If I’m talking to an English speaker from outside of the US, is there any confusion if I say “soccer”?

For example, when I was in college a friend asked for a “torch”. I was confused for quite some time, because I didn’t know it was another word for “flashlight”. Does the same thing happen with the word “soccer”? Should I clarify by saying, “…or football”?

Thank you!

  • wjrii
    34•6 months ago

    And Australia, at least when they’re not trying to suck up to the British.

      • CethinEnglish
        17•6 months ago

        Yeah, soccer is actually an English term that they created to refer to association football, as opposed to rugby football or the hundreds of other forms of football.

      • CurlyWurlies4AllEnglish
        8•6 months ago

        If an Englishman uses ‘soccer’ he’s almost certainly from the upper class.

        As “soccer” was played by the elite (such as the Oxford lad who is said to have coined “soccer”), it soon spread to the working classes, and became “football”.

    • @prettybunnys
      4•6 months ago

      And the British, at least when they’re not trying to make Americans look bad.