Choque: The Untold Story of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil 1856-1949 (Volume 1) (61 page)

Empate
: No decision, no definite winner or loser, draw.

Other Vocabulary

Below are the noun forms of the words that were used most frequently in the period 1856-1949 to refer to ring (and other athletic) contests. Most had more general, or more localized meanings.
Luta
could be any type of struggle. “Match” was used with quotation marks, to emphasize the Anglo-American-ness of the sport.
Jogo
meant game (but more often used to describe the art than a match).
Poule
(a French word) was used almost exclusively for luta romana.
Assalto
originally referred to a simulated fight with blades (i.e, fencing), later extended to describe savate demonstrations, and later to describe the segments of a match that was divided up for dramatic purposes, like acts in a play, in which case it meant “round” (which was also used, with “quotation marks, for the same reason that “match” was). Many have cognates in languages that developed from Latin, or borrowed from languages that did. Examples were
choque
(shock, collision)
assalto
(assault),
batalha
(battle),
combate
(combat),
confronto
(confrontation),
contenda
(contention),
encontro
(encounter),
disputa
(dispute),
pugna
(pugnacious, pugilism),
prova
(proof), and so on. Sports writers could invent new phrases, or translate from English if they wanted to be creative. Fighters would
subir ao ring
[climb into the ring],
subir ao quadriletero
[climb into the rectangle], or
medir forces
[measure forces],
medir-se
[contend],
bater-se
[grapple], or (in the cases of boxers)
cruzar luvas
(cross gloves). Writers had to use their imagination to fill up space describing activities that were often incomprehensible to the typical reader.

Assalto

Batalha

Certame

Choque

Combate

Confronto

Contenda

Jogo

Cotejo

Desafio

Desempenho

Disputa

Embate

Encontro

Luta (lucta)

Match

Partida

Peleja

Poule

Pugna

Prova

Reunião

Other Relevant Expressions

Abalar
: To shake.

Adiamento
: Postponement.

Antagonista
: Opponent.

Apanhar
: Grab, catch.

Armadilha
: A Trap.

Arrastar
: Crawl, creep, drag.

Arremeter
: Attack.

Atordoado
: Dazed.

Atropelar
: Knock down.

Ase
: Ace, expert.

Bengala
: Walking stick.

Cacete
:              Stick, club, blunt weapon.

Cacetada
: A blunt weapon strike.

Cacetear
: To bluedgeon.

Campo
: Field.

Canivete
: Pocket-knife.

Canivetada
: A stab from a
canivete
.

Carioca:
Someone from Rio.

Cilada
: Ambush, trap.

Cognomiado
: Nicknamed.

Combate de mentira
: Worked fight

Combate simulada
: Worked fight.

Combate de fundo
: Main event.

Conchavos
: Agreement to work a fight.

Conchavar
: To collude.

Craque
(crack,
crac
): Expert, very skilled.

Desempate
: Tie-breaker.

Desempate a morte
: Tie-breaker of inconclusive tie-breaker.

Despedida
: Retiring, closing the show, leaving.

E
mbate-desforra
: Rubber-match, the third in a best 2 out of 3 series.

Embusteiro
: Swindler.

Estonteado
: To be stunned.

Estontear
: To stun.

Estraçalhada
: Pulled into pieces.

Esfaçelada
: torn apart.

Esmagar
: Crush, smash.

E
xame medico
: Pre-fight medical check

Foi batido
: Was beaten, lost.

Foi vencido
: Was defeated, lost..

Faixa negra
: Black belt.

Faixa preta
: Black belt.

Folêgo
: Stamina, wind, cardio.

Gaucho
: From Rio Grande do Sul.

Habil
: Skillful, able, capable

Habilidade
: Skill.

Levar a melhor
: To win.

Luta
combinada
: Worked fight.

Luta
no tapete
: Ground fight.

Luta
simulada
: Worked fight.

Mão tempo
: Bad weather, rain.

Marmelada:
Fake fight.

Match de fundo
: Main event.

Nacional
: National, Brazilian.

Navalha
: Razor, knife.

Negra
: Rematch.

Nosso patricio
: The Brazilian fighter.

Palpate
: A guess, hunch.

Pau
: Stick.

Paulista
: From
Sã
o Paulo

Pelaja de fundo
: Main event.

Pesagem
: Weigh-in

P
ôr fóra de combate
: Defeat

Progroação
: Over-time period, extension.

Refrega
: Melee.

