Gelling vs. Jelling

We could not find it in our style book, AP's or in the dictionary we use at work. A quick search on the Internet yielded inconclusive results as well.

"The team made a living off "winning ugly" at times last season, especially early on while the squad was still gelling and the shots weren't falling."

The writer had 'jelling' in originally, we switched it to 'gelling' after a discussion in the newsroom that couldn't prove that either were wrong. One newsside copy editor said to use the 'j' version, our sports copy editor said 'g' was right and the google search showed the same split down the middle. The writer wrote me this morning to say a reader pointed out he used the wrong word.

Is there a hard and fast rule for which is right?

 

I don't know, but I'm gellin' like Magellan with my Dr. Scholls comfort gel inserts.

 

gel: goop for your hair. (Note: There is no form 'gell'.)
jell: to come together, as with a team.

Best not to use, as it long ago was consigned to sportswriters' shopworn cabinet of overused cliches.

Edit: "The team made a living off "winning ugly" at times last season, especially early on while the squad was still gelling and the shots weren't falling."

Four cliches in one of the worst sentences ever composed by humankind.

 

I once saw a team congeal.

I think.

 

Neither.

 

I knew a guy who hit someone over the head with a bowl of Jell-O. He was arrested and charged with carrying a congealed weapon.

 

Jellin' like a felon?

 

That needs to go on the best clean jokes thread.

 

There wasn't a dictionary in the office?

 

Guess you didn't read this part?

 

Ask him to rewrite the sentence, and tell him never ever ever to use the word again.

 

It's better to say the team came together chemistry-wise.