infield shift

From infield and shift.
Originally called the Williams shift or Boudreau shift, respectively named for Ted Williams and Lou Boudreau, and first used during the 1946 World Series by St. Louis Cardinals manager Eddie Dyer as a defensive gimmick. In the late 1990s, the strategy was revived, using the more generic infield shift, which has been used exclusively since then.

(baseball) A defensive alignment in which the third baseman, shortstop and second baseman positionally shift to their left when a left-handed batter is in the batter's box. Used primarily when the batter is an extreme pull hitter.


OPS

on-base plus slugging
on-base plus slugging#English

(baseball) Initialism of on-base plus slugging.


on-base plus slugging

(baseball) A metric used to evaluate the effectiveness of a hitter; the sum of on-base percentage and slugging percentage.


on-base percentage

en-noun

on-base percentage (plural on-base percentages)

(baseball) The frequency with which a hitter successfully reaches first base.


hitter's count

The runners will be going on the hitter's count.

(baseball) A count favourable to the batter, in which there are more balls than strikes, especially a 3-0, 3-1, or 2-0 count.


sidearmer

Like other sidearmers, O’Day found salvation out of desperation.

2009 March 19, Ben rShpigel, “Medicine’s Loss Could Be the Mets’ Gain”, in New York Times:

(baseball) One who throws with arm roughly parallel to the ground.


outslug

en-verb

outslug (third-person singular simple present outslugs, present participle outslugging, simple past and past participle outslugged)

outslugs (present singular third-person)
outslugging (participle present)
outslugged (participle past)
outslugged (past)

(transitive, baseball) To score more runs than.


ping pong ball

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The yellow cat deliberately stretched himself, yawned, and followed; and proceeded to carry out a wonderful scheme of feints and ambuscades in regard to a ping-pong ball which was kept for his proper diversion.

1904, Frederick William Rolfe, Hadrian the Seventh, New York: The New York Review of Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 9:

A lightweight celluloid ball used in the sport of table tennis (ping pong).


greenkeeper

(golf) An employee responsible for the maintenance of a golf course.


foot trap

(soccer) The use of the bottom of the foot to control a rolling or low bouncing ball.


left-handed specialist

en-noun

left-handed specialist (plural left-handed specialists)

(baseball) A left-handed relief pitcher who specializes in getting left-handed or poor right-handed switch batters out .


yakker

Said to be from the flight path of the yawker bird.https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/05/23/curveball-clayton-kershaw-lance-mccullers

(baseball, slang) A curveball or slider.


beat out

en-verb

beat out (third-person singular simple present beats out, present participle beating out, simple past beat out, past participle beaten out or beat out)

beats out (present singular third-person)
beating out (participle present)
beat out (past)
beaten out (participle past)
beat out (participle past)

I then made another ſign that I wanted Drink. They found by my eating, that a ſmall Quantity would not ſuffice me, and being a moſt ingenious People, they flung up with great dexterity one of their largeſt Hogſheads, then rolled it towards my Hand, and beat out the top; I drank it off at a Draught, which I might well do, for it did not hold half a pint, and taſted like a ſmall Wine of Burgundy, but much more delicious.

1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Gives Some Account of Himself and Family, His First Inducements to Travel. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), page 13:

(baseball, of a runner) To reach base after a bunt or groundball.


corner infield

(baseball) The portion of the infield consisting of first base and third base.


corner infielder

en-noun

corner infielder (plural corner infielders)

(baseball) A player whose fielding position is in the corner infield (first base or third base).


middle infielder

middle infielder (plural middle infielders)

(baseball) A player whose fielding position is in the middle infield (the second baseman and shortstop).


middle infield

(baseball) The fielders near second base: the second baseman and shortstop.

(baseball) The portion of the infield consisting of second base and home plate, including the catcher, second baseman, and shortstop.


pitcher's count

pitcher's count (plural pitcher's counts)

The infield defence has moved to double play depth on the pitcher's count.

(baseball) A count favourable to the pitcher, usually with two strikes; a 1-2, 0-2, or 0-1 count.


death rattle

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(cricket, by extension) The sound of a batsman’s stumps being broken, so called because this leads to the batsman’s dismissal.


Blue Jay

He is the only Blue Jay at the All-Star game this year.

(baseball) A player for the Toronto Blue Jays.


Blue Jays

The Blue Jays lead the game going into the ninth inning.

(baseball) The team Philadelphia Blue Jays, a short-lived and disused name for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1940s.


Orioles

The Orioles have rallied to tie the game.


place kick

(soccer, rugby) A kick in which the ball is placed, at rest, on the ground or on a small tee


long ball

Welsh nerves continued to jangle as Blake let a long ball bounce over his head and only Wayne Hennessey's swift advance from his line prevented Mirko Vucinic sneaking in.

2011 September 2, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC:

(soccer) A kick in which the ball is kicked over the heads of other players into an empty space, into which an attacker is moving.

In the first group game, they played long ball against Sweden, who knew the English game, and so were hardly likely to be caught off-guard by direct play.

2013 October 24, Alex Ferguson, ALEX FERGUSON: My Autobiography: The Sensational Million Copy Number One Bestseller, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

Sometimes, a team will use a long-ball strategy to move the ball. In this strategy, a defender will kick the ball in a long pass, far up the field, to the striker or other forward.

2018 July 15, Cathleen Small, Soccer, Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP, →ISBN:

Graham Taylor, usually cast as a regressive long-ball manager, understood the error.

2022 October 27, Paul Hayward, England Football: The Biography: 1872 - 2022, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

(soccer, usually attributive) A strategy focused on sending the ball upfield directly to the striker, especially one with few other tactical innovations.

In the 1970s Seaver knew that batters could connect for a long ball at almost any time, so he had to be able to reach back and strike a hitter out if necessary.

2007, Gary Gillette, Pete Palmer, The 2007 Espn Baseball Encyclopedia, 4th edition, Sterling Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 1038:

He could run a team, tough as nails, shoot the long ball; he had great instincts and feel for the game.

2011, Chris Herren, Bill Reynolds, Basketball Junkie: A Memoir, Macmillan, →ISBN:


mashie niblick

(golf, dated) A metal-headed golf club with a moderate loft. The equivalent of a 7-iron in a modern set of clubs.


mid-mashie

(golf, dated) A metal-headed golf club, the equivalent of a 3-iron in a modern set of clubs.


goalsquare

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(Australian rules football) One of the squares, measuring 9 by 6.4 metres, marked at either end of the ground in front of the goalpost, and from which the ball is kicked after a behind.


slurve

Of the 90 pitches he threw, Igawa, who relies on a slurve, fastball and changeup, never unleashed one that traveled faster than 91 miles per hour.

2008 June 20, Rainer Sabin, “Igawa Searching for a Way Back to New York”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A pitch in which the pitcher throws a slider as if he or she were throwing a curve ball.


goalball

goalball (countable and uncountable, plural goalballs)

And a blind athlete, Qasim Muttar, who was a promising player of goalball — soccer played with a ball that contains bells — died after being run over by an American convoy while crossing a street.

2008 June 29, Andrew E. Kramer, “Athletes Disabled by Wars Lead Iraqi Team in World Games”, in New York Times:

(disability, sports) A ball game, designed for the blind, in which teams of three players attempt to throw a ball with bells embedded in it into the opposing goal.


fourball

fourball (countable and uncountable, plural fourballs)

The United States pitched a shutout in five alternate-shot matches during a crisp morning, then turned back an International rally with one of its own to split the afternoon fourball matches and build a 14 ½-7 ½ lead going into the 12 singles matches today in Montreal.

2007 September 30, The Associated Press, “U.S. Widens Lead in Presidents Cup”, in New York Times:

(golf) A match between two teams of two golfers, each playing his or her own ball throughout the round rather than alternating shots, and each hole won by the team whose individual golfer has the lowest score.


match play

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(golf) A scoring system in which points are awarded for each hole won, as opposed to stroke play.


roundarm

(cricket) An obsolete style of bowling where the bowler's arm is at right angles to the body at the point of delivery.


crackback

Mike Pereira, the league’s director of officiating, said Wade did not commit an illegal crackback block because he was blocking upfield and not back toward the ball.

2007 January 3, The Associated Press, “Saban Needs More Time to Mull Alabama Offer”, in New York Times:

(American football) A block in which the blocker, positioned wide, blocks back towards where the ball was snapped.


outdrive

en-verb

outdrive (third-person singular simple present outdrives, present participle outdriving, simple past outdrove, past participle outdriven)

outdrives (present singular third-person)
outdriving (participle present)
outdrove (past)
outdriven (participle past)

From Middle English outdriven, equivalent to out- + drive.

In friendly matches, she hit off the back tees used by men, and with her solid build she usually outdrove them, averaging 240 yards with wood-shaft clubs.

2007 January 12, Frank Litsky, “Maureen Orcutt, 99, Golf Champion, Dies”, in New York Times:

(transitive, golf) To make a drive (stroke with a driver) farther or better than.


goalscoring

a perfect goalscoring opportunity

(soccer, sometimes attributive) The scoring of goals.


baffy

(golf) An obsolete wooden golf club with high loft.


lob wedge

(golf) A golf club (an iron) which provides maximum loft.


driving iron

(golf) An iron golf club which can be used as a driver.


mid-iron

(golf) An iron golf club with more lift than a driver.

meániarann

an iron golf club with more lift than a driver


lofter

Miss Thorn began digging up the turf with her lofter: it was a painful moment for me. ¶ “You might at least have tried me, Mrs. Cooke,” I said.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

(golf) An obsolete golf club, the predecessor of the niblick.


sinkerballing

The Mets, a day after scoring 9 runs on 12 hits, managed four singles against Aaron Cook, the Rockies’ sinkerballing right-hander, who pitched a complete game.

2008 May 26, Ben Shpigel, “Mets Lose Again; Wilpon Is Up Next”, in New York Times:

(baseball) The pitching of sinkerballs (sinkers)


layback

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From lay + back (presumably from confusion between lay and lie).

Only a fine interception from Mickael Silvestre denied the marauding Czech international an early chance from Tomasz Radzinski's layback and, as United struggled to find any momentum, their hosts threatened to overwhelm them.

2000 October 25, Daniel Taylor, “Radzinski double floors United”, in the Guardian:

(soccer) A short backwards pass to a teammate in an attacking position.


centreback

" Ferguson paid tribute to the way Wigan - managed by former United centreback Steve Bruce - battled after their early setback.

