KOCHI: New kids on the block always make a splash. For the good or bad. some ‘new entrants’ are currently trending in india. The first one is a grim reminder that the pandemic is far from over. india has detected coronavirus variants with “immune evasive property”. Kerala health ministry, on Monday, sounded an alert following reports that “XBB and XBB1 are more contagious”.
Maharashtra has detected an Omicron subvariant — BQ.1 — in Pune. And the state government has issued a warning: “Do not ignore flu-like symptoms. seek medical advice at the earliest. Observe Covid appropriate behaviour in public places.” American immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci believes the new variants could be “pretty troublesome”. he also cautions that BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 have “qualities or characteristics that could evade some of the interventions we have”.
So, guys, do not lower your guard. And, please do not lower that mask while you sneeze. it’s meant to be on. The other new entrant in the news is something to cheer about. it’s the AK-203. According to a senior Russian official, production of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is set to start by the end of this year. in 2019, as part of ‘Make in india’, the indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited had been set up to produce AK-203 rifles at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi. Considered a piece of art in the world of gunnery, the AK203 is, finally, set to replace the ageing INSAS rifles used by the Indian Army. The Russian-origin rifle has an effective range of 400m to 800m and comes with 30 -or50 - round magazines.
The director general of Russian state-run Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, says “plans include 100 per cent localisation of the production of legendary Russian assault rifles in india”. “in the future, the joint venture may increase production and modernise facilities to manufacture advanced rifles based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle platform,” Mikheev adds. Bravo! Another new entrant that left me amused in recent times is the “squeaky bum”, which has entered the Oxford dictionary, as per its September update. ‘squeaky bum time’ has been defined as “a particularly tense period of time, especially one leading up to the climax of a competition or event”.
The Cambridge dictionary has also picked the phrase up: “used humorously to refer to the final stages of a football competition when more than one team can win and people become very excited and nervous”. The credit goes to former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who used the phrase in “reference to his team challenging for the title in the closing stages of the English Premier League season” in 2003. with the Fifa world Cup coming up next month in Qatar, the Oxford dictionary has included 15 new football-related terms in its latest update. Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, too, has made a contribution: “park the bus”. The Oxford dictionary defines it as “to play in a very defensive way, typically by having the majority of outfield players close to their own goal and showing little attacking intent”.
After a 0-0 draw against Tottenham hotspurs in 2004, Mourinho had grumbled, “As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal.” Named after the legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, the “Cryuff turn”, too, is now officially part of the Oxford dictionary. it is described as a “manoeuvre used by one player to evade another, in which the player with the ball feints a pass while facing in one direction before immediately dragging the ball behind and across his or her standing leg with the other foot, turning, and moving away in the opposite direction”.
Okay, time for me to go track what’s cooking at Merriamwebster (watch this space). wish you a week filled with pleasant new entries ahead have a ball!
Gegenpressing: “A style of play in which a team on losing possession puts immediate and intensive pressure on the opposition, even deep in the opposition’s half, in an attempt to regain the ball at the earliest opportunity, prevent the opposing team from capitalising on possession, and force mistakes in dangerous positions.”
Origin: from German “counter-pressing”
Rabona: “An unorthodox way of kicking a ball in which the kicking leg crosses behind the standing leg before making contact; (also) a pass, cross, etc., made in this way. Frequently as a modifier, as in rabona cross, rabona goal, etc.”
Origin: “The football term is explained as deriving from a punning caption, el infante que se hizo la rabona (the child who skips school), as used in a 1948 edition of the Argentinian football magazine El Gráfico accompanying a cartoon depicting the player Ricardo infante (1924–2008), who had performed this action in a recent match.”
Paneka: “A penalty kick in which the taker lightly chips the ball into the centre of the goal at the moment that the goalkeeper dives to one side. Frequently (and in earliest use) as a modifier, as in Panenka penalty, Panenka chip, etc.”
Origin: “the name of Antonín Panenka (b. 1948), Czech association footballer who scored a penalty of this type in the final of the 1976 UEFA European Championship”
Trequartista: “An attacking player who operates in the space between the midfielders and the strikers and whose primary role is to create opportunities for teammates to score.”
Origin: “italian trequartista (1988)... with reference to the area of the pitch in which such players typically operate”
Tiki-taka: “A style of play characterised by highly accurate short passing and an emphasis on retaining possession of the ball.”
Origin: “spanish tiki-taka (2006 or earlier), an imitative formation.”
Row Z: “The very back of a theatre, stadium, etc.; a notional area high and far back in the stadium humorously said to be the destination of a powerful but inelegant clearance, wildly misdirected shot, etc.”
Origin: “with reference to the convention of labelling rows of seating alphabetically, beginning with A at the front.”
False nine: “A centre forward who often drops further towards midfield than is typical of this role, becoming more involved in creative play and leaving space for teammates to attack; (also) the position occupied by such a player.”
Origin: “The number nine shirt is traditionally worn by the team’s centre forward.”
Total football: “An attacking style of football in which every outfield player is able to play in any position as required during the course of a game, to allow fluid movement around the pitch while retaining the team’s overall structure as players exchange positions and fill spaces left by others.”
Origin: “The emergence of this style of play is closely associated with the Dutch club Ajax and the Netherlands national team in the early 1970s, although other clubs and teams had previously played using a similar system.”