blood replacement

en-noun

blood replacement (plural blood replacements)

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


penalty try

(rugby) An awarding of five points (equivalent to scoring a try) to a team whose opponents have prevented, by misconduct, a try being scored.


drop goal

(rugby union, rugby league) A goal scored by kicking the ball through the goal from open play, after the ball has touched the ground.

rugby union; rugby league; rugby union; rugby league


catch out

en-verb

catch out (third-person singular simple present catches out, present participle catching out, simple past and past participle caught out)

catches out (present singular third-person)
catching out (participle present)
caught out (participle past)
caught out (past)

(transitive, cricket) To put a batsman out by catching the batted ball before it touches the ground.


errorless

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At the task level itself, there may be errors of misassessing, mismonitoring, and misrectifying the safety requirements set up to achieve an errorless task accomplishment.

1987, Shizuko Y. Fagerhaugh, Hazards in Hospital Care: Ensuring Patient Safety, page 127:

He had a down year at the plate, hitting just .251 with 14 homers, but was nearly flawless in the field as he posted that record .996 fielding percentage, a 95-game errorless streak, and just three errors all season.

2004, Jack Walsh, Marshall J Cook, Baseball's Good Guys: The Real Heroes of the Game, →ISBN, page 176:

(not comparable) Free from errors; accurate, correct.


WNBA

w:Women's National Basketball Association

Initialism of Women's National Basketball Association.


(cricket) A fast form of cricket in which each side bats for just twenty overs.


Socceroos

Australia national association football team

It was the day of the Socceroos′ first World Cup clash: the game against Japan.

2007, Raewyn Caisley, Hot Shot, unnumbered page:

Australia′s success on the international stage took a major leap forward when the Socceroos qualified for their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1974, held in Germany.

2010, Dave Arthur, Greg Downes, “Chapter 19: Australia”, in Simon Chadwick, Sean Hamil, editors, Managing Football, page 342:

association football
association football

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


line-out

(rugby) a set piece where a player throws the ball into play, and both teams can contest for possession.

(baseball) an out produced by catching a line drive


eggball

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(British, slang) Rugby Union, rugby league, Australian rules football, American football, or any game played with an elliptical ball.


unpassable

(tennis) Not able to be passed; not capable of being beaten at the net by a passing shot.


Springboks

The South African national rugby union team.


sliotar

A hard ball, similar in size to a baseball, used in hurling.


loosey-goosey

en-adj

loosey-goosey (comparative more loosey-goosey or loosier-goosier or loosey-goosier, superlative most loosey-goosey or loosiest-goosiest or loosey-goosiest)

more loosey-goosey (comparative)
loosier-goosier (comparative)
loosey-goosier (comparative)
most loosey-goosey (superlative)
loosiest-goosiest (superlative)
loosey-goosiest (superlative)

They said that he couldn't hit International League pitching because he was too loosey-goosey at the plate.

1946 July 8, “By Jim Coleman”, in The Globe and Mail:

“All these other guys are scared to death,” the pinch-hitter kept telling himself as he walked towards the plate, “I’m loosey-goosey, I’m loosey-goosey, I’m loosey-goosey.”

1955, Trent Frayne, “Why Big-League Goalies CRACK Up”, in Maclean's, archived from the original on 2022-04-09:

(sports, originally baseball, Canada, US) relaxed


Gunner

From gunner, in reference to the weapons held in an arsenal.

The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot.

2011 January 8, Chris Bevan, “Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds”, in BBC:

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


ducks on the pond

* (coded warning): Originally used in shearing sheds; later extended to other normally all-male environments, such as some pubs.

There are two ducks on the pond for the cleanup hitter.

(baseball) Members of a batting order who are on base; baserunners.


TMS

(cricket) Initialism of Test Match Special.


sand trap

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(golf) A sand-filled hollow, on a golf course, used as a hazard; a bunker.


two for two

He's two for two tonight.

(idiomatic, baseball) In baseball, meeting two out of two attempts at-bat. Specifically, it means the batter has reached base safely two out of two times.


drop back

en-verb

drop back (third-person singular simple present drops back, present participle dropping back, simple past and past participle dropped back)

drops back (present singular third-person)
dropping back (participle present)
dropped back (participle past)
dropped back (past)

The Tiger quarterback is dropping back to pass.

(American football) Of a quarterback or other player in the backfield, to take a number of steps back from the line of scrimmage immediately after the snap or hike of the ball, to avoid defenders.


drop back

With his ankle injury his drop back is not pretty.

(American football) The act by a player in the backfield of dropping back from the line of scrimmage after the hike of the ball.


drop-back

With his ankle injury his drop-back is not pretty.


touch down

touch down (third-person singular simple present touches down, present participle touching down, simple past and past participle touched down)

touches down (present singular third-person)
touching down (participle present)
touched down (participle past)
touched down (past)

(American football) To score a touchdown

Centre Shontayne Hape scored two tries for England before the break, while Georgia number eight Dimitri Basilaia touched down to make it 17-10 at half-time.

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


inside baseball

baseballin hienoudet

technical matters usually only of interest to or noticed by baseball insiders

There always has been a tendency to overlook the catcher, possibly because so much of him is covered up during the game, but more because the greatest part of his work is inside baseball and of the kind which the general public can neither see nor appreciate.

1914, Paul Withington, Lothrop Withington, The Book of Athletics, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard:

Here, the game is marked by the "little things" that have come to be defined as "inside baseball".

1993, Michael A. Katovich, “Humor in Baseball: Functions and Dysfunctions”, in The Journal of American Culture, volume 16, number 2, pages 7–16:

(US, idiomatic, baseball) Technical matters concerning baseball generally not apparent or of interest to spectators.


dump tackle

(rugby union, rugby league) A legal form of tackling when the player wraps his arms around the ball carrier's thighs and lifts him a short distance in the air before forcibly driving him to the ground.


blood bin

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


high tackle

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:

(rugby) A dangerous form of tackling in which a player tackles above the shoulders.


ahead in the count

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(baseball, of a pitcher) Having more strikes than balls against a batter in an at-bat.

(baseball, of a batter) Having fewer strikes than balls against a pitcher in an at-bat.


behind in the count

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(baseball, of a pitcher) Having fewer strikes than balls against a batter in an at-bat.

(baseball, of a batter) Having more strikes than balls against a pitcher in an at-bat.


pick off

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

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

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

The pitcher attempted to pick off the runner at first, but he was safe.

(baseball) To throw out a runner by tagging them whilst they are not in contact with any of the three bases or home plate.


pick off

The final out of the game was determined by a pick off.

(baseball) An instance of throwing out a batter leading off base.


tennisman

From French tennisman. Equivalent to tennis + -man.

Im a tennisman who love playing tennis :-)

1996 January 31, baudry christophe, “Tennis Pictures ???? Where ???”, in news.newusers.questions (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-17:

René Lacoste was known as a tennisman in the late 20's or early 30's. Well before my time, but there are books and magazines.

1999 August 7, Pierre Jelenc, “loanwords without source”, in sci.lang (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-17:

For sweet^([sic]) in your eyes the best is a head band in towell^([sic]) tissue like the tennismen wear.

2001 August 7, Carlos Klimann, “Which eyeware^([sic]) for hard contact wearer?”, in rec.bicycles.misc (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-17:

Viktor has "captured" the most beatiful^([sic]) grilfriend I've ever seen for a tennisman.

2010 May 28, Manuel aka Xax, “Men's Side - Matches Ups, Upsets?”, in rec.sport.tennis (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-17:

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


WBC

World Baseball Classic
w:World Baseball Classic

(baseball) Initialism of World Baseball Classic, a tournament for national teams jointly organized by the International Baseball Federation and Major League Baseball.


rugby player

A person who plays rugby, especially professionally.


bailer

(cricket, dated) A delivery that heads towards the bails after pitching.

(cricket, dated) A delivery in which the ball hits one or both bails but does not dislodge them.


skyhook

(tennis) A form of the overhead smash in which the eastern grip is used to hit the ball farther behind the body than usually possible.


Man U

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

(soccer) Clipping of Manchester United Football Club.


Wembley

Derived from the Old English proper name Wemba and lēah (“clearing in a forest; meadow, leigh”).

A town in the County of Grande Prairie, No.1, northern Alberta, Canada.


end run

(American football) A running play in which the player carrying the ball attempts to avoid being tackled by evading the defending players from the opposing team.


gunner

Cebuano: gunner

gonna (non-rhotic, based on the /ˈɡʌn.ə/ pronunciation)

From Middle English gonner; equivalent to gun + -er.

(American football) A player on the kicking team whose primary job is to tackle the kickoff returner or punt returner.

(UK, slang, soccer) A fan of the Arsenal Football Club.

(basketball) A player who can reliably shoot baskets.


right-footed

en-adj

right-footed (comparative more right-footed, superlative most right-footed)

more right-footed (comparative)
most right-footed (superlative)

Foley scored with a right-footed volley from ten metres.


wing-back

(soccer) A player who plays on the wing, and acts as both a defender and an attacker depending on the team's situation.


left-footed

left-footed (comparative more left-footed, superlative most left-footed)

more left-footed (comparative)
most left-footed (superlative)

Poised link-up play between Essien and Lampard set the Ghanaian midfielder free soon after but his left-footed shot from outside the box was too weak.

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


centre-back

Ferguson was incensed as referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot - and United's sense of injustice deepened when Nemanja Vidic was sent off in stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Ramires, ruling the centre-back out of the visit to Liverpool on Sunday.

2011 March 1, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2 - 1 Man Utd”, in BBC:

(soccer) A central defender, a player who plays in the centre of defence, just in front of the goalkeeper


bingle

(baseball, slang) A base hit in which the batter stops safely at first base.


bingle

en-verb

bingle (third-person singular simple present bingles, present participle bingling, simple past and past participle bingled)

bingles (present singular third-person)
bingling (participle present)
bingled (participle past)
bingled (past)

(baseball, slang) To achieve a base hit in which the batter stops safely at first base.


extra point

(American football) A point scored after a touchdown by kicking the ball through the goal posts or by advancing to the end zone.


fair catch

(American football) An uncontested catch on a kicking play, after the receiver waves his hand to indicate that he will not run with the ball, assuring that he will not be tackled on catching it.


two-point conversion

en-noun

two-point conversion (plural two-point conversions)

(American football) An option, for a team that has scored a touchdown, to gain two points by getting the ball into the end zone by a running or pass play, in lieu of a kicked extra point.


end zone

Veteran tight end Travis Kelce, who only had one catch for one yard in the first half, finished with nine receptions and 93 yards but didn’t find the end zone.

