Three-I League

(US, baseball, historical) A Minor League Baseball organization that operated mainly in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.


Three-Eye League

(US, baseball, historical, humorous) Synonym of Three-I League


tiger country

These open holes are followed by an adventurous hole of 323 yards that takes the player through some real tiger country on the left and private property on the right.

1950, William Galbraith, Pestwick St. Nicholas Golf Club, page 54:

The approach shot is uphill, guarded by bunkers, so if you miss it you're on your own in "tiger" country.

1991, William H. Davis, Sally Peters, The world's best golf, page 286:


platinum duck

(cricket) The score of zero runs after getting out on the first ball of a team's innings.


diamond duck

(cricket) Synonym of platinum duck (“score of zero runs after getting out on the first ball of a team's innings”)

platinum duck

(cricket) The situation where a batsman is dismissed without facing a ball (most usually run out from the non-striker's end, but alternatively stumped or run out off a wide delivery).


double tackle

It was the key breakthrough – and rich reward for the determined double tackle by Booth, who simply didn't give up.

(rugby) A tackle by two players of the same time on an opposition player.


baseball rule

(US, law) A common law rule according to which a baseball team cannot be held liable for injuries suffered by a spectator struck by a foul ball so long as the team has offered some protected seating.


RB

(American football) Initialism of running back.


ninth-inning

en-adjective

ninth-inning (comparative more ninth-inning, superlative most ninth-inning)

more ninth-inning (comparative)
most ninth-inning (superlative)

In baseball, the ninth inning is the last period of the game.

(baseball) Happening in the ninth inning of a baseball game.


Chel

(UK, slang, soccer) A supporter of the English football club Chelsea F.C..


low post

(basketball) The low post area area on a basketball court.


low post area

(basketball) The areas that are closest to the basket but outside of the free throw lane.


jewel box

(baseball) A member of the second major generation of professional ballparks, built between 1909 and approximately 1940 and distinguished by a relatively compact layout, the use of steel and reinforced concrete as structural materials rather than wood, and the presence of one or more close-in upper decks of seating supported by pillars extending from the lower deck.


Lombardi-esque

en-adj

Lombardi-esque (comparative more Lombardi-esque, superlative most Lombardi-esque)

more Lombardi-esque (comparative)
most Lombardi-esque (superlative)

Players were still passing out “Gator Bowl Champions” hats and celebrating with their Lombardi-esque trophy when Muschamp, speaking to the roughly 10,000 fans lingering in the stands, didn't fully buy into the revelry.

2012 January 3, Greg Luca, “Muschamp minimizes Gator Bowl win as Florida avoids losing season”, in The Independent Florida Alligator:

In the past, each Super Bowl has had its own logo. But this year the NFL is switching to a generic logo based on the Lombardi Trophy. […] while the Super Bowl may be the biggest event on the planet, the Lombardi Trophy still ain't no Stanley Cup, no matter how many Lombardi-esque logos the NFL comes up with.

2011 February 3, Paul Lukas, “Super Bowl XLV primer on aesthetics”, in ESPN.com:

(American football) Resembling or like the Lombardi trophy.


hog molly

General Manager Dave Gettleman swoons over “hog mollies” — his nomenclature for enormous offensive linemen — and that, no doubt, is a priority for him as he builds around quarterback Daniel Jones. In Andrew Thomas, the Giants have their hog molly.

2020 April 24, Ken Belson, Ben Shpigel, “Full Round 1 2020 N.F.L. Picks and Analysis”, in New York Time:

(American football) A very large and obese player, especially in the offensive line.


touchdown pass

en-noun

touchdown pass (plural touchdown passes)

Burrow, the Heisman Trophy winner, threw for 5,671 yards and set a Football Bowl Subdivision record with 60 touchdown passes — the final 12 of which came in his last two games, blowouts over Oklahoma and Clemson, to propel L.S.U. to a national title.

(American football) A pass in which the receiver then scores a touchdown.


edge rusher

According to Pro Football Focus, Simmons, listed at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, played at least 100 snaps at five positions — slot cornerback, edge rusher, linebacker and both safety spots — and finished with 16½ tackles for a loss, eight sacks, eight pass deflections and three interceptions.

(American football) A defensive player who runs on the outside of the field, making a turn at the last minute to get to the offensive player who has the ball.


receiving yard

In addition to putting up nearly 3,300 receiving yards and 32 touchdown receptions in three college seasons, he was also the main punt returner for the Sooners.

2020 April 24, Ken Belson, Ben Shpigel, “Full Round 1 2020 N.F.L. Picks and Analysis”, in the New York Times:

(American football) Yard gained by the offense on a play in which a receiver caught the ball.


tackle for loss

tackle for loss (plural tackles for loss)

The Seattle Seahawks, who are defensive minded but have slipped in recent years, chose Jordyn Brooks, a linebacker from Texas Tech. He led the team in tackles in three of his seasons at Tech. He also had 20 tackles for loss and three sacks last year, when he injured his shoulder.

(American football) A tackle that causes a loss of yardage for the opposing running back or wide receiver.


forced throw

As he'd promised, Donny Doyle had been in the Bucks quarterback's face all day, except for the time he'd dropped to cover the running back and made a clean pick of Franks' forced throw.

2007, Phil Truman, Game: Some Have It, Some Don't, page 102:

His film — from last season, especially — also contains instances of lapsed mechanics, forced throws and shaky field vision.

(American football) A throw to a teammate from the player who is running with the ball in order to avoid being tackled.


running lane

Shortly after Donaldson received the throw, Andrus slyly observed that the catcher’s left hand was in the running lane.

2021 May 16, Martín Gallegos, “3 key moments from A's wild road-trip finale”, in MLB News, MLB:

(baseball) The portion of the field between the basepath and the foul ball line in which a batter is allowed to run without causing or receiving interference. Also referred to as runner's lane.

On the field, Brown thwarted triple-teams, mauled quarterbacks and stuffed running lanes.

2020 April 24, Ken Belson, Ben Shpigel, “Full Round 1 2020 N.F.L. Picks and Analysis”, in New York Times:

(American football) An informal division of a football field indicating the channel through which a player will run either to catch a pass or when carrying the ball.


boundary corner

boundary corner (plural boundary corners)

The field corner and boundary corner line up on number 1 strong and number 1 weak, respectively.

2000, Dick tomey, Rich Ellerson, Larry MacDuff, and Johnnie Lynn, “Swarming the Offense”, in American Football Coaches Association, editor, Defensive Football Strategies, page 80:

If Cover 4 is played with the strong safety in a cloud position and the boundary corner as the deep- one-half defender, the boundary corner has similar alignment and responsibility as in Cover 5.

2008, Ron Vanderlinden, Football's Eagle & Stack Defenses, page 34:

Even if the 5-foot-10 Gladney doesn’t stick as a boundary corner because of his size, his coverage skills, tenacity and feistiness make him an ideal candidate to flourish in the slot.

(American football) A defensive position, responsible for covering the deep half of the field on the boundary side.


route runner

“The best route runner I have ever seen,” Vincent said. “When he was with the Rams, then over to Washington, he was real clever. He made everything look alike. You didn't know whether he was running a two-yard route or a 'go.'

2006, Gordon Forbes, Tales from the Eagles Sideline, page 61:

You must have great awareness to be a great route runner.

2012, Merritt J. Norvell, Route Running for Wide Receivers:

He has a slightly-limited route tree as primarily a vertical deep threat. He is a sufficient route runner despite underutilizing his size during the stem phase.

2021, Matt Manocherian, SIS Football Rookie Handbook 2021:

After plucking Courtland Sutton in the second round last year, the Denver Broncos needed to complement him with another receiver, preferably one who can stretch the field now that Pro Bowl wideout Emmanuel Sanders has left for New Orleans.
Jerry Jeudy, a polished route-runner who can line up anywhere in a formation, fits that description.

(American football) A receiver who is good at finding a route through the defensive players on the other team in order to get into position.


safety spot

Competing for the safety spot are soph Mike Hincewicz and freshman Gary Marshall, a small player in Davis' mold at 6-0, 155 pounds.

1970, Princeton Alumni Weekly - Volume 71, page 10:

But with Samari Rolle at the other corner and Blaine Bishop at the other safety spot, the team will find a combination that works.

2001, Craig Carter, Pro Football Guide, page 94:

(American football) The position of defensive safety; a position furthest from the line of scrimmage whose responsibility is to defend against passes as well as to be the tackler of last resort.


clay courter

(tennis) A tennis player who plays on a claycourt


Stableford

Stableford (countable and uncountable, plural Stablefords)

Named after its devisor, Frank Stableford (1870–1959).

(golf) A scoring system in the sport of golf that involves scoring points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole; (by extension) a game played according to this system.


USSF

United States Soccer Federation
United States Soccer Federation#English

(US, soccer, sports) Initialism of United States Soccer Federation.


OPS+

on-base plus slugging
on-base plus slugging

(baseball) The baseball metric on-base plus slugging adjusted for the park and the league in which the player played, but not for fielding position.

On-base plus slugging#Adjusted OPS (OPS+)


pennantless

(baseball) Not having won a competition.


screen pass

(American football) A short pass to a receiver protected by blockers.


Elam ending

(basketball) A basketball rule where, for all or part of the fourth quarter, teams play to a target score rather than a set amount of time.


buzzer-beater

In the sense of beating out the buzzer which ends a game.

The Knicks immediately went 7-0 upon Lin's insertion in the lineup. He dropped 38 against the Lakers and beat Toronto with a buzzer-beater.

2013, Pete Birle, On the Hardwood: New York Knicks, MVP Books, →ISBN, page 40:

(basketball, idiomatic) A shot that wins (or in some usage, ties) a game at the last possible moment.


false number 9

From the traditional use of the number 9 for centre-forwards, and the difference from a traditional centre-forward, who would stay near the line of defenders until an opportunity arose to move past them toward goal.

not in his favoured midfield role, either but as a false No 9: the sort of role Guardiola only hands to his chosen, crystalline few: Mario Götze at Bayern Munich (less successfully), Lionel Messi at Barcelona (a little more so).

2020 August 7, Jonathan Liew, “Phil Foden stars to offer Manchester City glimpse of multiple futures”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) An unconventional lone striker or centre-forward who drops deep into midfield.


Cincitucky

(American football, slang, by extension) The Cincinnati Bengals.


pitchometer

A batter's best hope for hitting one of these 90 mile-per-hour missiles that reached the plate in just less than a second was his 200 mph swing. Speeds were then measured by electronic “pitchometers”; in 1946 Bob Feller's fastball could be timed at 98.6 mph.

1983, David Quentin Voigt, American Baseball, volume III: From Postwar Expansion to the Electronic Age, University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, published 1992, →ISBN, page 71:

A “pitchometer” was installed on the scoreboard to time the pitchers. According the baseball rules a pitcher had to throw a pitch within 20 seconds after he received the ball from the catcher when there was nobody on base.

