding around the field and unspeakable carnage is occurring as players from both sides fight to possess it.

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Football Slang 28
Wiki Commons by Ray Montgomery & Keith Johnston
Which of these refers to a disappointing draft choice?
Bin
Bust
Bubble
Break
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You go bust when you have a great prospect that gets drafted to the team and then, when they finally get to show their stuff, they absolutely disappoint in every way. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes they can turn it around, but not always.

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Football Slang 35
Wiki Commons by Dave Hogg
The QB might do this to run out the clock. What is it?
Take a knee
Run a formation
Fall back
Reach the spread
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The quarterback will take a knee in order to stop the play in a way that keeps the clock running. You see this all the time when a game is basically over and a team has already won so they're just waiting for the clock to stop and make it official.

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Football Slang 12
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
You're going to want to do which of these as your last resort?
Bomb
Hail Mary
Winger
Pooch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A Hail Mary pass is the kind of thing you do in a moment of desperation. Generally, it's about as far as a quarterback can throw and there should at least be a couple of receivers waiting on it. If it's done at the last second, even better.

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Football Slang 4
Wiki Commons by Neon Tommy
This is what you call it when the receiver runs up the field then immediately turns and runs back a short distance. What is it?
Buttonhook
Fleaflicker
Shovel Pass
Play-action
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A buttonhook route is meant to try to dupe a defender. The runner has to go full speed down the field to make it seem like they're going deep and then dig in and turn around as fast as possible to pull this off effectively.

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Football Slang 16
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
You can get a 15-yard penalty for doing which of these?
Face mask
Rubber neck
Slobberknocker
Bootleg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A face mask is the protective gear you wear on your face, but also what you'd call the penalty-earning maneuver of grabbing someone by their facemask to pull them down for a tackle.

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Football Slang 25
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
What do some people call the referees?
Loafs
Windmills
Pylons
Zebras
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Since they're standing on the sidelines in black and white stripes, it's not hard to imagine where the nickname "zebras" came from for referees. Of course, when they make bad calls, some people have more offensive nicknames for them.

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Football Slang 30
Wiki Commons by GoIowaState.com
Someone tackles you by grabbing your shoulderpads. What's it called?
Bull horn
Chain pull
Horse collar
Downgrade
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A horse collar tackle is when the defender grabs you around the collar area to drag you to the ground. In the NFL, this will give you a 15-yard personal foul. Roy Williams was so famous for tackling other players like this that the personal foul rule is sometimes called the Roy Williams Rule.

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Football Slang 1
Wiki Commons by Joe Bielawa
Which term describes taking out the quarterback?
Drop
Sack
Whiff
Scrub
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Everyone likes a well-played quarterback sack except for maybe the quarterback. Deacon Jones is credited with coming up with this term not in relation to sacks of potatoes but to sacking cities like in old school warfare.

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Football Slang 18
Wiki Commons by Midwest Communications
How might one of the Green Bay Packers celebrate a touchdown?
Showboat
Hike
Free bird
Lambeau Leap
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Lambeau Leap only works at Lambeau Field, hence the clever name. When you jump into the stands at the end of the field at Lambeau, that's a Lambeau Leap. The first time it ever happened was back in 1993 by LeRoy Butler.

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Football Slang 9
Wiki Commons by IcE MaN
Which of these terms refers to a last moment change of play?
Play-action
Offside
Audible
Lateral
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you change the play at the last minute, you're calling an audible. Why call it an audible? Well, the word literally refers to something you can hear, and calling an audible is telling everyone to change plans because the quarterback has noticed something in the defense ... like a blitz.

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Football Slang 17
jameslee1 / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images
Do you know which of these terms refers to the field itself?
Punch out
The green
Flathead
Gridiron
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A football field is often referred to as a gridiron because of how they looked in the past. These days the field is just marked by the yard lines, but way back when it was a grid pattern that reminded people of a grille and a somewhat nefarious torture device called a gridiron.

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Football Slang 33
Wiki Commons by Conman33
If the running back receives the snap instead of the quarterback, what's that called?
Break formation
Blindside formation
Wildcat formation
Amoeba formation
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It seems pretty wild if the running back takes the snap, right? Maybe that's why they call it the wildcat formation. Once the running back takes the snap, the QB takes a receiver position and, ideally, the defense is all kinds of confused.

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Football Slang 34
Wiki Commons by Clstds
What do you call the vertical goal posts?
Spikes
Fangs
Wings
Uprights
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Some people refer to a field goal as "splitting the uprights," which is to say you're putting the ball between the goal posts. And yeah, since they're both upright it's a pretty basic but descriptive name for what they are.

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Football Slang 3
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Which of these describes a pass that goes about as far as the QB can throw it?
Drop
Hack
Bomb
Flake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A bomb or a long bomb is a pass that stretches the limits of the quarterback's arm. It makes for a dramatic play, but the longer a ball is in the air the more time defenders have to intercept or otherwise botch the play for you.

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Football Slang 22
Wiki Commons by AleXXw
What do you call it when the quarterback tosses the ball down after the snap?
Jack
Pump
Break
Spike
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A spike in football is just a way to stop the clock in a pinch. It's going to cost the offensive team a down, but it's also saving some time and when it's down to the wire, it means there may be enough time to pull off one last play and score.

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Football Slang 29
Wiki Commons by Michael Barera
What do you call it when you make a short field goal attempt?
Muck raker
Pooch punt
Chip shot
Windmill
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you make a short field goal, let's say 25 yards or less, that's what you call a chip shot. Under normal circumstances, this is pretty much a guaranteed field goal because if your kicker messed up from 25 yards, that's a problem.