2024 February 12, Ben Morse and Steve Almasy, “Kansas City Chiefs defeat San Francisco 49ers in OT in Super Bowl LVIII, become first back-to-back NFL champions in 19 years”, in CNN.com:

(American football) The area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines, bordered on all sides by a white line indicating its beginning and end points; it is 10 yards long.

(Canadian football) Same as above, but is 20 yards long.


illegal forward kick

illegal forward kick (plural illegal forward kicks)

(American football) Any kick made from in front of the line of scrimmage. This results in a loss of down and a ten yard penalty.


(cricket) A cricket team of eleven players.

(soccer) A football team of eleven players.


goalkicker

(rugby) Someone who kicks for penalties and conversions.


attacking midfielder

attacking midfielder (plural attacking midfielders)

(soccer) A midfield player who specialises more in attacking duties.


defensive midfielder

defensive midfielder (plural defensive midfielders)

(soccer) A midfield player who specialises more in defensive duties.


(soccer) A popular soccer formation with 4 defenders, 5 midfielders and 1 striker


England had started in a 4-3-3 formation that had Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain coming in from the wings, with James Milner and Stewart Downing operating alongside Jack Wilshere in more deep-lying positions.

18 November 2014, Daniel Taylor, “England and Wayne Rooney see off Scotland in their own back yard”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) A popular soccer formation with 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 strikers


tweeny

(tennis) A shot played between the legs; a tweener.


bat a thousand

en-verb

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

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

From a baseball batting average, often stated as the number of hits per 1000 at bats- 1000 would be 100 percent.

(baseball, literal) To reach first base on every at-bat.


hit a home run

hit a home run (third-person singular simple present hits a home run, present participle hitting a home run, simple past and past participle hit a home run)

hits a home run (present singular third-person)
hitting a home run (participle present)
hit a home run (participle past)
hit a home run (past)

He was the first pinch hitter to hit a home run on the first pitch of his career.

2016, Jonathan Fraser Light, The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, 2d ed., McFarland, →ISBN, page 437:

(baseball) To hit a ball during an at-bat that results in all runners on base and the hitter scoring runs; the best result of an at-bat.


Olympic goal

This unique type of goal was named after Argentine striker Cesareo Onzari’s (at left) corner kick that spun directly into the goal for Argentina in a 1924 friendly against Uruguay, the reigning Olympic champion.

(soccer) A goal scored directly from a corner kick without any other player - on either team - touching or otherwise deflecting the ball into the goal.


spitter

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Coach says no throwing any spitters.


return ace

(tennis) A point made by the opponent returning the ball in such a way that the server does not make contact


Reds

In reference to the ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine racing faction, a calque of Latin russātī (“Reddish-Brown-Clads”) or factio russata (“the reddish-brown-clad faction”) and Byzantine Greek Ῥούσιοι (Rhoúsioi, “Reds”).

bor

(informal, sports) Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly red, particularly


bunny hop

The first baseman misplays the bunny hop, so all runners are safe.

(baseball) A ground ball that hops along the field instead of rolling.


widebody

The increased design freedom offered by composites was demonstrated with the introduction of "widebody" rackets, such as the Profile by Wilson, in the late 1980s. Widebody rackets have larger cross sections around the centre of the frame than the handle and tip, to give higher stiffness in the region of maximum bending.

2020 January 21, Thomas Allen, “Tennis: a smashing history of how rackets shaped the game”, in The Conversation, archived from the original on 2022-10-27:

(tennis) A tennis racket having a thick (although not necessarily wide) frame, increasing the racket's stiffness.


batter up

(baseball) Used by an umpire to invite the next batter to the batter's box, especially at the beginning of a half-inning.


short pass

(netball) A pass of the ball between teammates too close together to allow an opponent to get between them. There is no particular distance the ball must travel to qualify as a short pass. For instance, if the passing player drops the ball and retreats before her teammate takes possession, it is not a short pass. A short pass is against the rules and results in a free pass to the opposition.

(American football) A pass of the ball that is primarily to the side rather than one that gains yardage.


international rules football

en-noun

international rules football (uncountable)

A sport created as a mixture of Australian rules football and Gaelic football, to allow international matches between Australia and Ireland.


quarterbacking

(American football) The act of playing as a quarterback


DT

DT (countable and uncountable, plural DTs)

defensive tackle
defensive tackle#English

(American football, Canadian football) Initialism of defensive tackle.


block party

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(basketball, slang) A game during which a single player blocks the shots of many other players.


hit the net

en-verb

hit the net (third-person singular simple present hits the net, present participle hitting the net, simple past and past participle hit the net)

hits the net (present singular third-person)
hitting the net (participle present)
hit the net (participle past)
hit the net (past)


straight-sets

American Fish beat Frenchman Tsonga in a straight-sets victory.

(tennis, of a victory or a loss in a match) Achieved in the minimal possible number of sets.


back line

Battling Bolton disputed the goal, claiming Drogba was offside, but the Ivorian appeared to have timed his angled run across the visitors back line to perfection to race onto a fine Michael Essien pass and ensure Chelsea moved back into fourth place in the Premier League.

(soccer) Collectively, the defenders of a team.

A running fullback radically improves the attacking prowess of any back line, particularly if she is able to read a play, knowing when it's time to hit the line at pace or to join the line to act as an extra attacker.

2011, Mathew Brown, Patrick Guthrie, Greg Growden, Rugby For Dummies, →ISBN, page 58:

(rugby) The players known as the backs, whose primary responsibility is defense.

(rugby) The imaginary tactical line across the field that passes through the backs, through their primary line of attack/defence (i.e. excluding any players in a more backward defensive position).


see yellow

see yellow (third-person singular simple present sees yellow, present participle seeing yellow, simple past saw yellow, past participle seen yellow)

sees yellow (present singular third-person)
seeing yellow (participle present)
saw yellow (past)
seen yellow (participle past)

Healy’s first act was to crudely wipe out Forrest on the touchline. He saw yellow when it could have been red.
 Lafferty then had his name taken for a late one on Adam Matthews.

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

(idiomatic, soccer) To receive a yellow card.


substitutes' bench

en-noun

substitutes' bench (plural substitutes' benches)

Oleg Blokhin's side lost the talismanic Andriy Shevchenko to the substitutes' bench because of a knee injury but still showed enough to put England through real turmoil in spells.

2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) The bench on which the players sit when they are not in action.


miniature golf

(golf) An informal form of golf, played with a putter on a short course featuring novelty obstacles.


CF

CF (countable and uncountable, plural CFs)

(baseball) Abbreviation of center field.

(baseball) Abbreviation of center fielder.


LB

(American football) Initialism of linebacker.


SG

SG (countable and uncountable, plural SGs)

(basketball) Initialism of shooting guard.


HB

(American football) Initialism of halfback.


fielding position

fielding position (plural fielding positions)

(cricket, baseball) Any of many named parts of the field of play at which fielders traditionally stand


touchline

French winger Hatem Ben Arfa has also taken plenty of plaudits recently and he was the architect of the opening goal with some superb trickery on the left touchline.

2012 April 21, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:

Some kids were having a kickabout on the grass beside the walkway, cheering, groaning, calling for the ball, absorbed in the game, a self-contained universe marked out by jackets for goalposts and invisible touchlines.

2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 107:

sideline

in Canadian football, field lacrosse and basketball

(rugby, soccer) One of the lines that mark the border limits of the pitch.


baseball diamond

baseball diamond (plural baseball diamonds)

A four-cornered part of a baseball field in which the corners are the three bases and the home plate.


MUFC

Manchester United Football Club
w:Manchester United Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Manchester United Football Club, a famous English football club from Manchester.


linkman

From link + -man. See link (“torch, light”).

(rugby) A player who uses speed and dexterity to keep an attacking team's downfield progress fluid.


Liga

(soccer) The highest division of professional football in Spain.


non-league

Crawley missed two penalties but still edged out League Two Torquay to become the first non-league side to reach the FA Cup fifth round for 17 years.

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

(British, soccer) Playing in a division below The Football League, being amateur or semi-professional teams.


keepie-uppie

keepie-uppie (countable and uncountable, plural keepie-uppies)

Deverbal from keep up, with suffix + -ie.

The children were playing keepie-uppie to amuse themselves.

(uncountable) The action of continuously bouncing a soccer ball in the air without the use of the hands.


basketball hoop

basketball hoop (plural basketball hoops)

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(sports) The hoop, holding a string net, through which the basketball must be placed to score


handball

handball (countable and uncountable, plural handballs)

desc

→ Portuguese: andebol, handebol (Brazil)

sport involving bouncing a ball off a wall

(uncountable) A team sport where two teams of seven players each (six players and a goalkeeper) pass and bounce a ball trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team.

European handball

team sport involving throwing a ball into a goal

It was a dramatic finish to an absorbing, fast-paced game but Blackburn will be deeply unhappy with referee Anthony Taylor as Nzonzi's handball was harsh.

2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:

(countable, soccer) The offence of a player other than the goalkeeper touching the ball with the hand or arm on the field during play.

(countable, Australian Rules Football) An act of passing a football by holding it with one hand and hitting it with the other.

(uncountable, Australia) A schoolyard game in which a tennis ball is struck with the hand, played on a improvised court on the asphalt or pavement.


handball

en-verb

handball (third-person singular simple present handballs, present participle handballing, simple past and past participle handballed)

handballs (present singular third-person)
handballing (participle present)
handballed (participle past)
handballed (past)

If the defender handballs in the penalty area, a penalty is awarded.

(soccer) To illegally touch the ball with the hand or arm.

Meanwhile, you can introduce the basic concept of Aussie rules through a game like lineball, a lead-up game introduced in the basketball section of chapter 10, but with the ball handballed, not thrown.

