Tag: Sports and Games

“People doing the wave”

LORELAI: It’ll be fun. There’ll be cheerleaders and clowns, people doing the wave.
RORY: You have no idea what a hockey game is, do you?

The wave (known as the Mexican wave or the stadium wave outside North America) is an audience participation move where successive groups of spectators briefly stand, yell, and raise their arms. Immediately upon stretching to full height, the spectator returns to the usual seated position.

The result is a wave of standing spectators that travels through the crowd, even though individual spectators never move away from their seats.

It first appeared at a hockey game in Denver in 1979, a move claimed to be invented, then perfected, by professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson. It began to be adopted internationally after broadcast coverage of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, leading to the act being known as a “Mexican wave” in some countries.

Toilet Papered School

[They stop to look at Stars Hollow High, which has been toilet papered by a rival school]
LORELAI: You know, I almost like it better like this.
RORY: It is more festive.

Toilet papering is a common practical joke, prank or act of revenge in the US, where a tree, house, or other building is completely covered in toilet paper. Common events that might attract toilet papering include Halloween, April Fool’s Day, high school graduation, or an important sports match (such as in this episode).

Face-Off

In hockey (ice hockey), a face-off occurs at the start of each period, or to restart play. An official drops the puck between the sticks of two opposing players, who are then said to “face off” from each other in order to gain control of the puck.

This episode has a hockey game as its focal point, at which several people will “face off” from each other in opposition, or in an effort to gain control of the situation.

“The woman taught me everything”

RORY: The woman taught me everything I’ve already forgotten about dancing, baton twirling and gymnastics.

We learned in “Rory’s Birthday Parties” that Miss Patty is Rory’s former ballet teacher. Apparently she also learned gymnastics and baton twirling from her. Rory is physically awkward and slightly clumsy – I can’t imagine she did well in any of these classes. It’s also amazing she managed to learn ballet and gymnastics, and still be that physically awkward!

Rooked

LUKE: Why didn’t you tell me?
LORELAI: I don’t know. I just felt stupid getting rooked into the thing in the first place, and then . . . plus, you don’t wanna hear about my personal life.

Rook, informal language meaning to cheat or swindle, especially in a game of cards. The word in this sense dates to the 16th century, and is assumed to be after the bird, a member of the crow family, regarded as very cunning.

I can’t see how Lorelai was actually tricked into going fishing – Alex asked if she liked fishing, and she said yes! Maybe she means she tricked herself. After all, she was the only one who was in any way deceptive.

Waders

RORY: Oh yeah, we’ve seen those boot thingies outside drying off.
LUKE: Those would be called waders.

Waders, waterproof boots or overalls extending from the foot to the thigh, the chest or the neck. They are traditionally made from vulcanised rubber, but available in more modern PVC, neoprene and Gore-Tex variants. The first waders were made in 1838 by a company called Hodgman, in Framingham, Massachusetts.