2003, John E. Peterson, The Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History: 1954–1967, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 210:

(baseball) A device used in baseball to measure the speed of a pitch or the time a pitcher spends between pitches thrown.


outyard

en-verb

outyard (third-person singular simple present outyards, present participle outyarding, simple past and past participle outyarded)

outyards (present singular third-person)
outyarding (participle present)
outyarded (participle past)
outyarded (past)

From out- + yard (“unit of length equal to 3 feet”).

af

Although Oklahoma outyarded the Jays 339 to 155, Kansas fought magnificently and earned its 13-13 tie. Royal's punting had begun to jell. He kicked four out-of-bounds against the Crimson and Blue.

1984, Harold Keith, Forty-Seven Straight: The Wilkinson Era at Oklahoma, Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 28:

(American football) To gain more yards than.


basketballese

During the long, dreary, wet winter I amused myself by watching college and Pro basketball on the idiot box. Will one of you basketball-savvy gardeners please tell me what RPI stands for in basketballese?

2003 March 31, Bill Litchfield, “Basketball Fans”, in rec.gardens (Usenet):

Detroit bounced back nicely with a 65-50 victory over Connecticut. The Shock never trailed in this one, and led by as many as 25. Fast break points were a key, as was the Shock's scoring production “in the paint,” as the area close to the basket is known in basketballese.

2006, Vince Prygoski, Worst to First: Or a ‘Shock’ing Tale of Women's Basketball in Motown, Denver, CO: Outskirts Press, →ISBN, page 53:

The jargon associated with the sport of basketball.


mini-hold

From mini- + hold (“game won by the server”).

Coordinate term: mini-break

(tennis) In a tiebreak, a point won by the server.


kick-to-kick

Carey learnt to slide and mark in the wet playing kick-to-kick with his brother, Dick, back home in Wagga.

2011, Ken Piesse, Football Legends of the Bush: Local Heroes and Big Leaguers, Penguin Group Australia, →ISBN:

They played kick-to-kick, which was good except Lewis couldn't kick the ball very well so they had to stand close.

2012, Richard Yaxley, The Musician and the Murderer, Booktango, →ISBN:

I'd been to the 'G' before to watch AFL games and had played kick-to-kick on the surface with my mates after the final siren, but this was a special day because we'd been asked to do a lap of honour.

2016, Brent Harvey, Boomer, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN:

In between kick-to-kicks and turning snags at the Hawks' Riverbend Park family function on Tuesday, Shiels spoke in no uncertain terms about whether he'd like to see a new deal struck.

2020 February 4, Hamish Geale, “Hawks 'absolutely' want to stay in Tassie: Shiels”, in The Examiner, archived from the original on 2020-09-02:

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(Australian rules football) An activity in which two or more people kick a football between each other.


dog shot

Probably related to the slang term dog (“coward”). Compare cheap shot (“deliberate, unsportsmanlike, and potentially illegal act of aggression”).

Sam Burgess was sensationally accused of a "dog shot" by Mitchell Pearce as the South Sydney and Newcastle top-four clash erupted into the Friday night fights.

2019 June 7, Christian Nicolussi, “Friday night fights as Sam Burgess accused of 'dog shot' by Pearce”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:

Leilua will spend four weeks on the sideline after his late high tackle on Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards that has been widely hailed a “dog shot”.

2020 July 7, Matt Logue, “NRL 2020: Emotional Joey Leilua to bounce back from ‘dog shot’”, in The Daily Telegraph:

(Australia, New Zealand, slang) A sudden blow, especially when delivered without warning; a king hit; (rugby) a deliberate and potentially illegal late tackle.


the other way

(baseball, of a batted ball) To the opposite side of the plate relative to the batter.


WSL

Women's Super League
w:Women's Super League

(soccer) Initialism of Women's Super League.


call balls and strikes

en-verb

call balls and strikes (third-person singular simple present calls balls and strikes, present participle calling balls and strikes, simple past and past participle called balls and strikes)

calls balls and strikes (present singular third-person)
calling balls and strikes (participle present)
called balls and strikes (participle past)
called balls and strikes (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-call balls and strikes.wav

The San Rafael Pacifics and Vallejo Admirals, two independent (not major league-affiliated) minor league teams, recently played two games using a computer system, rather than the home plate umpire, to call balls and strikes.

2015 August 10, Alex Shultz, “Rise of the machines? Baseball weighs use of automated strike zone”, in LA Times:

(baseball) To act as a home plate umpire.


Rose Bowl

(US, American football) The annual NCAA college football championship game typically played on New Year's Day.


toe-crushing

en-adj

toe-crushing (comparative more toe-crushing, superlative most toe-crushing)

more toe-crushing (comparative)
most toe-crushing (superlative)

(cricket, slang) Of a delivery: directed at the feet of the facing batsman.


backheader

(soccer) A hit of the ball with the back of the head


outruck

en-verb

outruck (third-person singular simple present outrucks, present participle outrucking, simple past and past participle outrucked)

outrucks (present singular third-person)
outrucking (participle present)
outrucked (participle past)
outrucked (past)

So potent, indeed, was this offensive amalgam that it almost obliterated further questions. Anything that was not it had attractions: the Welsh rugby team, outrucking Chamberlain and Hoare and Halifax and the young toffs they'd persuaded to stand in for them - Raymond Williams, Wales and England, 1983.

(rugby) To outplay an opponent in a ruck


leg theory

(cricket, dated) The tactic of bowling at or near the line of leg stump, so as to cramp the batsman.


left-half

(soccer, dated) A player who plays wide on the left side of midfield


outside-forward

(soccer, dated) A forward playing on the wing, wider than the inside-forward


right-half

He had grown up admiring his United predecessor Eddie Colman, a right-half of greater natural gifts, who died in the Munich air disaster of 1958. By that time Stiles had already represented England schoolboys as a right-half, displaying attacking talents that would be somewhat inhibited in his later career.

2020 October 30, Brian Glanville, “Nobby Stiles obituary”, in The Guardian:

(soccer, dated) A player who plays wide on the right side of midfield


inside-forward

He had grown up admiring his United predecessor Eddie Colman, a right-half of greater natural gifts, who died in the Munich air disaster of 1958. By that time Stiles had already represented England schoolboys as a right-half, displaying attacking talents that would be somewhat inhibited in his later career.
He made his debut for United, in fact, as an inside-forward in the 1960-61 season, playing 26 league matches and scoring twice.

(soccer, dated) A forward playing on one side of the centre forward, but not as wide as the outside-forward


charge the mound

charge the mound (third-person singular simple present charges the mound, present participle charging the mound, simple past and past participle charged the mound)

charges the mound (present singular third-person)
charging the mound (participle present)
charged the mound (participle past)
charged the mound (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-charge the mound.wav

(baseball, of a batter) To run towards the pitcher's mound with the intent of physically assaulting the pitcher for a perceived grievance.


chili dip

A perfect shot can give confidence to propel a round, and a single chili dip can ruin an entire year around the greens.

2010, Andy Wible, Golf and Philosophy: Lessons from the Links, page 171:

(golf, informal) An unsuccessful shot that brings up a chunk of grass or earth.


half court

A game of basketball played on half of the court. Generally, a player or team has to dribble the ball to the half-court line in order to get the chance to score points.


touch judge

(rugby) An official who monitors the touch line to signal if the ball (or a player holding the ball) goes out of play, and to signal if the ball goes through the goal posts during a penalty or conversion.


touch-in-goal

en-noun

touch-in-goal (plural touch-in-goals or touches-in-goal)

touch-in-goals (plural)
touches-in-goal (plural)

(rugby, historical) The part of the field behind the goal line and beyond the touch line. Any ball entering this zone would be considered out of play.


batting collapse

batting collapse (plural batting collapses)

(cricket) A succession of batsmen or batswomen getting out without adding many runs to the team's score.


cart path

You want to research the question of whether a golfcart lessor's liability policy provides coverage for a claim arising out of the lessee's negligence in maintaining the cart path.

1996, Theodor Herman, How to Research Less and Find More: The Essential Guide to Computer Assisted Legal Research, Eagan, Minnesota: West Publishing Company, page 13:

You get free relief, normally, when your ball lies on an artificially surfaced road or cart path, according to the rules of golf.

2011 April 27, Michael Patrick Shiels, Michael Kernicki, Golf's Short Game For Dummies, Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, page 154:

(golf) A paved path designed for golf carts, especially on a golf course.


Man Utd

Manchester United Football Club
w:Manchester United Football Club

(soccer) Abbreviation of Manchester United Football Club.


hurry-up offense

hurry-up offense (plural hurry-up offenses)

(American football) An offensive style in which the offensive team avoids delays between plays, sometimes also avoiding or shortening the huddle to limit or disrupt defensive strategies and flexibility.


flankerback

(rugby, American football) A back whose task is to receive the ball from a scrum.


flexbone

(American football) A formation involving three running backs in which a fullback is lined up behind the quarterback and two slotbacks are lined up behind the line of scrimmage at each end of the offensive line.


upman

(American football) A player of the return team at kickoff


goalshooter

Sunshine Girls captain and goalshooter Jhaniele Fowler has expressed her delight after finishing second in the voting for Netballer of the Year.Fowler picked up 27 votes, 10 behind England's Geva Mentor, who was claiming the top spot for the second...

2019 January 16, Robert Bailey, “Stories By Robert Bailey/Gleaner Writer”, in Jamaica Gleaner:

(netball) Alternative form of goal shooter


play through

en-verb

play through (third-person singular simple present plays through, present participle playing through, simple past and past participle played through)

plays through (present singular third-person)
playing through (participle present)
played through (participle past)
played through (past)

(golf) To overtake a slower group of players ahead of one's own group, rather than waiting for them to finish the hole before proceeding.


wicketkeep

wicketkeep (third-person singular simple present wicketkeeps, present participle wicketkeeping, simple past and past participle wicketkept)

wicketkeeps (present singular third-person)
wicketkeeping (participle present)
wicketkept (participle past)
wicketkept (past)

The boy can seriously wicketkeep, but he can only just bat, and like Darren Berry before him he was born in the wrong generation.

2009, Jarrod Kimber, The Year of the Balls 2008: A Disrespective, page 33:

Obviously, I can wicketkeep as well if something happened to Tim.

2021 January 4, Scott Bailey, “Wade happy to live by opening move”, in The West Australian:


go the route

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-go the route.wav

It was like old times: Grove, Earnshaw, and Walberg went the route seven times in the next 13 games.

2015, Norman L. Macht, The Grand Old Man of Baseball:

(baseball) To pitch for an entire game, without a relief pitcher.


NWSL

National Women's Soccer League
w:National Women's Soccer League

(soccer) Initialism of National Women's Soccer League - the top league of women's soccer in the US.