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Football Slang 31
Wiki Commons by Killervogel5 / mphillips007 / E+ / Getty Images
What do you call it when you have a 5th defensive back?
Nickle back
Dime back
Full back
Half back
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's not just a popular Canadian rock band, nickel back is what you call it when you have a fifth defensive back on the field. Makes sense when you think about it since a nickel is 5 cents, right?

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Football Slang 6
Wiki Commons by Randy Levine
This term describes when the quarterback is a distance behind the center when they hike the ball. What is it?
Blitz
Pocket
Shotgun
Juke
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A proper shotgun formation has the quarterback positioned a good 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. It's a way to protect against a blitz and give the QB a few more seconds to decide where to throw.

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Football Slang 32
Wiki Commons by Michael Barera
A nice, short kick that travels at least 10 yards is called what?
Free kick
Onside kick
Squid kick
Quick kick
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An onside kick is easier said than done sometimes but the idea is to make it short, but still far enough that it counts so that your team can snag it and stay on offense. If it works, it's a huge advantage. If it fails, you just gave the other team great field position.

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Football Slang 24
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Do you know which of these terms is used to describe a fake out?
Rake
Jive
Juke
Sleet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A player trying to fake out an opposing player is going to do a little juking. If you have the ball, you can juke right to trick the defender, then head left as quick as you can. A good juker is nearly untouchable.

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Football Slang 11
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
What do you call it when certain players on the defense rush the quarterback instead of going to their positions?
Juke
Spike
Sack
Blitz
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This play is pretty commonplace these days, but the blitz was likely quite a surprise when it first showed up. There are a few kinds of blitzes like the zone blitz and the safety blitz, but they seem to have evolved from a play in the '40s known as the Red Dog.

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Football Slang 5
Wiki Commons by Lance Cpl. Kevin Jones
Which of these describes when you're within 20 yards of the end zone?
Bullrush
Chip shot
Line of scrimmage
The red zone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The red zone is where you want to be in a game. It's 20 yards or less from the end zone and some prime scoring position. If a touchdown isn't an option, you're almost guaranteed a field goal from in the red zone.

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Football Slang 2
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
A fiendishly timed time-out call from the sidelines is known as what?
Icing the kicker
Running the gamut
Breaking the QB
Frying the run
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Icing the kicker is a bit of an underhanded move. When one team is bringing out the kicker for a field goal, the other team calls a late time out. The point is to mess up the kicker's flow and hopefully cause them to mess up when play starts again. It rarely works.

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Football Slang 27
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison & Thomson200
Coaches are afraid of losing their jobs on which of these days?
Prime day
Reset
Big day
Black Monday
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Monday after the last regular-season day of play is called Black Monday. This is the day a coach is going to lose their job if the season didn't go well, so it's a pretty intimidating thing to deal with.

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Football Slang 13
NFL / NBC
Which of these can happen if the QB runs into his own lineman?
Butt fumble
Rugburn
Forced fumble
Ankle breaker
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Any fumble is embarrassing, but a butt fumble is pretty much the worst kind. It was named in honor of a 2012 game between the Jets and the Patriots when QB Mark Sanchez ran right into teammate Brandon Moore's butt and fumbled the ball.

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Football Slang 21
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
When you're using your head to hit someone else, at great risk of injury, what are you doing?
Spearing
Sniping
Scoping
Slashing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spearing is a risky maneuver for both parties involved. You can risk a personal foul for using your helmet as a weapon, not to mention serious neck damage. If you're getting hit by a spear, well, you're going to feel it and it's going to hurt.

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Football Slang 10
Wiki Commons by Jeffness / mphillips007 / E+ / Getty Images
For this play to work, you need to trick the defense into thinking you're running and not passing. What is it?
Statue of Liberty
Flea-flicker
Blitz
Zone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The flea-flicker is a trick play in which someone like the running back takes a handoff, runs along the line of scrimmage, then tosses it back to the QB so they can pass it. It's super risky and also super rare.

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Football Slang 26
Wiki Commons by Legoktm
You can go for which of these after you score a touchdown?
XP
EP
TP
KP
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You get to try for an extra point after a touchdown, which you can abbreviate as XP if you like. That can just be a kick for one point or, if you're feeling lucky, maybe run or pass for a two-point conversion.

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Football Slang 23
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Which play involves a fake pass and then a handoff?
Shovel pass
Flare route
Flea flicker
Statue of Liberty
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Statue of Liberty play is a trick play that can be fun to watch when it works out. The QB fakes the pass as a running back goes behind them and takes a handoff. It gets the name because when one arm is raised and one is passing, the QB looks a bit like Lady Liberty.

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Football Slang 15
Wiki Commons by Dave Herholz
When your offense involves a lot of short passes to gain yards, what's it called?
Rip and run
Flip ship
Dink and dunk
Hack and sack
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The dink and dunk isn't always a fun offense to watch, but it can work out. It involves very conservative plays, short passes for short yards to move you down the field. It's boring football, but it can be effective football.

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Football Slang 20
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison
Which of these terms describes an incredibly intense hit?
Slammer
Throwdown
Slobberknocker
Breaking box
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When two players collide like freight trains, what you have is a slobberknocker. The terms literally means you hit so hard it knocked the spit from your mouth. It can also be used to describe a game that's brutal from start to finish.

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You Got:
/35
Wiki Commons by Keith Allison