2009 January 15, “Wayne Rooney injures hamstring as Manchester United beat Wigan Athletic”, in Herald Sun:

(soccer) Alternative spelling of centre-back


stroke play

(golf) A scoring system in which points are awarded based on the number of strokes used to sink the ball, as opposed to match play.

Greg Chappell: the master bastman. Enthralled crowds all over the world with his glorious strokeplay.

1990, Ashes: Battles and Bellylaughs, Byron Bay: Swan Publishing, page 207:

(cricket) Batting, especially excellent batting.


long stop

(cricket) A fielding position, now confined to the amateur game, behind the wicket-keeper (so as to retrieve balls that the wicket-keeper misses); a fielder in this position


Tigers

(cricket) The Bangladesh national cricket team.


front line

The home team eventually started to unpick the Town defence and Fabregas forced a saved from visiting goalkeeper Marton Fulop after collecting a pass from Bendtner, who played on the right side of the front line.

2011 January 25, Paul Fletcher, “Arsenal 3 - 0 Ipswich (agg 3 - 1)”, in BBC:

(soccer) attack, collectively the attackers or forwards.


VORP

value over replacement player
value over replacement player#English

(baseball) Acronym of value over replacement player.


power hitter

(baseball) a batter with a high slugging percentage


cleanup hitter

(baseball) the fourth batter in the batting order, usually a power hitter


value over replacement player

(baseball) A statistical measure which evaluates the relative performance of a batter or pitcher compared to a hypothetical replacement player of average fielding skill and below average hitting or pitching.


no side

(rugby) Called by the referee at the end of a match, as no side has the next possession of the ball.


Fox

* (surname): From fox (“vulpine animal”)

The Foxes played with plenty of initiative in the original tie at the Walkers Stadium and they started this tie in impressively positive fashion, producing the game's first two chances: Andy King's goal-bound half-volley from Steve Howard's header down was tipped over by Joe Hart and Sol Bamba headed the resultant corner wide.

2011 January 18, Phil Dawkes, “Man City 4 - 2 Leicester”, in BBC:

(soccer) Someone connected with Leicester City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


small forward

(basketball) A forward who is the shorter of the two forward positions, and often plays behind the power forwards.

pieni laitahyökkääjä

basketball: shorter of the two forward positions


power forward

(basketball) A forward who is the taller of the two forward positions, and is often responsible for scoring near the basket, collecting rebounds and blocking shots in defense.


opening batsman

en-noun

opening batsman (plural opening batsmen)

(cricket) The first batsman of an innings.

(cricket) One of the first two batsmen of an innings.


leadoff hitter

(baseball) The first hitter in the batting order, who faces the first pitch of the game.

(baseball) The first hitter of any given inning.


dunkfest

Another Ridgewood Y regular described seeing Dalton get into a trash-talking dunkfest on a tough playground in Miami.

2004, Timothy Harper, Doing Good: Inspirational Stories Of Everyday Americans At Home And At Work:

A WORTHY DUNKFEST: Worthy's 28 points in the game included five dunks.

2006, Jimmy Black, Scott Fowler, Jimmy Black's Tales from the Tar Heels:

Bryant joined Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Vince Carter as judges of the dunk contest Saturday night, an event that paled in comparison with Sunday night’s dunkfest, led by Bryant, Amare Stoudemire and Vince Carter.

2007 February 19, Liz Robbins, “On Star-Studded Stage, Bryant Proves the Best”, in New York Times:

The conclusion itself turned into the kind of dunkfest for bench players usually reserved for rec league blowouts.

2007, Roland Lazenby, Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey:

(slang, rare, basketball) A game involving many dunks.


Statue of Liberty

(American football) A Statue of Liberty play, which involves a fake in which the quarterback assumes a pose like that of the statue.


look-in

(American football) A quick short pass to a receiver running diagonally toward the center of the field.


paganica

The folliculus was merely a smaller follis, apparently about the same size as a paganica, also a middle sized ball, stuffed with feathers, and therefore harder than the follis, which was only filled with air, but tenderer than the pila, which was probably as hard and heavy as our tennis-ball. Martial mentions all the three principal balls in a couplet — ‘ Hæc quæ difficilli turget Paganica plumâ / Folle minus laxa est et minus arcta pilâ. ’ ¶ ‘ This Paganica stuffed with stiff feathers is of tougher substance than the balloon, but of less compact substance than the tennis ball ’

1875, Sydney Smith, The Edinburgh Review, volume 141, A. and C. Black, pages 72–73:

(historical) A Roman ball stuffed with feathers, used in a game that is sometimes considered a precursor to golf (since early golf balls had a similar construction).


strike partner

The striker crossed the ball into the area and found his strike partner Jones, who headed it into the net.

Barton played an important role in both strikes, finding the front two with raking past from just beyond the Newcastle area before feeding in Lovenkrands with a quick free-kick who in turn found his strike partner.

2011 January 5, Saj Chowdhury, “Newcastle 0 - 0 West Ham”, in BBC:


back four

It was a comfortable evening for the Gunners’ back four.

Despite dominating possession and territory, they were being comfortably contained by Everton's well-organised midfield and diligent back four.

2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport:

With Wales in a back four, England found joy out wide. The defensive effort impressed though, and Neco Williams courageously took a driven strike from Rashford to the head as Wales stood firm, but then, concern hit.

2022 November 29, Ian Mitchelmore, “Wales put out of World Cup misery by England as sobering tournament must signal changing of the guard”, in WalesOnline:

(soccer) The set of four defenders in a team.


step ladder

(Australian rules football, slang) The player over whom another player marks to take a spectacular mark.


on a pair

(cricket) Describing the status of a batsman who has made a duck in the first innings, and is yet to score in the second.


league cup

single-elimination tournament
single-elimination tournament

(soccer) A single-elimination tournament for which entry is restricted only to teams in the top national league or leagues.


run for the roses

run for the roses (plural runs for the roses)

Looking back at Ohio State's run for the roses, there might be some who will insist the Buckeyes were lucky to escape defeat at least once. . . . the Buckeyes whipped a jinx in the form of premature Rose Bowl talk.

1954, Lloyd Larson, "Ohio Comes Through Like Real Champ," Milwaukee Sentinel, 23 Nov., part 2, p. 2 (retrieved 24 Aug. 2009)

(idiomatic, American football) A college football game or series of games played with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the championship Rose Bowl game.


slotback

(American football) A particular position in American football, often a running back who lines up near the line of scrimmage and can function as a wide receiver.

If Hufnagel's looking for a hint, he might want to get his defence to focus on slotback P.K. Sam. Even though the Argos say they want to run the ball more, passing will remain the key part of the equation.

2009 August 28, Chris Zelkovich, “Sam hopes to boost Argos' sagging attack”, in Toronto Star:

(Canadian football) A particular position in Canadian football, similar to a hybrid between wide receiver and running back.


tenniswoman

tenniswoman (plural tenniswomen or tenniswomans)

tenniswomen (plural)
tenniswomans (plural)

From French tenniswoman. Equivalent to tennis + -woman.

I will speak whit a tenniswoman please can you me whrit .

1999 November 7, etienne.wala, “VIDEOS OF GREAT TENNIS MATCHES”, in alt.video.tape-trading (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-17:

I'm french (rouen) and i think that french tenniswomans will be the best. mary pierce is 5, nathalie tauziat is 7, julie halard-decugis is 9 and amelie mauresmo is 10. i think it's very great!
what do you think about french tenniswomans?
what do you think about french tennis in generality?
tnanks, seb

1999 November 21, Sank76, “FRENCH TENNISWOMAN”, in alt.tennis (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-17:

Give the tenniswomen their "own" grandslams: the first 2 days for the women with a 16 players draw and playing two matches a day which is easy because they play best of three "matches" only.

2005 June 5, Carty Staniu, “Tenniswomen demand less prizemoney”, in rec.sport.tennis (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-17:

In this case, fake nude photos of Steffi Graf, the retired tenniswoman, showing her head morphed to another woman's nude body, were posted on a Web site run by the ISP Microsoft Germany. She asked the company to remove the pictures that appeared on its site. The ISP complied with her request but the tenniswomen asked also the company to sign an undertaking that they would not appear again.

2008 December 8, Vari L. Cinicke, “... Agassi sues Graf”, in rec.sport.tennis (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-17:

(non-native speakers' English) A female tennis player.


outputt

en-verb

outputt (third-person singular simple present outputts, present participle outputting, simple past and past participle outputted)

outputts (present singular third-person)
outputting (participle present)
outputted (participle past)
outputted (past)

He came in with two career wins and 27 career top-10s, but outputted one of the game’s best putters, Stricker, on the last green, a man who has two wins this year and won the Barclays in 2007 since Slocum last won on Tour.

2009 August 31, Larry Dorman, “Slocum, Seeded 124th, Makes Clutch Putt to Hold Off Stars”, in New York Times:


ballhandling

Pointer's ballhandling, passing, and shooting were astounding for such a young player.

1997 May 23, Patrick Z. McGavin, “Driving Force”, in Chicago Reader:

(basketball) Skillful handling of the basketball when dribbling, passing or receiving


pick six

(American football, slang) An interception by the defense that is run back the other way for a touchdown.


beanbrawl

(baseball, informal) A fight between teams at a baseball game, typically caused by a beanball.


ballhawk

(American football, basketball) A player who is particularly good at catching interceptions.

They documented Waveland Avenue's ballhawk culture, where Moe Mullins, who's recovered more than 3,500, is king, and followed him home to gape at his bounty: 1,000 major-league balls hoarded like dinosaur eggs.

2001 October 5, Deanna Isaacs, “Oddballs and True Believers/Film Center's New Marquee Player”, in Chicago Reader:

Last season, when the Giants came to town, a noted ballhawk named Wes Wagner scored tickets in the first row of the bleacher boxes in right field.

2007 July 18, Lee Jenkins, “At Wrigley, Fans Debate What to Do With a Ball”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A fielder who is particularly good at catching fly balls.


galactico

Borrowed from Spanish galáctico. Doublet of galactic.

The danger about each of Mr Brown's weekend initiatives - his appearance as a galactico in Team Europe and his robust hostility to excessive lending - is that each may be more tactical than strategic, more appearance than reality.

2009 February 23, “Editorial: Brown in Berlin, image and reality”, in The Guardian:

Perez has promised a return of the "galactico" era at Madrid after initiating the original one from 2000-06 with the blockbuster signings of Zinedine Zidane, Beckham, Luis Figo and Brazil's Ronaldo.

2009 July 7, “Ronaldo rocks 80,000 fans at Bernabeu”, in Toronto Star:


PSG

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club
w:en:Paris Saint-Germain F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, a French football club from Paris; from French PSG


Engerland

/ˈɪŋɡəˌlænd/


fireballer

From the beginning, Clemens was a fireballer, Wells more of a junkballer.

