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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

Clockwork Orange en · PROPN

Etymology

From clockwork orange, after the team's mechanical precision and orange uniform. The nickname was mostly used in the 1970s in reference to Johan Cruyff's total football tatic, but still see some usage to this day.

Meanings

  1. (dated) Nickname for Netherlands national football team
    • Lifelong fans, Riverside residents and a whole lot of new Netherlands supporters got the chance to see “Clockwork Orange” in action during the approximately 75-minute session. 2026 June 10, Dave D’Marko, “Community practice gives fans chance to see Dutch soccer superstars up close”, in Fox4, Riverside, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2026:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
Clockwork Oranje alternative lexicographic
the Clockwork Orange canonical lexicographic

Synonyms

The Flying Dutchmen

Translations (3)

pt Laranja Mecânica (Netherlands football team nickname) · es Naranja Mecánica (Netherlands football team nickname) · fr Orange mécanique (Netherlands football team nickname)

wikipedia: Johan Cruyff