doosra

From Hindi दूसरा (dūsrā, “second; other”).

2022, Amit Sinha, Joy Bhattacharjya, Do Different: The Untold Dhoni
Known for his innovative and unpredictable strokeplay, Dhoni had dead-batted this doosra straight back to the bowler.

(cricket) A type of ball, bowled by an off-spin bowler, that, unlike a normal off break, spins from leg to off for a right-handed batsman; the off-spinner's version of the googly.


indirect free kick

en-noun

indirect free kick (plural indirect free kicks)

(soccer) a free kick from which a goal may be scored only after the ball has been played by at least one other player


penalty spot

(soccer) a small white spot, painted on the grass, twelve yards in front of the centre of the goal line, from which all penalty kicks are taken


direct free kick

direct free kick (plural direct free kicks)

(soccer) a free kick from which a goal may be scored directly


penalty shootout

penalty shootout (plural penalty shootouts)

This was an eighth game without defeat, penalty shootouts aside, over Hodgson's brief tenure but, by the end, this whole occasion had been stripped of any competitive nature.

2012 September 7, Dominic Fifield, “England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova”, in The Guardian:

(soccer, field hockey) A series of penalties (penalty kicks in soccer), taken to decide a winner after a game has resulted in a tie and extra time has been played.


free kick

a free-kick specialist

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(American football, soccer, Australian rules football, rugby, other ballgames) a kick in which a player may kick the ball without interference from the opposition. Such a kick may be awarded for a foul by the opposition, or earned by a player such as by taking a mark.

Australian rules football; other ballgames; Australian rules football; other ballgames

goditje e lirë

kick played without interference of opposition

(Gaelic football) The usual means of restarting play after a foul is committed, where the non-offending team restarts from where the foul was committed.


goal line

(rugby league, soccer, hurling, Gaelic football) the boundary of the field that runs along its width at each end, and across the front of the goal.

rugby league; hurling; Gaelic football; rugby league; hurling; Gaelic football

(American football) part of a vertical plane separating an end zone from the field of play when the ball is touched or is in player possession. The plane extends beyond the sidelines. A team’s goal line is that which it is defending.


wingman

(Australian rules football) A player positioned on the wing.


shut up shop

en-verb

shut up shop (third-person singular simple present shuts up shop, present participle shutting up shop, simple past and past participle shut up shop)

shuts up shop (present singular third-person)
shutting up shop (participle present)
shut up shop (participle past)
shut up shop (past)

(intransitive, cricket) To bat defensively in the last innings of a match in order to force a draw when winning is not possible.


penalty kick

(soccer) A form of direct free kick, taken from the penalty spot after a defensive foul in the penalty box, with only the goalkeeper defending the goal.

(rugby) A form of free kick in which the ball may be kicked towards touch, towards the goal or dribbled.


up to bat

(baseball) Preparing to have or having one's turn to attempt to hit the ball.


designated hitter

en-noun

designated hitter (plural designated hitters)

(baseball) A batter who is permitted to substitute for a pitcher in the batting rotation for the duration of a baseball game.


DH

designated hitter
designated hitter#English

(baseball) Initialism of designated hitter.


hitter

From hit + -er (agent noun suffix) or -er (measurement suffix).

He struck out six of the last seven batters, striking out the side in the eighth and fanning two hitters in the ninth.

1994 June 24, The Associated Press, “BASEBALL; A's Witt, Nearly Perfect, Says It's Ump Who Wasn't”, in The New York Times:

Mike Flanagan (1-2) hurled a four-hitter in 50-degree weather made colder by wind gusting up to 25 miles an hour. […] Ross Baumgarten (2-1) combined with Lamarr Hoyt on a seven-hitter to hand Detroit its sixth straight loss.

1981 April 26, UPI, “Royals Top Brewers on Gura's 3-Hitter, 4-2”, in The New York Times:

Witt, who had thrown three two-hitters in his career, was in control throughout and showed no signs of fatigue.

You’ve never pitched a no-hitter or a one-hitter or a two-hitter or a three-hitter, because you’ve never pitched nine innings.

2021 May 5, Tyler Kepner, “With No-Hitter, John Means Opens Up a World of Possibilities”, in The New York Times:

(baseball, in combination) A game with a team making a specified number of hits.


DOGSO

The referees failed to spot the shirt pull from Jackson during play but after VAR review he was correctly awarded the DOGSO red card.

(soccer, US, Canada) Acronym of denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.


runout

runout (countable and uncountable, plural runouts)

(cricket) The method of getting out (dismissed from play) in which a batsman, in making a run, has not reached the popping crease when a fielder breaks his wicket with the ball.


Canadian football

A game similar to American football played on a field of 110 yards long and 65 yards wide (with two 20 yard-long endzones) in which two teams of 12 players attempt to get an ovoid ball to the end of each other's territory.

rugby

from Canadian football originating as Canadian rugby


PECOTA

(baseball) Initialism of Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, a system for forecasting player performance.


gridiron

gridiron (countable and uncountable, plural gridirons)

From resembling the shape of a gridiron (a square rectilinear grid).

(American football) The field on which American football is played.


supplier

Regular supplier Barton played in another teasing corner, which was headed on towards goal by the impressive Ameobi and flicked in by expert poacher Nolan.

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

(soccer) Someone who assists (sets up) a goal.


cream puff

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So instead of lobbing a cream puff, I kicked up my leg and brought the Ruttlemyer Express.

2000, W. P. Kinsella, Baseball Fantastic: Stories:

Joseph “Stretch” Suba, a batting-practice pitcher, served up “big, fat, medium fast cream puffs for the All-Star hitters […]

2011, Paul Dickson, Skip McAfee, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third Edition), page 225:


spitball

(baseball) A pitch of a baseball that has been partly covered with saliva, illegal at most levels.


spitball

en-verb

spitball (third-person singular simple present spitballs, present participle spitballing, simple past and past participle spitballed)

spitballs (present singular third-person)
spitballing (participle present)
spitballed (participle past)
spitballed (past)

(baseball) To moisten the ball with saliva before pitching it.


ownage

Smith is just 1-27 lifetime against Jones. Jones has real ownage over him.

On August 23, 1993, the Braves came into San Francisco trailing the Giants by 7.5 games. The Braves swept the Giants in that pivotal series, and starting with that series, the Giants have won just 13 out of 51 games against the Braves. As Mike Krukow likes to say, "That's some serious ownage."