2007 June 14, Lee Jenkins, “At 44, Wells Is the Anti-Clemens”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A pitcher who throws very fast balls.


loosener

(cricket) A usually inaccurate delivery bowled early in a bowler's first over.


starting five

(US, basketball) The five players who are initially playing for a team at the start of a game.


squibber

Kimi Pohlman raced home on a squibber back to the circle that Florida pitcher Stacey Nelson could not handle, giving Washington the decisive run in a 3-2 victory for its first N.C.A.A. softball championship Tuesday night.

2009 June 3, The Associated Press, “Washington Takes N.C.A.A. Softball Crown”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A fly ball that becomes a base hit


clear-out

(basketball) A semicircular sweep with the ball grasped firmly in both hands.

Dave Kearney was straight over the ball in a jackal, and Mul made a brilliant clear-out.

2016, Gerry Thornley, Front Up, Rise Up: The Official Story of Connacht Rugby:

Leading British rugby correspondent Brendan Gallagher, writing in The Rugby Paper on 31 December 2017, produced a withering indictment of the practice, saying: “Sort out the thuggery at clear-out time, start reffing it properly. The clear out doesn't exist in law and certainly shouldn't be used as an excuse for players who are not bound to launch themselves off their feet like an Exocet and take out-injure-maim players who are behind the ball and legally bound on. Or sometimes just trying to reach the ruck."

(rugby) The act of removing opponents from a ruck or scrum in order to secure possession of the ball.


goal area

(soccer) The area of the pitch, extending six yards from the goal, from which a goal kick is taken.

àrea de meta

soccer: area from which a goal kick is taken


buzzer flag

(soccer) A linesman's flag that is equipped with a button that causes a receiver (typically worn by the referee) to buzz, thus warning him of the flag's use.


peg out

peg out (third-person singular simple present pegs out, present participle pegging out, simple past and past participle pegged out)

pegs out (present singular third-person)
pegging out (participle present)
pegged out (participle past)
pegged out (past)

(croquet, intransitive) To finish a game of croquet.


pick out

pick out (third-person singular simple present picks out, present participle picking out, simple past and past participle picked out)

picks out (present singular third-person)
picking out (participle present)
picked out (participle past)
picked out (past)

From pick + out. Compare Saterland Frisian uutpikke (“to pick out”), Dutch uitpikken (“to pick out”).

cog

Ameobi skipped away down the left in the 39th minute and tried to pick out Shearer with a cross but his delivery was cut out by goalkeeper Jussi J...

2006 December 26, “Bolton Wanderers vs Newcastle United”, in 4TheGame, archived from the original on 2008-04-14:

(transitive, idiomatic, soccer) To send a long pass or cross to.


put through

en-verb

put through (third-person singular simple present puts through, present participle putting through, simple past and past participle put through)

puts through (present singular third-person)
putting through (participle present)
put through (participle past)
put through (past)

Friedel again had to save as he parried a Patrice Evra shot before gathering the ball after the left-back had been put through by Ryan Giggs.

2011 February 1, Mandeep Sanghera, “Man Utd 3 - 1 Aston Villa”, in BBC:

(transitive, soccer) To pass the ball to (someone) giving them a one-on-one scoring opportunity.


racket abuse

(tennis) the throwing of one's racket in anger, during play, which may result in a penalty.


rib-tickler

(cricket, slang) A ball bowled short of a length that bounces up higher than expected and strikes the batter in the ribs.


five-tool player

en-noun

five-tool player (plural five-tool players)

Five-tool player who hits for avg., power, runs, throws, fields.

1993 March, “1993 American League Rookie Scouting Reports”, in Baseball Digest, page 57:

Griffey is the complete player, one who is known as a five-tool player.

2000, Jeff Savage, Sports Great: Ken Griffey, Jr., Enslow Publishers, →ISBN, page 11:

The original five-tool player, Ewing is widely considered the greatest ballplayer of the nineteenth century.

2010, Dan Fost, Giants Past & Present, MBI Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 70:

(baseball) A player who can hit for a high batting average, hit for power, run the bases well, throw well and field well.


Test side

(cricket) Any national cricket team that is authorized to compete in Test cricket.


Test cricket

From the idea that the long, gruelling matches are a trial of the relative strengths of the two sides.

(cricket) The highest level of international cricket, where Test sides compete against each other in five-day matches.


step over

(soccer) A dribbling move, or feint, in football (soccer), used to fool a defensive player into thinking the offensive player, in possession of the ball, in which the foot is moved over the ball without making contact with it.


short-stop

en-verb

short-stop (third-person singular simple present short-stops, present participle short-stopping, simple past and past participle short-stopped)

short-stops (present singular third-person)
short-stopping (participle present)
short-stopped (participle past)
short-stopped (past)

In The Spirit of the Times, the most reliable sporting paper of the Coast, we find the following encouraging criticism on our baseball nine: " Koshland (a tower of strength to this league) short topped and ran bases as brilliantly as the best of professionals."

1886, California Occident - Volumes 11-12, page 88:

Baird, '12, has been catching, short-stopping, second-basing and left-fielding with varying good nature, but impartial ability and with commendable attention to such trifling details as hitting and base running, matters apparently beneath the notice of most of the team.

1909, The Phi Gamma Delta - Volume 32, page 742:

I have never known her to follow with any degree of avidity the fortunes of the Kansas City Monarchs, for whom Robinson short-stopped last season.

1979, Mark Harris, Short Work of it: Selected Writing, page 4:

(baseball) To play the position of shortstop.


without troubling the scorers

Watson was caught and bowled for a fairly played eighteen, and Jardine again retired to the pavilion without troubling the scorers.

The PE teacher, the putative authority on all things sporting, went out, as they say, without troubling the scorers.

1993, Tom Raabe, Sports for the Athletically Impaired:

Mark Waugh came and went without troubling the scorers, leaving Australia at a perilous 2/16 with one man on the way to hospital.

He was brought down to earth in Georgetown, however, ten days later, suffering the indignity of being run out without troubling the scorers in the victory over British Guiana.

2003, James P. Coldham, Lord Hawke: a cricketing legend:

(informal, cricket) Describing the manner of the dismissal of a batsman who is out without scoring any runs


D/L

Duckworth-Lewis method
Duckworth-Lewis method#English

(cricket) Initialism of Duckworth-Lewis method.


interception try

en-noun

interception try (plural interception tries)

Australia’s 18 turnovers were a costly case of self-harm. So, too, were the two interception tries that ultimately wrecked any chance of Michael Cheika’s side ending their recent grim sequence against the Poms.

2019 October 19, Robert Kitson, “England into World Cup semi-finals after bruising victory over Australia”, in The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media:

(rugby) A try that results from an interception.


half-break

(rugby) The situation where a player almost breaks the opposition defensive line but is stopped by the opposition.


dummy scissors

(rugby) An attacking move by two players resembling a scissors move but where the ball carrier only dummies the pass to his team-mate.


base runner

(baseball) Alternative spelling of baserunner


basewoman

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-basewoman.wav

(baseball, softball) A female fielder positioned near a base


baseperson

The baseperson may not interfere with the runner and must stay inside the cones.

1992, California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, CAHPERD Journal Times, volume 55, page 3, rules of Crazy Baseball

The ready position for the second baseperson is generally located slightly more than halfway to second from first and 10 to 15 feet behind the base path (see Figure 4-34 ).

1993, Michael A. Clark, Youth Baseball: A Complete Handbook:

(baseball, softball) A fielder (of any gender) positioned near a base.


bat out

en-verb

bat out (third-person singular simple present bats out, present participle batting out, simple past and past participle batted out)

bats out (present singular third-person)
batting out (participle present)
batted out (participle past)
batted out (past)

(cricket) to continue batting (normally to prevent what would otherwise result in losing a match)


box kick

(rugby) A type of kick performed by the scrum-half. From the base of a ruck, maul or scrum, the scrum-half will stand sideways onto the opposition with his kicking foot further from them, and kick the ball high into the air so as to hopefully prevent the opposition charging down the kick.


ASM

(soccer) Initialism of Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club.


rugby sevens

From rugby + seven from being a form of rugby that is played with 7 players on a side and 7 minutes to a period (to a half).

A form of rugby union, played on a full-size pitch but with only seven players per side.

rugby à sept

a sport where players can hold or kick an ovoid ball


retee

retee (third-person singular simple present retees, present participle reteeing, simple past and past participle reteed)

retees (present singular third-person)
reteeing (participle present)
reteed (participle past)
reteed (past)

(transitive, intransitive, golf) To place the ball back on the tee in preparation for another stroke.


double-double-double

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-double-double-double.wav

Lamar Odom had a double-double-double tonight with 22 points and 22 rebounds.

(basketball) The achievement of twenty or more of any two of points scored, assists, rebounds, blocks, or steals in a single game; most often achieved with points and rebounds.


cup-tied

(sports, chiefly soccer, of a player) ineligible to compete in a cup competition due to having previously played for a different team in the same competition in the same season.


Potter

From Middle English Potter, English, Dutch, and north German surname, from the noun pot.
The usage for someone from Stoke-on-Trent refers to it being the home of the pottery industry in England, where it is also known as The Potteries.

(soccer) someone connected with Stoke City Football Club (in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK), as a fan, player, coach etc.


pickleball

en-noun

pickleball (countable and uncountable, plural pickleballs)

From (pickle boat - boat) + ball. Coined by the sport inventor's wife who was reminded " […] of the pickle boat in rowing where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats." Similarly, the game initially used leftover equipment from badminton, table tennis, and wiffleball.

For the rapidly decreasing number of Americans who've never heard of pickleball, the obscure paddleball game is America's fastest growing sport for the second year in a row.

2022 February 19, Shannon Mullen, “America's fastest growing sport is a cross between tennis, ping pong, and badminton”, in National, NPR, retrieved 2022-02-19:

(uncountable) A racquet sport resembling tennis, played with solid paddles and a perforated ball, which combines elements of badminton, table tennis and wiffleball.


crickety

en-adj

crickety (comparative more crickety, superlative most crickety)

more crickety (comparative)
most crickety (superlative)

a crickety night


Yid

Yidden (plural)
Yidn (plural)
Yids (plural)

From Yiddish ייִד (yid, “Jew”). Doublet of Jew.