2001, Jerry R. Thomas, Alan G. Launder, Jack K. Nelson, Play Practice: The Games Approach to Teaching and Coaching Sports, page 111:

An obvious way in which football has changed over the last decade or two has been in the use of handballing.

2005, Andrew McLeod, Trevor D. Jaques, Australian Football: Steps to Success, page 9:

On only 8 occasions during the entire match did players who had marked the ball decide not to walk slowly and purposefully back and take their kick, but instead play on by handballing to a team mate.

2009, John P. Devaney, Full Points Footy: Encyclopedia of Australian Football Clubs, page 246:

(Australian rules football) To (legally) pass a football by holding it with one hand and hitting it with the other.


fallaway

(basketball) Of a shot, taken while moving away from the basket.


fallaway

(basketball) A shot taken while moving away from the basket.


third down

(American football) The third down in a series that has a maximum of four downs; traditionally the last running/passing play before punting.


second down

(American football) The second down in a series that has a maximum of four downs.


red zone

(American football) The area extending twenty yards from the end zone, where a team in possession of the ball is expected to score.


fourth down

Mahomes converted key fourth downs with his legs and looked to Kelce throughout the second half and overtime – the tight end finished with nine receptions and 93 yards after just one catch in the opening half.

(American football) The fourth down in a series that has a maximum of four downs; often used to punt the ball downfield or attempt a field goal (If not punted or converted, the opposing team takes possession wherever the ball is).


uprights

(American football, rugby) Vertical (upright) posts of the goal.


reach-around

(basketball) A passing style in which the ballhandler performs a crossover step in the direction of the intended pass and then extends his or her arms to throw the pass around the defender.


XFL

Xtreme Football League
w:en:Xtreme Football League

(sports, American football) Initialism of Xtreme Football League.

Extreme Football League
w:en:Extreme Football League

(sports, American football) Initialism of Extreme Football League.


transfer window

en-noun

transfer window (plural transfer windows)

Gary Cahill, a target for Arsenal and Tottenham before the transfer window closed, put England ahead early on and Rooney was on target twice before the interval as the early hostility of the Bulgarian supporters was swiftly subdued.

2011 September 2, Phil McNulty, “Bulgaria 0-3 England”, in BBC:

(soccer) A period of time during the year in which soccer players may be bought or sold between professional clubs.

Wechselperiode

period during which transfers can be made of players between soccer clubs


chanceless

en-adj

chanceless (comparative more chanceless, superlative most chanceless)

more chanceless (comparative)
most chanceless (superlative)

(cricket, not comparable) Without a chance of being dismissed.


knuckleballer

(baseball) A baseball pitcher known for throwing knuckleballs.


end-to-end

But rather than the end-to-end action of the first half, much of the entertainment took place in the Sunderland third.

2011 February 1, Saj Chowdhury, “Sunderland 2 - 4 Chelsea”, in BBC:

(soccer) Smoothly alternating between attacking and defensive plays.


PF

en-noun

PF (countable and uncountable, plural PFs)

(basketball) Initialism of personal foul.

(basketball) Initialism of power forward.

Coordinate term: PA

The Giants and Commanders have the same record after 13 games each. However, Washington has control of third place in the NFC East due to a better PF/PA record in comparison to the Giants.

2022 December 14, “NFL Playoff picture Week 15: Are the New York Giants still in contention for the postseason?”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2022-12-17:

(American football, fantasy football) Initialism of points for.


TPC

Tournament Players Club
w:Tournament Players Club

(golf) Initialism of Tournament Players Club.


drop shot

deixada

a lightly struck shot that lands just in play

(sports) In sports such as badminton, squash, tennis and volleyball, a lightly-struck shot that just lands into play.

(golf) A downward chopping shot used to extract a ball that lies deep in the grass.

first-person shooter
first-person shooter

(gaming) In first-person shooters, the act of quickly switching from a standing position to a prone position while shooting at an opponent.

Synonym of bomb shot (“type of mixed drink”)


battery mate

(baseball) One who plays in the same battery, either the pitcher or the catcher.


slugging percentage

slugging percentage (plural slugging percentages)

(baseball) A statistic which compares the total number of bases achieved by a batter over that batter's number of at bats.


slugging average

slugging average (plural slugging averages)


sac fly

(baseball) A sacrifice fly, a fly out which allows a runner to advance a base.


dormie

(golf) In match play, leading the match by the same number of holes as remain to be played.


dibbly-dobbler

Sri Lanka's seamers, like their dibbly-dobblers of yesteryear, gave the speedometer a day off, their deliveries rarely touching 80mph.

2006 May 11, Charlie Austin, “Sri Lanka's defective Plan B: What went wrong for Sri Lanka on the first day at Lord's”, in Cricinfo, archived from the original on 2016-05-07:


basketballer

In fact the latter are likely to develop muscles of the kind and strength that may even be a handicap to the Nth degree basketballer.

1967, Greyson Daughtrey, Methods in Physical Education and Health for Secondary Schools, page 73:

For the basketballer on the court, it expresses itself in individual play: running, passing, defending, shooting for goal.

2000, Bob Mierisch, On the Level: Striving for Openness to Build Corporate Strength, page 72:

The most famous sportsman rumoured to come for a round here was basketballer Michael Jordan, who flew in just for the midnight golf experience.

(informal) A basketball player; a person who plays basketball.


scissor kick

There were few complains[complaints] from Arteta or his players when Vieira was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Brownhill, but Zinchenko's scissor kick nine minutes earlier had all but ended Burnley's hopes of salvaging a point.

2023 November 11, Matthew Howarth, “Arsenal 3-1 Burnley”, in BBC Sport:


marteaux

After he had supped the King had him brought immediately to the Queen's own chamber, where she and her ladies were playing at the marteaux; and some of her ladies were playing at closheys of ivory, and dancing , and some at divers other games: the which sight was full pleasant to them.

1845, John Allen Giles, The chronicles of the white rose of York, page 147:

In another part of the room three or four middle-aged dames, who acted as governesses to the young princesses, were seated at a table playing at marteaux — a game in which little ivory balls were placed in the holes of a board — with the two tutors of the young princes .

1875, William Harrison Ainsworth, The Goldsmith's Wife, page 13:

Louis, the Governor of Holland, was led to Queen Elizabeth's rooms where he found her and her ladies-in-waiting playing marteaux ― a game like bowls ― and throwing balls at ivory pins.

1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 40:

The queen is playing now with her ladies at a courtly game called the marteaux, while others are amusing themselves as best befits them, according to the fashion of the times.

2022, Mary Roberts, Ruins and Old Trees:

(historical) A game played at court in the 15th and 16th centuries, involving marble-sized variously colored ivory balls and a board with holes.


hit a six

en-verb

hit a six (third-person singular simple present hits a six, present participle hitting a six, simple past and past participle hit a six)

hits a six (present singular third-person)
hitting a six (participle present)
hit a six (participle past)
hit a six (past)

(cricket) To hit the ball hard enough to go out of the boundary of the field without touching the ground, thereby scoring the maximum of six runs


hit someone for six

hit someone for six (third-person singular simple present hits someone for six, present participle hitting someone for six, simple past and past participle hit someone for six)

hits someone for six (present singular third-person)
hitting someone for six (participle present)
hit someone for six (participle past)
hit someone for six (past)

From cricket, where hitting the ball over the boundary without it bouncing scores six runs, the maximum for one shot.

(cricket) To score six points against (a bowler) by hitting the ball over the boundary.


scrummage

(rugby) An ordered formation of forwards, typically bending down, binding to one another with their arms, and pushing opponents shoulder to shoulder, in which each side aims to gain control of the ball; a scrum.


scrummage

scrummage (third-person singular simple present scrummages, present participle scrummaging, simple past and past participle scrummaged)

scrummages (present singular third-person)
scrummaging (participle present)
scrummaged (participle past)
scrummaged (past)

(rugby) To engage in an ordered formation of forwards in which each side aims to gain control of the ball, as described above.


throwdown

Deverbal from throw down. Fight and music senses from earlier idiom throw down the gauntlet (“issue a challenge”).


pair of spectacles

en-noun

pair of spectacles (plural pairs of spectacles)

(cricket) Synonym of pair (“score of zero runs in both innings”)


(American football) A player for the San Francisco 49ers, an NFL team.


hangtime

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(skateboarding, American football) The length of time something can stay in the air.


drop punt

(Australian rules football, rugby) A kick made by dropping the ball and kicking it before it touches the ground.


ball machine

(tennis) A machine that shoots tennis balls out of a pipe, allowing a player to practise hitting them.


fat

en-adj

fat (comparative fatter, superlative fattest)

fatter (comparative)
fattest (superlative)

Of sense: lean

carrying a larger than normal amount of fat; antonym(s) of

Sranan Tongo: fatu

From Middle English fat, from Old English fǣtt (“fatted, fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *faitid (“fatted”), originally the past participle of the verb *faitijan (“to make fat”), from *fait (“fat”).

chubby

Hitting a thin shot from a fairway bunker is more productive than hitting a fat shot.

1992, DeDe Owens, Linda K. Bunker, Advanced Golf: Steps to Success, page 81:

(golf) Being a shot in which the ground is struck before the ball.


fat

Sranan Tongo: fatu

From Middle English fat, fatt, fatte, from the adjective above, and possibly from Old English fǣt (“fat”, recorded once), from Proto-West Germanic *fait, from Proto-Germanic *faitą, *faitaz (“fat”).

lard

in animals; derogatory slang when used of human fat

(golf) A poorly played shot where the ball is struck by the top part of the club head. (see also thin, shank, toe)


fat

en-verb

fat (third-person singular simple present fats, present participle fatting, simple past and past participle fatted)

fats (present singular third-person)
fatting (participle present)
fatted (participle past)
fatted (past)

“On this one hole, Donald hits his second and fats it into the water,” Faxon remembers. “But he quickly says to me, ‘Hey, throw me another ball; they weren’t looking.’ So I do. But he fats that one into the water, too. So he drives up and drops where he should’ve dropped the first time and hits it on the green.”

