On the eve of the day on which Victor had planned to arrive, Pnin entered a sport shop in Waindell's Main Street and asked for a football. The request was unseasonable but he was offered one.
'No, no', said Pnin, 'I do not wish an egg or, for example, a torpedo. I want a simple football ball. Round!'(Pnin)
This passage is funny in itself, but also because of this:
When saying "football", I mean football, the game that involves feet (running, kicking) and a ball. Not handegg*.
If you're interested in the origin of the word "soccer", here is a nice explanation: http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2014/06/soccer.html
Also, back to Nabokov, he played football back then at Cambridge, by the way. A goalkeeper.
http://putnielsingoal.com/2013/06/25/the-wandering-attention-of-vladimir-nabokov/
http://tomclarkblog.blogspot.no/2010/05/vladimir-nabokov-keeper-of-secret.html
Who knew.
*: Just so you know, I also dislike the American date format and measurement systems, for logical rather than personal reasons. But then that's another story.
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