Renhida
: Close (fight).

Renhidissima
: Very close (fight).

Repto
: Challenge.

Sine-die
: Postponed indefinitely, cancelled.

Sobrado
: Floor.

Soló
: Ground, floor.

Sparring
: Training partner.

Tablado
: Ring, competition area.

Tamanho
: Size.

Tapeação
: A fraud, swindle, treachery.

Tapeadores
: Swindlers, cheaters.

Tapear
: Slap, strike, deceive, fake, trick.

Tapete
: Ground, floor, carpet.

Tolice
: Fool.

Traiçoeira
: Cheater.

Transferido
: Rescheduled or relocated.

Truque
(
truc
): Trick, ploy, technique.

Revanche
: Return match.

Revez
: Set-back, loss, reversal.

Vencer
: To win, to defeat, to beat.

Vencedor
: Winner, victor.

Vulgo
: To be called.

Xadrez
: Chess, jail.

Nicknames (
alcunas
,
apelidos
) ring-names, and other commonly used descriptions for fighters
. The two most famousnicknames belonged to Mitsuyo Maeda, and Sadakazu Uenishi, who were far better known as Conde Koma and Raku, respectively. Some Brazilian professional fighters had nicknames as well. Like their North American counterparts, they were generally the invention of publicists and sports writers who needed to fill up space.

Some examples were:

Rei das Quedas
: Takeo Yano

Demonio Oriental
: Takeo Yano

Caçula
:              Helio Gracie

Caxinga
: Helio Gracie

Caxinguetê
: Helio Gracie

Chic-Chic
: Othelo Queirolo

Espingarda
: Simon Munich

Barata
: Miranda Neto

Major
: Jorge Saldanha

Oninho
: Naoiti Ono

Ono II
: Naoiti Ono

Noqueador
: Dante Carvalho

Indigesto
: Albino da Costa

Gato Ruivo
: George Gracie

Gato Louro
: George Gracie

Demolidor de Gigantes
: George Gracie

Matador de Gigantes
: George Gracie

Panthera Paulista
: Rogerio

Carioca
: Assumpção

Some of the Catchers were exclusively known by their ring names. Their real names appeared only in legal documents. Capoeiras all had nicknames as a convention of their art. When luta romana wrestler and sportsman Agenor Moreira Sampaio decided to reconstruct a modern version of capoeiragem, the first thing he did was adopt a new name, and he became better known as Sinhôzinho than by his legal name. Note that almost all, if not all, Brazilians had multiple names and a variety of ways to write them. For example, Simon or Sanson could also be written Simão and Samsão. Simon Munich was more often referred to by his nickname Espingarda. Sanson probably was not Sanson’s real name but was created to suggest supernatural power of Biblical proportions. Benedicto Peres dos Campos could be written Benedicto Peres, Benedicto Peres Campos. Some were seldom used, some were optional, some used for special occasions, and so on. Some fighters had nicknames piled on top of other nicknames, and some were publicly known only by their ring names.

Some examples were:

Caipira: Pedro

O Homem Borracha: Ceará

Coronel: Eduardo Jose Sant’ Maria

Cyriaco: Francisco da Silva

Dentinho: Otavio Alvaro Alves de Catumby

Dudú:
Orlando Americo da Silva

Gato Selvagem: Tavares Crespo

Gigante de Memel: Stefano Zicek

Gorila: Eugenio Jose Gonsalvez

Homem de Borracha: Charles Ulsemer

Homem Montanha: Leon Finklestein

Kid I: Jose Santos Cardoso

King Kong: Anibal Fortunato Segovia

Mané: Manoel Tito Ferreira

Moraisinho: Adalgido Morais

Norki: Andres Taranovack

Nick the Policeman: Nicholas Blazza Ellich

Onça Loura: Ervin Klausner

Rei dos Fouls: Jack Russell

Rollinha: Jayme Martins Ferriera

Tarzan: Luiz Fazio

Tarzan Argentino: Hector Fare

Tatú: Euclides Hattem

Touro de Copacabana: Tico Soledade

Some are obvious even without translation, and some are obvious with a dictionary: Tatú is armadillo,
rei
is king,
touro
is bull,
onça
is jaguar,
gato
is cat,
louro
/
a
is blond,
borracha
is rubber,
homem
is man,
caipira
is hillbilly,
caçula
is youngest sibling (or kid brother),
espingarda
is shotgun, -
inho
is a suffix that means small).
Chic-Chic
is a type of plant.