1998 August 9, Jack K, “Mesa = GAS CAN”, in alt.sports.baseball.sf-giants (Usenet), retrieved 2016-09-24, message-ID <35CE80E1.B14B2A97@pacbell.net>:

(baseball) The situation where one player has a history of domination over another player.


body check

medical practitioner
medical practitioner

(Hong Kong) A general health checkup performed by a medical practitioner.


Hammers

(soccer) Someone who supports or plays for West Ham United F.C.


Lord's

(cricket) Lord's Cricket Ground, a cricket ground in London.


one-time

one-time (third-person singular simple present one-times, present participle one-timing, simple past and past participle one-timed)

one-times (present singular third-person)
one-timing (participle present)
one-timed (participle past)
one-timed (past)

Basel's good moment continued, and in stoppage time of the first half, Streller released Salah with a clever pass down the middle and the young Egyptian one-timed the ball over Čech.

2013 May 3, Werner Pichler, “Europa League 2012/13, Semifinal, 2nd Leg (R)”, in rec.sport.soccer (Usenet):

(soccer, ice hockey) To shoot (the ball or puck) directly from a teammate's pass.


sausage roll

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(Australian rules football, rhyming slang) A goal.


night watchman

(cricket) A lower order batter to play the last overs in low light to save better batters for the next day's play.


wingback

(soccer) A player who doubles on either side of the center as a defender when their team is defending, and a winger when they are attacking.

carrilero

soccer: player who doubles as a defender and winger

(American football) A running back who is in formation near the line of scrimmage and outside the tackles, a slotback.


set piece

Roberto Carlos is deadly from set pieces.

(soccer) Any planned strategy that a team uses after play is restarted with a free kick, penalty kick, corner kick, goal kick, throw-in or kickoff.


kick-off

The atmosphere at Upton Park before kick-off reflected the palpable tension surrounding the club right now

2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC:

Alcohol consumption following football matches is fuelling domestic abuse in the hours after a game, according to new evidence suggesting that changing kick-off times could help reduce violence.

2021 July 4, Michael Savage, “Early kick-offs linked to more alcohol abuse and violence in the home”, in The Observer:

(soccer, American football) The opening kick of each half of a game of football.


chipper

(golf) A golf club for making chip shots.


right field

(baseball) The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and to your right if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher.

He's got a cannon out in right field.

(baseball) The defensive position in the outfield to the right, typically played by a player who can throw well.


center field

(baseball) The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and straight ahead left if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher.

(baseball) The defensive position in the outfield in the middle, typically played by a player that can run fast.


catcher's mitt

en-noun

catcher's mitt (plural catcher's mitts or catchers' mitts)

catcher's mitts (plural)
catchers' mitts (plural)

(baseball) A large protective glove used by a catcher when playing baseball.


Cubs

Abbreviation of "Cub Scouts" or "Chicago Cubs".


rimless

Took aim and scored, a sure, rimless basket.

(basketball) Not touching the rim of the basket while passing through it.


retire the side

en-verb

retire the side (third-person singular simple present retires the side, present participle retiring the side, simple past and past participle retired the side)

retires the side (present singular third-person)
retiring the side (participle present)
retired the side (participle past)
retired the side (past)

[…] and that will retire the side [sportscaster patter]

Jones steps on first to retire the side.

(baseball) To get the third out of an inning, thus ending the turn of one team (side) for batting and signaling the next turn of the other team (side).


bat around

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

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

If the teams do not have the same number of players, the team with the greater number of players bats around once per inning, and the team with the smaller number of players will bat an equal number of times as the opposing team,[…].

1965, Recreation, National Recreation Association, page 498:

[…]the Braves knocked Bunning out, batting around and scoring six runs in the fourth inning. They then scored four more runs the next inning, batting around once again against Dallas Green[…].

2005, John P. Rossi, The 1964 Phillies: The Story of Baseball's Most Memorable Collapse, McFarland, →ISBN, page 128:

The Phillies thus batted around the lineup without a hit for the first time since July 17, 1992, a run that lasted more than 24 years, per ESPN Stats & Info. If not for the inning-ending double play, the Phillies might have even sent 10 or 11 batters to the plate without recording a single hit.

2016 July 31, Bleacher Report Milestones, “Phillies Bat Around in 8th Inning Without Recording a Hit”, in Bleacher Report:

(intransitive, baseball) To have each of a team's batting line-up positions complete an at-bat in the same half-inning.

To have a team's first batter of the inning come to bat for a second time (after all of the others in the batting line-up have batted). (See the usage note below.)


early bath

From the belief that players bathe together after a match, so if a player gets sent off, he or she can get into the bath before the other players.

That was a horrible tackle, he can expect an early bath for that.

(idiomatic, euphemistic) Being shown a red card in soccer.


six-yard box

Roman Sharonov rose unchallenged to head a corner wide, while diminutive winger Gokdeniz Karadeniz ghosted in with a diving header from the edge of the six-yard box that was acrobatically kept out by Gomes.

2011 October 20, Jamie Lillywhite, “Tottenham 1 - 0 Rubin Kazan”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) An enclosed area inside the penalty area, extending 6 yards (5.5 metres) from the goal, inside which a goal kick must be taken.


fourth official

en-noun

fourth official (plural fourth officials)

(soccer) The official who keeps things at the dugout in order, and displays substitutions and the amount of injury time


centre circle

Vardy should have equalled Dunne’s record nine minutes in, when he dispossessed Williams in the centre circle and sped clear.

2015 December 5, Alan Smith, “Leicester City back on top as Riyad Mahrez hat-trick downs Swansea City”, in The Guardian (London):

(soccer) The circle in the centre of the pitch which, at kick-off, the defending team may not enter until the attacking side has touched the ball.

cercle central

the circle in the centre of the pitch in soccer


out-swinger

(soccer) A ball that curves away from the goal.


in-swinger

(soccer) A ball that curves towards the goal.

(cricket) A delivery that curves towards the batsman.


penalty arc

(soccer) An arc whose center is the penalty spot, extending from the top of the penalty area.


man on

(soccer, basketball) An outcry warning a teammate of an approaching opponent, usually from the rear.


Cruyff turn

Named after Dutch football player Johan Cruyff (1947–2016).

