Have You Versed Anyone Today?

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No, I am not talking about spouting poetry or quoting Bible verses.

When two sporting teams play against each other, the preposition 'versus' is commonly used. For example, a game might be described as Australia vs. the USA, or New South Wales vs. South Australia. 'Versus' comes from the Latin vertere meaning turned (in the direction of) or opposite.

However, when my children refer to a sporting competition they turn 'versus' into a verb. They say, "we are versing Lothian Park in netball next week" or "they versed South Adelaide and lost."

I first heard my children speak this way in Melbourne but friends have commented that their Adelaide-born children say the same thing.

So I wonder, is this an expression that children use and that they grow out of? Do children everywhere say 'versing' or is it just Australian children? And, from an etymological point of view, is this a new expression that we will see adults using next?

So tell me, do your children 'verse'? Do you?

image is from www.allposters.com