Scrum

Posted by James Briggs on November 21, 2004

In Reply to: Scrum posted by ESC on November 21, 2004

: Bush Pulls Top Bodyguard From Scuffle
: 2 hours, 22 minutes ago White House - AP
: November 21, 2004

: SANTIAGO, Chile - President Bush stepped into the middle of a confrontation and pulled his lead Secret Service agent away from Chilean security officials who barred his bodyguards from entering an elegant dinner for 21 world leaders Saturday night.As Bush stepped inside, Chilean agents closed ranks at the door, blocking the president's agents from following. Stopping for more pictures, Bush noticed the fracas and turned back. He reached through the dispute and pulled his agent from the scrum and into the building.

: From Merriam-Webster:
: SCRUM - Noun. Etymology: short for scrummage, alteration of scrimmage 1 or scrum.mage /'skr&-mij/ : a rugby play in which the forwards of each side come together in a tight formation and struggle to gain possession of the ball when it is tossed in among them 2 British : MADHOUSE

a 'scrum' is a long standing name used in rugby, now internaionalised - it's the same word in many countries who have adopted it as their own. There is a 'set scrum', when the 8 forwards of the two teams crouch in packs low against each other. There used to be another sort, called 'loose scum'. but this is now called a 'ruck' - when some of the players are forced to the ground, and 'maul' when the players are still of the feet.
England, the world champions, gave South Africa, the Southern hemisphere champions a 'right mauling' yesterday at Twickenham - 75,000 there to see the game.

• Low life Henry 24/November/04