GUR

(golf) Initialism of ground under repair.


cork up

cork up (third-person singular simple present corks up, present participle corking up, simple past and past participle corked up)

corks up (present singular third-person)
corking up (participle present)
corked up (participle past)
corked up (past)

I'm sure's been corking up.

He must have corked up that bat.

(transitive, intransitive, baseball) To put cork in a baseball bat; to use a baseball bat with cork in it.


back-rower

With 17 minutes remaining, Townsend opted to freshen up his pack, bringing on props Oli Kebble and WP Nel and back-rower Gary Graham.

2021 February 6, Graham Bean, “Scotland beat England at Twickenham for the first time in 38 years”, in The Scotsman:

(rugby) A player who plays in the back row of the scrum.


proette

(golf, dated) A female professional golfer.


Lions

(cricket) The Sri Lanka national cricket team.

(soccer) Singapore national football team

(sports) any sports team nicknamed the "Lions".


baffing spoon

(golf, dated) A golf club equivalent to a number 7 wood.


bracket buster

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

(US, basketball, informal) An American college basketball team that unexpectedly defeats a higher-ranked team in a tournament.


Ti-Cats

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a team in the Canadian Football League.


utility ball

Equipment: • a utility ball or a volleyball • bases

1997, Patti Sima, Jumbo Book of Games, page 97:

Seated on floor, child is given a utility ball that is held with both hands. Roll utility ball toward student, and student will return the ball by hitting it with the ball he or she is holding.

2012, Louise R. Greenswag, Randell C. Alexander, Management of Prader-Willi Syndrome:

A large ball used in children's physical education.


overbowl

overbowl (third-person singular simple present overbowls, present participle overbowling, simple past and past participle overbowled)

overbowls (present singular third-person)
overbowling (participle present)
overbowled (participle past)
overbowled (past)


long handle

Lucas again well set, being ultimately secured in his anxiety to give them the long handle, having played perfect cricket for his century.

1883, Uppingham School Magazine, page 236:

You may leave your ground even to fast bowling on slow wickets if you think you can bring off a hit by so doing, and generally hold the bat nearer the top and give her the long handle.

1889, Allan Gibson Steel, Robert Henry Lyttelton (Hon.), Cricket (page 77)

Tissera played two fine innings, of 53 and 17 not out and P. I. Peiris (30) wielded the long handle.

1999, S. S. Perera, S. Muthiah, The Janashakthi Book of Sri Lanka Cricket, 1832-1996, page 300:


five-pointer

But they will have wanted to capitalise on the opportunities for five-pointers they created in that first half.

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


penhold

One of the Chinese players, a pudgy little man who couldn't stop talking as we waited for the room to clear from a yoga class, played with the typical Chinese penhold (with the racket held as a pen) and used only the face of his racket.

2013 September 5, Guido Mina di Sospiro, The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong, Random House, →ISBN:

(sports) A form of grip in table tennis similar to that typically used when holding a pen.


(golf) Abbreviation of fourball better ball.


best ball

(golf) The fourball golf format, especially a variation involving teams of three or four players.


outkick one's coverage

outkick one's coverage (third-person singular simple present outkicks one's coverage, present participle outkicking one's coverage, simple past and past participle outkicked one's coverage)

outkicks one's coverage (present singular third-person)
outkicking one's coverage (participle present)
outkicked one's coverage (participle past)
outkicked one's coverage (past)

Sometimes a punter will outkick his coverage, but the majority of the time there's some decision-making involved.

2018, John Powers, Fridays with Bill: Inside the Football Mind of Bill Belichick:

But when the punter outkicked his coverage, White decided to disobey his coach's orders and run with the ball.

2022, Tyler Bridges, Five Laterals and a Trombone:

(American football) To kick the ball so far downfield that one's teammates do not have time to get into position to block or tackle the opponent who catches it.


uncricketlike

en-adj

uncricketlike (comparative more uncricketlike, superlative most uncricketlike)

more uncricketlike (comparative)
most uncricketlike (superlative)

Of behaviour, not conforming to the typical sportsmanship displayed in the game of cricket.


'keeper

The next ball, the same thing, lunge and miss and through to the 'keeper.

1990, Ashes: Battles and Bellylaughs, Byron Bay: Swan Publishing, page 47:

(sports) Alternative form of keeper (i.e. goalkeeper or wicketkeeper).


superbat

When Tony Greig, in a meaningful and provocative interview, asked Sarfaraz background of betting and match-fixing, the Pakistan "superbat" categorically stated that it should start with Asif Iqbal and Gavaskar who, according to him, were the "original fixers"..

2017, K R Wadhwaney, Indian Cricket Controversies:

(cricket) A superb batsman or batswoman.


batting pad

(cricket) One of a pair of soft padded coverings that protect the legs of the person batting; a pad or bat-pad.


run feast

Well, he and Sid had a run feast, putting on more than 400 runs together.

1990, Ashes: Battles and Bellylaughs, Byron Bay: Swan Publishing, page 146:

(cricket) A lengthy bout of scoring many runs.


cricketly

en-adv

cricketly (comparative more cricketly, superlative most cricketly)

more cricketly (comparative)
most cricketly (superlative)

Saturday, atmospherically and cricketly began badly and ended worse[.]

1876 November 23, The Launceston Examiner, Tasmania, page 3, column 5:


Hector protector

en-noun

Hector protector (plural Hector protectors)

Vaseline in the cricket shoes, chilli powder in his hector protector, that sort of thing is Australian cricket's natural method of correction.

2004 March 12, The Chaser, Sydney, page 20, column 3:

(cricket, slang) A hard protector for the genitals worn inside the underpants by a batsman or close fielder; a box.


strokemaster

(cricket, tennis) A player who hits the ball excellently.


pull shot

His stand-in [...] was felled by a pull shot struck with tremendus power by England pace bowler and tailend batsman, Dick Pollard.

1990, Ashes: Battles and Bellylaughs, Byron Bay: Swan Publishing, page 32:

(cricket) A type of stroke by which a leg ball is sent to the off side, or an off ball to the on side.


orthodox spinner

orthodox spinner (plural orthodox spinners)


pad up

en-verb

pad up (third-person singular simple present pads up, present participle padding up, simple past and past participle padded up)

pads up (present singular third-person)
padding up (participle present)
padded up (participle past)
padded up (past)

Normally only one batsman is padded up and Dean Jones was listed to bat next.

1990, Ashes: Battles and Bellylaughs, Byron Bay: Swan Publishing, page 201:

(cricket, intransitive) To put on batting pads preparatory to taking the field to bat.

He padded up for the Bears in 1997.

(American football, intransitive) To put on pads to ready oneself to play American football; to play for a team.


race-norming

(American football) The practice of adjusting downwards the cognitive ability scores of players of colour.


ruckwork

(Australian rules football) The onfield play of a ruck.


boomerang kick

(Australian rules football, rugby) A kick that sends the ball in a curved trajectory.


chest mark

(Australian rules football) A mark (catch) in which the player receives the ball into both arms at chest height.


boot-studder

(Australian rules football) A person employed to repair boots for a football team.


behind post

(Australian rules football) One of a pair of shorter outer posts at either end of the field; a ball kicked between a behind post and a goal post scores one point.


footpass

(Australian rules football) A pass made by kicking the ball through the air directly to a teammate.


sandwich pick

(baseball) A type of draft pick awarded to Major League Baseball teams for the loss of free agents under certain conditions, and taking place in the supplemental round between the first and second rounds of the MLB amateur draft.


Ingerland

/ˈɪŋɡəˌlænd/

♪ Ingerland, Ingerland, Inger-la-and / Ingerland, Ingerland, In-ger-land ♪

(slang, UK, representing pronunciation used in football chants) England.


top bin

(soccer, slang) The upper left- or right-hand corner of the goal.


triple single

From triple double. Popularized and possibly coined by American basketball player and commentator Charles Barkley.

(basketball) The accumulation of nine or fewer each of points, rebounds and assists a single game.


London postcode of the Wimbledon area (with SW standing for southwest London).

I see him win there in SW19 and in the Davis Cup; I see him enraged when we lose to his sisters in carrom […]

2014, Sundeep Misra, The Best of Indian Sports Writing:

[…] to try and get the unmistakable 'Wimbledon experience' across to people who can't make it to SW19.

2018, David Hassan, Managing Sport Business: An Introduction:

(sports) Wimbledon (tennis championships)


Mickey Mouse ring

en-noun

Mickey Mouse ring (plural Mickey Mouse rings)

2020 NBA Bubble
Championship ring
LeBron James

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Mickey Mouse ring.wav

Likely from Mickey Mouse (“of inferior quality”), or in reference to the 2020 NBA Bubble shortened basketball season held at Walt Disney World, or both of these; with ring as a metonym for “championship” after the Championship ring presented to members of winning teams.

After the Lakers won their little Mickey Mouse ring, LeBron went to the church of victimhood as he often does, and talked about what a ‘huge challenge’ it was to be in Orlando.

2020 December 3, Will Leitner, quoting Ben Maller, “The Ben Maller Show: 'Stop Acting Like LeBron's Championship at the NBA's Bubble Was Challenging'”, in Fox Sports Radio:

Occasional jabs about James and his supposed 'Mickey Mouse' ring haven’t really stuck.

2020 December 31, Marc Stein, “From Kobe to LeBron: Tragedy and Triumph in the N.B.A.”, in New York Times:

But this upsets many fans, leading to widespread comments all over social media such as a Mickey Mouse Ring/Win/Championship (in reference to how the NBA bubble was at Disney World) to underline how these competitions are not authentic enough because of coronavirus's impact on how well teams can play.

2021 March 17, “The Medic: NCAA's March Madness offers real threat for pandemic madness”, in Daily Trojan, University of Southern California, page 1:

Lakers/LeBron haters have lamely labeled last year’s title, which featured a mental and emotional toll unlike any other in NBA history, a Mickey Mouse ring.

2021 June 17, Adam Caparell, “'Stop putting an Asterisk on Every NBA Champion'”, in Complex Sports Magazine:

(informal, derogatory, basketball, US) The 2020 NBA championship won by the Los Angeles Lakers.


scratch hit

(baseball) A weakly hit ground ball that eludes the infielders and leads to a base hit.


boot one

[…] to jeer at him when he booted one or fanned with a crucial run on base.

1998, Eliot Asinof, Man on Spikes, page 68:

[…] he played short with sweet ease, and looked good even when he booted one, […]

2002, Brooke Horvath, Tim Wiles, Line Drives: 100 Contemporary Baseball Poems, page 92:


The Hundred

(cricket) A short form of professional cricket that lasts for 100 balls.


leg sweep

(cricket) A sweep shot played to the leg side


table tennis table

table tennis table (plural table tennis tables)

A specially dimensioned table with a low net across it, on which the game of table tennis is played.


