By Sam Borden

Some experts have posited that it takes about 10,000 hours of intense study to learn a language. Although the CBS pregame show for today’s Super Bowl may seem that long, the reality is that fans hoping to be fluent in football by the kickoff do not have nearly that much time. As a reference, then, The New York Times offers this primer.

Ball So Hard University: A small liberal arts college from which linebacker Terrell Suggs and other Ravens players may claim to have graduated. Known for its philosophy program, it competes in a league with the likes of Ball State University, Ball Don’t Lie Institute of Technology and the School of Hard Knocks.

Bubble screen: A short pass thrown with a long, sweeping motion, like the waving of a plastic wand filled with a soapy solution on a warm summer’s day.

Cadence: The nonsensical barking by quarterbacks awaiting the snap, using mostly repetitive nouns to remind teammates of the play’s basic instructions or just to sound in charge. Example: “Georgia! Georgia! Black dog! Black dog! Manning’s not here! Neither is Brady! Hut!”

Dead-ball foul: An infraction between plays. Not to be taken literally; all balls are dead.

Halfback (see wing back, running back, up back, tailback, scat back): 1. The player who is carrying the ball. 2. Six positions Tim Tebow cannot play.

Harbaugh (see Harbaugh Face): The last name of seemingly everyone on the field and in the stands at the Super Bowl.

Harbaugh Face: 1. An intense grimace, as if one has endured excruciating pain by passing a kidney stone or seeing a field-goal attempt miss wide left. 2. Jim Harbaugh’s standard expression.

HarBowl: A terrible branding decision.

Icing the kicker: A timeout meant to unnerve the opposing kicker by giving him an extra 30 seconds to ponder his deep-rooted feelings of professional inadequacy.

Kaepernicking: A celebratory act that involves kissing a biceps and answering questions in a dull, dreary, monosyllabic fashion.

Nickel (see dime, quarter, half-dollar, Sacagawea dollar): 1. A defense that uses five defensive backs instead of four. 2. Five cents.

Passer rating: Invented by the scientist who discovered the human body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, this scale measures a quarterback’s throwing ability, with the highest NFL score being 158.3.

Play-action pass: A fancy way of saying fake handoff; much like the quarter-behind-the-ear trick, this fools defenders regularly even after all these years.

Quick count: Snapping the ball hurriedly after the offense is in formation. If children played in the NFL, the defenders would complain that they were not ready and demand a do-over.

Read option: 1. An offensive scheme that calls for the quarterback to decide whether to keep or to pitch the ball, depending on what the defense is doing. 2. A class popular with football players at many Division I colleges.

Red zone: The part of the couch cushion that used to be white before you dripped salsa on it and flipped it over.

Replay review: An extra timeout, built in so fans can use the bathroom, when officials re-examine a call to be sure it is correct.

Sam, Mike and Will: The names of the first men in football to play strong, middle and weakside linebacker. To avoid confusion, their coach named the positions after them, as in, “OK, today, you play where Sam did yesterday.”

Spread offense: The house with the best Super Bowl party menu, as in: “That guy has a killer spread offense. You ever taste his teriyaki wings?”

Spike: Something more likely to have been done to your party punch than by someone in the end zone because jubilant acts after touchdowns are generally frowned upon by the NFL. Besides, today’s players often want to keep the ball for themselves. They are worth money!

Squib kick: A short kickoff in which the ball bounces several times, then explodes.

Super Bowl: A game of football played in fits and starts around a 12-minute concert and the broadcast of 137 highly anticipated commercials.