2019 April 2, Rick Reilly, How and why President Trump cheats at golf — even when he’s playing against Tiger Woods, archived from the original on 2022-03-29:

(transitive, golf) To hit (a golf ball) with a fat shot.


Anfield

Possibly from Middle English hange + feld, field (see field).

(soccer) A football stadium within the area, home of Liverpool Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Liverpool Football club itself.


linksland

en-noun

linksland (usually uncountable, plural linkslands)

(golf) A golf course near the sea, particularly one with terrain resembling linksland.


student body

student body left

student body right

(American football slang) A football play in which most of the players run to one side of the field.


FCB

(soccer) Initialism of FC Barcelona, a famous Spanish sports club from Barcelona, best known for its football (soccer) section; from Catalan FCB (“Futbol Club Barcelona”).

FC Barcelona

(soccer) Initialism of FC Bayern Munich, a famous German football (soccer) team from Munich.


VOR

video operation room
w:Video assistant referee

video assistant referee
video assistant referee

(soccer) Initialism of video operation room, part of the set-up for the video assistant referee (VAR) in association football.


hung up

en-adj

hung up (comparative more hung up, superlative most hung up)

more hung up (comparative)
most hung up (superlative)

Snap throw to first, and they’ve got Sanchez hung up.

(baseball, of a runner, not comparable) In a position such that the path to the desired base is blocked by a fielder holding the ball; caught in a rundown.


wrist shot

(golf) A short stroke usually played with an iron, from the wrist, without swinging the club over the shoulder.


hook shot

(basketball) A shot in which the offensive player gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of his arm in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends over his head.

(cricket) A type of shot played by swinging the bat in a horizontal arc, hitting the ball high in the air to the leg side, often played to balls which bounce around head height; a hook.

(golf) Synonym of hook (“a shot that (for the right-handed player) curves unintentionally to the left”)

hook

(cricket) Synonym of hook (“shot played by swinging the bat in a horizontal arc, hitting the ball high in the air to the leg side”)


organized baseball

(baseball) Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. This does not include amateur leagues, most professional international leagues, the former Negro Leagues, and independent leagues.


flutterball

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(baseball) A type of pitch; knuckleball.


knucklecurve

(baseball) A type of pitch with characteristics of both a curveball and a knuckleball.


ghostball

(baseball) A type of pitch; the knuckleball.


stickhandling

(ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse) Skillful manipulation of the puck or ball with a player's stick, allowing the player to maintain control of the puck or ball.


stickhandle

en-verb

stickhandle (third-person singular simple present stickhandles, present participle stickhandling, simple past and past participle stickhandled)

stickhandles (present singular third-person)
stickhandling (participle present)
stickhandled (participle past)
stickhandled (past)

Kovalev regained possession of the puck and stickhandled at full speed into neutral-zone open ice.

2008 April 17, Dave Stubbs, “Lots of life left in Bruins”, in The Gazette, Montreal, retrieved 2008-05-13:

(transitive, intransitive, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse) To maintain individual possession of the puck or ball by controlling it with movements of one's stick, especially to do so in a skillful manner.


court sense

(basketball) A player's knowledge of all that is occurring in the game.


ruckman

Coordinate term: ruckwoman

(Australian rules football) A ruck; a player who contests rucks.

ruckman (Australian rules football position)


superteam

Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
LeBron James
Miami Heat

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Any well-respected or highly successful team (in any of several contexts)

(sports, chiefly basketball) A team composed of three or more high-caliber players, especially one assembled by free agency or trades rather than by drafting.


goalscorer

At the other end, goalscorer Krohn-Dehli's 20-yard strike brought a fine stop from Stekelenburg.

2012 June 9, Owen Phillips, “Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A person who scores a goal, or scores goals


double-header

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According to feminist writer and adult film producer Tristan Taormino, similar instances of sexual contact between men in heterosexual pornography, such as the "double header," circumvent queer meaning, given their location within heterosexual sex.

2015, Jane Ward, Not Gay, New York University Press, →ISBN, page 104:


pull the string

pull the string (third-person singular simple present pulls the string, present participle pulling the string, simple past and past participle pulled the string)

pulls the string (present singular third-person)
pulling the string (participle present)
pulled the string (participle past)
pulled the string (past)

(baseball) To throw an off-speed pitch, a change up, to cause the hitter to swing early and miss.


FBS

w:NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

(American football) Initialism of Football Bowl Subdivision.


Boot Hill

(cricket, slang) The position of short leg.


lappa

From English lap (“a stroke somewhere between a pull and a sweep”).

When the ball bounced, the open stance was a good preliminary position from which to play the cross-batted swipe or lappa.

2010, Mukul Kesavan, Keshwani Mukul, Men in White (page 12)


backlift

(cricket) The lifting of the bat in preparation for hitting the ball.


second serve

Rosol spurned the chance to finish off a shallow second serve by spooning into the net, and a wild forehand took the set to 5-4, with the native of Prerov required to hold his serve for victory.

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

(tennis) Another attempt at a service, after a faulty first service.


hit one out of the ballpark

hit one out of the ballpark (third-person singular simple present hits one out of the ballpark, present participle hitting one out of the ballpark, simple past and past participle hit one out of the ballpark)

hits one out of the ballpark (present singular third-person)
hitting one out of the ballpark (participle present)
hit one out of the ballpark (participle past)
hit one out of the ballpark (past)

(baseball) To hit a fair ball so well that the ball flies over all of the spectators' seats and lands outside the stadium.


LTA

Lawn Tennis Association
w:Lawn Tennis Association

(tennis) Initialism of Lawn Tennis Association.


swing for the fences

swing for the fences (third-person singular simple present swings for the fences, present participle swinging for the fences, simple past and past participle swung for the fences)

swings for the fences (present singular third-person)
swinging for the fences (participle present)
swung for the fences (participle past)
swung for the fences (past)

Don't swing for the fences unless it's an easy ball; be content with running part way.

(US, baseball, softball) To swing at the ball as hard as possible, with the aim of getting a home run.


agricultural shot

en-noun

agricultural shot (plural agricultural shots)

(cricket) A swing across the line of the ball (resembling a scything motion) played without much technique, often resulting in a chunk of the pitch being dug up by the bat.


Barça

Shortened form of Futbol Club Barcelona, keeping the Catalan spelling rules. Since this football team is a symbol of the city of Barcelona, this word has been associated with the whole city, although it's wrong to use Barça to refer to the city itself; instead, one would use Barna.

(soccer) Clipping of Futbol Club Barcelona.


lay up

en-verb

lay up (third-person singular simple present lays up, present participle laying up, simple past and past participle laid up)

lays up (present singular third-person)
laying up (participle present)
laid up (participle past)
laid up (past)

He takes the pass, he drives, he lays it up and in.

(transitive, basketball) To make a layup with (a basketball)

Rather than try to reach the green, he chose to lay up.

(intransitive, golf) To deliberately leave the ball further than necessary from the hole, so as to secure an easier succeeding shot.


full-court press

en-noun

full-court press (plural full-court presses)

(basketball) A coordinated maneuver, involving all team members, to block or interfere with the opposing team's attempt to advance the ball down the playing court, so as to force a turnover or backcourt violation.


five-second rule

five-second rule (plural five-second rules)

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Any rule that allows or prohibits certain behavior for five seconds after some event, especially:

(basketball) A rule that a closely-guarded player cannot hold the ball for more than five seconds without dribbling, passing, rolling, or shooting the ball.

(basketball) A rule that a player who throws in the ball from out of bounds must get rid of it in less than five seconds.


front wall

Because it is a wall and is located at the front of the court.

(squash, racquetball) The main and largest wall in court, located at the front of the world; the wall which the ball must hit in a rally.


squash racket

A type of bat used to hit the ball in the game of squash.


side wall

Because each of the walls in question is located on a side of the court.

(squash, racquetball) Either of the two parallel walls in a court, perpendicular to the front wall; either of the walls on the side of the court.


squash ball

A small rubber ball used in the game of squash.


squash court

A four-walled court used for playing squash.


squash player

Someone who competes in the sport of squash, especially at a professional level.


TBF

Turkish Basketball Federation
w:Turkish Basketball Federation

(basketball) Initialism of Turkish Basketball Federation.


back wall

Because it is a wall and is located at the back of the court.

(squash, racquetball) The wall at the back of a racquetball or squash court, directly opposite the front wall.


line break

Toby Flood replaced Wilkinson at the break and scrum-half Ben Youngs scored almost directly from the restart, spotting a gap down the short side and linking well with Tuilagi down the right flank, and nine minutes later full-back Ben Foden extended England's lead following a bullocking line-break by Tuilagi.

2011 September 24, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 67-3 Romania”, in BBC Sport:

(rugby) a break made through the opposition's defensive line


batsmanship

Although our team lost, we were complimented by everyone on our batsmanship.

(cricket) A skilled or courteous display of skill as a batsman.


bat away

en-verb

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

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

(US, baseball, of a batter) To use one's own judgment to aggressively swing at pitches, rather than following a coaches instructions.


punchball

en-noun

punchball (countable and uncountable, plural punchballs)

A simplified version of the sport of baseball, where players use their fists as a bat and a softer ball.


pushball

pushball (countable and uncountable, plural pushballs)

(uncountable) A team game where players attempt to push a large inflatable lightweight ball into the opponent's goal.


bowl-out

(cricket) A series of deliveries at an unguarded wicket at the end of a non-first-class cricket match, used to decide the winner of a drawn match.


change up

en-verb

change up (third-person singular simple present changes up, present participle changing up, simple past and past participle changed up)

changes up (present singular third-person)
changing up (participle present)
changed up (participle past)
changed up (past)

He changed up on Wilson after three fastballs and struck him out.

(intransitive, baseball) To throw a pitch at a much slower than expected speed.


broomball

en-noun

broomball (countable and uncountable, plural broomballs)

(uncountable) A Canadian team sport resembling ice hockey and played with sticks and a ball.


posterize

en-verb

posterize (third-person singular simple present posterizes, present participle posterizing, simple past and past participle posterized)

posterizes (present singular third-person)
posterizing (participle present)
posterized (participle past)
posterized (past)

(basketball, slang) To score a slam dunk by leaping over another player.


rollout

(American football) A play in which a quarterback moves toward the sideline before attempting to pass.


dunk shot

(basketball) A dunk, a shot where the ball is propelled directly downward through the hoop.