(soccer) A piece of footwork where, instead of passing or crossing the ball directly by kicking it, the player drags the ball behind his planted foot with the inside of his crossing foot, turns through 180 degrees, and accelerates away from the defender.


offside trap

offside trap (usually uncountable, plural offside traps)

He managed to beat the offside trap and clinch the winner.

But the visitors started the game in stunning fashion when Morten Gamst Pedersen dinked forward a clever looping pass and Kalinic beat the offside trap, surged into the box and beautifully placed the ball past goalkeeper Scott Carson.

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

(soccer) A defensive play intended to catch the attacking team offside, generally in such a way that the defense line suddenly and simultaneously moves forward.


diving header

To that end, the home supporters were in good voice to begin with, but it was Newcastle who started the game in the ascendancy, with Barton putting a diving header over the top from Jose Enrique's cross.

2011 April 10, Alistair Magowan, “Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A ball struck near ground level by the head of a diving player.


drop-ball

(soccer) A method of restarting play in a game where the referee drops the ball between two players of opposing teams.


penalty area

Racing out of his penalty area after a poor clearance, Haimov was beaten to the ball by Jerome, who rolled it to the waiting Shotton to fire a low shot past the goalkeeper.

2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, futsal) An area of a pitch or field, inside which a penalty is given to the offensive team if a foul is made by the defensive team.


one-two

A Ricketts and Stuart Holden one-two around the box then created a decent chance for an almost instant equaliser - but Welsh full-back Ricketts blasted over when a calmer finish could have been rewarded.

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

Kane had dropped off to spread the play with a diagonal and, when he darted for the far post, Saka curled the ball back towards him – call it a long-range one-two.

March 26 2023, David Hytner, “Kane and Bukayo Saka combine against Ukraine for England’s perfect Euros start”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) A quick one-touch play between two players.

narážečka

soccer: quick one-touch play between two players


backheel

[Bendtner was central to it at all, firstly firing home, via a deflection off Gareth McAuley, after being teed up by Sebastien Larsson's neat backheel, and then a minute later crossing for Elmohamady to head in an equaliser.

2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A kick played by the heel which typically travels in the opposite direction from which the player is facing.


backheel

en-verb

backheel (third-person singular simple present backheels, present participle backheeling, simple past and past participle backheeled)

backheels (present singular third-person)
backheeling (participle present)
backheeled (participle past)
backheeled (past)

Mount’s low cross deflected, Olivier Giroud backheeled for Pulisic and Arsenal’s defenders seemed to react in slow motion.

2020 August 1, David Hytner, “Aubameyang at the double as Arsenal turn tables on Chelsea to win FA Cup”, in The Guardian:


send down

send down (third-person singular simple present sends down, present participle sending down, simple past and past participle sent down)

sends down (present singular third-person)
sending down (participle present)
sent down (participle past)
sent down (past)

After performing poorly for the first month of the season, he was sent down to the minor leagues.

(baseball) To demote a player within the levels of professional baseball.


FCK

It came down to the penultimate game of the year, FCK away at Brondby, and Brondby blew it.

2003, David Goldblatt, World Soccer Yearbook 2003-2004, →ISBN:

This did not deter Flemming Østergaard, a charismatic businessman that led the takeover of FC Copenhagen (FCK) in 1997, from embarking on a similar diversification strategy (Storm, 2009). FCK went on to purchase the Danish national stadium, Parken, took up property investments, a bought a chain of fitness centres (fitness.dk) and two large vactations resorts, one of them close to the LEGOLAND Theme Park in Billund.

2011, Hallgeir Gammelsæter, Benoit Senaux, The Organisation and Governance of Top Football Across Europe, →ISBN:

An FCK soccer scarf was draped over a chair.

2012, A.J. Kazinski -, The Last Good Man, →ISBN, page 426:

It's therefore worth spending time at the website of FC København. You can browse FCK TV, OM FCK, which is presumably a Zen-like activity that Sting and Trudie Styler would enjoy, and have a MIT FCK. There are FCK highlights, KlubFCK, and FCK Away. There's something for everyone.

2014, Luke Dempsey, Club Soccer 101, →ISBN:

(soccer) Initialism of FC København (“FC Copenhagen”).

Sportarztebund Rheinland/Pfalz (chmn. since 1964), assn. and team med. doctor for 1st FCK Kaiserslautern (football club).

1983, Karl Strute, Theodor Doelken, Who's Who in Germany 1982-1983 - Part 1, →ISBN, page 1253:

This was my first opportunity to meet FCK supporters, and I was intoxicated by their merch table before I even entered the stadium.

2014, Tanya H. Keith, Passionate Soccer Love: A Memoir of 20 Years Supporting Us Soccer, →ISBN:

FC Kaiserslautern (FCK) was the first football club in the Bundesliga (German Federal Football League) to create a team, initially, and then a section for women's football.

2018, Gertrud Pfister, Stacey Pope, Female Football Players and Fans: Intruding into a Man's World, →ISBN:

1. FC Kaiserslautern
w:1. FC Kaiserslautern

(soccer) Initialism of 1. FC Kaiserslautern.


Ruthian

en-adj

Ruthian (comparative more Ruthian, superlative most Ruthian)

more Ruthian (comparative)
most Ruthian (superlative)

From "Babe" Ruth, holder of the record for number of home runs in a season from 1919 to 1961, and for home runs in a career from 1921 to 1974.

Jones launches a Ruthian blast; it lands high in the upper deck.

(baseball) Prodigiously accomplished with respect to batting, typically describing the flight of a long home run.


pinch runner

(baseball) A substitute runner, usually brought in to replace a slow runner to increase the chance of that runner scoring.


quick pitch

Following some confusion the pitcher immediately attempted a quick pitch but was called for a balk.

(baseball) A pitch thrown without any of the normal setup routine to try and catch a batter off guard.


Mendoza line

After shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose lifetime batting average is taken to define the threshold of minimally competent hitting.

His recent slump has put him perilously close to the Mendoza line; he may be headed to AAA soon.

(baseball) A .200 batting average, which is around the minimum batting average a player with strong defensive skills can have and still stay in the major leagues. Named for Mario Mendoza.


slide tackle

Christian Karembeu almost broke his supermodel wife's leg with a slide tackle during a football game in their back garden.