El Tri

El Tri have just defeated Japan in a 3-1 victory

(soccer) Nickname for Mexico's National Football Team


IPL

Indian Premier League
w:Indian Premier League

(sports, cricket) Initialism of Indian Premier League.


golf bag

(golf) A long bag for carrying golf clubs.


Lionesses

The Lionesses were given their biggest test of the year by a talented, albeit injury-hit, Brazilian side but delivered more silverware as their momentum continues to gather pace before this summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

2023 April 6, Emma Sanders, “Women's Finalissima:England beat Brazil in dramatic shootout”, in BBC Sport:

Weakened by a string of injuries and the retirement of star players, the Euro 2022-winning Lionesses will need luck on their side to stop the USA lifting their third successive title[.]

2023 July 15, Suzanne Wrack, “Can the England women’s football team pull off the World Cup dream?”, in The Observer, →ISSN:

(soccer, informal) England women's national football team


dunk on

en-verb

dunk on (third-person singular simple present dunks on, present participle dunking on, simple past and past participle dunked on)

dunks on (present singular third-person)
dunking on (participle present)
dunked on (participle past)
dunked on (past)

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

(transitive, informal, basketball) To perform a slam dunk over (a defender).


corked bat

(baseball) A bat that has been tampered with by drilling out part of the head of the bat and filling the resulting cavity with a light, compressible material (typically cork) in an attempt to improve the bat's performance (although performance is in fact degraded by corking the bat), rendering it illegal for use in play.


fly route

(American football) A pattern run by a receiver, straight upfield towards the end zone, with the aim of outrunning any defensive backs and getting behind them, catching an undefended pass while running untouched for a touchdown.


circle runner

(handball) A player who plays along the six-meter line with his/her back facing the opponent's goal, and tries to get in between the defenders to create space so that a teammate can get in. The circle runner can also receive a pass and try to score.


reserve team

(sports) A team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team.


collar the bowling

collar the bowling (third-person singular simple present collars the bowling, present participle collaring the bowling, simple past and past participle collared the bowling)

collars the bowling (present singular third-person)
collaring the bowling (participle present)
collared the bowling (participle past)
collared the bowling (past)

Heatley and Baines then got together, and succeeded in collaring the bowling, and put on 60 before they were separated, and, when Heatley was caught far out for 38, the score stood at 151.

The fact was that Mr. Bruce and Mr. Whitmore (who was stupidly run out in the first innings, else the same thing might not improbably have happened then) went in first, and collared the bowling in the first twenty minutes, […]

1872, Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume 22, page 166:

(cricket) (Of a batsman) to hit the bowled balls to all parts of the field.


down and distance

en-noun

down and distance (plural downs and distances)

The choice to punt at this down and distance is unusual.

(American football) The game situation described using the current scrimmage down and the yardage required to either the line to gain, or the goal line if no line to gain exists.


bring the wood

en-verb

bring the wood (third-person singular simple present brings the wood, present participle bringing the wood, simple past and past participle brought the wood)

brings the wood (present singular third-person)
bringing the wood (participle present)
brought the wood (participle past)
brought the wood (past)

(American football) To play, especially to tackle, with great force.


hand-out

(racquets, real tennis, squash) A player to whom a ball is served.


above the rim

Basketball went from a game of set shots and long jumpers to a game played above the rim, characterized by earth-shattering dunks.

2003, Walter M. Kimbrough, Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, →ISBN, page 111:

The same male-centric phenomenon takes place in basketball, where the “standard” version of the game is played above the rim while the “watered-down” female version is played below the rim (and with a smaller ball).

2017, Rick Eckstein, How College Athletics Are Hurting Girls' Sports: The Pay-to-Play Pipeline, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 149:

Whereas Erving made his impact above the rim Curry is expanding what we never thought was expandable - the jump shot.

2021 December 13, Bob Padecky, “Stephen Curry has made jump shot an art form”, in The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, California:

(basketball) [handing the ball] higher than the rim of the basket (such as during a slam dunk or alley oop)


bulge in the onion bag

en-noun

bulge in the onion bag (plural bulges in the onion bag)


match ball

(soccer) The ball used in a particular match. It is often given to the man of the match after the game.


miniten

I pushed up out of my chaise and headed for the miniten court. Leah handed me her thug as I walked past her.

2021, Anna Durand, Natural Satisfaction:

A tennis-like game created by naturists, played with bats called thugs.


onion bag

From the resemblance to the net bags in which onions are sold.

You ponce, you slag, pop it in the onion bag.

2002, Fat Les (band), Who Invented Fish and Chips? (song)


ball kid

(sports) A youth responsible for getting the balls from off the area of play to the players.


wondersave

You can hear Allan McGregor attempt to persuade the referee that he never made a wondersave from Leigh Griffiths' first half effort, and you can also hear him give his defenders an earful.

2021 January 4, Mark McDougall, “Unique Rangers vs Celtic insight given by SPFL highlights package as every word caught on camera”, in Glasgow Live:

(soccer) A first-rate save; an exceptional save


outhalf

DAVID HUMPHREYS, who played very well for Ireland A against Scotland a fortnight ago, gets another chance to impress the national selectors when he plays for Ulster at outhalf against New South Wales at Ravenhill next Tuesday night.

2021 January 5, “Ulster's finest get chance to impress”, in The Irish Times:


all-court

en-adj

all-court (comparative more all-court, superlative most all-court)

more all-court (comparative)
most all-court (superlative)

(tennis) adaptable to playing on all surfaces


Little League home run

en-noun

Little League home run (plural Little League home runs)

From such error-filled plays being common at the actual Little League level but rare in professional-level baseball.

(baseball) A plate appearance where the batter is able to reach home due to major fielding errors, on a scale not usually seen at that level of play.


Crom

From a typo of Crows that appeared on the live broadcast of an AFL game.

(Australian rules football, slang, humorous) The Adelaide Crows, an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide.


pencil cricket

A game played with hexagonal pencils marked by hand on each side so they can be tossed like dice — or sometimes with conventional dice — in which players generate scores and attribute them to imaginary cricket players and teams by compiling a scorecard.


Sixer

(basketball, informal) A player for the 76ers, a team from Philadelphia.


two-legged tie

(sports, soccer) A competition between two teams which comprises two matches or “legs”, with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs.


scrub baseball

A casual form of baseball played without teams, where the fielders progressively work their way up to bat.


Cedars

(rugby league) The Lebanon national rugby league team.

(soccer) The Lebanon national football team.


September call-up

September call-up (plural September call-ups)

(baseball) A league of players who are traditionally added to MLB rosters late in the season.


pro shop

(sports, especially tennis and golf) A shop at a sports club that sells equipment, often run by a professional in that sport


center-back

(soccer) Alternative spelling of centre-back


GAWA

(colloquial) Initialism of Green and White Army.


Alouette

(Canadian football) A player for Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes.


runscoring

Philippe's innings, which included five fours and one six, moves him to the top of the runscoring charts for this summer's tournament with 261 from seven innings.

2021 January 4, Ed Jackson, “Aussie call-up matter of time for Philippe”, in The West Australian:


first leg

Coordinate term: two-legged tie

(sports, soccer) The first of the two matches or “legs” which are played between two teams in a two-legged tie. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs.


second leg

Coordinate term: two-legged tie

(sports, soccer) The second of the two matches or “legs” which are played between two teams in a two-legged tie. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate.


hitting partner

hitting partner (plural hitting partners)

(tennis) A player with whom one practises playing rallies, though not as a coach.


drop pass

(netball) A high pass for a catcher who will move into free space to receive the ball


trampoline effect

By analogy with a person jumping on a trampoline.

(baseball) The phenomenon by which the baseball "jumps" off the bat at contact.


RRR

RRR (countable and uncountable, plural RRRs)

required run rate
required run rate#English

(cricket) Initialism of required run rate.


jump pass

(American football) A pass to a teammate made while jumping


Wallaroo

(Australia, cricket) Someone who plays for the Australia women's national rugby union team.


Jillaroos

(rugby league) The Australia women's national rugby league team.


Gorkhalis

(cricket) The Nepal national cricket team.


Wet Toast Eagles

(Australian rules football, humorous, rarely derogatory) The West Coast Eagles, an Australian rules football club based in Perth.


Chevrons

(cricket) The Zimbabwe national cricket team.


Black Caps

(plural only) The New Zealand national cricket team.


Rhinos

(cricket) The Bangladesh national cricket team.


Kangaroos

(rugby league) The Australia national rugby league team.


Kumuls

From Tok Pisin kumul (“bird of paradise”).

(rugby league, plural only) The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team.


Men in Blue

(cricket) The India national cricket team.


Baggy Greens

(rugby league) The Australia national cricket team.


Southern Stars

(cricket) The Australia women's national cricket team.


Blue Tigers

(soccer) The India national football team.


Bengal Tigers

(soccer) The Bangladesh national football team.


White Ferns

(cricket) The New Zealand women's national cricket team.


Dockers

(Australian rules football) Fremantle Football Club, an Australian rules football club based in Fremantle, a suburb of Perth.


Suns

(Australian rules football) the Gold Coast Suns, an Australian rules football club based on the Gold Coast.


GWS

Greater Western Sydney Giants
w:Greater Western Sydney Giants

(Australian rules football) Initialism of Greater Western Sydney Giants.


minor point

(rugby, historical) A single point awarded for a touch-in-goal and sometimes for touchdowns or dead balls.


clubbie

"When he died, his baseball cap was given to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He is the only clubbie to be honored with a display there."

1977, Maj. Ed Logan, quotee, Airman, page 38:

(US, baseball, informal) A clubhouse manager.

"[…] But there are some stadiums where the clubhouse guys don't do a very good job, but there are clubbies that do a really outstanding job. […]"

2019 July 10, John Cangelosi, K.P. Wee, John Cangelosi: The Improbable Baseball Journey of the Undersized Kid from Nowhere to World Series Champion, Riverdale Avenue Books LLC, →ISBN:

(US, baseball, informal) A clubhouse attendant.


AFLNZ

AFL New Zealand
en:wikipedia:AFL New Zealand

(Australian rules football) Initialism of AFL New Zealand.


AFLPNG

AFL Papua New Guinea
en:wikipedia:AFL PNG

(Australian rules football) Initialism of AFL Papua New Guinea.


USAFL

en:wikipedia:United States Australian Football League

(Australian rules football) Initialism of United States Australian Football League.


DAFL

en:wikipedia:Danish Australian Football League

(Australian rules football) Initialism of Danish Australian Football League.


white card

(soccer) A card similar to the red card and yellow card, but used to acknowledge sportmanship or fair play.


AFLG

en:wikipedia:Australian Football League Germany

(Australian rules football) Initialism of Australian Football League Germany.