OL

(soccer) Initialism of Olympique Lyonnais.


dig out

dig out (third-person singular simple present digs out, present participle digging out, simple past and past participle dug out)

digs out (present singular third-person)
digging out (participle present)
dug out (participle past)
dug out (past)

(transitive, cricket) To block a yorker with the bottom of the bat, at the last second.


the ball is in someone's court

En-au-the ball is in someone's court.ogg

From tennis, as when the ball is in someone's court it is their turn to play.

Well there's not much more I can do, so the ball is in your court now.

Achieving that partnership will require leadership and flexibility. Not just from us, but from our friends, the 27 nations of the EU. And as we look forward to the next stage, the ball is in their court, but I am optimistic it will receive a positive response.

2017 October 9, Theresa May, 1:05 from the start, in Theresa May's Brexit speech, via The Guardian:

(idiomatic) It is someone's turn to do something; often making a decision.


wallyball

en-noun

wallyball (countable and uncountable, plural wallyballs)

Invented by Joe Garcia in 1979, from wall and volleyball.

(uncountable) A fast-paced sport, a version of volleyball played in a racquetball court, where it is legal to hit the ball off of the walls.


unforced error

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.

(sports, chiefly tennis) A basic error committed in a tactical game, where errors are usually forced by the game strategy.


openside

Coordinate term: blindside

(rugby) The space on the side of the pitch with the larger distance between the breakdown/set piece and the touchline.

The openside packs down at the scrum on the openside.

openside flanker
openside flanker#English

(rugby union) Short for openside flanker.


inside back

(rugby) a back whose primary job is to create space for the outside backs outside him, i.e. the scrum-half, the fly-half and the inside centre.


three-quarter back

three-quarter back (plural three-quarter backs)

(rugby) Any of a group of players positioned between the half-backs and the full-backs; consists of the left wing, the inside centre, the outside centre and the right wing


half-back

But Wales somehow snaffled possession for fly-half Jones to send half-back partner Mike Phillips haring away with Stoddart in support.

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


first receiver

(rugby) The first player to receive the ball from a scrum-half. This is often the fly-half, but may be a different player if the fly-half is unavailable, or a forward who will drive.


outside back

(rugby) a back whose primary job it is to exploit space created by the inside backs, i.e. the outside centre, both wingers, and the full back


scrummager

Their tighthead is a great scrummager, but is not very good in the loose.

(rugby) One who scrummages; usually used in reference to the qualities of front row forwards.


openside flanker

openside flanker (plural openside flankers)

(rugby) a forward position in rugby union, usually number 7.


penalty goal

(ice hockey, soccer, rugby) A goal scored from a penalty.


tight five

(rugby) The five forwards who form the front row and the second row in the scrum.


gain line

(rugby) an imaginary line running across the pitch perpendicular to the touchline and passing through the breakdown or set piece. The subsequent phase is said to have passed "over the gain line" if the gain line at the subsequent breakdown is in front of the last, or "behind the gain line" if it is behind.

(American football) Alternative form of line to gain


ribeye

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Watson had a 3-run homer and a 2-run double for a total of five ribeyes on the night.


pull the trigger

en-verb

pull the trigger (third-person singular simple present pulls the trigger, present participle pulling the trigger, simple past and past participle pulled the trigger)

pulls the trigger (present singular third-person)
pulling the trigger (participle present)
pulled the trigger (participle past)
pulled the trigger (past)

The Baggies almost hit back instantly when Graham Dorrans broke from midfield and pulled the trigger from 15 yards but Paul Robinson did superbly to tip the Scot's drive around the post.

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

(soccer, idiomatic, intransitive) To shoot, kick the ball in hope of scoring a goal.

(tennis, informal) To hit a very powerful shot.


piledriver

United did not dwell on the decision and Nani had a left-foot piledriver fended wide by Friedel, who is now the oldest player in Villa's history at 39 years and 259 days.

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


ground game

en-noun

ground game (countable and uncountable, plural ground games)

Most golf courses built in the 1980s went away from the old-fashioned ground game and forced players to hit the ball high.

1999, Harvey Penick, Bud Shrake, The Game for a Lifetime, →ISBN, page 34:

(golf) Putting; hitting the ball along the ground

Notre Dame, with its option-type quarterback, Tony Rice, is committed to the ground game.

1988 November 26, Mal Florence, “They Take Case to Polls Today USC-Notre Dame Game Could Settle Score for No. 1”, in Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 2013-06-30, page Sports 3:

(American football, countable) Running with the ball, rather than passing


speccy

spectacular mark
spectacular mark#English

(Australian rules football, informal) Synonym of spectacular mark


tice

Possibly from entice, as below, suggesting the bowler's purpose.

Bowlers should practise both toss and tice.

1862, James Picroft, The Cricket-Field, Or The History and the Science of the Game of Cricket, page 120:

The tice is almost a full pitch. If you have a long reach, go in and play forward; if not, however, keep your bat down, and block it.

1863 March 7, “The Complete Guide to the Cricket Field: Chapter III: The Batsman”, in The Boy's Miscellany: An Illustrated Journal of Useful and Entertaining Literature for Youth, volume 1, page 155:

1870 July, The Wykehamist, Number 33, page 1,
Raynor, though somewhat wild, obtained an extraordinary number of wickets for very few runs, his fast "tices" quite puzzling the Eton bats.

1911, Henry Charles Howard Suffolk and Berkshire (Earl of), Hedley Peek, Frederick George Aflalo, The Encyclopaedia of Sport & Games, Volume 1, page 452,
A "yorker" (or "tice") pitches on, or within six inches of, the popping crease; […] .

(cricket, dated) A ball bowled to strike the ground about a bat's length in front of the wicket; a yorker.

yorker

ball bowled to strike the pitch near the batsman's feet

(croquet) A ball left at a hittable but difficult distance or position, to lure the opponent into a mistake.


floorball

An indoor ball game played with a stick like hockey.


holeable

en-adj

holeable (comparative more holeable, superlative most holeable)

more holeable (comparative)
most holeable (superlative)

(golf) Able to be holed; allowing the ball to be sunk.


run-and-gun

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(basketball) Alternative form of run and gun


technical foul

(basketball) Any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a nonplayer.


shootaround

The players came to the stadium for the morning shootaround.

(basketball) An informal practice session


swingman

(sports) A player who can swing between two different positions, often the small forward and shooting guard positions in basketball.


runback

A fifty yard runback of a punt by Jack Reed in the fourth period gave Bowdoin a 6-0 win over Williams today in a driving rain.

1936 October 18, “Fifty Yard Runback of Punt Gives Bowdoin 6-0 Win Over Williams”, in Hartford Courant, archived from the original on 2013-06-30, page C4:

(American football) The act of returning a kicked ball, such as from a punt or kickoff


returner

(American football) A player who runs back a ball which has been punted or kicked


pie-chucker

(cricket, informal) A bowler who has no control over the movement of the ball


putback

(basketball) A move in which a player scores a basket immediately after securing an offensive rebound


goaltending

(basketball) A violation which occurs when a player interferes with the movement of the ball that is on its downward path toward the basket or on or within the rim of the basket, or after the ball touched the backboard.


goaltend

en-verb

goaltend (third-person singular simple present goaltends, present participle goaltending, simple past and past participle goaltended)

goaltends (present singular third-person)
goaltending (participle present)
goaltended (participle past)
goaltended (past)

Amazingly, of Fly's first eight shots two are blocked, three go in, and three are goaltended.

2004, Rick Teland, Heaven is a Playground, →ISBN, page 108:

(basketball) To engage in goaltending, interference with the ball on its downward path to the basket

hacer un tapón ilegal

basketball: interference with the ball on its downward path to the basket


outrebound

outrebound (third-person singular simple present outrebounds, present participle outrebounding, simple past and past participle outrebounded)

outrebounds (present singular third-person)
outrebounding (participle present)
outrebounded (participle past)
outrebounded (past)

We outrebounded the other team, but our offense wasn't good enough.


A team

From the letter "A" (indicating the highest rank or quality) + "team".

He was then selected for the South African A team before making his international debut.

NSW all-rounder Moises Henriques has been named captain of the Australia A team to play England in Hobart next week.

(cricket, rugby) A country's reserve team or development squad, comprising the best players not selected in the national team.


frontcourt

Kelly passes to Mahoney in the frontcourt.

(basketball) The half of the court where a team's offensive basket is located

The team's frontcourt has not been performing this season.

(basketball) The center and forwards of a team


stickball

en-noun

stickball (countable and uncountable, plural stickballs)

Boys were playing stickball in the damp, cold streets; dressed in heavy woollen sweaters and heavy trousers, they danced and shouted, and the ball went crack as the stick struck it and sent it speeding through the air.

1953, James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Penguin Classics (2001), page 34:

A street game similar to baseball, played with a stick, a ball and various ad hoc materials; found primarily in large cities in the northeastern United States.


war daddy

The phrase may have originated with Harold T. White, a coach at Mississippi's Perkinston Junior College in the 1950s.

(slang, American football, US) A player with extraordinary ability and exceptional toughness.


homestand

Two Sarasota pitchers proved easy picking for the St. Petersburg Saints at Waterfront park this afternoon and the locals walked off with the first game of their homestand, 8 to 1.

1926 June 4, “Locals Score Five Runs in One Inning, While Hewitt Holds Invaders Safe”, in Evening Independent, page 8:

(baseball) A series of games played at a team's home field


run batted in

(baseball) A run that a given player has caused to be scored by a hit, walk, or sacrifice.


earned run average

earned run average (plural earned run averages)

We can give you passing yardage if you want to talk quarterbacks, or earned-run average if you want to talk pitchers, or goals and assists if you want to talk hockey players, but, alas, professional football linemen, especially on the offensive side of the table, are not easily statisticized.

