Yes, the official press release from the University of the Philippines (UP) used “kick off” to refer to the official start of the celebration of the university’s 100 years of existence.
While Princeton University’s WordNet defines “kick off” as “inaugurate; commence officially,” you should know that it is a colloquial term.
Strictly speaking, “kick off” is used in football to refer to the start or resumption of a match. In case you don’t know, it is also the name of a popular football computer game series.
Given this, it is not surprising that The Concise Oxford Dictionary (Ninth Edition) classifies “kick off” as British slang. (1995: 745)
Why am I fixated on this? Official ceremonies require the use of formal words. While there’s nothing ungrammatical about “kick off,” UP is better off using more direct and understandable words like “start,” “inaugural” or “commencement.”
Anyway, if you plan to go to the UP Diliman campus today, please note that there will be a re-routing of traffic at around 1 p.m.
The traffic advisory reads: “The incoming lane of the University Avenue from C.P. Garcia Street will be closed to traffic starting 1 p.m. on Tuesday, January 8 for the UP Centennial Kick Off activities. All motorists entering the UPD through the University Avenue shall be required to make a right turn on Jacinto Street.” The streets in green are closed to traffic, while the ones in red serve as alternate routes.
What are the activities today and in the next few months? Please visit the UP Centennial website for details.
If, by any chance, you want to take part in today’s festivities, please wear a red shirt and proceed to the union office located near the UP Shopping Center. I got this text message from a ranking official of the All-UP Academic Employees Union last January 6: “Pamantasan ng Bayan Paglingkuran ang Sambayanan!! Red shirt day s tues jan 8 s up centennial kick-off.magkita-kita 130pm s union deretso s salubong s bukana ng univ avenue.” (University of the People, Serve the Citizenry! Red shirt day on Tuesday, January 8 at the UP Centennial kick off. Assembly will be at 1:30 p.m., union office. We will proceed to the University Avenue.)
Thank you for your attention.