Bridgerton Words, Terms and Meanings in Netball

Dearest gentle reader,

It has long been said that the finest dramas of our time unfold in ballrooms, beneath chandeliers, and within earshot of society’s most watchful mamas. And yet… this author must respectfully disagree.

For the greatest spectacles of modern life occur not in Mayfair, but on a cold weeknight at a school’s sports facilities or a leisure centre, where the lighting is unforgiving, with not a chaperone in sight, where the gossip travels faster than a centre pass. Indeed, netball is not merely a sporting season, it the social season.

So allow me, gentle reader, to offer a small guide, a most essential glossary: “Bridgerton terms and their meanings translated into netball”. Naturally, some will deny the accuracy of these definitions. Others will laugh a little too loudly. I suppose some may suspect that this author has been watching them rather closely… though one need not worry. Unless, of course, one has something to hide.

Let this serve as a gentle reminder, that it is always the most offended who reveal themselves the quickest.

Yours most devotedly,
Lady Whistledown. 🖋️🏐

Diamond

A Diamond is a prestigious, unofficial title bestowed by peers upon a player for their effort, poise and grace during a netballing fixture.

Being named the match ‘Diamond’ is otherwise known as the “cream of the crop” or the ‘Player of the Match’, essentially guaranteeing a deluge of admiration, top-tier attention and maybe even a touch of sporting-envy from other eligible players who were not selected.

Season

The word “Season” describes structured, cyclical periods, often between 8 and 12 weeks in length.

A Season is where high society converge each week in organised groups, participating in team sport. Upon each week, each designated team shall be matched with another, all with the hopes of being victorious. As the Season conclusion draws near, teams will each begin to anticipate their rank in society, and will endeavour to improve upon, or maintain their status in the forthcoming season.

Promenade

“Promenade” is the formal public walk between one’s mode of transport and their destination on court.

A promenade is taken in eligible company, and is regarded as a key social activity for individuals to mingle and gossip, make or receive invitations for further socialising, and to display the latest sporting fashions.

Ladies of the ton

The “Ladies” An arrangement of women, who establish themselves into smaller, intimate groups, known as one’s ‘circle’ or ‘team’. The “Ton” signifies the collective company of each ‘team’.

A Lady of the Ton shall display the upmost elegance and poise, whilst performing attractive and satisfying gameplay.

Debutante

A Debutante is a woman formally presenting herself to the league for the first time.

A Debutante may express a combination of excitement and nervousness in preparation for her debut. She may agonise over complex hairstyling, and spend leisure time browsing specialised online-retailers, often acquiring a new wardrobe and ‘statement pieces’, balancing traditional modesty with modern elegance, signalling her eligibility and intention to participate in the upcoming season.

Viscount

“Viscount” is localised terminology to describe ones or a teams ‘Victory Count’.

A Viscount, is a homonym used to describe individuals or teams with loose morals, whom publicly tally their game or season’s numerical total of goals and wins in sight of their adversaries to cause alarm.

Match

A “Match” is a socially approved, often arranged, coupling of two teams of individuals.

Each with the desire to out-score their opponent, the result of an individual contest is decided by totalling the number of spheroids successfully passing through a complex netting, located 10 feet aloft, within a set time-frame. When a match has ceased, teams are awarded a numerical value corresponding to their result; there are points for victory, defeat or being evenly matched. Each team’s totals will be held in trust until the end of the Season, whereupon a champion will be named.

Lady in Waiting

A “Lady in Waiting” is a formal term to describe a person whom selflessly volunteers, or is chosen to substitutes for their peers.

A Lady in Waiting can be coveted or burdensome for some players. It is a position in which one may not partake the entirety of a sole fixture. It is often a sensitive topic amid teammates when deciding arrangement of positions. Oftentimes a team will decline to select a designated Lady in Waiting, and instead use more arbitrary methods each week. It would be most becoming to offer oneself to the role periodically, if it does not trouble them to do so.

Whistledown

“Whistledown” has two distinct meanings within society.

Verb – “To Whistledown”

To ‘Whistledown’ is to engage in local gossip or chit-chat with dear confidantes by way of social media upon a personal telecommunications device. Usually circulated exclusively among a select circle, you can ‘Whistledown’ with remarkable frequency, often several times within the hour.

Noun – “The Whistledown”

A sharp, authoritative cry that echoes across court, instantaneously concluding competition in either victory or defeat.

Pinnacle

“The Pinnacle” is the internal feeling that one may feel upon being awarded an accolade, such as ‘Player of the Match’.

The Pinnacle, or ‘Reaching the Pinnacle’, is a polite, indirect term that describes one’s own feeling when personally favoured and celebrated by peers, avoiding the use of language that may blow ones own trumpet. Many a ‘Player of the Match’ alumna will fondly describe the sensations where “your heart begins to race”, “you gasp for air”, and “feels like the height of pleasure”.

Courtship

“Courtship” is the highly regulated and strategic process of governing etiquette among players.

A courtship is the practice of maintaining a dignified genteel, whereby high ranking members of society, oftentimes referred to as ‘Umpires’, will govern sporting proceedings with a strict social etiquette. It is not custom to solely rely on an Umpire for great Courtship. An individual’s reputation is under the constant, watchful eye of society and chaperones, and careful consideration must always be taken for one’s own actions to maintain a favourable ‘courtship’.

Rake

A “Rake” is a label given to someone who avoids committing to a singular team, in favour of galivanting in the company of multiple teams, frequently within the same evening.

A Rake is commonly a charming, outgoing and free-spirited person, living outside the confines of commitment. A Rake delights in not be bound or restricted to a singular team or institution. They are widely known for their varied player liaisons, multi-team promiscuity and duplicity, but are highly coveted by society in the event a team lacks the minimum numbers to participate.

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