1992 October, Steve Buckley, “Boss Hog: Jim Lachey is the best offensive lineman in football playing on the best team in football”, in Sport, volume 83, number 10, →ISSN, page 63:

(baseball) A statistic in baseball which equals the number of earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched.


incompletion

incompletion (countable and uncountable, plural incompletions)

From in- + completion or incomplete + -ion

Their strong defense forced three incompletions from the other team.

(countable, American football) A forward pass which is not caught inbounds by the intended receiver.


spinner

From Middle English spynnere; equivalent to spin + -er.

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...'


look off

en-verb

look off (third-person singular simple present looks off, present participle looking off, simple past and past participle looked off)

looks off (present singular third-person)
looking off (participle present)
looked off (participle past)
looked off (past)

I went back to pass, tried to look off the safety, turned and fired it out to Jack. It didn't work. The safety closed on the ball and knocked it down.

2004, Danny Wuerffel with Steve Spurrier and Mike Bianchi, Danny Wuerffel's Tales from the Gator Swamp, page 24:

(transitive, idiomatic, American football) To mislead by directing one's apparent attention away from one's true object of intent.

(intransitive, American football) To look in a way different than the intended direction of play in order to confuse the opposing team.


midmajor

(American football) A college not affiliated with a conference that is one of the primary partners in the College Football Playoff

(US, basketball) A conference that is not a major conference


backcourt

So the Knicks, who began the season with a depleted frontcourt, have muddled through the last six weeks with a depleted backcourt as well.

2009 January 2, Howard Beck, “Knicks Will Continue to Be Walsh’s Work in Progress in 2009”, in New York Times:

(basketball) A team's defensive half of the court; the part of the court where the other team's basket is located, or the guards playing in that area.


punt returner

(American football) A player on the receiving team whose primary job is to catch the football during a punt and carry the ball.


kickoff returner

en-noun

kickoff returner (plural kickoff returners)

(American football) A player on the receiving side whose primary job is to catch the football during a kickoff and carry the ball.


leg-breaker

Arca performed a similar stunt with a high over-the-top-of-the-ball tackle on Andy Johnson, except he connected. It is what is called a leg-breaker.

2008 December 22, “Mailbox”, in football365.com, retrieved 2009-01-05:

(soccer) A tackle or other on-field maneuver capable of breaking a player's leg.

(soccer) a tackle or other maneuver capable of breaking a player's leg

wejście skutkujące złamaniem nogi rywala

próba odbioru piłki skutkująca złamaniem nogi rywala

Armstrong is a leg-breaker, with eight fielders on the on-side. Probably he would do better if he bowled more at the wicket.

(cricket) A cricketer who bowls leg breaks.

Noble joined Wood, and the pair changed the aspect of affairs, 45 being up before a leg breaker from McGiverin proved too good for Noble's defense.

1894 September 18, “Canadian Cricketers Lead”, in New York Times, retrieved 2009-01-05, page 3:


centre forward

(British spelling, soccer) The most central of the strikers; traditionally the player who makes the kick-off.


friendly match

friendly match (plural friendly matches)

(soccer) A game that has no competitive value; an exhibition match


trequartista

The trequartista is the pivotal role in attack, though it is neither a striker nor a creator, per se, but three-quarters of both those positions.

2013 April 16, Rob Hughes, “After 2 Decades of Creativity: Why Stop Now?”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2022-11-06:

However, the classic Italian trequartista role, which generally refers to a number 10 playing behind two strikers, was under threat. Arrigo Sacchi's emphasis on a heavy pressing 4-4-2 left no place for a languid trequartista, and therefore players like Baggio were having to prove their worth.

2019, Michael W. Cox, Zonal Marking: The Making of Modern European Football, PublicAffairs, →ISBN:

A tall, skilful trequartista with impeccable technique, he has an eye for the goal, being especially dangerous in the air.

2022 September 28, Marcus Christenson, Steven Bloor, Garry Blight, “Next Generation 2022: 60 of the best young talents in world football”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 2023-01-23:

(soccer) A player who operates between the midfielders and the strikers, acting as a playmaker and creating chances for their team to score.


CFLer

(Canadian football) Someone who plays in the CFL (Canadian Football League).


NBAer

(basketball) Someone who plays in the NBA.


NFLer

(American football) Someone who plays in the NFL.


WNBAer

(basketball) Someone who plays in the WNBA.


MLBer

(baseball) Someone who plays in MLB (Major League Baseball).


NLL

National Lacrosse League
w:National Lacrosse League

(lacrosse) Initialism of National Lacrosse League, a lacrosse league in the US.


NPF

National Pro Fastpitch
w:National Pro Fastpitch

(softball) Initialism of The National Pro Fastpitch, the senior softball league in the US.


fastpitch

(softball) A variety of softball in which the ball may be pitched at faster speed.


repost

en-verb

repost (third-person singular simple present reposts, present participle reposting, simple past and past participle reposted)

reposts (present singular third-person)
reposting (participle present)
reposted (participle past)
reposted (past)

He's starting to learn that when the trap comes to kick it out right away and repost.

2007 January 1, Howard Beck, “Knicks Have a Hard Time Dealing With Rejection”, in New York Times:

(basketball) To post up again; to reset oneself at the post.


buttonhook

Yet the Bears never set up the deep patterns with a turn-in or a buttonhook[…]

1988 January 15, Ted Cox, “The Sports Section”, in Chicago Reader:

(American football) A play in which the receiver runs straight downfield, then turns back toward the line of scrimmage.


buttonhook

buttonhook (third-person singular simple present buttonhooks, present participle buttonhooking, simple past and past participle buttonhooked)

buttonhooks (present singular third-person)
buttonhooking (participle present)
buttonhooked (participle past)
buttonhooked (past)

(American football) To perform the buttonhook play.


slowpitch

(softball) A variety of softball, in which the ball may not be pitched fast.


upcourt

The Wizards took the lead for good when Nick Young blocked Duhon’s layup attempt, then raced upcourt for a 21-foot pull-up jumper.

2009 January 17, Howard Beck, “Up-and-Down Knicks Get More of the Latter in Loss to Wizards”, in New York Times:

(basketball) Toward a team's offensive basket, the basket at which points are scored


pitch mark

(golf) An indentation caused by a golf ball hitting the ground in golf.


bat in

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

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

a. 2001, William Harrington, Elliott Roosevelt's Murder at the President's Door: An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery, 2003 edition, →ISBN, page 55,
In 1927, when Ruth hit sixty home runs, Gehrig had a better batting average and batted in more runs.

(baseball, transitive) To bat so that a runner on base effects (a run).


foul line

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

(basketball) A line from which a player takes a free throw

(baseball, softball) One of the two lines on the edge of a field marking the area inside which a fair ball may be hit.


midtable

Inter Milan[…] allowed midtable Atalanta of Bergamo three goals in the first 33 minutes Sunday and lost only its second league match of the season, 3-1.

2009 January 21, Jack Bell, “Juventus Putting Pressure on Inter”, in New York Times:

(soccer) Of medium rank in the standings, not a top or bottom team.


baseliner

(tennis) A player who plays from the baseline, seldom moving to the net.


crosscourt

What became a pivotal seven minutes, Stosur pulled back an early deficit to draw level at 6-6 before Dementieva nailed a running crosscourt forehand and then buried a forehand volley after a rare visit to the net to seal the critical tiebreak.

2009 January 25, Bruce Matthews, “Brave Sam Stosur wilts under Elena Dementieva”, in Herald Sun:

(tennis, net sports) Hit diagonally into the opposite corner of the court


baseballer

From baseball + -er, by analogy with footballer.

Queen of the cougar pack is Madonna, the 50-year-old good-time gal who divorced 40-year-old Guy Ritchie (in part because he said she looked like a granny on stage) and then was rumoured to have hooked up with bad-boy baseballer Alex Rodriguez, 33.

2009 January 25, Bryan Patterson, “Cougars who stalk the cubs”, in Herald Sun, archived from the original on 2009-02-07:

(Commonwealth) A baseball player; a person who plays baseball.


groundstroke

But each time Dementieva underlined why she holds such a lofty world standing by answering the challenge with those unerring groundstrokes, particularly the forehand, to hit back after dropping her serve.

In a desperately tight opening set, the pace and accuracy of the Serbian's groundstrokes began to draw errors from the usually faultless Nadal and earned him the first break point of the day at 5-4.

2011 July 3, Piers Newbury, “Wimbledon 2011: Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in final”, in BBC Sport:

(tennis) A forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball has bounced once on the court.


hardman

FORMER Melbourne Storm hardman Michael Crocker will consider retirement if he is denied a work permit by the British government.

2009 January 25, Peter Badel, “Crocker: I'll quit if I can't go”, in Herald Sun:


special team

(American football) A group of football players with special assignments for plays other than standard offensive and defensive plays, such as those involving kicking.


paceman

The flair for bright batting went against them as they fell easy prey to the Aussie pacemen.

1976, The Statesman, volume 22, page 47:

In the series he bowled 222.5 overs, a considerable number considering Test teams in 1948 could call upon a new ball every 55 overs and Australia had pacemen to burn in Lindwall, Miller, Johnston and Toshack.

2001, Ashley Mallett, Eleven: The Greatest Eleven of the 20th Century, page 100:

Instead he went trout fishing on the Kiewa River in country Victoria, but not before leaving instructions to his pacemen to attack Bradman at every opportunity. Larwood took this to mean plenty of short stuff at the rib cage and head with five men in close catching positions.

2006, Roland Perry, The Ashes: A Celebration, page 136:

VICTORIA captain Cameron White and paceman Ben Hilfenhaus will return to the Australian team for the one-day international against South Africa tomorrow.

2009 January 25, “Cameron White and Ben Hilfenhaus return for Australia”, in Herald Sun:

2008 February 4, Anil Kumble, ‘You need to keep talking’, Outlook, page 45,
Fourteen Australian wickets fell to our pacemen, indicating that they were sticking to the plan.

2009 October, Pratiyogita Darpan, page 763,
South African paceman Andre Nel on March 25, 2009 announced his retirement from international cricket after an eight year career during which he took more than 100 wickets in both forms of the game.

(cricket, Australia, India) A fast bowler; one who specialises in bowling fast.


backrower

Test backrower Crocker, 28, had hinted that he would consider retiring if the three-year English deal fell through.