Clockgate

(US, American football, informal) The controversy around the Michigan vs. Michigan State football game of November 3, 2001, in which the ball was spiked with one second remaining visible on the clock.


yannigan

[…] Sammy Strang, a yannigan from the rival New York Giants […]

2010, Bill James, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, page 74:

Addie was a star ball player and a student of the sport, but as a sports writer he was a yannigan, a rookie.

2014, Addie Joss, Gary Mitchem, Addie Joss on Baseball, page XII:


slingy

en-adj

slingy (comparative more slingy, superlative most slingy)

more slingy (comparative)
most slingy (superlative)

A right-arm fast bowler with a slingy action not unlike Lasith Malinga's, Rubel Hossain began by playing tapeball cricket in his home town of Bagerhat (in Khulna), […]

2011, Steven Lynch, The Wisden Guide to International Cricket 2012, page 144:

[…] who had forged a good reputation in the Lancashire League and also for Western Province in South Africa's Currie Cup cricket, where he batted middle-order and bowled brisk medium-pace with a slingy action.

2018, Alan Wilkins, Easier Said Than Done: A Life in Sport:

(cricket) Tending to bowl the ball with a slinging action, i.e. faster but less accurate.


scrummer

(rugby) A player who takes part in a scrum.


Souths

(Australia, informal, rugby league) the South Sydney Rabbitohs (a rugby league club based in Sydney, Australia)


caught looking

(baseball) out on a third strike after not attempting to hit a pitch


quadball

en-noun

quadball (countable and uncountable, plural quadballs)

International Quadball Association
J. K. Rowling

From quad- (“four”) + ball or quad + ball. The sport sense was introduced in 2022 by the International Quadball Association, formerly the International Quidditch Association, with quad- chosen in reference to the number of balls and positions in the game. The IQA cited concerns over the trademarked status of Quidditch and a wish to distance itself from the "anti-trans positions" of J. K. Rowling.

“This is an important moment in our sport’s history,” said Chris Lau, chair of the IQA board of trustees, in a statement. “We are confident in this step and we look forward to all the new opportunities quadball will bring.”

2022 July 20, Adela Suliman, “Quidditch is now quadball, distancing game from J.K. Rowling, league says”, in The Washington Post:

Major League Quidditch and US Quidditch will now be known as Major League Quadball and US Quadball respectively.

2022 July 20, “Quidditch changes name to quadball after JK Rowling’s trans statements”, in The Guardian:

Quidditch, the sport of boarding school wizards riding broomsticks in “Harry Potter,” will become “Quadball” to the humans who play the game in real life, its leading organizations said on Tuesday.

2022 July 20, Alex Traub, “Quidditch Becomes ‘Quadball,’ Leaving J.K. Rowling Behind”, in The New York Times:

Love Harry Potter? Then check out the quadball championship that combines elements of rugby, basketball and dodgeball. The MLQ Championship is the league’s signature event

2023 August 24, Susan Stapleton, “Plan your weekend: This weekend offers quadball, World Food, Music Fest and more”, in Des Moines Register, page D.1.:

(sports, uncountable, neologism) A co-ed contact ball sport created as a ground-based adaptation of Quidditch, featuring the same positions, balls, and goals as the fictional sport, but with the players clutching broomsticks and a human "snitch runner" carrying the snitch (an autonomous magical device in the Harry Potter novels).


dinker

(pickleball) A pickleball player that excels at dinking.


droppie

(rugby, Australia, New Zealand, slang) A drop goal.


nod-back

Haaland was having his shirt pulled as he advanced onto Phil Foden's curling cross for his opener. He was part of a fantastic one-touch passing move for the second which ended with the loose ball from a slide tackle on Foden presenting him with a tap-in. He shrugged opponents out of the way to make sure he was in the right place to head home John Stones' nod-back for his third.

2022 August 31, Simon Stone, “Manchester City 6-0 Nottingham Forest”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A soft header played away from the opponent's goal


WLAF

Scenarios were floated that the CFL and WLAF would merge or that the CFL would revert to a fall schedule and become a farm league for the NFL.

2005, Steve O'Brien, The Canadian Football League, →ISBN:

World League of American Football
w:World League of American Football

(American football) Initialism of World League of American Football.


contact hitter

(baseball) A hitter who does not strike out often.


jump-cut

en-verb

jump-cut (third-person singular simple present jump-cuts, present participle jump-cutting, simple past and past participle jump-cut)

jump-cuts (present singular third-person)
jump-cutting (participle present)
jump-cut (participle past)
jump-cut (past)

After Lake insisted the sixth-year senior hadn’t impressed enough in practice to contribute in their first two games, McGrew responded with 31 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just six carries Saturday — releasing a guttural growl after jump-cutting and crossing the goal line for a 13-yard score in the first quarter.

2021 September 18, Mike Vorel, “After two frustrating losses, the dam finally breaks in Washington’s 52-3 win over Arkansas State”, in The Seattle Times:

(intransitive, American football) To perform a jump cut.


USTA

United States Tennis Association
w:United States Tennis Association

(tennis) Initialism of United States Tennis Association; also U.S.T.A.: the national governing body for tennis in the United States.


U.S.T.A.

Every year, Allaster said, the U.S.T.A. asks the WTA what balls it wants to use, and the answer has always been the same. “As far as we know, a majority likes it, so we could end up trading one problem for another.”

2022 September 6, Matthew Futterman, “The Great U.S. Open Ball Debate of 2022”, in The New York Times:

(tennis) Initialism of United States Tennis Association; also USTA: the national governing body for tennis in the United States.


extra-duty

Coordinate term: regular-duty

The men at the U.S. Open use what is known as an “extra-duty” ball, which means the felt on the outside of the ball is woven slightly more loosely than the “regular-duty” ball the women use. […] Extra-duty balls are the balls of choice for outdoor hardcourts, like those at the U.S. Open, except when they are not.

(tennis) Describing a tennis ball having a thicker felt woven more loosely around the ball's core, designed for hard court surfaces such as asphalt or concrete.


regular-duty

Coordinate term: extra-duty

The men at the U.S. Open use what is known as an “extra-duty” ball, which means the felt on the outside of the ball is woven slightly more loosely than the “regular-duty” ball the women use. […] However, the regular-duty balls “play faster,” Collins said through a spokeswoman for the company.

(tennis) Describing a tennis ball having a thinner felt woven more tightly around the ball's core, designed for softer court surfaces such as clay.


misputt

misputt (third-person singular simple present misputts, present participle misputting, simple past and past participle misputted)

misputts (present singular third-person)
misputting (participle present)
misputted (participle past)
misputted (past)

I misputted on the fourth hole.

(intransitive, rare, golf) To putt badly or wrongly.


hoofball

Blend of hoof (“to kick, especially a long way downfield with little accuracy”) + football.

blend

Wimbledon continued to hold their own under Joe Kinnear. They played with passion and no little skill. It certainly wasn't just 'hoofball' as their detractors, such as Gary Lineker, claimed.

2012 July 2, Tim Quelch, Underdog!, eBook Partnership, →ISBN:

By the 1980s Italian football was also showing distinct signs of virility as it built up to its great moment in the sun with the 1990 World Cup. It had glamour and skill, just as British football was deep into its cul-de-sac of hoofball tactics and off-pitch thuggery.

2015 January 9, Nicholas Walton, Genoa, 'La Superba': The Rise and Fall of a Merchant Pirate Superpower, Oxford University Press, →ISBN:

'We're Leeds United, we're passing the ball,' sang delighted supporters, exhilarated at being rid of Warnock's despised hoofball.

2019 October 10, Dave Tomlinson, Leeds, Money, and Misery Me: Twenty Years of Hurt, 23 Mistakes and the Tale of Toma ..., AuthorHouse, →ISBN:

(soccer, derogatory) A style of play characterised by many long balls and few short passes.


SABR

w:Society for American Baseball Research

(baseball) Acronym of Society for American Baseball Research.


Marseille turn

(soccer) A specialized form of dribbling by which the ball is dragged backward.


offensive guard

en-noun

offensive guard (plural offensive guards)

(American football) A lineman for the team in possession of the ball located on either side of the center and inside of the offensive tackles.


quality start

(baseball) A start in which a pitcher pitches for at least six full innings and allows three or fewer earned runs.


take a pitch

en-verb

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

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

(baseball) To refrain from swinging at a pitch.


La Roja

(soccer) the Spain national football team


USMNT

w:United States men's national soccer team

(soccer) Initialism of United States men's national team.


ball-up

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(Australian rules football) The method by which the field umpire restarts play at a neutral contest after a stoppage within the field of play, involving the throwing or bouncing of the ball up between two players, known as rucks, who then attempt to win possession for their teams.


Bazball

From Baz + ball, Baz being the nickname of New Zealand cricketer and coach Brendon McCullum.

BRENDON McCullum has referred to ‘Bazball’, the playful term coined in homage to England’s new Test head coach, as ‘silly’.

[2022 July 9, “England's McCullum dismisses ‘Bazball’ as ‘silly’”, in Manchester Evening News, Glasgow, page 41:

THE effects of Bazball can already be seen in the wider cricketing world, too. No sooner had Ben Stokes put out a call to arms telling county cricketers they had to play his way to get in the England team comes evidence of a response from Dom Sibley.

2022 July 13, Paul Newman, “World of Cricket”, in Daily Mail, London, page 70:

The focus on Bazball may have damaged England's chances at the World Cup – but it is "seemingly now also part of the solution".

2023 November 18, “Cricket: what the white-ball side can learn from Bazball”, in The Week, Bath, page 24:

The debate about ‘Bazball’ is absurd: for professional sport to survive it has to be entertaining, and aggressive cricket is undoubtedly far more entertaining than defensive cricket.

2024 April 6, Roger Alton, “County cricket needs Bazball”, in The Spectator, London:

(cricket, informal, slang, neologism) An aggressive run-scoring approach to cricket.


gegenpress

(soccer) The use of the gegenpressing tactic.


LiVARpool

Blend of Liverpool + VAR (“video assistant referee”), implying that Liverpool F.C. is unfairly favoured in judgements made by VAR.

blend

The ability of Jürgen Klopp’s team to win even when the opposition bring their A-game has been a feature of the season. A simple explanation, beyond luck and “LiVARpool” conspiracy theory, is that their base levels are just so high.

2019 December 11, Barney Ronay, “Champions League’s full English another staging post in march of the superclubs”, in The Guardian:

[…] and amid calls of 'LiVARpool' coming into the equation again by the Chelsea faithful, Silva himself has had a say on what he thinks of the last two aforementioned VAR decisions […]

2022 March 7, Danyal Khan, “Thiago Silva sends Liverpool blunt message as West Ham and Chelsea VAR decisions go their way”, in football.london:

Someone else said: "I honestly think this FA cup is already rigged for LiVArpool There's been a lot of them red ribbons around it."

