Ready…Set…Hike!: American Football, 1st Quarter

It's time to kick-off your mastery of American football with this list of general terms.

Here are links to our lists for the collection: 1st Quarter, 2nd Quarter, 3rd Quarter, 4th Quarter
15 words 8129 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. offensive
    for the purpose of attack rather than defense
    Billy Steen, who bore no resemblance whatever to a football player but had become one through sheer will, fighting off an offensive lineman four inches taller and fifty pounds heavier to sack the quarterback. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream
  2. quarterback
    the football player who directs the team's offensive play
    “I ever tell you I was quarterback my senior year? Threw the winning pass against Athens High in the semis. Matt was quarterback too.” The Serpent King
  3. huddle
    crowd or draw together
    The Lake Windsor players, who had huddled together after the goal, were slow getting back into position. Tangerine
  4. cadence
    a recurrent rhythmical series
    He went against the point his father had specifically made earlier this week: Don’t listen to the cadence; watch the ball. Washington Post
  5. attempt
    make an effort
    In that span, he had attempted 410 passes, thrown for 86 touchdowns and used his old-man trot to run for seven scores. Washington Post
  6. scramble
    move hurriedly
    Though the stats may not have overwhelmed, the quarterback displayed a strong arm and a good knack for when to escape the pocket with his scrambling ability. Washington Times
  7. spiral
    a plane curve traced by a point circling about a center
    “You know he doesn’t always throw spirals. Sometimes he throws them end over end. He had two spirals in a row, and that’s good for him.” Washington Post
  8. execution
    the act of doing something successfully
    "When the team plays that way, you’ve got to make plays offensively. Your execution has got to be at its best and obviously they took that away from us tonight. They made it very difficult." Fox News
  9. route
    an established line of travel or access
    Late in the first half, he had a four-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter on a short out route that got him wide open in the back of the end zone. Washington Post
  10. receive
    get something; come into possession of
    The trio of wide receivers combined for 1,080 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season. Washington Times
  11. possess
    have ownership of
    He rarely touched the ball, and it was even rarer when he possessed it in a dangerous position. Washington Post
  12. yard
    a unit of length equal to 3 feet
    He once threw for 550 yards and six touchdowns in one game. Washington Times
  13. touchdown
    a goal worth six points in American football
    He had had the best game of his life—seven for nine passing for 194 yards and four touchdowns. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream
  14. score
    gain points in a game
    Thanks partly to his combination of sound decisions and ripping throws, the 49ers hadn’t scored fewer than 37 points in the previous four games. Washington Post
  15. quarter
    one of four divisions into which some games are divided
    The key play came on the second play of the drive late in the third quarter with the game tied at 9. Washington Post
Created on Tue Jan 24 09:11:22 EST 2023 (updated Wed Feb 08 09:43:02 EST 2023)

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