2002 February 27, “Cruncher Karembeu takes it out on his wife”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) a tackle to get the ball by sliding on the ground feet-first


halftime

en-noun

halftime (countable and uncountable, plural halftimes)

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(American football) The halftime show, the primary light entertainment of a game, after the second quarter, when players can physically recover, coaches can give players a pep talk, bets can be doubled, etc.


time out

en-verb

time out (third-person singular simple present times out, present participle timing out, simple past and past participle timed out)

times out (present singular third-person)
timing out (participle present)
timed out (participle past)
timed out (past)

(transitive, cricket) To declare (the batsman) out for having taken longer than two minutes to appear on the field.


on the back foot

(cricket, of a batsman) Having the weight on the back foot in order to play a defensive stroke


pay-off

The bases are loaded, so he'd better make the pay-off count.


go up

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

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

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


coordinator

→ Japanese: コーディネーター (kōdinētā)

en:assistant coach or similar role in sports

(sports, chiefly American football) An assistant coach responsible for a particular facet of the game, such as defense.


short stop

(baseball) Alternative spelling of shortstop


on deck circle

Jones warms up in the on deck circle.

(baseball) The circle drawn or painted on the field where the next batter to hit waits.


bat speed

Good hip speed leads to good bat speed.

(baseball) The speed of the bat during a swing.


backside throw

Good backside throw leads to good hip speed which leads to good bat speed.

(baseball) The rotation of the knee and lower body of the side of the batter away from the pitcher during a swing.


hip speed

en-noun

hip speed (countable and uncountable, plural hip speeds)

Good hip speed leads to good bat speed.

(baseball) The speed of rotation of the hips of a batter during a swing.


on deck

Jones is the on-deck batter.

(baseball) Being the batter who will be up next, typically when that player is waiting on the field.


Wimbledon

From an Old English name (probably Wynnmann, or alternatively Wynebeald) + dūn (“hill”).

Norman Brookes was the first Australian to win the men's singles at Wimbledon in 1907 - making him the first male outside Britain to win the Championships and the first of 12 Australian men to take the title.

2005, Jane Egginton, Working and Living Australia, page 81:

In the 1991 Wimbledon semifinal between Michael Stich and Stefan Edberg, there was just one service break in the entire match, and the guy whose serve was broken, Stich, ended up winning the match!

2008, Pete Sampras, Peter Bodo, Pete Sampras: A Champion's Mind, published 2010, unnumbered page:

An incredible 28 thousand kilograms of strawberries are eaten at Wimbledon every year...

2013, Jack Goldstein, Frankie Taylor, 101 Amazing Facts about Wimbledon, unnumbered page:

(tennis) The Wimbledon Championships, a prestigious tennis tournament.


hit parade

That’s going to do it for Smith as Jones joins the hit parade off him.

(baseball) Many hits in a row scored by one team.


golden sombrero

golden sombrero (plural golden sombreros)

Jones got a golden sombrero last night; he had a hat trick (three strikeouts) going into the ninth inning, then struck out for the fourth time.

(baseball) A humorous verbal "award" given to a batter who has struck out four times in a single game.


platinum sombrero

platinum sombrero (plural platinum sombreros)

Mike had to witness his dad achieve a platinum sombrero last night.

(baseball) A humorous verbal "award" given to a batter who has struck out five times in a single game.


WTA

Women's Tennis Association
w:Women's Tennis Association

(tennis) Initialism of Women's Tennis Association.

Men's Association of Tennis Professionals


four fingers

Four fingers are up for Jones because the weak-hitting Smith will follow.

(baseball) The sign made by the manager directing the pitcher to issue an intentional walk.


keystone corner

keystone corner (plural keystone corners)

Jones takes the toss at the keystone corner, on to first... double play.

(baseball) Second base, because it is often the key to scoring and defense.


worm burner

From the humorous notion that any worms on the ground might be burned by the rapid passage of the ball.

Jones smashes a worm burner to mid on.

Jones smashes a worm burner between third and short.

(baseball, cricket) A hard-hit ground ball.


tools of ignorance

Jones straps on the tools of ignorance.


set point

(tennis, volleyball) A situation where if one of the two players wins the next point, (s)he will win the set (but not the match).


double play depth

The infield is at double play depth with one out and a man at first.

(baseball) A shift in the defensive alignment of the infielders towards home plate when there is a baserunner on first base, to increase the possibility of getting a double play.


double fault

While reaching last year's US Open final showed he possesses an all-round game, Anderson's biggest weapon remains his serve - which he lost in the opening game against Djokovic with a double fault on break point.

2018 July 15, Jonathan Jurejko, “Novak Djokovic wins fourth Wimbledon by beating Kevin Anderson”, in BBC Sport:

(tennis) The missing of both the first serve and second serve, resulting in a point for the receiver.


match point

He made it to match point three times and still lost, but you can't come much closer than that.

(sports, tennis) A state in a game where a player can win the entire match by winning the next point. Often used in tennis.


break point

(tennis) A situation in which if the receiver wins the next point, (s)he will win the game (but not the set or match).


Azzurri

(soccer) the Italy national football team

(rugby union) the Italy national rugby union team


bare hand

en-verb

bare hand (third-person singular simple present bare hands, present participle bare handing, simple past and past participle bare handed)

bare hands (present singular third-person)
bare handing (participle present)
bare handed (participle past)
bare handed (past)

Jones bare hands the bunt and throws to first... out!

(transitive, baseball) To field the ball without one's glove in one's hand.


the sticks

Possibly derived from 1800s Chinook Jargon stick (“tree, forest”), from English stick.

They gained just enough on that play to move the sticks and continue the drive.

(American football) The set of yardage markers used by a chain crew to indicate the ten yards between the line of scrimmage from the previous first down and the line to gain, which the offense must reach in their series of four downs in order to retain possession of the ball.


catenaccio

Borrowed from Italian catenaccio, literally "bolt (for a door)".

(soccer) A system of defensive play focused on nullifying opponents' attacks and preventing goal-scoring opportunities, typically using a libero.


Pilgrim

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


Chelsea

From Old English Celchyth, from cealc (“chalk”) + hȳþ (“landing place”).

association football
association football

(soccer) Chelsea FC, an English association football club.


duster

desc

→ Cebuano: daster (“type of loose dress worn at home”)

→ Indonesian: daster (“type of loose dress worn at home”)

→ Tagalog: daster (“type of loose dress worn at home”)

(baseball) A high pitch toward the batter.