(soccer, informal) A supporter or club member of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.


five-a-side

(soccer) a variation of soccer played on a smaller pitch, and with only five players in a team.


flat back four

(soccer) collectively, a set of defenders who stay on the same level on the pitch.


flag football

A version of American football where the players must remove a flag, worn around the waist, from the ball carrier instead of tackling.


Five Nations

(Europe, rugby union) an annual rugby union tournament between the nations of France, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, the predecessor to the Six Nations tournament.


Six Nations

Six Nations Championship
w:Six Nations Championship

(Europe, rugby union) Ellipsis of Six Nations Championship. (an annual rugby union tournament between the nations of Italy, France, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, the successor to the Five Nations tournament.)


Twickenham

An unincorporated community in Wheeler County, Oregon, United States.


TCCB

(UK, cricket, historical) Initialism of Test and County Cricket Board.


Man United

(soccer) Manchester United Football Club


Stamford Bridge

(soccer) the home stadium of Chelsea Football Club

(soccer, by extension) Chelsea Football Club itself


Old Trafford

(soccer) The home stadium of Manchester United Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Manchester United Football Club itself.

(cricket) A cricket ground adjacent to the Manchester United stadium.


Highbury

(historical, soccer) the former home stadium of Arsenal Football Club

(soccer, historical, by extension) Arsenal Football Club itself


Tottenham

From Old English personal name Totta, in the genitive case Tottan + hām (“homestead”).

(soccer) Tottenham Hotspur F.C., a football club in north London.


scrum machine

(rugby) A padded, weighty device against which a pack of rugby football forwards can practice scrummaging and rucking. It is used by players of both rugby league and rugby union.


cricket pitch

The twenty-two yard strip between the two wickets, where the batsman faces the bowler.


ask the question

en-verb

ask the question (third-person singular simple present asks the question, present participle asking the question, simple past and past participle asked the question)

asks the question (present singular third-person)
asking the question (participle present)
asked the question (participle past)
asked the question (past)

(cricket, informal) To make an appeal to the umpire against the batsman.


Villa Park

(soccer) the home stadium of Aston Villa Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Aston Villa Football Club itself.


Molineux

Another surprise is that Newcastle have the meanest defence in all four leagues and they did their utmost to preserve the tag at Molineux.

2011 October 1, Saj Chowdhury, “Wolverhampton 1 - 2 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) The home stadium of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club itself.


White Hart Lane

(soccer) The former home stadium of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Tottenham Hotspur Football Club itself.


get one's eye in

get one's eye in (third-person singular simple present gets one's eye in, present participle getting one's eye in, simple past and past participle got one's eye in)

gets one's eye in (present singular third-person)
getting one's eye in (participle present)
got one's eye in (participle past)
got one's eye in (past)

(chiefly UK, sports) To become accustomed to the playing conditions, and thus bring one's hand-eye coordination to a reasonable level.


Ewood

(soccer) Ewood Park, the home stadium of Blackburn Rovers FC


Villan

(soccer) someone connected with Aston Villa Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Cottager

From the name of the stadium, Craven Cottage.

(UK, soccer) Someone connected with Fulham Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Red Devil

(soccer) someone connected with Manchester United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Wednesdayite

The boys couldn't stand idly by while three Wednesdayites got mullered; it was not the done thing.

2012, Anthony Cronshaw, Wednesday Rucks and Rock 'n' Roll: Tales from the East Bank:

(soccer) Someone connected with Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Evertonian

/ɛvəˈtəʊnɪ.ən/

(soccer) someone connected with Everton Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Trotter

As an English and Scottish surname for a messenger, from trot. As a German surname, from Trotte (“winepress”).

(soccer) someone connected with Bolton Wanderers Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.

(basketball, slang) A player for the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.


Claret

(soccer) someone connected with Burnley Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Baggie

(soccer) someone connected with West Bromwich Albion Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Bluebird

From bluebird, from the blue colour of the team's kit.

(soccer) Someone connected with Cardiff City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Gooner

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Gooner.wav

A corruption of gunner, derived from the Arsenal coat of arms of a cannon.

(rugby, slang) someone connected with Arsenal Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Seasider

(soccer) someone connected with Blackpool Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Hoop

(soccer) someone connected with Queens Park Rangers Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Bluebirds

(soccer) Cardiff City Football Club, a football club in Cardiff.


Hornet

(soccer) someone connected with Watford Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Blade

(soccer) Someone connected with Sheffield United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Scummer

(soccer, derogatory) someone connected with Southampton Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Addick

Various theories: perhaps from athletic or haddock.

(soccer) someone connected with Charlton Athletic Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Pirate

(sports) someone connected with any of a number of sports teams known as the Pirates, as a fan, player, coach etc.

(soccer) someone connected with Bristol Rovers Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Sky Blue

(soccer) Someone connected with Coventry City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

(soccer) Someone connected with Sydney FC, as a fan, player, coach, etc.


Tractor Boy

(soccer) Someone connected with Ipswich Town Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Magpie

(soccer) Someone connected with Newcastle United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

(soccer) Someone connected with Notts County Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

(Australian rules football) Someone connected with Collingwood Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

(rugby league) Someone connected, or formerly connected with the Western Suburbs Magpies, as a fan, player, coach, etc.


Black Cat

Understandably the teams were hyped for their 132nd league meeting, but Steve Bruce's Black Cats were also looking to settle a score having been humiliated 5-1 at St James' Park at the end of October.

2011 January 16, Saj Chowdhury, “Sunderland 1 - 1 Newcastle”, in BBC:

(soccer) someone connected with Sunderland Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Latic

It is 10 months since they lost to the Latics in last season's final, something that the visiting supporters were intent on reminding everyone.

2014 March 9, Jacob Steinberg, “Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals”, in The Guardian:

(slang, soccer) Someone connected with Wigan Athletic Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.

(slang, soccer) Someone connected with Oldham Athletic Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Toon Army

From toon, the local dialect's word for town.

(soccer) The supporters of Newcastle United Football Club, a football club in Newcastle upon Tyne.


Baggies

The Baggies had offered little threat until the 28th minute, but when their first chance came it was a clear one.

2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) West Bromwich Albion Football Club


Saddler

(soccer) someone connected with Walsall Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Shrimper

(soccer) someone connected with Southend United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Chairboy

(soccer) someone connected with Wycombe Wanderers Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Seagull

(soccer) Someone connected with Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Palace

Crystal Palace Football Club
w:Crystal Palace Football Club

(UK, soccer) Ellipsis of Crystal Palace Football Club (“a football team from London”).


Canary

From 1907, coined by the football club's then-chairman who was a keen breeder of canaries.

(soccer) Someone connected with Norwich City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Hatter

(soccer) someone connected with Luton Town Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


Glover

My guide tells me of Yeovil's 'considerable glove trade', which is why the giant-killing footie club, Yeovil Town FC, is known as 'The Glovers'.

2023 June 28, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: Alton to Exeter”, in RAIL, number 986, page 60:

(soccer) someone connected with Yeovil Town Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


scummer

(UK, soccer, slang, derogatory, offensive) A supporter of Southampton F.C..


CCM

Central Coast Mariners
w:Central Coast Mariners FC

(soccer) Initialism of Central Coast Mariners.


on base

One run, two hits, one walk, no errors; two left on base.

(baseball) Having reached a base in an inning.


stool-ball

en-noun

stool-ball (countable and uncountable, plural stool-balls)

An old country game, similar in some respects to cricket and rounders, and chiefly played by young men or women at Eastertide.


LOSC

Lille Olympique Sporting Club
w:Lille OSC

(soccer) Initialism of Lille Olympique Sporting Club.


AJA

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise
w:AJA

(soccer) Initialism of Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise.


beach soccer

(soccer) a variant of soccer played on a smaller-sized sand pitch.


slash line

His slash line since being traded is .262/.344/.427.

(baseball) The batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging average of a batter or team when expressed together, separated by slashes.

The opponent slash line against Jones this season is a weak .195/.232/.367.

(baseball) The batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging average of batters that have had plate appearances against a pitcher or team.


Battle of Alberta

(Canadian football) the competition between the Edmonton Elks (formerly Eskimos) and Calgary Stampeders teams of the CFL


subway series

(baseball, US) a cross-town playoff battle between the New York Mets and New York Yankees

(baseball, US, dated) a crosstown baseball series playoff between two New York City baseball clubs; the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and New York Yankees.


small ball

(slang) A baseball strategy that relies on baserunning, singles, and hitting for average rather than hitting home runs.


Bronx Bombers

(US, baseball) nickname of the New York Yankees


White Sox

From white + sox, the footwear worn by the members of the team.

(US, baseball) The Chicago White Sox, an American baseball club.


Triple Crown

(baseball) The feat of leading one's league in three key statistical categories—batting average, home runs, and RBI for hitters; wins, strikeouts, and ERA for pitchers

(golf) The three grandest or oldest open championships of the year

(in men's golf) The U.S. Open, British Open, Canadian Open

(rugby) Victory by one of the Home Nations — England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales — over the other three in the annual Six Nations Championship.


FFF

French Football Federation
w:French Football Federation

(soccer) Initialism of French Football Federation.


go upstairs

en-verb

go upstairs (third-person singular simple present goes upstairs, present participle going upstairs, simple past went upstairs, past participle gone upstairs)

goes upstairs (present singular third-person)
going upstairs (participle present)
went upstairs (past)
gone upstairs (participle past)

From the practice of the third umpire having a room with an elevated position.

(cricket, of an umpire) To request a decision by the third umpire (traditionally by making a sign of a TV set with the hands)


Super Falcons

(soccer) The Nigeria women's national football team


Super Eagles

(soccer) The Nigeria national football team


Matildas

(soccer) the women's national soccer representative team of Australia

Australia women's national association football team


Bafana Bafana

From bafana (boys), plural of the Zulu umfana. Apparently first used by journalists in Soweto in the early 1990s.

association football
association football

The men's national association football (soccer) representative team of South Africa.


Wallabies

(rugby) the national rugby union representative team of Australia


CCFC

Coventry City Football Club
w:Coventry City Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Coventry City Football Club.

Cardiff City Football Club
w:Cardiff City Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Cardiff City Football Club.


BFC

Brentford Football Club
w:Brentford F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Brentford Football Club.

Blackpool Football Club
w:Blackpool F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Blackpool Football Club.


Aussie rules

Australian rules football
Australian rules football


intentional grounding

en-noun

intentional grounding (plural intentional groundings)

(American football) An instance when the quarterback throws the ball into the ground or into the crowds to avoid being sacked and losing field position.


three-minute warning

three-minute warning (plural three-minute warnings)

(Canadian football) A timeout and warning given to the coaches with three minutes to go before the end of each half; after this point, the clock stops at the end of every play. Analogous to the two-minute warning of American football.