2009 January 30, AAP, “Crocker's English visa rejected”, in Herald Sun:

(sports, cricket) A reserve player on a team; a member of the back row or back bench


Saints

Still, Saints looked the likeliest to make the breakthrough, and it came when Jonny Evans could only half-clear a long ball and Chaplow took full advantage.

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

(soccer) A nickname of Southampton Football Club, a football club from Southampton, England.


hitless

Jones is hitless in the last four games.

(baseball, of a batter) Having failed to make any base hits over a period of time, usually one game.

The team is hitless since the third inning.

(baseball, of a team) Having no hits over a period of time, usually part of one game.


base hit

(baseball) A successful hit in which the batter safely reaches base


halfcourt

The second technical was called after Mayo walked back toward the players gathered at halfcourt.

2007 January 30, Pete Thamel, “A Star Player, a Video and a Suspension”, in New York Times:

(basketball) The middle of the court, at and near the center line

Count 'em, 150 basketball courts, actually halfcourts, will line Columbus Drive July 27-28 for the Bulls' second annual Shoot-the-Bull Three-on-Three Roundball Classic.

1990 July 4, Linda Young, “3-on-3 offers hot aftertaste”, in Chicago Tribune, archived from the original on 2013-12-02, page 3:

(basketball) A basketball court that is half the size of a normal court

There was lots of weird stuff going on with zones and matchups and presses and fastbreaks and ball-deflating halfcourts, but UConn won with defense.

1999 January 24, Michael Arace, “NO. 1 UCONN 62, SETON HALL 47”, in Hartford Courant, archived from the original on 2013-06-30, page E3:

(basketball) A shot taken from the middle of the court


greenside

He knocked his fourth shot from the rough into a greenside bunker.

2007 February 24, Damon Hack, “Woods Meets His Match as Winning Streak Ends”, in New York Times:


outpitch

outpitch (third-person singular simple present outpitches, present participle outpitching, simple past and past participle outpitched)

outpitches (present singular third-person)
outpitching (participle present)
outpitched (participle past)
outpitched (past)

He beat the Yankees, 4-2, at Yankee Stadium in Game 2, outpitched Whitey Ford in a 1-0 victory in Game 5 in Milwaukee, and then, pitching on two days’ rest because Spahn had the flu, threw a 5-0 shutout at Yankee Stadium in Game 7.

2007 February 7, Richard Goldstein, “Lew Burdette, Masterful Pitcher, Dies at 80”, in New York Times:

(baseball) To pitch better than an opposing pitcher.


hit-out

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(Australian rules football) An instance of knocking the ball out of a ruck contest.


basepath

Jackson broke up a potential double play in the 1978 World Series when he froze on the basepaths and turned his hip into a throw.

2007 June 2, Tyler Kepner, “Reconsidering, Torre Admonishes Rodriguez”, in New York Times:

(baseball) The grassless ways around the baseball diamond on which runners advance.


flagstick

He rattled the flagstick twice with his approach shots[…].

2007 May 12, Damon Hack, “Woods Saves His Best Shot for Sabbatini”, in New York Times:

(golf) The pole which marks the location of a hole


pickoff

Zobrist broke for third during Pettitte’s pickoff move, stealing the base when Pettitte threw behind the runner.

2007 April 6, Tyler Kepner, “Pettitte’s Return Lost Amid Sloppy Play”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A play in which a pitcher throws a live ball to a fielder so that the fielder can tag out a baserunner who has moved away from the base


homecourt

James made an epic block of a Chris Bosh dunk attempt to rouse a sleepy house and Cleveland went on to seal a victory that improved its homecourt record to a franchise record 23-0.

2009 February 4, Dave Feschuk, “Raptors mere jesters in King James' court”, in Toronto Star:

(basketball) The home court of a basketball team.


flyout

Sosa got Clark to chase a changeup, then retired Stephen Drew on a flyout to the right-field fence.

2007 May 6, Ben Shpigel, “Mets’ Gamble on Sosa Pays Off for One Night”, in New York Times:

You can also insert some commands from the various palette flyouts.

2000, Ken Milburn, Photoshop 5.5: get professional results:

If a tool has a flyout, you'll see a small triangle in the lower-right corner of the tool.

2006, George Omura, Mastering AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007:

The submenu flyouts are controlled by JavaScript.

2007, David Powers, The Essential Guide to Dreamweaver CS3 with CSS, Ajax, and PHP:

graphical user interface
graphical user interface

(computing, graphical user interface) A popup menu that branches off some other visual element.

horere

(Computing) A user interface that branches off some visual elements.


downcourt

Ever since Barnes played with Davis at U.C.L.A., he has been able to throw baseball passes halfway downcourt.

2007 May 13, Lee Jenkins, “Nellie Ball Energizes Warriors and Confounds Opponents”, in New York Times:

(basketball) Toward one's team's offensive basket


homerless

(baseball) Without having scored a homer (home run).


ballclub

“I got hurt trying to help the ballclub win ballgames.”

2007 July 4, Todd Jones, “The Links Between Bonds and Griffey End When the Fans React”, in New York Times:


multihomer

BREWERS 3, PHILLIES 2 Ben Sheets (4-2) struck out eight in seven and two-thirds innings, and Gabe Gross hit two bases-empty home runs for the first multihomer game of his career to help visiting Milwaukee end a four-game losing streak.

2007 May 18, The Associated Press, “Red Sox Save Their Bullpen as Tavárez Beats the Tigers”, in New York Times:

(baseball) Having more than one home run in a single game.


clubface

Mark Sherwood, the caddie for Fredrik Jacobson, led for much of the contest after hitting an 8-iron a little low on the clubface.

2007 May 10, Damon Hack, “PGA Tour Caddies Finally Take a Load Off Their Shoulders”, in New York Times:

(golf) The leading face of a golf club; the side of the clubhead that strikes the ball


clubhead

He […] experimented with drivers that had various weights throughout the clubhead — all with the hope of finding more of the PGA Tour’s fairways and less of its trees.

2007 February 12, Damon Hack, “A Weakness Corrected, Mickelson Moves Ahead”, in New York Times:

(golf) The head of a golf club: the part of the club that strikes the ball


pitchout

The only thing that had kept the bases from being loaded was that Zimmer (or someone, but let's give him the credit because it was a tough weekend for him) caught the Dodgers stealing with a pitchout on a hit-and-run.

1988 July 22, Ted Cox, “The Sports Section”, in Chicago Reader:

(baseball) A pitch that is intentionally thrown high and outside of the strike zone in order to prevent a stolen base


ball up

ball up (third-person singular simple present balls up, present participle balling up, simple past and past participle balled up)

balls up (present singular third-person)
balling up (participle present)
balled up (participle past)
balled up (past)

(basketball, intransitive) To play basketball, especially playing well.


sinkerballer

With Putz and closer Francisco Rodríguez aboard, that pitcher — the bridge to the bridge, if you will — assumes extra responsibility, and the Mets are optimistic that Green, a 6-foot-6 sinkerballer, will fill that role.

2009 February 17, Ben Shpigel, “Acquired in J. J. Putz Trade, Sean Green Also Seen as Valuable to Mets”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A pitcher who throws a lot of sinkers (sinking fastballs).


popout

And Ambiorix Burgos loaded the bases […] before inducing a popout in foul territory to end the game.

2007 April 24, David Picker, “Maine Has Last Word in Solving Rockies”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A pop fly that is caught in flight, resulting in an out.


nonpitcher

Sheffield was the only Tigers nonpitcher who did not play in Sunday’s game.

2007 April 23, The Associated Press, “With Only Hitting to Focus on, Sheffield Has Found Himself in an Early Slump”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A player who is not a pitcher and therefore is required to bat


wicketless

Vettori paid the price for a wicketless outing in the final one-day international against the West Indies on Tuesday, slipping from first place to second.

2009 January 14, AAP, “Nathan Bracken returns to No.1 in ODI bowling rankings”, in Herald Sun:

(cricket) Having failed to gain a single wicket


strongside

Bradley might push for playing time right away at the strongside linebacker spot.

2007 May 27, The Associated Press, “For a Rookie Linebacker, It’s Like Going to Work”, in New York Times:

(American football) Of or pertaining to the strongside linebacker position, which typically lines up across from the tight end


linebacking

“He has the ability to play all three linebacking positions and we’re happy to add him to our defense.”

2007 March 27, The Associated Press, “Eagles Boost Defense With Deal for Spikes”, in New York Times:

(American football) Playing as a linebacker


volleyballer

volleyball player
volleyball player#English


fireballing

Injuries […] will likely keep fireballing prospect Phillippe Aumont from suiting up as well.

2009 January 19, “Canada's hoping to draw on pair of aces for Classic”, in Toronto Star:


gloveman

The Aussie gloveman hit back yesterday saying the accusations were worse than any wrongdoing he was alleged to have committed.

2009 February 3, Richard Earle, “Btrad Haddin hits back at Daniel Vettori dig”, in Herald Sun, archived from the original on 2009-02-05:


utilityman

Franco, a 48-year-old utilityman, signed with Atlanta on Wednesday, rejoining the Braves a week after he was cut by the Mets .

2007 July 19, The Associated Press, “Franco Is Back With the Braves”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A player who can play in several different positions


comebacker

It's a comebacker past second base for a single.

The pitcher fields the comebacker and throws it to first for the out.

Hendricks was only able to throw 52 pitches, surrendering two runs in 3.2 innings before being forced out of action when Angel Pagan's comebacker hit his right forearm.

The next hitter, Jayson Werth, reached on a broken-bat infield single, and Greg Dobbs walked to load the bases, but Heilman induced a comebacker from Chris Coste to end the rally.

2007 August 29, Ben Shpigel, “Two Hits, One Short and One Far, Beat the Mets”, in New York Times:

(baseball) A batted ball that travels toward the pitcher.


claycourt

(tennis) A court whose surface is made of crushed shale, stone or brick.


sandbelt

It^([Yarram Golf Club]) is a true sandbelt golf course, where the fairways offer beautiful lies — good enough to tempt you with a driver.