Soca Warriors

(soccer) The Trinidad and Tobago national football team.


hoik

en-noun

hoik (countable and uncountable, plural hoiks)

Possibly originally a form of hike (itself of unclear etymology).

(cricket, countable) A wild hook shot played without style.


hoik

en-verb

hoik (third-person singular simple present hoiks, present participle hoiking, simple past and past participle hoiked)

hoiks (present singular third-person)
hoiking (participle present)
hoiked (participle past)
hoiked (past)


Socceroo

While still playing for Marconi, just prior to joining Lierse, I had debuted as a Socceroo.

2010, Archie Thompson, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger, page 68:

A sensation as fullback on the tour, Williams remained in the Socceroo squad for the historic 1974 World Cup campaign in West Germany.

1990, Bret Harris, The Proud Champions: Australia′s Aboriginal sporting heroes, page 106:

Kosmina equalled Atti Abonyi′s record of 25 Socceroo goals at full international level and is the National Soccer League′s highest goal-scorer, with 133 goals.

1994, Wray Vamplew, The Oxford Companion to Australian sport, 2nd edition, page 235:

(Australia, sometimes attributive) A member of the Australian national soccer team, the Socceroos.


dropper

(cricket, historical) A delivery by lob bowling (no longer legal).

(cricket, historical) A bowler who makes such deliveries.


ball girl

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


ball boy

(sports) A person, usually male, responsible for retrieving balls from the area of play, and returning them to the players.

aplegapilotes

A male person responsible for retrieving balls


double eagle

(golf) Three under par, one stroke short of an ace (a hole in one) on a par-five hole.

iolar dúbailte

golf: three under par, one stroke short of an ace


footballer

/ˈfʊtbɔːləɹ/

It is footballers though, rather than commentators, presenters or pundits, who when interviewed have provided some of the best Colemanballs.

2004, George Best, Scoring At Half-Time: Adventures On and Off the Pitch, →ISBN, page 259:

(soccer, UK) One who plays association football.


screening

en-noun

screening (countable and uncountable, plural screenings)

→ German: Screening

→ Spanish: screening

due diligence

performing the work needed to uncover latent problems

(volleyball) Action done by the serving team to prevent the opposing team from seeing the server and the flight path of the ball.


nub

en-verb

nub (third-person singular simple present nubs, present participle nubbing, simple past and past participle nubbed)

nubs (present singular third-person)
nubbing (participle present)
nubbed (participle past)
nubbed (past)

Either directly from Middle Low German, or from knub, from a Middle Low German word (compare Low German Knubbel, Knobbel (“knot; lump”)). Compare knob.


snapper

(American football) The player who snaps the ball to start the play.


plunk

en-verb

plunk (third-person singular simple present plunks, present participle plunking, simple past and past participle plunked)

plunks (present singular third-person)
plunking (participle present)
plunked (participle past)
plunked (past)

The Braves retaliated by plunking Harper in the next inning.

(transitive, baseball) To intentionally hit the batter with a pitch.


jump shot

(basketball) A shot in which the player releases the ball at the highest point of a jump.


air out

air out (third-person singular simple present airs out, present participle airing out, simple past and past participle aired out)

airs out (present singular third-person)
airing out (participle present)
aired out (participle past)
aired out (past)

(American football, slang) To throw passes, especially long and high passes.


green top

en-noun

green top (countable and uncountable, plural green tops)

(cricket, countable) A pitch with abundant visible grass.


step up to the plate

en-verb

step up to the plate (third-person singular simple present steps up to the plate, present participle stepping up to the plate, simple past and past participle stepped up to the plate)

steps up to the plate (present singular third-person)
stepping up to the plate (participle present)
stepped up to the plate (participle past)
stepped up to the plate (past)

An allusion to taking one's turn at bat in baseball.

Surround yourself with good people who can reliably step up to the plate and solve problems when they occur.

2008 June 12, Beth Stackpole, “The IT pro's vacation planner”, in Computerworld, retrieved 2020-06-17:

When you introduce a new and very important issue, you are likely to inspire some of those who have been sitting back to step up to the plate and take on the new role of promoting ethical practice.

2013, Janice Gow Pettey, Nonprofit Fundraising Strategy, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 207:

However, every time you fail to do something, you make it harder to step up to the plate for the next challenge. Think of this ability and willingness to step up as a competency or skill that you can develop over time.

2014, Henry Evans, Colm Foster, Step Up, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 78:

"There is something in railway people that has encouraged them to step up to the plate," says Starr.

2021 January 27, Paul Clifton, “What is the future of the RDG?”, in RAIL, issue 923, page 44:

take a responsibility
take responsibility

(chiefly US, idiomatic) To initiate action; to assume or take a responsibility.


back pass

(soccer) An intentional pass to the goalkeeper by a teammate.


goalpost

/ˈɡəʊlpəʊst/

(sports, American football) The tall Y-shaped upright, now usually of fiberglass, at either end of the playing field, through which a football must go in order for a field goal to be scored. (They were originally H-shaped, with one wooden post on either side.)


rover

From Middle English roven (“to wander, to shoot an arrow randomly”) + -er.

inh

I went to Coach Beamer and, because we had a lot of outside linebackers, ask him if I could play rover.

2011, Frank Beamer, Always a Hokie: Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Virginia Tech Football:

(American football) A defensive back position whose coverage responsibilities are a hybrid of those of a cornerback, safety and linebacker.

(croquet) A ball which has passed through all the hoops and would go out if it hit the stake but is continued in play; also, the player of such a ball.

(baseball) The tenth defensive player in slow-pitch softball.


goalbound

Liverpool did have one moment of danger in the first half when Chelsea failed to clear Glen Johnson's cross and Branislav Ivanovic blocked Craig Bellamy's goalbound shot.

2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) Likely to enter the goal, but for the intervention of defenders and the goalkeeper.


box out

en-verb

box out (third-person singular simple present boxes out, present participle boxing out, simple past and past participle boxed out)

boxes out (present singular third-person)
boxing out (participle present)
boxed out (participle past)
boxed out (past)

(basketball) To position oneself between an opposition player and the basket in anticipation of getting a rebound.


circuit slugger

en-noun

circuit slugger (plural circuit sluggers)

Gil Hodges became the greatest circuit slugger ever to wear Dodger flannels.

