The Footballing Lexicon: Number 1.

In football writing, journalism and commentary, you hear the occasional, but recurring, adjective/phrase that seems ‘out of place’ – words that have no place in the vocabulary of your average football fan. Yet, they only ever seem to crop up in reference to football.

I’m not talking about ‘dominant’ or ‘slide rule pass’ here – but the more eloquent adjectives, the descriptive words that you hear and think you understand, but probably don’t know the actual meaning of.

At Footballsup, we aim to widen your vocabulary and increase your understanding. And we start with:

mer⋅cu⋅ri⋅al

/mərˈkyʊəriəl/  [mer-kyoor-ee-uhl]
–adjective

Common usage:

The mercurial Georgi Kinkladze

The mercurial talents of Eyal Berkovic

Footballing synonyms: erratic, temperamental, inconsistent, unpredictable, fickle

Full definition:

1. changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic: a mercurial nature.
2. animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
3. pertaining to, containing, or caused by the metal mercury.
4. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the god Mercury.
5. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the planet Mercury.
–noun
6. Pharmacology. a preparation of mercury used as a drug.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L mercuriālis of, pertaining to the god or planet

So, mercurial – changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic – and in footballing terms, blessed with the occasional stroke of genius (from the animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted side of the definition).

Don’t think Titus Bramble or David James – think Kinkladze and Berkovic, think Ginola and Benarbia, think Van Persie and Nani. Think Lee Trundle. Think of players than can turn a game, players that can provide that little spark – but not all the time, not every game. They are unpredictable, they are fickle – they are mercurial.