What is a nutmeg in soccer?

The one-liner covers the embarrassment, but here is how it actually works. A nutmeg, often just called a "meg," happens when an attacker pushes the ball through the small gap between a defender's feet and runs around to collect it on the far side. There is nothing illegal about it and no special rule attached. It is simply normal dribbling that happens to go through the legs instead of around the body, and play continues like any other touch.

So why the sting? Defending is mostly about staying square and keeping your body between the attacker and the goal. Leaving a gap between your feet is the one thing you are taught never to do, so when an attacker exploits it, the defender looks caught flat-footed in front of everyone. The crowd's reaction, often a loud "olé," is half the fun, and the attacker has earned every second of it.

What trips up Americans is the name. "Nutmeg" has nothing to do with the spice or the kitchen. It is old British slang, and while its exact origin is debated, it has been part of the soccer vocabulary for well over a century. So if you hear a commentator shout "megged him," they simply mean the ball went clean through the legs.