2009, Paul Daley, Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective, volume 5, page 29:

Pitt said Golf Australia hoped to return the Open to one of the traditional sandbelt courses in 2010, the last of a minimum three-year deal to play the event in Melbourne.

2009 February 10, Mark Hayes, “School out as 12-year-old takes on Karrie Webb”, in Herald Sun, archived from the original on 2009-02-11:

Located in the district of Rye, on the Mornington Peninsula, the property (named Markdel in tribute to Freedman′s oldest brother Mark and mother Del) was a little over an hour′s drive out of Melbourne and lay in the famous golf course sandbelt region of Victoria.[…]While perfect for golf, the sandbelt was also exceptional for the training of racehorses,[…].

2011, John Hunt, Princess: The Miss Andretti Story, page 226:

(golf, Australia) An area developed from sand dunes; the region in Victoria is a well-known example.


guernsey

desctree

→ Irish: geansaí
→ English: gansey
→ Bengali: গেঞ্জি (genji)
→ Gujarati: ગંજી (gañjī)
→ Hindi: गंजी (gañjī)

→ Norwegian: genser

→ Scots: gansey

→ Scottish Gaelic: geansaidh

(Australia, Australian rules football) The shirt worn by the players.


Royal

A habitational surname, shaped by folk etymology, from places in England, Riehale, Righale, Ryhill and Ryall, Old English ryge (“rye”) + hyll (“hill”), and Royle, rā (“roe”) + hyll (“hill”).

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


hole out

en-verb

hole out (third-person singular simple present holes out, present participle holing out, simple past and past participle holed out)

holes out (present singular third-person)
holing out (participle present)
holed out (participle past)
holed out (past)

(intransitive, golf) To complete a hole by sinking the ball.


centreman

Before you have a chance to react, it's ricocheted from winger to centreman to net.

2009 January 25, Sarah Barmak Special to the Star, “Worshipping a tiny, perfect, occasionally bloody game”, in Toronto Star:

(ice hockey, Australian rules football) The player in the position of centre.


outrush

outrush (third-person singular simple present outrushes, present participle outrushing, simple past and past participle outrushed)

outrushes (present singular third-person)
outrushing (participle present)
outrushed (participle past)
outrushed (past)

[…] the Colts outrushed the Patriots, 93-8, in the second half.

2007 November 2, Judy Battista, “Blame the Colts for the New-Look Patriots”, in New York Times:

(American football, transitive) To rush more than the other team.


baserunning

Zimmer's comment on Martinez's baserunning was that he was "timid" and wouldn't run on the green light.

(baseball) The act of running bases, or a player's skill in doing so


clogger

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

The sport has always been tough, of course; but [Fifa] became concerned that the pre-eminent teams were those that employed particularly physical players, whose specialty was intimidation. This had commercial implications, though they were never spelled out: if the finesse players were succumbing to the “cloggers” as they were known (“clog” meaning to impede or hamper), then the shape of the sport would change fundamentally, skill being replaced by a more robust style of play in which only the strong would survive.

2010, Ellis Cashmore, Making Sense of Sports, page 314:

[…] I was normally not able to – unless I fouled him – and I usually did. I think from that time Archie reckoned I was a bit of a clogger and I didn't have Dad's or Archie's skills.

2017, Roger Hannah, The School of Hard Knox: The Autobiography of Archie Knox:

(soccer, slang) A physically aggressive player.


counterpuncher

Serena will play the third-seeded Jankovic, the counterpuncher who looked vulnerable after digging too deeply into her physical reserves last season […].

2008 January 21, Christopher Clarey, “Even in Singles, Williams Sisters Are Double Trouble”, in New York Times:

(tennis) A player who returns every ball and relies on the opponent making mistakes


beanball

From bean + ball, from the slang bean (“head”).

(baseball) A pitch deliberately thrown at the head of the batter.


foul territory

en-noun

foul territory (usually uncountable, plural foul territories)

(baseball) The area outside the playing field beyond the first base and third base lines, including the grandstand.


batter's box

batter's box (plural batters' boxes or batter's boxes)

batters' boxes (plural)
batter's boxes (plural)

(baseball) One of two areas beside home plate in which a batter is required to stand during an at bat.


at bat

catcher interference
catcher interference

(baseball) A final resolution to a batter's turn at the plate which does not result in a walk, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice hit or sacrifice fly, or catcher interference


force play

(baseball) A play in which a baserunner on first base is required to advance to second base because the batter has become a runner, or a runner on second or third base is required to advance because a runner on a preceding base is so forced.


fielder's choice

fielder's choice (countable and uncountable, plural fielders' choices or fielder's choices)

fielders' choices (plural)
fielder's choices (plural)

(baseball) A play in which a fielder puts out a baserunner, instead putting out the hitter at first base.


hit batsman

(baseball) A batter who is hit by a pitched ball, and is awarded first base as a result.


game score

(baseball) A metric used to evaluate the value of a pitcher's performance in one game. In a nine-inning game, an average score is 50, and the maximum achievable score is 114.


Texas leaguer

(baseball) A weakly hit fly ball that drops between the infielders and outfielders for a hit; a blooper, a flare.


spring training

Spring training for the Cactus League begins tomorrow.

The spring training schedule has been released.

(baseball) A set of practice and exhibition games for each Major League Baseball team, preceding the start of the regular season, which are used by a manager to determine the roster for the regular season.


three up, three down

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(baseball) The recording of three outs in an inning without allowing a batter to reach first base.


infield fly rule

infield fly rule (plural infield fly rules)

(baseball) A rule providing that a fair fly ball hit with a force play at third base, which is deemed catchable by an umpire, be ruled an out irrespective of the fielder's play, eliminating the force play at all bases.


Cactus League

Compound of cactus + league. Compare Grapefruit League.

(baseball) The set of Major League Baseball teams which play spring training games in Arizona.


infield fly

(baseball) A batted ball which is in play and subject to the infield fly rule.


inside-the-parker

(baseball, informal) A home run in which the ball does not leave the field of play; an inside-the-park home run.


Grapefruit League

Compound of grapefruit + league; grapefruit trees are cultivated in Florida. Compare Cactus League.

(baseball) The set of Major League Baseball teams that play spring training games in Florida.


catcher's interference

(baseball) A form of interference in which a catcher intentionally or inadvertently physically hinders a batter from the opportunity to legally swing at a pitched ball, and for which the catcher is charged an error.


hit-by-pitch

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(baseball) An official scoring play in which a batter is hit by a pitched ball, and is awarded first base as a result, and where the batter is referred to as a hit batsman.


plate appearance

plate appearance (plural plate appearances)

catcher's interference
catcher's interference

(baseball) A batter's completed turn in the batter's box. It usually results in an at-bat or walk, but may also result in a hit-by-pitch, sacrifice fly, sacrifice hit, or catcher's interference. If the third out of an inning is recorded prior to completion of the batter's turn, no plate appearance is credited to the batter, and he will lead off his team's next turn at bat.


no decision

Jones had three straight no decisions, but the bullpen eventually won all three games.

(baseball) A game for which the starting pitcher does not record a win or a loss.


three true outcomes

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):

(baseball) The three results of a plate appearance that do not involve the fielders: home runs, walks, and strikeouts.


starting pitcher

starting pitcher (plural starting pitchers)

That team has the best starting pitchers in the league.

(baseball) A pitcher who is usually used to start a game; a member of a team's rotation. Compare relief pitcher.

The starting pitcher for today's game has not been announced yet.

(baseball) A pitcher who is recorded to begin the game.


extra base hit

(baseball) A double, triple, or home run.


relief pitcher

The team's relief pitchers have not allowed a run in the past six games.

(baseball) A pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, ejection from the game or fatigue.


lead off

Jones has been the team's lead off hitter for three years.

(baseball) The first batter in the batting order.

The lead off hitter for the sixth inning is Jones.

(baseball) The first batter of an inning.

(baseball) The short distance that a player stands away from their current base.


lead off

en-verb

lead off (third-person singular simple present leads off, present participle leading off, simple past and past participle led off)

leads off (present singular third-person)
leading off (participle present)
led off (participle past)
led off (past)

Jones led off the inning with a home run.

Jones is leading off an inning for the third time in the game.

(baseball) To be the first batter of an inning.


nubber

(baseball) A batted ball that travels slowly and not very far.


bases loaded

He's had four hits this week with the bases loaded.

(baseball) Having a baserunner on first base, second base, and third base at the same time.


no room at the inn

From the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2).

The pitcher is struggling to throw strikes but there's no room at the inn.

(baseball, used by play-by-play announcers) A situation in which an ineffective pitcher is pitching with the bases loaded.


station-to-station

A strategy in which a team attempts to score runs by stealing bases, bunting, sacrificing, hitting singles and adopting hit-and-run plays; inside baseball or small ball.

A strategy in which a team attempts to score runs by eschewing the stolen base and small ball, instead allowing baserunners to advance only on hits or other balls in play.


cornerman

(basketball) A player who can play both the small forward and power forward positions.


DIPS

(baseball) Initialism of defense-independent pitching statistics.


double steal

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The team is known to try the double steal because it has so many speedsters.

(baseball) A situation in which two baserunners attempt to steal a base simultaneously. This is usually called by the manager when there are runners on first base and second base.

This pair have seven double steals this season.

(baseball) The successful completion of a double steal.


defense-independent pitching statistics

en-noun

defense-independent pitching statistics pl (plural only)

(baseball) A measure of a pitcher's effectiveness based only on plays that do not involve fielders. Originally included only hit-by-pitch, walks, strikeouts, and home runs allowed, but more recently incorporates fly ball percentage, ground ball percentage, and line drive percentage.


extra inning

We'll have to play another extra inning in this game.

(baseball, usually in the plural) An additional inning of play required to break a tie.


throw smoke

en-verb

throw smoke (third-person singular simple present throws smoke, present participle throwing smoke, simple past threw smoke, past participle thrown smoke)

throws smoke (present singular third-person)
throwing smoke (participle present)
threw smoke (past)
thrown smoke (participle past)

He has been throwing smoke all game.

(baseball, slang, intransitive) To consistently pitch fastballs that are difficult to hit.