(baseball, idiomatic) A talented baseball batter who hits home runs.


town ball

(softball) A non-varsity softball team, typically played by youths (usually girls) under the age of 18. Frequently played in small cities and towns, sponsored by a local business and coached by volunteers.


interception

interception (countable and uncountable, plural interceptions)

Borrowed from Latin interceptiō; compare French interception.

(American football) A passing play where the ball is caught by the opposing team.

(rugby) A pass that is intercepted by an opposing player.


rough up the bullpen

en-verb

rough up the bullpen (third-person singular simple present roughs up the bullpen, present participle roughing up the bullpen, simple past and past participle roughed up the bullpen)

roughs up the bullpen (present singular third-person)
roughing up the bullpen (participle present)
roughed up the bullpen (participle past)
roughed up the bullpen (past)

The strong baseball team really roughed up the bullpen in their 34-0 rout against their foes; the coach used nine relievers and they still couldn't get anybody out.

(baseball, of the offensive team) To manage easily to hit pitching by the starting and relief pitchers of the opposing team, despite the types of pitches thrown or the skill of the pitchers.


Gunners

(informal, soccer) Arsenal football club.


crazy golf

(golf) A variation on golf, played on a smaller scale, where players have to putt the golf ball into a hole, past various obstructions.


driving range

Improve your golf swing by taking your mate to the driving range. If you're good, you can show off and give her some tips. If you stink, play it for laughs.

2008 January–February, “70 Ways to Improve Every Day of the Week”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 135:

(golf) An area where golfers practice their swing, and try to hit the ball far, toward no target.


cheaply

en-adv

cheaply (comparative more cheaply, superlative most cheaply)

more cheaply (comparative)
most cheaply (superlative)

(cricket, by extension) For a low score.


golf course

(golf) The land where one plays golf, with tees, fairways, greens and flags in holes.


golfer

(computing) One who takes part in code golf or regex golf.


run-on

(soccer, rugby, etc.) An amount of time spent playing on the field during a game, especially so as to evaluate a player's abilities.


tailback

(American football) A running back or halfback who lines up furthest to the rear in an I formation.


triple bogey

(golf) A score of three over par (for one hole)


LPGA

Ladies Professional Golf Association
w:Ladies Professional Golf Association

(golf) Initialism of Ladies Professional Golf Association.


sand wedge

(golf) A golf club (an iron) with a heavy flange on the bottom, ideal for bunker shots.


double bogey

(golf) A score of two over par (for one hole).


approach shot

(golf) Any shot, normally not when teeing off, aimed to land on the green, hit for accuracy more than power.

(tennis) A shot intended to allow the player hitting it to get to the net.


tee off

en-verb

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

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

I always check the wind direction before I tee off.

(golf) To hit the first shot of the hole, from the tee.

Reyes teed off on a hanging curve to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.

(baseball, by extension) To hit the ball very hard, especially for a home run.


tap in

(golf) A simple, short putt very close to the hole.

(soccer) A simple shot into the goal from close range, and without opposition.


tap in

tap in (third-person singular simple present taps in, present participle tapping in, simple past and past participle tapped in)

taps in (present singular third-person)
tapping in (participle present)
tapped in (participle past)
tapped in (past)

Bent was again left with the simplest of finishes when Rooney picked out Young and he unselfishly crossed for Bent to tap in from inside the six-yard area.

2011, Phil McNulty, Euro 2012: Montenegro 2-2 England:

(soccer) To kick a simple shot, without opposition, from close range into the goal.


Bharat Army

The Bharat Army—with around 30 in Gandhi topis, 51 tricolour T-shirts and Sachin Tendulkar posters—continually cheered the Indians […]

2004, Boria Majumdar, J A Mangan, Cricketing Cultures in Conflict: Cricketing World Cup 2003:

Every Barmy Army chant was countered by the British Bharat Army. India batted first. […]

Fan involvement was the main 90's phenomena, and the Barmy Army were the fore-runners and leaders in this (and have since been followed by the Bharat Army (India), the Aussie Cricket Family, etc).

2011, Pete Christopher, Barmy Days and Balmy Nights, page 319:

[…] loyalists such as England's Barmy Army and India's Bharat Army, who follow their national cricket team […]

2014, Rob Steen, Floodlights and touchlines:

(cricket) The group composed of Indian cricket fans who travel, sporadically, around the world to watch and support the Indian cricket team in action.


putting green

→ Korean: 퍼팅 그린 (peoting geurin)

(golf) The area of a golf course nearest the hole, with a smoother surface to make putting easier.


golf club

Once the tough job is done for Prosser, he says he can then get his golf clubs back out - they have been in the cupboard untouched for a decade.

2023 November 15, Ian Prosser talks to Stefanie Foster, “A healthy person is a more productive person”, in RAIL, number 996, page 37:

In golf, the implement used to hit the golf ball.


tuck in

tuck in (third-person singular simple present tucks in, present participle tucking in, simple past and past participle tucked in)

tucks in (present singular third-person)
tucking in (participle present)
tucked in (participle past)
tucked in (past)

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

And although Steven Fletcher cut the deficit for Wolves, tucking in Stephen Hunt's cross, the home side held on.

2011 September 24, Arindam Rej, “Liverpool 2 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC Sport:

(transitive, soccer) To score from with a casual motion


Bermuda green

en-noun

Bermuda green (countable and uncountable, plural Bermuda greens)

(golf, countable) A green whose surface consists of Bermuda grass.


uppishly

en-adv

uppishly (comparative more uppishly, superlative most uppishly)

more uppishly (comparative)
most uppishly (superlative)

[…] the tall left-hander slapped a short ball from Adil Rashid wearily and uppishly to extra cover.

2010 June 30, Andy Wilson, “Kyle Hogg’s bat buoys Lancashire and halts Yorkshire in their tracks”, in The Guardian:

(cricket, of a ball, hit by a batsman) In an upward direction, with the chance of being caught.


WR

(American football, Canadian football) Initialism of wide receiver.


WR

(rugby union) Initialism of World Rugby, the international governing body for rugby union.


push off

en-verb

push off (third-person singular simple present pushes off, present participle pushing off, simple past and past participle pushed off)

pushes off (present singular third-person)
pushing off (participle present)
pushed off (participle past)
pushed off (past)

(intransitive, basketball) to commit a foul by pushing against an opponent to both accelerate more quickly and push the opponent in the opposite direction.