Tall Blacks

Derived from All Blacks, the nickname of the New Zealand national rugby union team, with "All" replaced by "Tall" in reference to the often well-above-average height of basketball players.

the men's national basketball representative team of New Zealand


Opals

From opal, a gemstone mined in Australia.

Carrie Graf knows about coaching creative individual players, as she has coached women′s basketball superstar Lauren Jackson, who shot to fame as a 15-year-old and joined the Australian women′s Opals basketball team by 16.

2001, Australian Sports Commission, edited by Frank S. Pyke, Better Coaching: Advanced Coach′s Manual, 2nd edition, page 227:

This, combined with a sycophantic basketball press in Australia, created a weight of expectation that was slowly crushing the young player. Four months before the Olympics, Opals coach Maher lamented that he was having ‘a few too many’ talks with her on how to cope.

2002, Cameron Stewart, “High Hopes”, in Garrie Hutchinson, editor, The Best Australian Sports Writing, 2002, page 38:

She′d made the train on squad for the Australian Opals basketball team and also played rugby for the Sydney University woman′s team.

2009, Nick Ireland, The Popondetta Butterfly, page 34:

(chiefly Australia) The women's national basketball representative team of Australia.

Australia women's national basketball team


goalhanger

(informal, soccer) A player who stays near the opposing team's goal in the hope of easily scoring.


All Whites

From the all-white strip traditionally worn by the team. Also a play on the All Blacks, the New Zealand national rugby union team.

The men's national association football (soccer) representative team of New Zealand.


off-speed

(baseball) Being a pitch thrown at a slower speed than a fastball, such as a change-up.


CONCACAF

Association Football
association football

(soccer) Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football — the governing body for the sport in the aforementioned region, also including the South American countries of French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname.


walkless

It was a walkless inning.


on serve

The fourth set between Gabashvili and Melzer is still on serve, the Russian leading 4-3, but the Austrian holding a two sets to one lead.

(tennis) With each player or pairing having won the same number of games as they have served.


sabermetric

Me three. I never have quite understood all the "three true outcomes" fetish around here. I mean, I know that building an offense around walks and 3-run jacks embodies the Sabermetric Virtues, and especially in today's conditions that's the way to win, but man, it sure leads to some slow, boring games.

2002 April 18, Perry, “Re: To all you Oakland A's fans...”, in rec.sport.baseball (Usenet):


eephus

The naming of the pitch is generally credited to Maurice Van Robays in 1942, who said "it's a nothin' pitch, and eephus ain't nothing'". However, it is not clear what the source for the name is; possibly Hebrew אפס (“nothing, zero”).

Sewell was determined to live or die by the eephus.

2003, Michael Seidel, Ted Williams: a baseball life:

He figured that, if it were another eephus, he'd have time to react.

2004, Fred Cicetti, Saltwater Taffy: A Summer at the Jersey Shore:

When, on his first pitch, Sewell served an eephus, Williams almost broke his back trying to get to it.

2005, Randy Roberts, The rock, the curse, and the hub: a random history of Boston sports:

(baseball) An off-speed pitch with unusually low velocity, intended to catch the hitter off guard.


service game

(tennis, badminton, ping pong) A game where one serves, as opposed to receiving.


serve out

en-verb

serve out (third-person singular simple present serves out, present participle serving out, simple past and past participle served out)

serves out (present singular third-person)
serving out (participle present)
served out (participle past)
served out (past)

She held her nerve after failing to serve out the match at the first attempt, seeing three match points slip by in a nervous service game at 6-4 5-4 and recovering from losing the tie-break to dominate the decider.

2011 June 28, Piers Newbery, “Wimbledon 2011: Sabine Lisicki beats Marion Bartoli”, in BBC Sport:

(transitive, tennis) To win a set, or by extension a match, by holding serve (winning a game as the server).


trouble the scorers

trouble the scorers (third-person singular simple present troubles the scorers, present participle troubling the scorers, simple past and past participle troubled the scorers)

troubles the scorers (present singular third-person)
troubling the scorers (participle present)
troubled the scorers (participle past)
troubled the scorers (past)

(cricket, informal, almost always in the negative) To score a run.


scorebox

(cricket) An enclosed structure in which the scorers sit; often behind the scoreboard


centerfield

(baseball) The central part of the outfield


sixer

(cricket, colloquial) A shot in which the ball passes over the boundary without touching the ground, for which the batting team is awarded six runs.


outcurve

(baseball) A ball, thrown by the pitcher, that curves away from the batter.


misfield

misfield (third-person singular simple present misfields, present participle misfielding, simple past and past participle misfielded)

misfields (present singular third-person)
misfielding (participle present)
misfielded (participle past)
misfielded (past)

The verb is derived from mis- (prefix meaning ‘badly; wrongly’) + field (verb). The noun is derived from the verb.

prefix

Coordinate term: mishit

(transitive) To field (“catch or intercept and play”) (a ball) clumsily or ineptly; in cricket this can result in the batsman scoring another run.

(intransitive) To field a ball clumsily or ineptly.

pelata pallo huonosti

(transitive) to field (a ball) clumsily or ineptly; (intransitive) to field a ball clumsily or ineptly


misfield

(baseball, cricket, rugby) A failure to field (“catch or intercept and play”) a ball properly.


cricket whites

(cricket) The traditional clothing worn by cricketers, consisting of white trousers, shirt and optionally sweater.


take a grab

en-verb

take a grab (third-person singular simple present takes a grab, present participle taking a grab, simple past took a grab, past participle taken a grab)

takes a grab (present singular third-person)
taking a grab (participle present)
took a grab (past)
taken a grab (participle past)

Solidly built, he was nevertheless extremely quick, could take a grab, and kicked beautifully with both feet.

2008, Full Points Footy's WA Football Companion,, page 122:

Footyheads supporting a variety of clubs actually breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the game didn’t have to stop for seven minutes seventeen seconds every time Matthew took a grab within kicking distance.

2008, H.G. Nelson, Sprays: a collection of verbal touch-ups, Pan Macmillan Australia, page 139:

(Australian rules football) to mark the football, especially overhead


specky

‘Snake was just talking about you, said you take a mean specky,’ she said.
Adam felt his face colour. His marking skills weren′t that great.

2008, Beth Montgomery, Murderer′s Thumb, page 159:

spectacular mark
spectacular mark#English

(Australia, Australian rules football, informal) Synonym of spectacular mark


2021, Neha Bedi, Sachin Bajaj, The Sardar of Spin
I can ascertain that even in the present era where T20 cricket has redefined spin bowling and spinners have started bowling doosras and teesras and fire the deliveries in, you can expect Bishan Singh Bedi to stick to his original definition, and insist that, 'A spinner is one who turns the ball...'


Snickometer

In cricket, there is the "third eye" to decide close run-out decisions, and also Channel 4 is introducing a technological innovation called Snickometer designed to end debates whether or not a batsman has actually made contact with the ball.

1999 July 7, L. Hibbert, “Decisions you can't argue with”, in Professional Engineering, volume 12, number 13, →ISSN, pages 26–27:

Alongside the snickometer moments there was the Saturday morning Roadshow, the Analyst, Jargonbusting, a sympathetic interview, an orginal feature, an e-mail question answered.

2002, Mark Nicholas, Jargonbusting: Mastering The Art of Cricket, Channel 4 Books, foreword of original by Simon Hughes, →ISBN, Foreword, page 6:

And we have the Snickometer to put beyond doubt whether the batsman touched the ball with his bat or gloves and not his ear or his arse.

2007, Robert MacGregor, I Can't Take Any More Crap!, Troubador Publishing, →ISBN, Umpiring, Cricket, Test Matches, Bad, page 237:

(cricket) a device that combines slow-motion video and a graphical representation of sound waves recorded from stump and pitch microphones to determine whether a small noise (a snick) occurred as the ball passed the bat and/or pad, and thus whether the batsman made contact with the ball.


jump cut

“The advantage of a guy being his size and having quick feet, it’s unexpected,” said Marcel Shipp, the running backs coach. “Guys come in thinking he’s a big, bruising back. Then he’ll hit a jump cut on you and head down the sideline.”

2015 October 24, Ben Shpigel, “Chris Ivory, a Bulldozing Ballet Dancer, Keeps Defenders on Their Toes”, in The New York Times:

(American football) A sudden switch from running forward to running to the side.


through ball

It was an omen of things to come as in the 56th minute the visitors took the lead after a mix-up between Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos allowed Ebanks-Blake's through-ball to squeeze between them.

2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:

And a potential partnership with Bruno Fernandes, who has completed the most through balls in the Premier League this season (15), would be an excellent stylistic fit.

2021 February 4, Raj Chohan, “Erling Braut Haaland: Would Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd or Chelsea suit striker best?”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A forward pass played between opposition defenders.


junkballer

(tennis, sometimes derogatory) A player that hits a lot of slow shots.

From the beginning, Clemens was a fireballer, Wells more of a junkballer.

2007 June 14, Lee Jenkins, “At 44, Wells Is the Anti-Clemens”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A pitcher that relies heavily on off-speed pitches.


defensive back

(American football, Canadian football) Collective term for the defensive players who are in position farthest from the ball at the start of a play and whose principal responsibility is to defend against passes. Includes cornerbacks and safeties in both codes, and defensive halfbacks in the Canadian game.


defensive halfback

en-noun

defensive halfback (plural defensive halfbacks)

(Canadian football) A defensive back whose primary jobs are to cover the slotback on passing plays and prevent running plays from going to the outside.


Madridista

Borrowed from Spanish madridista, from Madrid + -ista.

The deal to sign Martin Ødegaard full-time is also well on the way to becoming reality. Another Madridista, Marco Asensio, is also being touted as a potential target for Mikel Arteta and his sidekick Edu.

2021 August 19, Luke McLaughlin, “Football transfer rumours: Robert Lewandowski to exit Bayern Munich?”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) Someone who plays for Real Madrid CF, a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.

It is never only a game when Barça plays Real. Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium is nine decades old, but still it generates a remarkable sensation when 25,000 Catalans are at one end and 25,000 Madridistas fill the other.

2014 April 17, Rob Hughes, “Gloom Gets Darker for Barcelona”, in The New York Times:

(soccer) Someone who works for Real Madrid CF.


notcher

From notch + -er. Cricket scorers originally kept score by making notches in wood.


handegg

handegg (countable and uncountable, plural handeggs)

From hand + egg, by contrast to football meaning “soccer”, with the notion that the respective sports are “neither foot nor ball” due to the predominant use of the hands and the elongated form of the ball.