2022 May 14, Nick Murphy, “Chelsea fans have FA Cup conspiracy theory and say 'Pep and Tuchel were right all along'”, in The Daily Star:


England went even further, playing 1-1-8 (eight forwards), but crowded goalmouths saw the game end 0-0.

2010, Clive Gifford, “Formations”, in The Kingfisher Football Encyclopedia, 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 60:

Both teams employed what could be considered attacking formations—Scotland (2-2-6), and England (1-1-8) […]

2011, Jaime Orejan, Football/Soccer: History and Tactics, →ISBN, page 31:

United made a scintillating start against Leicester […] but they seem to be sticking to a 1-1-8 formation, with Evans and then Chris Smalling playing as a sweeper-left-centre-right-back. This is why United have a defence as secure as a paper-tissue truss.

2014 September 22, Des Kelly, “Chelsea fans add a touch of dignity and class to a world of football excess”, in Evening Standard:

(soccer, historical or derogatory) A football formation with 1 defender, 1 midfielder and 8 strikers sometimes played in the 19th and early 20th centuries, now a derogatory reference to a team with poor defence.


Spuds

Robbie Keane makes it Liverpool 1-2 Spuds.

2005 April 16, Roo, “Quick update...”, in uk.sport.football.clubs.liverpool (Usenet):

The Spuds and Man Utd posters (with the exception of Jenkins) are all keeping their heads down on account of their respective teams poor form.

2013 December 5, Baldoni, “heh heh heh”, in alt.sports.soccer.arsenal (Usenet):

@DanColly added: "Think the Spuds fans enjoyed the Saliba song last week. But they sing it for Bissouma after clipping a cross straight out of play."

2022 October 8, Ryan Tailor, “Arsenal and Tottenham fans argue as Spurs accused of 'stealing William Saliba chant'”, in Daily Express:

(soccer, derogatory) Tottenham Hotspur F.C.


St Totteringham's Day

By analogy with Christian feast days, with a blend of Tottenham + tottering.

After their 3-1 win at Hull, it is now mathematically impossible for Tottenham to finish above their neighbours in this season's Premier League. […] That means today is "St Totteringham's Day".

2015 May 4, Richard Innes, “St Totteringham's Day: Arsenal fans celebrate finishing above Tottenham AGAIN by trolling their big rivals”, in Daily Mirror:

TOTTENHAM'S 2-0 defeat of great rivals Arsenal today ensured they will finish above the Gunners in the Premier League for the first time since 1995. And in turn it has ended the curse of "St Totteringham's Day" […]

2017 April 30, John Hutchinson, “St Totteringham’s Day: Twitter reacts as Tottenham ensure they will finish above Arsenal in the Premier League and end the curse of ‘St Totteringham’s Day’”, in The Sun:

2022 October 4, Edwin Yeo, “Arsenal 3 Spurs 1 - It feels like St Totteringham's Day already”, in Yahoo News Singapore:

(soccer, colloquial) The day in an English Premier League football season on which it becomes mathematically impossible for Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to finish above Arsenal F.C. in the final rankings.


BABIP

batting average on balls in play#English

(baseball) Initialism of batting average on balls in play.


batting average on balls in play

en-noun

batting average on balls in play (plural batting averages on balls in play)

batting averages on balls in play (plural)

(baseball) A type of batting average statistic which includes sacrifice flies but not strikeouts or home runs into the calculation.


captain's run

ON the Friday before an international these days, most rugby teams have a light training session supervised by the captain. The Australians call it the captain's run, and in light rain in Cardiff yesterday morning John Eales led his team-mates through their moves, the last physical preparation for the quarter-final against Wales at the Millennium Stadium this afternoon.

1999 October 23, John Hopkins, “Australia dismiss Henry's praise”, in The Times, number 66653, London, page 39:

"It's been a very difficult week," admits Solomons. "We had a light run on Tuesday, what I would call a 'flush out', and a captain's run today. That's really all we could do."

2002 October 18, Alan Solomons, quoted in Gerry Thornley "Ulster must lift their game" The Irish Times p. 21

After that, the rest of the week was a breeze — I even did the full wrestling session with the lads on the Wednesday, went through the 'captain's run', which is always a bit light-hearted anyway, and then it was just a case of running through the game plan and various plays.

2007, Paul Sculthorpe, Sculthorpe: Man of Steel, Random House, →ISBN, page 7:

2016 June 14, Damian George, Netball: Superstition part of match-day routine Otago Daily Times
8.45am - Head to stadium for captain's run
9am - Captain's run
"We always do a walk through. Wendy [captain Wendy Frew] runs it. ["]

Finn Russell juggles rugby balls during the Scotland captain's run at Twickenham Stadium ahead of their Six Nations match against England

2023 February 4, “Sacked coach Eddie Jones launches cunning trick to stay in the heads of English players ahead of crucial Six Nations Championship”, in Daily Mail, picture caption:

2023 February 4, Luke Yates, quoted in James O'Brien, "Huddersfield Giants captain Luke Yates outlines reasons for renewed optimism ahead of new season" Yorkshire Post
"We'll have fewer short turnarounds so we'll have fresher bodies; a lot of times last year we were playing, two days off then the captain's run and playing again.["]

photo opportunity
photo opportunity#English

(originally rugby union, Australia) a team training session led by the captain rather than the coach, typically held shortly before a match, often at the match venue, sometimes incorporating a photo opportunity


Canterbury-Bankstown

The city was formed in 2016 on the merger of cities of Canterbury and Bankstown.

(rugby league) the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.


KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders
w:Kolkata Knight Riders

(cricket) Initialism of Kolkata Knight Riders.


one-hitter

Coordinate term: no-hitter

The one-hitter Tuesday night marked the first time the Cardinals held the Pirates to one hit or less in a game in Pittsburgh since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson’s no-hitter in 1971 at Three Rivers Stadium.

2021 August 11, John Perrotto, “Wainwright pitches two-hit shutout, Cards top Pirates 4-0”, in The Seattle Times:

(baseball) A game in which one team makes only one hit.


counterpressing

Teams that are skilled in counterpressing are teams that attack with many of the players in close proximity to the ball carrier.

2017, Steffen Siebert, A League Of Their Own: The Secrets Of Club Soccer Champions, page 70:


moundwork

moundwork (countable and uncountable, plural moundworks)


anti-soccer

en-adj

anti-soccer (comparative more anti-soccer, superlative most anti-soccer)

more anti-soccer (comparative)
most anti-soccer (superlative)

There were many concerns as to whether soccer players were being sufficiently disciplined. In Brazil, Lima Barreto and Carlos Sussekind de Mendonça promoted drill and rote training as part of their antisoccer campaign.

2023, Matthew Brown, “Controlled Violence”, in Sports in South America: A History, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 150:


anti-soccer

Clodoaldo condemned the “inefficiency” and “lack of heart” he saw, especially in the midfield. Shockingly, the country of Pelé and the beautiful game had fallen into playing antisoccer—that is, trying to destroy the opponent's game with little thought of putting together effective attacks.⁸⁷

2014, Roger Kittleson, “Playing Modern: Efficiency over Art, 1971–80”, in The Country of Football: Soccer and the Making of Modern Brazil, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, →ISBN, page 108:

A corrupted or unconventional form of soccer.


anti-tennis

anti-tennis (comparative more anti-tennis, superlative most anti-tennis)

more anti-tennis (comparative)
most anti-tennis (superlative)

Does it surprise anyone else at the fervor of anti-rowing sentiment at many colleges and schools? What's the deal? Jealousy? Are there anti-tennis or anti-baseball pages? People who are passionate about disliking lacrosse?

1998 September 12, Andy Anderson, “Ask Doctor Rowing: Are Men and Women Different?”, in Independent Rowing News, volume 5, number 15, →ISSN, page 30:

In some areas, tennis fans have struggled to find places to play, discovering their long-held courts suddenly transformed into pickleball havens either temporarily or permanently. It hasn’t helped that some especially avid pickleball fans proudly proclaim that their sport will soon overtake tennis and eagerly boast anti-tennis sportswear.

2022 October 16, Rachel Simon, “In the tennis vs. pickleball showdown, who’s winning?”, in NBC News:


anti-tennis

Those of you who are perverse enough to have read along so far are my kind of folks, so you’ll know what I mean when I say that at this point, I thought, Cool. Each guy has played a set of anti-tennis and gotten the demons out of his system. So it’s like, okay, I’ve got an idea!

2006 June 11, Peter Bodo, “Lost in Translation”, in Tennis:

[Novak] Djokovic, by contrast, plays something like anti-tennis. Although he’s recently improved his serve and his volleys and possesses one of the best drop shots in the game, he is fundamentally a conservative, defensive player.

2021 July 22, Park MacDougald, “All hail Novak Djokovic, king of anti-tennis”, in Washington Examiner:

A corrupted or unconventional form of tennis.


All-Pro

All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey had 80 yards on the ground and 80 through the air. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings became the second person in Super Bowl history to throw and catch touchdown passes.

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) A professional American football player selected (typically by press organizations) as the best player in a particular position during a given season.


address the ball

en-verb

address the ball (third-person singular simple present addresses the ball, present participle addressing the ball, simple past and past participle addressed the ball)

addresses the ball (present singular third-person)
addressing the ball (participle present)
addressed the ball (participle past)
addressed the ball (past)

(golf) To ground one's club immediately in front of or behind the ball, as a preamble to swinging.


cold hand

Anthony’s performance was all the more glaring as he frequently found himself isolated on the wing or elbow, trying to break down Oklahoma City’s defense but finding himself caught in a forest of burly Thunder big men or clanging shots off the rim. / At times, the Knicks’ offense looked short-circuited. Anthony, despite his cold hand, kept shooting.

2016 November 28, Mike Vorkunov, “Despite Flash of Rose’s Prime, Knicks Are Dazed by Westbrook and Thunder”, in The New York Times:

(idiomatic, basketball) Used in reference to a player who fails to make successful shots in a game.


goal machine

He [Robbie Fowler]would become one of Liverpool's finest – a goal machine – and, most importantly, he was one of our own. A real character who combined a touch of genius with a sense of mischief.

2021, Brian Barwick, Sixty Years a Red... and Counting!:


consensus national champion

en-noun

consensus national champion (plural consensus national champions)

(American football) In regard to national championships in college football, a team that was selected as national champions by both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll.


restricted area

restricted area (plural restricted areas)

(basketball) The area behind an arc extending some distance from the basket into the key, to prevent secondary defenders from taking a position under the basket in an attempt to draw an offensive foul while a player is driving to the basket.


Schenectady putter

Schenectady putter (plural Schenectady putters)

(golf, historical) A kind of center-shafted, mallet-headed putter.


rabbit ball

(baseball, derogatory) A lively ball that easily travels far off the bat.