APG

(basketball) Abbreviation of assists per game.


kicky

en-adj

kicky (comparative kickier, superlative kickiest)

kickier (comparative)
kickiest (superlative)

(cricket) Describing a wicket that sometimes causes the ball to kick (bounce unevenly).


VFL

2006, Ian W. Shaw, The Bloodbath: The 1945 VFL Grand Final, Scribe Publications, →ISBN:

The VFL began with eight clubs: Carlton; Collingwood; Essendon; Fitzroy; Geelong; Melbourne; St Kilda; and South Melbourne.

2006, Ross Booth, “58: The economic development of the Australian Football League”, in Wladimir Andreff, Stefan Szymański, editors, Handbook on Economics of Sport, page 553:

The professional Victorian Football League (VFL) matches attracted more than 100000 spectators weekly from 1939 until 1941. In 1942, however, the VFL lost half of its football fields to ancillary and military services.

2009, Kate Darian-Smith, On the Home Front: Melbourne in Wartime: 1939-1945, page 164:

(historical, Australian rules football) Initialism of Victorian Football League, an Australian rules football league formed in Victoria, Australia, in 1896; renamed the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990 after expansion to other states starting in the 1980s.

Victorian Football League

Victorian Football League
w:Victorian Football League

(Australian rules football) Initialism of Victorian Football League; a second-tier regional (country area) Australian rules football league operating within Victoria; derived from the historic Victorian Football Association, from which the future AFL broke in 1896.


uppercut

(cricket) A cut shot that sends the ball over the wicket-keeper's head.


inbound

en-verb

inbound (third-person singular simple present inbounds, present participle inbounding, simple past and past participle inbounded)

inbounds (present singular third-person)
inbounding (participle present)
inbounded (participle past)
inbounded (past)

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

Smith inbounds the ball to Johnson.

(basketball) To pass a ball inbounds; to throw the ball in.


greenie

From green + -ie. Environmentalist sense first attested in Australia in 1973, referring to trade unionists who supported green bans.

(golf) The player whose ball is closest to the hole on a par-3 hole after the first shot (drive), in the case when multiple players reach the green on that first shot and the player with the closest ball sinks the ball within the next two shots.


divot

1530s, Scots divot (“turf”), also spelt devat, diffat, and the earliest form (1435), duvat(e), from Scottish Gaelic dubhad, a reduced form of dubh-fhàd, literally “black sod” (compare fàl (“turf, sod”)).

Usually her voice came over the wire as something fresh and cool, as if a divot from a green golf-links had come sailing in at the office window, but this morning it seemed harsh and dry.

1925, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, chapter 8, in The Great Gatsby, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1953, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 155:

Soon, thick dark tufts of hair began to spread across his scalp, hanging over his ears, a moor of unruly divots which he was first unable to tame and with time willingly cultivated.

2007, Lewis Crofts, chapter 1, in The Pornographer of Vienna, London: Old Street, page 4:

(especially golf) A torn-up piece of turf, especially by a golf club in making a stroke or by a horse's hoof.


divot

divot (third-person singular simple present divots, present participle divoting, simple past and past participle divoted)

divots (present singular third-person)
divoting (participle present)
divoted (participle past)
divoted (past)

(transitive, especially golf) To tear up pieces of turf from, especially with a golf club in making a stroke.


dubbed

She also told me how my dad, no athlete, played tennis on the island, and how her favorite aunt, Aunt May — a nurse and a woman well ahead of her time — threw her golf clubs in one of the island's canals when one of her dubbed shots went into the water.

2000, Joseph Anthony Amato, Bypass: A Memoir, page 32:

For those of us who play a sport for fun, it is not the missed baskets that bring us back to the basketball court or the dubbed golf shots back to the golf course.

2002, William Becker, How to OD... and Live to Tell About It, page 141:

In golf, it tends to occur with dubbed shots affecting the lead wrist (left wrist in a right-handed golfer).

2010, William P. Cooney, The Wrist: Diagnosis and Operative Treatment, page 1172:

(golf, of a shot) Poorly executed; mis-swung.


poacher

Regular supplier Barton played in another teasing corner, which was headed on towards goal by the impressive Ameobi and flicked in by expert poacher Nolan.

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

(soccer) An attacker with good movement inside the penalty box, see Wikipedia:Goal poacher.


in touch

Kick the ball in touch.

And when scrum-half Ben Youngs, who had a poor game, was burgled by opposite number Irakli Abuseridze and the ball shipped down the line to Irakli Machkhaneli, it looked like Georgia had scored a try of their own, but the winger's foot was in touch.

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

(rugby, of a ball or a player) outside the playing area or touching the touchlines of the playing area.


workup

en-noun

workup (countable and uncountable, plural workups)

The first time I saw Amity we were in front of her house playing work-up, a baseball variation where you move from position to position by outs until you get to bat.

2014, Tom Bentley, Flowering: And Other Stories:


day-nighter

limited overs cricket
limited overs cricket

(cricket) A limited overs cricket match that starts in the afternoon and continues into the evening under floodlights.


rainmaker

esőcsináló

someone or something that causes or attempts to cause rain to fall

The slugger is known for hitting rainmakers.

His #Boomstick helped [Nelson] Cruz earn a spot as the second-longest Statcast™-rated homer of the 2016 season, coming up just shy of Giancarlo Stanton's 504-foot rainmaker in August.

2016 September 24, Adrian Garro, “Nelson Cruz’s 493-foot monster homer in Minnesota is Statcast’s second-longest of 2016”, in Cut4, MLB.com, Major League Baseball, archived from the original on 2018-09-09:

(baseball, informal) A batted ball that is hit very high into the air.


SFA

Scottish Football Association
w:Scottish Football Association

(soccer) Initialism of Scottish Football Association.


blaster

The "blaster" type of club has been blamed for doing its share in making golf courses look ridiculous, […]

1948, Henry Cotton, This Game of Golf, page 119:

The person who has a sand wedge - the blaster - for these shots has a distinct advantage.

1962, Gary Player, Golf Secrets, page 61:


in goal

After Chelsea had two goalkeepers injured in one match, their captain went in goal for the last few minutes.


England's formation was a rigid 4-4-2 against a Norway side of surprisingly limited ambition and on one of the rare occasions James Milner got in the action he forced a save from Jarstein.