Football is certainly a misnomer, for the game is played not with the feet but with the hands, and the ball is not a ball but an egg. I propose that the game be played with the feet and with a ball, or else that it be called “hand-egg”.

1909 November 9, letter to the editor, in The New York Times

Yes, but would anyone show up for a game of handegg?

2002 June 8, p/g, “Why does Arafat still draw breath?”, in alt.music.rush (Usenet):

When I get there he was watching handegg. I’m not into that hand egg shit so we got into a heated argument on which was better.

2011 February 1, "FileServe FileSonic XXX" (username), "Innocent High - Jynx Maze XXX - 303 MB", worlds_sexiest_women

You're wrong, kids all around the world play football, it just takes a ball and a pair of sneakers, whereas handegg requires a full body armour.

2011 February 8, "RVG" (username), "french pride", in fr.soc.politique

(slang, uncountable, humorous) Any of the sports that are called football but are played mainly with the hands and with a prolate spheroid ball; that is, American football and (less often) Canadian, Australian and rugby football (including league and union varieties).


catcher interference

catcher interference (plural catcher interferences)

(baseball) An instance of a hitter being awarded first bases, due to the catcher touching the batter's bat during his or her time at bat.


base on balls

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-base on balls.wav

(baseball) An instance where the batter is allowed to go directly to first base without the possibility of being put out, due to the opposing pitcher delivering four balls.


runathon

(informal, cricket) A match in which a large number of runs are scored


runscorer

South Africa's leading runscorer Jacques Kallis, who captained the side for one Test against Australia in Johannesburg three years ago, will be skipper in Cape Town.

2009 March 13, AAP, “Aussies relax amid Proteas' captain chaos”, in Herald Sun:


LUFC

Leeds United Football Club
w:Leeds United F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Leeds United Football Club.


wrong-foot

en-verb

wrong-foot (third-person singular simple present wrong-foots, present participle wrong-footing, simple past and past participle wrong-footed)

wrong-foots (present singular third-person)
wrong-footing (participle present)
wrong-footed (participle past)
wrong-footed (past)

(sports) To cause a competitor to move or put weight on the wrong foot, as by making an unexpected move.

(transitive, tennis) To play the ball in an unexpected direction, forcing (the opponent) to change direction suddenly.


tee up

tee up (third-person singular simple present tees up, present participle teeing up, simple past and past participle teed up)

tees up (present singular third-person)
teeing up (participle present)
teed up (participle past)
teed up (past)

This time the defender was teed up by Andrew Johnson's short free-kick on the edge of the box and Baird hammered his low drive beyond Begovic's outstretched left arm and into the bottom corner, doubling his goal tally for the season and stunning the home crowd.

2010 December 28, Marc Vesty, “Stoke 0 - 2 Fulham”, in BBC:

(soccer) To pass the ball to someone, facilitating a shot.

(American football) To place the ball on a tee, ready for kickoff.

(basketball) To give a coach or player a technical foul.


tip over

Bolton then went even closer when Elmander's cross was met by a bullet header from Holden, which forced a wonderful tip over from Cech before Drogba then cleared the resulting corner off the line.

2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:

(soccer) An action where the goalkeeper deflects the ball over the crossbar.


straight red card

en-noun

straight red card (plural straight red cards)

A moment of madness from double goalscorer Kalinic put Rovers' fate back in the balance when the Croat caught Scharner with a late, dangerous lunge and was shown a straight red card by referee Phil Dowd.

2010 December 28, Kevin Darling, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:

(soccer) A red card, signifying a player's instant dismissal from the game for a single major foul or misconduct, distinct from and graver than a second yellow card, which a player may receive for several minor fouls.


side-netting

But Gyan missed the best openings, shooting into the side-netting after showing good strength when chasing a long pass, and then hopelessly miskicking from six yards out.

2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool”, in BBC:

(soccer) The net at either side of the goal, extending from the touchline to a few yards behind it.

petit filet

in soccer, the net at either side of the goal


short corner

Pedersen took a short corner and El-Hadji Diouf was given time to send in a cross for Mame Diouf to stoop and head home from close range.

2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:

(soccer) A short pass from a corner (the set piece).


shoestring tackle

shoestring tackle (plural shoestring tackles)

(American football) A tackle made about the feet or ankles.


PAT

PAT (countable and uncountable, plural PATs)

(American football) Initialism of point after touchdown. (extra point)


M and M boys

(baseball) Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, who competed to break Babe Ruth's home-run record while on the same team.


starting berth

Pardew made five changes to the side that thrashed West Ham 5-0 on Wednesday - with players such as James Perch and Alan Smith given the chance to underline their case for a regular starting berth.

2011 January 8, Paul Fletcher, “Stevenage 3 - 1 Newcastle”, in BBC:

(soccer) An appearance in a match from the kick-off.


toe-poke

en-verb

toe-poke (third-person singular simple present toe-pokes, present participle toe-poking, simple past and past participle toe-poked)

toe-pokes (present singular third-person)
toe-poking (participle present)
toe-poked (participle past)
toe-poked (past)

Malouda burst through the left side of the defence for the first time and crossed for Kalou, who toe-poked towards goal only for Hennessey's outstretched leg to deny him.

2011 January 5, Mark Ashenden, “Wolverhampton 1 - 0 Chelsea”, in BBC:

(soccer) To kick (the ball) with the toe end of the boot.

tåpaja

To kick the ball with the toe end of the boot


toe-poke

(soccer) A kick to a football with the toe end of the boot.


seal dribble

Seals (the animals, not the stamp) can be trained to balance a ball on their nose.

(neologism, soccer) In soccer, a move where the player bounces the ball on their head while running at the opponent.


out ball

With Carlos Tevez chasing down every lost cause like his life depended on it, City always had an out ball but Arsenal had such a monopoly on possession that they barely had to give thought even to the Argentine.

2011 January 5, Jonathan Stevenson, “Arsenal 0 - 0 Man City”, in BBC:

(soccer) A chance to clear the ball to an attacking teammate, or such an attacker; a target man.


overhead kick

United's initial response was bright, with Young's corner drifting untouched across the six-yard area and Van Persie just unable to keep an overhead kick down.

2013 September 1, Phil McNulty, BBC Sport:

(soccer) A kick where the ball travels over the player's head.


far post

United looked on course to end the season empty-handed as well as missing out on Champions League football when substitute Jason Puncheon's powerful far-post finish put Palace ahead with 12 minutes left.

2016 May 22, Phil McNulty, “Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United”, in BBC:

(soccer, idiomatic) The goalpost furthest from where a cross is made.


near post

This was a small element of a remarkably assured performance that started with a crucial early save from Christian Pulisic and also saw him deny Chelsea a last-gasp win with a near-post block from Romelu Lukaku in the closing seconds of extra time.

2022 February 27, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, idiomatic) The goalpost nearest from which a cross is made.


Henmania

Unfortunately the only cure for severe Henmania is for Tim Henman to actually win Wimbledon.

2003, Tony Chacon, “Explaining HENMANIA”, in rec.sport.tennis (Usenet):

Although it is tough to get tickets to witness Henmania, taste the famous strawberries and cream and see the greatest players in the world, it is not impossible and it does not have to cost an arm and a leg.

2004, Sportseye, Sports Ticket, page 380:

Britain's current top player is Tim Henman, who's the cause of another disease - Henmania.

2005, David Else, Oliver Berry, Great Britain, page 58:

(informal) Enthusiasm for the British tennis player Tim Henman.


Murraymania

As for the stuff going on around her - we have Murraymania here in the UK, but it must pale into significance with what she has to carry.

2005, topspin, “Is Sania Mirza the real deal?”, in rec.sport.tennis (Usenet):

(informal) Enthusiasm for the British tennis player Andy Murray.


hold serve

hold serve (third-person singular simple present holds serve, present participle holding serve, simple past and past participle held serve)

holds serve (present singular third-person)
holding serve (participle present)
held serve (participle past)
held serve (past)

This meant Nadal needed to hold serve to force his opponent to earn the win. An unforced error took Rosol to 30-15 and two points away from glory, but a net cord in Nadal's favour and the men were level in the game.

2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in the Guardian:

(tennis) To win a game when one is serving.


route one football

Linked by some sources to the 1966-1972 BBC quiz show Quiz Ball, in which players could choose one of several "routes" of football-related questions to reach the goal. "Route 1" was the most direct, where players only needed to answer one question to get directly to the goal.

It was route one football from Wigan with Rodallega latching onto Al Habsi's long clearance after it was misjudged by Aaron Hughes.

2011 January 15, Nabil Hassan, “Wigan 1 - 1 Fulham”, in BBC:

(soccer) A tactic involving kicking the ball from defence high and far straight towards the attackers.


on the front foot

(cricket, of a batsman) Having the weight on the front foot in order to play an attacking stroke


bodyliner

(cricket) A bowler who uses bodyline tactics.


hold-up play

Arsenal must have been pleased that Leeds' leading scorer Luciano Becchio was ruled out with a back injury and the hosts missed his hold-up play and threat for long periods as Wenger's side produced wave after wave of attack.

2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC:

(soccer, idiomatic) A play where an attacker retains possession of the ball, while the teammates can move up the field.


slowball

(baseball) A pitch that is not a fastball or curveball; often a change-up.


slowball

slowball (third-person singular simple present slowballs, present participle slowballing, simple past and past participle slowballed)

slowballs (present singular third-person)
slowballing (participle present)
slowballed (participle past)
slowballed (past)


wave off

wave off (third-person singular simple present waves off, present participle waving off, simple past and past participle waved off)

waves off (present singular third-person)
waving off (participle present)
waved off (participle past)
waved off (past)

(basketball) Of a referee, to disallow a field goal with the aforementioned hand gesture.


across the line

(cricket) Describing the action of a batsman in moving the bat in a direction lateral to that of the incoming ball


golf cart

a small four-wheeled motorized vehicle, used to travel around a golf course.


Gulls

As a seaside town, Torquay has many seagulls.

Gulls keeper Scott Bevan kept his side in the game by saving a Tubbs penalty after Chris Zebroski was sent off.

2011 January 29, Chris Bevan, “Torquay 0 - 1 Crawley Town”, in BBC:

(soccer, informal) Torquay United F. C., a football club from Torquay, England.


snap shot

But the League One side's early endeavours brought only two well-struck but off-target free-kicks and a snap shot from Rickie Lambert.

2011 January 29, Ian Hughes, “Southampton 1 - 2 Man Utd”, in BBC:

(soccer) A hard shot without much planning.


Accy

(UK, soccer, slang) The football team Accrington Stanley F.C..


