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My high kicks are not done in a line!

The above sentence appeared as a legend in a T-shirt I saw once. It accompanied the caricature of a soccer player warming up, but I didn't get the pun intended. When I told a friend of mine about this, he said that the joke might have to do with a certain expression from ballet ... I hope that you can shed some light on this enquiry of mine.

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    Whoever downvoted this, stand and unfold yourself!
    – José Hdz. Stgo.
    Commented Nov 11, 2012 at 22:12
  • Not ballet but a chorus line, like the Rockettes.
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Commented Nov 11, 2012 at 22:20
  • Thanks a bunch, StoneyB. However, I'm afraid that I still don't get it. What's a "high kick" in soccer jargon? Besides, those downvotes make me think that there is an offensive connotation of the expression, but I'm failing to see what it might be...
    – José Hdz. Stgo.
    Commented Nov 11, 2012 at 22:31
  • In soccer, a "high kick" is a kick well above the ground--typically waist level or higher--which in a referee's judgement inadvertently imperils another player and therefore constitutes prohibited "dangerous play".
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Commented Nov 11, 2012 at 22:40
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    @Carlo_R: I know that questions may or may not be upvoted... Besides, I wouldn't have raised any hell had this particular question not received any positive votes. What prompted me to enter that first comment is the fact that I don't find it that fair to downvote stuff without leaving any type of feedback for the OP.
    – José Hdz. Stgo.
    Commented Nov 11, 2012 at 23:40

1 Answer 1

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As others have mentioned in the comments, "high kicks" can refer to moves performed by a dance team; for example, these dancers are doing high kicks in a line:

enter image description here

However, the wearer of the T-shirt does her "high kicks" like this:

enter image description here

I think the shirt is just meant to playfully say, "I'm an athlete, not a dancer!" by making veiled references to the football (soccer) field and dance floor.

I'd also guess the T-shirt was meant to be worn by a girl, since boys don't typically high kick in a line, or proudly proclaim that they feel more at home on the athletic field, as opposed to the dance floor.

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  • "Typically", but ...
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Commented Nov 12, 2012 at 1:18
  • @StoneyB: Sure, but in that case, I'd expect one of those guys to wear a shirt that reads, "My high kicks are done in a line!"
    – J.R.
    Commented Nov 12, 2012 at 1:24
  • Think they'd wear what they're wearing if they had a choice?
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Commented Nov 12, 2012 at 1:30
  • Nice illustrations! A picture is worth a thousand words indeed. This is the first time I've seen an illustration in ELU. =)
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented Nov 12, 2012 at 14:13
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    @DamkerngT.: You should visit more often then. You must have missed the famous umbrella question. We're not on the wrong side of the tracks; pull up a chair and stay for awhile ;^)
    – J.R.
    Commented Nov 12, 2012 at 16:44

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