Texas wedge

(golf, slang) The putter, when used to take a shot that is not on the green.


banana slice

(golf) Synonym of slice (“shot that curves unintentionally”)


advance the ball

en-verb

advance the ball (third-person singular simple present advances the ball, present participle advancing the ball, simple past and past participle advanced the ball)

advances the ball (present singular third-person)
advancing the ball (participle present)
advanced the ball (participle past)
advanced the ball (past)

Osweiler finished the game 22 for 41 for a measly 131 yards. He was sacked just once but spent the evening throwing short, ineffective passes that did little to advance the ball.

2016 October 25, Matt Bonesteel, “The Texans have a Brock Osweiler problem”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 2019-01-02:

(sports, of ball games) To move the ball closer to the goal.


possession arrow

en-noun

possession arrow (plural possession arrows)

Faced with all that countervailing authority, the best respondent could realistically hope for is that we declare §101(27) a jump ball. And under our clear-statement rule, a jump ball is as good as a possession arrow favoring the party opposing the abrogation of sovereign immunity.

2023, Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Coughlin (U.S. Supreme Court No. 22–227), Justice Gorsuch (dissenting opinion)

(basketball) An arrow that determines which side possesses the ball in cases where it is otherwise unclear. In such cases, possession of the ball is awarded to the team that is moving in the direction of the possession arrow on offense.


Chinese homer

Chinese home run
Chinese home run#English

(US, baseball, slang) Synonym of Chinese home run


GIDP

(baseball) Initialism of ground into double play: a double play initiated by a batter hitting a ground ball.


umpire-in-chief

(baseball) The umpire in charge of the entire game, in cases where there is more than one umpire.


front nine

(golf) The first nine holes of the 18 holes that make up a golf course.


back nine

(golf) The final nine holes of the 18 holes that make up a golf course.


celebrappeal

(cricket) An overenthusiastic appeal in the form of a celebration, without waiting for the umpire to give the batter out.


celebrappeal

en-verb

celebrappeal (third-person singular simple present celebrappeals, present participle celebrappealing, simple past and past participle celebrappealed)

celebrappeals (present singular third-person)
celebrappealing (participle present)
celebrappealed (participle past)
celebrappealed (past)

(cricket) The act of making a celebrappeal.


ice wagon

He can't hit a thing or he can't get it over the base, or he's an ice wagon on the bases, they say.

1914, William T. Ellis, "Billy" Sunday: The Man and His Message, Philadelphia, P.A.: Universal Book and Bible House, page 274:

A veteran first-baseman-catcher, Duke Jantzen, who had played briefly with the Texas Midland in 1896, was engaged as player-manager. Tall and ungainly, Jantzen could wallop a baseball over the outfielders, but he was an "ice wagon"—too slow to get past third.

1987, Bill O'Neal, The Texas League, 1888–1987: A Century of Baseball, Austin, T.X.: Eakin Press, →ISBN, page 290:


mashie iron

(golf, dated) An obsolete golf club, the equivalent of a modern 4-iron.


outfield player

en-noun

outfield player (plural outfield players)

(ball games) Any of the players on a team other than the goalkeeper.


bottleham

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

Blend of bottle + Tottenham, due to the team seeming to always bottle when they have a good chance of winning something (e.g. trophies or matches) in the eyes of fans.

Bottleham have bottled it again, having lost to Diogo Jota’s late 94th minute winner.


D/L/S

Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method
Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method


Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method

An extension of the Duckworth-Lewis method by Australian statistician Steven Stern.

(cricket) A mathematical algorithm for generating revised target scores for the side batting second in a rain-affected one-day match.


British Open

(golf) An informal name for the Open Championship, the oldest golf tournament in the world


spaghetti string

spaghetti string (plural spaghetti strings)

(tennis) A string forming part of a tennis racket strung according to the spaghetti stringing method.


spaghetti stringing

(tennis) A style of stringing a tennis racket with two sets of main strings and five parallel pairs of cross strings that are not interwoven with those main strings, designed to impart maximum spin to the ball.


spaghetti-strung

(tennis) Of a tennis racket: strung according to the spaghetti stringing method.


Pessi

All they need is one crumb of ammunition and they'll go for miles. Such is how the nickname "Pessi" was born. As fans on Twitter look for any possible way to reduce Messi's incredible career to a punchline, they've come up with a reductive way to pretend that he's not one of the best players to ever step on a football pitch.

[2022 December 19, Kyle Bonn, “Why Lionel Messi is called Pessi”, in The Sporting News:


flat stick

As I walked (it was time for a break) off the fourteenth green, it hit me what I'd just done: I'd just birdied five holes in a row while running—without a putter. I've never birdied those holes consecutively before or since that moment, and I've played them dozens of times with my trusty flatstick in the bag and plenty of time to read the green.

2007, Christopher Smith, I've Got 99 Swing Thoughts but "Hit the Ball" Ain't One, New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishers, →ISBN, page 21:

Cameron Smith's 150th Open Championship came, above all else, with his putter. And deservedly so. His flat stick caught fire on Sunday, helping him onto five birdies to start the back nine and a 64 seize the trophy from Rory McIlroy's grasp.

2022 July 17, Luke Kerr-Dineen, “How the beer-loving Cameron Smith lost weight — and gained distance”, in Golf Magazine, New York, N.Y.: EB Golf Media LLC, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-06:

(golf) A golf club intended for putting; a putter.


string saver

(tennis) Each of the small pieces of plastic or other material placed at the intersections of strings of a tennis racket, to reduce friction and extend the racket's life.


RUFC

(rugby union) Initialism of rugby union football club.


RUFC

Ramsbottom United F.C.
w:Ramsbottom United F.C.

(soccer)
Initialism of Ramsbottom United F.C..

Retford United F.C.
w:Retford United F.C.

(soccer)
Initialism of Retford United F.C..

Rochester United F.C.
w:Rochester United F.C.

(soccer)
Initialism of Rochester United F.C..

Rossendale United F.C.
w:Rossendale United F.C.

(soccer)
Initialism of Rossendale United F.C..

Rotherham United F.C.
w:Rotherham United F.C.

(soccer)
Initialism of Rotherham United F.C..


palmball

(baseball) A change-up pitch in which the baseball is held tightly in the palm or between the thumb and ring finger, then thrown like a fastball.


FFC

(soccer) Initialism of Fulham Football Club.


Pinoy step

(basketball, Philippines) A basketball move in which an offensive player picks up their dribble, does a pump fake, then proceeds to drive with the last two remaining legal steps to make an actual shot.


casual water

(golf) A temporary accumulation of water which does not constitute a regular hazard of a golf course.


CAF Champions League

(soccer) An annual African football (soccer) competition.


flag on the play

Here we go at last. It's Iona's ball on their own 10 yard line; they are in punt formation — wait — there's a flag on the play.

1955, Natalie E. White, The Billion Dollar Saint: A Farce in Three Acts, Dramatists Play Service, →ISBN, page 29:

In the modern game there is perhaps no phrase more familiar than "Flag on the play!" It is an instant and unmistakable signal to every player, to the benches, and to the fans, that a penalty is about to be enforced by a game official.

2012, Robert J. Scott, Myles A. Pocta, Honor on the Line: The Fifth Down and the Spectacular 1940 College Football Season, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 146:

(American football slang) A penalty flag.


nod in

en-verb

nod in (third-person singular simple present nods in, present participle nodding in, simple past and past participle nodded in)

nods in (present singular third-person)
nodding in (participle present)
nodded in (participle past)
nodded in (past)

Davies, captain in the absence of the injured Aaron Ramsey, scored the opener as, completely unmarked just three yards out, he nodded in Broadhead's 22nd-minute corner.

2023 October 11, Dafydd Pritchard, “Wales 4-0 Gibraltar”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, transitive, intransitive) To score with a header


HWL

Hawaii Winter League
w:Hawaii Winter Baseball

(baseball, historical) Initialism of Hawaii Winter League.


Busby Babe

Named after Matt Busby, the manager of Manchester United Football Club.

Manchester United Football Club
Matt Busby


one-hit

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

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

The Dodgers beat Arizona on Thursday afternoon, 6-3, with Chris Heisey hitting a grand slam and five relievers combining to one-hit the Diamondbacks over the final four innings.

2015 September 24, Bill Shaikin, “Dodgers getting excited about possible division title after beating Arizona, 6-3”, in Los Angeles Times:

Wainwright’s gem came a night after Cardinals left-hander J.A. Happ and three relievers combined to one-hit the Pirates, who have lost seven straight games and 17 of their last 22.

2021 August 11, John Perrotto, “Wainwright pitches two-hit shutout, Cards top Pirates 4-0”, in The Seattle Times:

(transitive, baseball) To pitch so that the other team only makes a single hit.


backcourtmate

(basketball, rare) A fellow teammate on the backcourt.


volleyball player

en-noun

volleyball player (plural volleyball players)

A person who plays volleyball, especially professionally.


flip throw

(soccer) An unusual throw-in in which the player, during the run-up, plants the ball on the ground, flips over it, and uses the momentum gained from the flip to increase the velocity of the ball.


bulge the onion bag

en-verb

bulge the onion bag (third-person singular simple present bulges the onion bag, present participle bulging the onion bag, simple past and past participle bulged the onion bag)

bulges the onion bag (present singular third-person)
bulging the onion bag (participle present)
bulged the onion bag (participle past)
bulged the onion bag (past)

[…] such as Provan or McAvennie scoring at Hampden or Larsson bulging the onion bag twice in Seville.

2012, Paul Larkin, Poles 'N' Goals and Hesselink, page 139:

[…] bulged the onion bag for the Blades, and Downes and Prendergast replied for the Owls.


O'Malley's Alley

After Walter O'Malley, American sports executive.

(baseball, slang, dated) The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.


Oklahoma drill

Named after the Oklahoma Sooners football team by coach Bud Wilkinson, creator of the technique.

Offensively, Dan Sullivan and Bob Vogel were strong blockers in the Oklahoma Drill and Mike Curtis and Ted Hendricks savage as defensive operators.

1972 July 25, “Colts' Bubba holds firm in contact squabble”, in The Baltimore Sun, page 26:

The 'Oklahoma Drill' used to be one of the highlights of the Steelers' training camp.

1992, Jim O'Brien, Whatever It Takes: The Continuing Saga of the Pittsburgh Steelers II, James O'Brien-Publishing, →ISBN, page 32:

To make it work, Wilkinson needed three interior down linemen who could do the work of four (or more) by exploding off the snap, reading the ball carrier and then, in tight quarters, shedding blocks to make tackles. In other words, he needed players who would excel at the Oklahoma drill.

2015 August 19, David Fleming, “Is the Oklahoma drill a rite of passage or everything to fear about football?”, in ESPN:

(American football) In gridiron football, a practice technique wherein two players run at each other within a narrow corridor with the aim of either tackling the opponent, driving them out of bounds, or scoring a touchdown.