Bantam

The Bantams bridged the gap between the bottom division of English league football and the Premier League to secure a place at Wembley, despite a 2-1 second-leg defeat.

2013 January 22, Phil McNulty, “Aston Villa 2-1 Bradford (3-4)”, in BBC:

(soccer) Someone connected with Bradford City A.F.C, as a fan, player, coach etc.


long throw

In the fifth minute he could have added to an impressive record of 11 goals in 10 FA Cup ties for parent club Aston Villa but his flicked header from Rory Delap's long throw was pushed past the post by Marcus Hahnemann.

2011 January 30, “Wolverhampton 0 - 1 Stoke”, in BBC:

(soccer) A long throw-in into the goal area.


throw-out

(soccer) An overarm throw of the ball from a goalkeeper.

servei de porteria

(soccer) an overarm throw of the ball from a goalkeeper

(baseball) A put-out caused by a throw to a base of a fielded ground ball.


Bee

(soccer) someone connected with Barnet Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


crossfield

He was in the mood and he decorated the first half with some wonderful moments. How about the side-on volleyed crossfield pass with the outside of his right boot? Or the shoulder drop, the surge upfield, the riding of a challenge and then another thrilling run.

2024 June 16, David Hytner, “Jude Bellingham gives England winning start but Serbia make Southgate sweat”, in Guardian:

(soccer) Passed from one side of the pitch to the other.


slide-tackle

slide-tackle (third-person singular simple present slide-tackles, present participle slide-tackling, simple past and past participle slide-tackled)

slide-tackles (present singular third-person)
slide-tackling (participle present)
slide-tackled (participle past)
slide-tackled (past)

(soccer) To tackle another player by sliding on the ground feet-first.


Posh

Peterbough United have been playing at Lincoln, in something of a local derby. EMR has put on a six-car Class 158 as an additional train, to take 'Posh' fans home (Posh is the team's nickname, by the way).

2024 April 17, “Rural railways: do they deliver?”, in RAIL, number 1007, page 58:

(soccer, slang) Peterborough United F.C., a football club from Peterborough, England.


back five

Wales chose to bring their back-five into the game early on with Andy Powell, Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate and Bradley Davies making inroads into the England defence.

2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC:

(rugby union) Collectively, the backs (the 2 wings, fullback, outside centre and inside centre).


sin-bin

Hooker Dylan Hartley was sent to the sin-bin after yet another infringement at the breakdown and, on the stroke of half-time, Georgia's territorial advantage finally told when number eight Basilaia surged over from the base of the scrum for a try next to the posts.

2011 September 18, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia”, in BBC Sport:


sin-bin

sin-bin (third-person singular simple present sin-bins, present participle sin-binning, simple past and past participle sin-binned)

sin-bins (present singular third-person)
sin-binning (participle present)
sin-binned (participle past)
sin-binned (past)

That is how it stayed until the break and just when Wales needed to keep their composure, tight-head prop Mitchell was sin-binned for killing the ball at a ruck and Flood kicked the penalty.

The game was never going to be won by how good a team attacks, though, but with defence. When captain Kolisi was sin-binned for a high tackle, the Boks could've easily capitulated.

2023 October 28, Leighton Koopman, “YES!!! The Springboks beat the All Blacks to win another Rugby World Cup title”, in Independent Online:

(sports) To send (a player) to the sin bin, to temporarily dismiss from the playing field.


grubber kick

(rugby) An attacking short-distance kick in behind the defence in which the ball is bounced along the ground, using the uneven bounce of the ball to make it difficult for the defence to retrieve.


slip in

slip in (third-person singular simple present slips in, present participle slipping in, simple past and past participle slipped in)

slips in (present singular third-person)
slipping in (participle present)
slipped in (participle past)
slipped in (past)

A minute into the second half, Hazard blasted the second goal right over Gordon's head and into his net. Soon after, Charlie Mulgrew's aimless ball out of defence fell to Dembele, who gave it to Hazard. The attacker slipped in Batshuayi in for the third.

2018 September 7, Tom English, “Scotland 0-4 Belgium”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, transitive) To play a subtle pass into someone in a goalscoring position.


whip in

whip in (third-person singular simple present whips in, present participle whipping in, simple past and past participle whipped in)

whips in (present singular third-person)
whipping in (participle present)
whipped in (participle past)
whipped in (past)

He whipped in a dangerous cross, and Faulkner headed into the net.

(soccer, transitive) To make a quick pass into the goalmouth.


flick-on

Rovers forward Roque Santa Cruz headed against the post after a flick-on by towering defender Chris Samba.

2011 February 12, Nabil Hassan, “Blackburn 0 - 0 Newcastle”, in BBC:

(soccer) A quick headed touch to pass to another player.


blood substitution

en-noun

blood substitution (plural blood substitutions)

(rugby) A temporary substitution for a visibly-bleeding player who must leave the field of play for first-aid treatment.


box-to-box midfielder

box-to-box midfielder (plural box-to-box midfielders)

(soccer) a central midfielder who plays both defensively and attackingly, who runs a lot up and down the pitch.

volante mixto

a central midfielder who both defends and attacks


byeline

Diouf rounded Zaluska near the byeline and crossed but Daniel Majstorovic headed away and Celtic eventually mopped up the danger.

2011 March 2, Andy Campbell, “Celtic 1 - 0 Rangers”, in BBC:


ball-playing

Irish debutant Conor Henderson - another ball-playing midfielder - probed for a gap through the back-line and the 19-year-old's deflected pass was pounced on by Tomas Rosicky, who sped to the byeline to clip a square ball through the legs of Charlie Daniels across the box.

2011 March 2, Chris Whyatt, “Arsenal 5 - 0 Leyton Orient”, in BBC:

And despite his terrific form, it was always going to be Sterling making way especially against a ball-playing team away from home when we'd have to absorb a lot of pressure.

2014, Neil Collins, Make Us Dream: A Fan's View of the 2013/14 Season, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 290:

Barcelona have recognised that a ball-playing midfielder is a more effective centre-half than a John Terry-style centre-half given they rarely encounter an attacking threat that warrants a traditional back four.

2014, anonymous author, The Secret Footballer's Guide to the Modern Game: Tips and Tactics from the Ultimate Insider, Faber & Faber, →ISBN:

(soccer) Focused on attacking and progressing down the field.


nothing ball

If he cannot throw a fast ball, he may be able to get by on a nothing ball (a term coined for Wes Ferrell's looping delivery, which, though it doesn't curve, is hard to hit).

1941 Franklin P. Huddle "Baseball Jargon" (April 1943) American Speech Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 103-111

two of the leading pitchers in the major leagues use the "nothing ball", a term used derisively by batters to describe change of pace deliveries.

1951 August, Paul Horowitz, “They've Got Plenty of Nothing”, in Baseball Digest, pages 21–22:

(baseball) a pitch which has neither much speed nor much spin


choke up

en-verb

choke up (third-person singular simple present chokes up, present participle choking up, simple past and past participle choked up)

chokes up (present singular third-person)
choking up (participle present)
choked up (participle past)
choked up (past)

(baseball, intransitive) To hold the bat higher (farther from the knob) than is normal.


wing-play

Stoke deserved their advantage and they looked to build on their lead with Etherington continuing his busy wing-play down the opposite flank.

2011 March 13, Chris Bevan, “Stoke 2 - 1 West Ham”, in BBC:

(soccer) The art of playing as a winger.


handsy

en-adj

handsy (comparative handsier, superlative handsiest)

handsier (comparative)
handsiest (superlative)

At a wiry 5 feet 9 inches and 140 pounds, with a handsy, almost ungainly swing, Pavin lacked the power and solid technique that have been the foundation of success for most of the game's elite players.

1991 May 26, Jaime Diaz, “Pavin Is Making a Strong Bid to Join Game's Elite”, in The New York Times:

(golf) Moving the hands and wrists excessively when making a stroke or swing.


hard yards

A sporting analogy referring to the game of rugby football, where making progress on the field, in measurements of yards, may lead to accomplishment and victory.
Alternatively derived from sailing, when furling or unfurling the canvas from certain (perhaps higher) spars was both dangerous and difficult.

do the hard yards

put in the hard yards

As with coupons and vouchers, there is seemingly no end to the opportunities that exist to improve a Web site's traffic flow by giving something away for nothing—as long as users are prepared to put in the hard yards, of course.

2007, Ian Cocoran, The Art of Digital Branding, Allworth Press, →ISBN, pages 128–129:

Those clever women at the frontier of fashion do all the hard yards for us, every month, by attending the shows in London, Paris and New York.

2010, Kelly Doust, A Life in Frocks, Sydney: Murdoch Books, →ISBN, page 129:

In tough conditions, with no room for complacency, the campaign will need to slog out the hard yards, give it 110% and leave it all on the field.

2017 August 22, Peter Lewis, “In a tough campaign the marriage equality team faces hard yards ahead”, in The Guardian:

The couple had already put in the hard yards: Fred started out in '60s freakbeat combos The Weeds and Lollipop Shoppe, with Toody joining him in early '80s punk trio The Rats.

2021 December, Jon Dale, “Dead Moon fever!”, in Uncut, →ISSN, page 8:

(originally Australia) The key effort in completing a difficult task.


Halo

(informal) A member of the Angels Major League Baseball team.


ugly finder

I tried to duck under the ball, but it was definitely an ugly finder.

1989 August 12, Mitch Williams, quotee, “There's never a dull moment with the Cubs' 'Wild Thing'”, in Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

"That ball was an ugly-finder," [Rob] Dibble said. "But I consider that good luck. No broken nose, no stitches and no black eye."

1996 March 1, Barry Rozner, quoting Rob Dibble, “Dibble survives an ugly scare”, in Daily Herald, page 5:

"The unique thing about this team though is that of the eight position players - all are either new or are playing a different position," he [Bill Matthews] said. "With something like that, you just hope the ball doesn't become an ugly-finder."

2003 February 9, Rodney Page, quoting Bill Matthews, “Tritons count on the pitching staff to deliver”, in St. Petersburg Times, page 4:

Everybody was trying to throw the ugly-finder at him, and we still couldn't find him.

2010, Jason Turbow with Michael Duca, quoting Ed Whitson, The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: the Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime, Random House, Inc., →ISBN, page 134:

(baseball, colloquial) A hard batted or thrown ball which hits or nearly hits someone, especially a line drive foul ball hit into a dugout.


submarine pitch

en-noun

submarine pitch (plural submarine pitches)

(baseball) A pitch thrown with an underarm-to-sidearm motion.


