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Glite Dictionary
side judge

side judge

1 7.9
An official in American football who watches plays and passes downfield on one sideline
  • noun
  • /saɪd dʒʌdʒ/
  • US
translation icon : juez de línea
  • Then, there was the case of side judge Brian Stropolo, who was actually flown in to help call the Week 2 game between the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, despite the fact that Stropolo's Facebook page had pictures of him in Saints fan gear and tailgating at a Saints preseason game after he was hired by the NFL.

Examples

  • The side judge ruled that the pass was incomplete, impacting the game's outcome.

  • During the match, the side judge followed the play closely to ensure all rules were enforced.

  • A referee (side-judge, actually) made what is regarded as a poor judgment on a football field this past Monday night.

    Blog text (26)

  • The side judge has a clear view of this play, but he doesn't throw the flag and decides to let Bryant and Williams go at it.

    Blog text (27)

  • "Additionally, head linesman Tyrone Davis and side judge Angie Bartis were given one-game suspensions" for failure to adhere to correct mechanics of the game and rules related to player safety.

    Blog text (5)

  • Stropolo was scheduled to serve as the side judge in Week 2's Saints-Panthers game—at least until the NFL discovered that Stropolo appears to be a Saints fan.

    Blog text (10)

  • As a side judge, he was responsible for spotting the ball after each play.

Synonyms

football official
vsside judge
1 3.0

A person who makes sure players follow the rules in a football game

is a specific on-field role working downfield near one sideline

Surface Forms

side judge singular
side judges plural

Morphology

side + judge

The compound is directly compositional: 'side' specifies location (the sideline) and 'judge' denotes an official, so a learner can infer it refers to an official positioned at the side. This productive noun+noun pattern is common in sports terminology and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably deduce the meaning.

Etymology

Side judge comes from football officials who stand at the side of the field and act as a judge of the action. They watch players from the 'sideline' and make calls about catches or fouls, so side judge today means the official who watches and decides on those plays.