Bud Wilkinson
Oklahoma Sooners football
Oklahoma drill


nose tackle

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


middle guard

It allows the middle guard of the defense to roam, and with the combined efforts of his teammates he will emerge your leading tackler game in and out.

1956, Jack C. Mitchell, Bernard A. Taylor, Umbrella Defenses, W. C. Brown Company, page 17:

The middle guard faced off consistently against the offensive center, with one or occasionally both hands in the dirt. On running plays, he bore the traditional run-stuffing responsibilities.

2022 April 25, George Bozeka, editor, The 1951 Los Angeles Rams: Profiles of the NFL's First West Coast Champions, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 285:

(American football) A defensive player positioned in the middle of the pitch, opposite the offensive center and between the defensive tackles; the nose guard.


touchball

Touchball […] is considered a major activity in the intramural programs of all the large universities.

1935, Minnesota Emergency Relief Administration. Department of Leisure Time, Recreational Manual (volume 2, page 1)

Synonym of touch football (“American football variant”)


Vardrid

(humorous, derogatory, soccer) La Liga club Real Madrid, regarded as being unfairly favored by VAR.


bump and run

(American football) A strategy used by defensive backs, in which a defender lined up directly in front of a wide receiver attempts to impede him with arms, hands, or the entire body and disrupt his intended route.

(golf) A low-trajectory shot intended to get the ball rolling along the fairway and up onto the green, like a chip shot but played from a greater distance.


timeless Test

(cricket) A match of cricket which is played under no limitation of time, until one side wins or the match is tied.


bore in

bore in (third-person singular simple present bores in, present participle boring in, simple past and past participle bored in)

bores in (present singular third-person)
boring in (participle present)
bored in (participle past)
bored in (past)

(rugby union) For a prop to turn in on an opposing prop, in a forbidden move.


kick returner

(American football, Canadian football) A player who catches a kicked or punted ball and attempts to advance it towards the goal.


W-League

(soccer) the A-League Women (the top professional women's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand; equivalent to the A-League for men)


A-League

the A-League (canonical)
A-Leagues (plural)

(soccer) the top professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand

(soccer) any of the three leagues that fall under the A-Leagues banner (the men's, women's and youth leagues)


logo 3

From the logo of the home team commonly painted in the center circle.

At various points in the game, James would pull up from more than 30 feet away and launch an uncontested 3-pointer—known as a “logo 3” because he would often be on or in line with the midcourt logo when he shot it.

2021 January 12, Sean Deveney, “Lakers’ LeBron James Slammed for Taking Late-Game ‘Logo 3’”, in Heavy:

Bigger logos allow more “Logo 3s,” and in a way, it could be a good marketing strategy.

2022 January 31, Ernesto Soliven, “The sneaky secret about the increase in Logo 3s”, in Basketball Network:

2022 October 23, Ricky O'Donnell, "LeBron James bricked a logo 3 so badly people are calling it the worst shot of his career" SB Nation

The senior has been a dynamic scorer throughout her career, hitting memorable logo 3s and racking up points in bunches.

2024 January 31, Chantel Jennings, Ben Pickman and others, "When will Caitlin Clark break the women’s college basketball all-time scoring record?" The Athletic (New York Times)

(basketball, informal) a three-point shot from in or near the center circle


play-calling

But some bad breaks, good defense from the Chiefs and conservative play-calling meant the 49ers offense stalled and Kansas City was able to rally.

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) Alternative form of playcalling


shotgun start

/ˈʃɒtɡʌn stɑːt/

/ˈʃɑtɡʌn stɑɹt/

From the first reported use of this format in 1956, wherein a shotgun was fired to alert all players from each of the 18 holes that the tournament had started.

Also, since the players teed off simultaneously, the infamous "shotgun start," with several foursomes at each tee box, the tournaments ran notoriously slow.

2011 October, Mike Nettleton, Shotgun Start, Krill Press, →ISBN:

In a classic shotgun start, 18 groups play, with one group starting on each hole, but, more often, there will be two groups starting on the par-fours and par-fives.

2011 January 21, Bill Mallon, Randon Jerris, Historical Dictionary of Golf, Scarecrow Press, →ISBN, page 267:

A shotgun start begins at the clubhouse and has all participants leaving at the same time to travel to a designated starting hole to await the starting gun/noise.

2011 August 8, Linda E. Swayne, Mark Dodds, Encyclopedia of Sports Management and Marketing, SAGE Publications, →ISBN:

After the Dom Perignon toast and shotgun start, approximately 30 foursomes will head out to play two best balls on one of the most prestigious courses in the Cincinnati area.

2009 January, “The Russ Wiles Memorial Golf Tournament”, in Cincinnati Magazine, page 155:

A shotgun start format is usually employed for a golf tournament of 120-144 golfers on 18 holes. Each foursome is assigned a starting hole and begins the tournament at that hole.

2013 March, Frank MacGrath, The Complete Handbook for Planning, Implementing and Sustaining A Successful Fundraising Golf Tournament, Civil Sector Press, →ISBN, page 48:

(golf) A tournament format in which all groups of contestants tee off simultaneously from different holes.


defensive line

(American football, Canadian football) The players of the team not possessing the ball who are positioned at the line of scrimmage.


AAFC

All-America Football Conference
w:All-America Football Conference

(American football) Initialism of All-America Football Conference.


Marillier shot

Named after Zimbabwean batsman Dougie Marillier, said to have developed the shot.


paddle scoop

(cricket) An unorthodox modern cricketing shot in which the player's body is positioned square-on with the ball, both feet pointing towards the bowler, and the player uses the bat to deflect the ball over the batter's leg side shoulder, thus guiding it towards the fine leg region.


long snapper

Fans rarely see the name of the long snapper, but he's the next most important player on special teams behind the punter or kicker.

2012, Greg Jacobs, The Everything KIDS' Football Book:

Lonnie was the long snapper for both of Adam Vinatieri's clutch field goals in the "Snow Bowl" against the Oakland Raiders in 2002 and for his 48-yard game-winning kick in Super Bowl XXXVI.

2013, Rick Gonsalves, Placekicking in the NFL: A History and Analysis, page 235:

My suggestion was to go ahead and walk-on and try out as a kicker but to tell them that he was also a long snapper.

2019, Don Osborne, Was It All Just for Kicks?:

(American football) A center who is skilled in throwing a long snap.


long snap

When I was playing professionally and I wasn't starting, I'd come in and do the long snaps.

2004, Joseph Blotner, Real Football: a Biography, page 372:

The long snap typically travels anywhere from 12 and 15 yards, depending on the alignment of the punter.

2006, Coach Education, Coaching Football Technical & Tactical Skills:

But Paco's long snap from center was high, and the holder, Joey Gallagher, couldn't get the ball down in time for Adam to kick it!

2011, Ronde Barber, Tiki Barber, Go Long!:

In Baltimore's 33 to 14 rout of New England in the AFC's Wild Card playoff game on January 9, 2010, he got off nine perfect long snaps, 3 for extra points, 2 for field goals, and 4 for punts.

2013, Rick Gonsalves, Placekicking in the NFL: A History and Analysis, page 237:

(American football) An underhand pass from the center to the punter.


long snap

long snap (third-person singular simple present long snaps, present participle long snapping, simple past and past participle long snapped)

long snaps (present singular third-person)
long snapping (participle present)
long snapped (participle past)
long snapped (past)

These days every team has someone on the roster whose only job is to long snap.

2007, John Feinstein, Next Man Up: A Year Behind the Lines in Today's NFL:

"I learned by watching my father do it," Zak explained. "I also knew the importance of it, so I learned how to long snap on my own. […]"

Tom always wanted to learn how to long snap.

(American football) To throw a long snap.


Iron Mike

(slang, baseball) A machine for pitching baseballs for practise purposes.


dragback

(soccer) The act of drawing the ball backward with one's sole.


safetyman

(American football, dated) safety (position)


tee time

en-noun

tee time (countable and uncountable, plural tee times)

(golf) The designated location on a golf course where players must be present in order to begin their rounds.

(golf) The designated time in which a game of golf commences.


passing game

(sports, American football) A type of play involving one player throwing the ball to a teammate.


pull hitter

(baseball) a batter who usually hits the ball to the side of the field from which they bat.


Red Roses

The Red Roses extended their championship winning record to 29 games, as John Mitchell's ruthless side struck five first-half tries before Assia Khalfaoui's second-half red card.

2024 April 27, Alastair Telfer, “England beat France to seal Grand Slam hat-trick”, in BBC Sport:

(rugby) The England women's national rugby union team


times on base

(baseball) The cumulative total number of times a batter has reached base as a result of a hit, base on balls, or hit-by-pitch.


Seleção

(soccer) the Brazil national football team


everydays

(softball) A softball drill in which players practise skills relating to their specific positions.


Vuck

Shortened form of "Victory". Popularised by a Melbourne Victory fan podcast, For Vuck's Sake (derived from the vulgar expression "for fuck's sake").

(informal, Australia, soccer) A supporter of Melbourne Victory (an Australian soccer club based in Melbourne)


BVB

(soccer) Initialism of Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund.


Série A

(soccer) the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (the highest division of professional football in Brazil)


Brasileirão

From Portuguese Brasileirão (“Big Brazilian”).


Bunnies

(Australia, informal, rugby league) the South Sydney Rabbitohs (a rugby league club based in Sydney, Australia)


Championship

(soccer) the EFL Championship (the second-highest division of English football)

(soccer) the Scottish Championship (the second-highest division of Scottish football)


Donkeys

From the fact that a donkey is typically depicted as a clumsy animal with a lack of intelligence (evident in terms such as ass and donkey vote), in comparison to a horse which is depicted as a strong and powerful companion animal. A bronco is a bucking horse.

(Australia, rugby league, informal, humorous, sometimes mildly derogatory) the Brisbane Broncos (a rugby league club based in Brisbane, Australia)


League Two

(soccer) the EFL League Two (the fourth-highest division of English football)


League One

(soccer) the EFL League One (the third-highest division of English football)


Burger League

In reference to American fast food chains.

(neologism, soccer, informal, humorous, sometimes derogatory) Major League Soccer (the MLS); the national professional soccer league in the United States


farmers' league

en-noun

farmers' league (plural farmers' leagues)

Derived from the humorous perception that players in a league referred to as a "farmers' league" are part-time footballers, and who also have other jobs unrelated to sports such as farming.

(informal, humorous, soccer, sometimes derogatory) a league with a perceived lack of talent and good players

farmarliga

football league with a perceived lack of talent


Camel League

Blend of (offensive) camel (“Middle Eastern person”) + Saudi Pro League

blend

(soccer, offensive) Saudi Pro League (the highest division of football in Saudi Arabia).