SPL

And the moment it thumped into the net, Celtic’s march back to the top of the SPL pile also seemed unstoppable.

2011 December 29, Keith Jackson, “SPL: Celtic 1 Rangers 0”, in Daily Record:

Scottish Premier League
w:Scottish Premier League

(soccer) Initialism of Scottish Premier League, the highest division of Scottish professional football.


postsnap

(American football) After the snap (passing of the football from the center to a back).


presnap

(American football) Before the snap (passing of the football from the center to a back).


backweight

Fashioned with shafts of aged hickory, ash or lemonwood, these early clubs have heads with an insert of ram’s horn or a lead backweight.

2007 September 7, Wendy Moonan, “Olde Cleeks, Spoons and Brassies (for Birdies and Bogeys)”, in New York Times:

(golf) A weight attached to the back of a golf club to give it a lower centre of gravity.


tryless

It was a record fourth time England had posted a tryless victory in a World Cup game.

2007 October 7, The Associated Press, “England Upends Australia”, in New York Times:

Scotland, so disappointing in defeat to Argentina a week ago, tryless against the comparative minnows of Georgia, carried all the menace and mobility.

2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland”, in BBC Sport:


linescore

It did not count against the Rockies on their linescore, but it did on the scoreboard.

2007 October 26, Ben Shpigel, “In One Mundane Moment, the Rockies Make a Game-Changing Mistake”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A two-line chart that reports each team's run totals by inning, and total runs, total hits, and total errors.


flyhawk

Two flyhawks like Hunter and Matthews would be running into each other all the time, probably leaping against the wall simultaneously.

2007 November 27, Murray Chass, “Stockpiling Center Fielders, but at What Cost?”, in New York Times:

(baseball, informal) A skilled outfielder.


dust off a batter

en-verb

dust off a batter (third-person singular simple present dusts off a batter, present participle dusting off a batter, simple past and past participle dusted off a batter)

dusts off a batter (present singular third-person)
dusting off a batter (participle present)
dusted off a batter (participle past)
dusted off a batter (past)

From the concept that a pitch thrown very close to a batter will remove some dust or dirt from the batter's uniform either by brushing against it or causing a breeze very close to it, or alternatively by the batter jumping away from the pitch to avoid being hit.

That pitcher doesn't like the hitters too close to the plate so every once in a while he'll dust off a batter.

He never attempted to dust off a batter; and his control was so great that no hitter was ever afraid to stand right up to the plate and look Matty's fast ball right in the eye.

1947, Robert Smith, Baseball: a historical narrative of the game, the men who have played it, and its place in American life, page 206:

(idiomatic, baseball) for a pitcher to throw a pitch at or near the batter, typically to frighten the batter or to have him stand farther away from home plate.


busher

He was talking about me all the time that day in Boston, standing with the bat boy, making cracks. That's all right but when he called me a busher in front of the whole Yank team and then challenged me, I had to fight.

(US, baseball, slang) A major league baseball player who has recently come from a small league.


touch football

(American football) A variant of American football in which players are touched as opposed to tackled.

(rugby league) A variant of rugby league developed in Australia in which players are touched as opposed to tackled.


Prem

Palace are back in the Prem - but for how long?

1997, Peterjon Cresswell, Simon Evans, Dan Goldstein, European football: a fans' handbook:

Linked us, now she don't wanna link them man again / Your ex plays in the Prem but you never see him taking a pen

2016 February 14, Joseph Adenuga, Darren Dixon, Tariq Devega (lyrics and music), “Ladies Hit Squad” (track 6), in Konnichiwa, performed by Skepta ft. D Double E and ASAP Nast, Boy Better Know:


ballhandler

“Like every kid her age, she has to become a much better ballhandler and a better defender,” he said.

2008 February 26, Frank Litsky, “In Freshman Season, Moore Shows UConn What May Come”, in New York Times:


love hold

Azarenka whipped a sensational forehand around the net post to break for 2-0 in the second set, followed it up with a love hold and moved to 5-1 when Paszek netted a forehand.

2011 June 28, David Ornstein, “Wimbledon 2011: Victoria Azarenka beats Tamira Paszek in quarters”, in BBC Sport:

(tennis) A game in which the server wins every point (in which the server holds to love).


double-fault

double-fault (third-person singular simple present double-faults, present participle double-faulting, simple past and past participle double-faulted)

double-faults (present singular third-person)
double-faulting (participle present)
double-faulted (participle past)
double-faulted (past)


drive-volley

The fourth seed was dominating her 20-year-old opponent with a series of stinging groundstrokes and athletic drive-volleys, striking again in game five when Paszek flicked a forehand pick-up into the tramlines.

(tennis) A powerful underarm volley shot.


c&b

Caught and bowled
caught and bowled#English

(cricket, on a scorecard) Initialism of Caught and bowled.


number ten

attacking midfielder
attacking midfielder

(soccer) The main offensive playmaker in a team, usually an attacking midfielder.


sag off

sag off (third-person singular simple present sags off, present participle sagging off, simple past and past participle sagged off)

sags off (present singular third-person)
sagging off (participle present)
sagged off (participle past)
sagged off (past)

The defender playing the man with the ball meets him at the perimeter. The other five defenders will "sag off"their men at varying distances, which are determined by the location of the offensive players. The defender can sag only to the point where he can effectively guard his man if he were to receive the ball.

1978, Robert Scott, Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition, →ISBN, page 101:

Instead, the on-ball defender (in zone or man) will sag off toward the basket, cutting off passing lanes and adding more help to the interior.

2002, Clay Kallam, Girls' Basketball: Building a Winning Program, page 51:

If Daniel is out of shooting range when he gives up his dribble, consider having the defender sag off the ball toward the basket and anticipate the next pass. (Note that sagging off is recommended only for advanced players with good judgement).

2009, Fran Dunphy, Lawrence Hsieh, The Baffled Parent's Guide to Great Basketball Plays, page 89:

When you are on the weak side, sag off your opponent and form an imaginary flat triangle between you, your opponent, and the ball.

2012, Hal Wissel, Basketball-3rd Edition: Steps to Success, →ISBN, page 321:

(basketball, lacrosse) To back off from an opponent against whom one is defending.


sac bunt

(colloquial, baseball) A sacrifice bunt.


UDRS

Umpire Decision Review System
w:Umpire Decision Review System

(cricket) Initialism of Umpire Decision Review System.


DRS

Decision Review System
w:Umpire Decision Review System

(cricket) Initialism of Decision Review System.


Trent Bridge

(cricket) A cricket ground in a suburb of Nottingham, England


handpass

(Australian rules football, Gaelic football) A pass made by holding the ball in one hand, and hitting it with the other hand.

Australian rules football; Gaelic football; Australian rules football; Gaelic football


MCC

Marylebone Cricket Club
w:Marylebone Cricket Club

(cricket) Initialism of Marylebone Cricket Club (the former governing body of cricket).


puckout

(hurling) A free hit by the goalkeeper after the sliotar has gone behind the goal.


camogie

Camogie resembles hurling, although the field is smaller (110 meters by 68 meters), the stick, or caman, is smaller than a hurley, and the ball is also lighter than the sliothar.

2003, Robert Crego, Sports and Games of the 18th and 19th Centuries, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 91:

A women's stick-and-ball sport from Ireland, almost identical to hurling.


half forward

(Australian rules football, Gaelic football, hurling) An attacking player who plays between the midfielders and forwards.

Australian rules football; Gaelic football; hurling; Australian rules football; Gaelic football; hurling

leatosaí

an attacking player who plays between the midfielders and forwards


corner forward

(Gaelic football, hurling) A forward who plays on either sides of the centre forwards.

Gaelic football; hurling; Gaelic football; hurling

lántosaí

a forward who plays on either side of the centre forwards


square ball

(soccer) A pass played square (not forward or backward, i.e. sideways)

(Gaelic football, hurling) A foul where a player on the attacking team enters the opposing team's small square inside the penalty area before the ball does.


overdribble

overdribble (third-person singular simple present overdribbles, present participle overdribbling, simple past and past participle overdribbled)

overdribbles (present singular third-person)
overdribbling (participle present)
overdribbled (participle past)
overdribbled (past)

The series would end with Magic overdribbling the Lakers into a Game 7 defeat in Boston, where Bird’s triumph over Johnson was illuminated like a darkened Garden full of victory cigars.

2009 March 24, Harvey Araton, “For Duke Star, Family Lore in Boston”, in New York Times:

(basketball) To dribble the ball excessively.


fullcourt

Missouri does not employ fullcourt pressure all the time, but it uses varying defensive schemes to remain unpredictable.

2009 March 26, Thayer Evans, “Missouri Thrives on Running Opponents Ragged”, in New York Times:

(basketball) Of or pertaining to the entire basketball court.


end line

(sports, American football, hurling, Gaelic football) In various goal-based sports, the boundary line, running across the goal.

hurling; Gaelic football; hurling; Gaelic football

(basketball) out of bounds line under the basket


deloft

deloft (third-person singular simple present delofts, present participle delofting, simple past and past participle delofted)

delofts (present singular third-person)
delofting (participle present)
delofted (participle past)
delofted (past)

To ensure that you do not make a normal transfer of weight to your front foot during the swing, which may be good for full shots or chips but delofts the club in a flop shot, practice keeping your front heel off the ground throughout the swing.

2009 April 13, Bill Pennington, “Sorenstam’s Tips for Flop Shots in Tough Spots”, in New York Times:

(golf) To reduce the loft of a stroke with.


short stuff

(cricket) Deliveries that bounce relatively far from the batsman or batswoman.


put over

put over (third-person singular simple present puts over, present participle putting over, simple past and past participle put over)

puts over (present singular third-person)
putting over (participle present)
put over (participle past)
put over (past)

The first was the product of a destructive hard line down the middle by Manu Tuilagi, which sucked in the Australian defence and stretched the cover further out, allowing Farrell and Curry to put May over in the left corner.

2019 October 19, Robert Kitson, “England into World Cup semi-finals after bruising victory over Australia”, in The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media:

(rugby) To make a decisive pass to a teammate so they can score a try.


speedballer

The movie was named “Bull Durham,” with Tim Robbins as the speedballer who was all over the place.

2009 July 19, George Vecsey, “A Hall of Fame for a Legendary Fastball Pitcher”, in New York Times:


centerfielder

Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran has been out since June 22 with a bone bruise on his right knee.

2009 July 30, Joe Lapointe, “A Personal Twin Bill for Mets’ Castillo”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A player in the centerfield position.


moonball

(tennis) A medium-high offensive lob hit with topspin.