2012 May 26, Phil McNulty, “Norway 0-1 England”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A popular football formation with 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers.


pusher

(tennis) A defensive player who does not attempt to hit winners, instead playing slower shots into the opponent's court.


Roland Garros

Named after Roland Garros, a French fighter pilot.

The French Open, one of the four events in the Grand Slam.


shielding

shielding (countable and uncountable, plural shieldings)

(soccer) Action done by the person with the ball to protect the ball from the defender; the person concerned keeps his body between the ball and the defender.


setter

→ Czech: setr

→ Danish: setter

→ Finnish: setteri

→ French: setter

→ German: Setter

→ Italian: setter

→ Russian: сеттер (setter)

→ Swedish: setter

From Middle English settere, equivalent to set + -er. Compare West Frisian setter, Dutch zetter, German Low German Setter, German Setzer.
The hunting dogs are so named because when they scent the game, they set (that is, strike a certain stance).

(volleyball) The player who is responsible for setting, or passing, the ball to teammates for an attack.


switch-hitter

The average ball player can become an effective switch hitter only if he has switched hit from the time he commenced playing.

1961, National Association of Basketball Coaches of the United States, American Football Coaches Association, Athletic Journal, volume 46, page 23:

(baseball) A person who can bat either as a right-hander or a left-hander; an ambidextrous batter.

(cricket) A batsman who performs switch-hits.


chest pass

(basketball) A pass played with the ball at chest-height.


4-2-4 (countable and uncountable, plural 4-2-4s)

4-2-4 (locomotive)
Formation (football)#4-2-4

(soccer, uncountable) A popular football formation with 4 defenders, 2 midfielders and 4 strikers


scorer

(cricket) Either of a pair of people, one provided by each side, who record in a specially formatted book, every ball bowled, every run scored, and every wicket that falls


hot stove

the hot stove report

(baseball, attributive) The baseball off-season where trades take place and teams look to sign free agents.


sin bin

From sin + bin. Apparently Australian. Usage of the panel van sense is influenced by the US trade name.

Tommy Parker had propped Sporting World against a waterjug. He said “I see Max de Woppa spent three minutes in the sin bin.”

1985, Nicholas Mosely, Accident, →ISBN, page 27:

Rob received a minor penalty, and as he served out his three minutes kicking back in the sin bin, Chinook′s sniper, Pierre Dion, shot from the point.

2005, Rachel K. Gibson, The Trouble With Valentine's Day, page 46:

2012: Phil Gifford, Rivals: Sports Greatest Battles, HarperCollins Australia, unnumbered page,
At the play-the-ball Tamati and Dowling started jostling each other, then punching. The referee sent them to the sin bin.

(sports) An area where players are temporarily confined while suspended from play following an infringement of the rules of the game.

jäähyaitio

sports: an area where players are temporarily confined while suspended from play

penalty box

area for confinement of players while suspended

Punishment can be positive or negative, but both decrease the chances of the behaviour recurring. Positive punishment adds something unpleasant: yelling at the cat, for example. Negative punishment removes something pleasant: your company, for example, by putting the cat in the sin bin (see Chapter 9).

2001, Kersti Seksel, Training Your Cat, page 33:

Where habitual offenders remain, we can be sure that any sin-bin will not be populated by members of any one racial group alone.

2004, Richard Giles, Creating Uncommon Worship: Transforming the Liturgy of the Eucharist, page 88:

2004, Allison James, Adrian James, Constructing Childhood: Theory, Policy and Social Practice, Palgrave MacMillan, 130,
As the pupils who would be the occupants of the sin-bins would not be counted as having been excluded from schools - being simply rehoused within them - the Government′s policy to cut the number of permanent school exclusions would remain intact, while the complaints made by teachers could also be addressed.

2004, John Campbell, Margaret Thatcher, Volume 2: The Iron Lady, page 214,
She was obliged to leave him in the sin-bin for four years.

(figurative) A place for transgressors, a limbo; a place of confinement or self-isolation after (or in order to avert) transgressions; a state of disgrace.

(UK, education, colloquial) A referral unit or special class for frequent truants.

1972 September, What′s New: Rolling pad, Popular Science, page 70,
There′s a shag rug on the floor, padding on walls and ceiling, and, for extra comfort, a 600-gallon water bed. The Sin Bin is made by Chinook Mobilodge.

1978 March, Jim Elder, Camp/work conversion, Popular Mechanics, page 110,
There is the shag-carpet “sin bin” with its fur upholstery, mahogany paneling, stained glass, color TV and chrome sidepipes.

1986 January, A Family Affair, Popular Mechanics, page 86,
Unlike the full-size Sin Bins of the ′70s, the new family vans are cute, comfortable and carlike.

(US, Australia, colloquial) Synonym of fuck truck: A panel van with a mattress in the back.


sin bin

en-verb

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

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

(sports, usually in passive voice) to send a player off temporarily following an infringement of a rule in a game

antaa jäähy

sports: to send a player off temporarily following an infringement of a rule


alickadoo

Legend attributes the term to former Irish full back and captain Ernie Crawford, who was rumoured to remark on a book read by a teammate by saying "You and your bloody Ali Khadu." Another possible origin dates from the amateur days of the game, when hard-pressed club helpers, when asked for more balls, players, games and etc., the reply was "it's all I can do". Hence alickadoo.

(British) A non-playing member of a rugby union club who helps in the running of the club by performing various roles, usually on match days. These roles are not committee positions but are essential if the club is to function properly.


burn off

burn off (third-person singular simple present burns off, present participle burning off, simple past and past participle burned off or burnt off)

burns off (present singular third-person)
burning off (participle present)
burned off (participle past)
burned off (past)
burnt off (participle past)
burnt off (past)

Slick use of the resulting turnover ball gave Koroibete the space to burn off Daly, only the third try England have so far conceded in this tournament.

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


switch-hit

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

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

His ability to switch-hit left the manager with a tough decision whether to bring in a left-handed or a right-handed relief pitcher.

(baseball, softball) To bat both left and right-handed.

(cricket) To face the bowler with a left or right-handed batting stance, and then switch to the opposite stance as the ball is bowled.


switch-hit

(cricket) An instance of switch-hitting.


Euros

(soccer) the UEFA European Football Championship


backfield

(sports) The rear part of the field of play, particularly

(American football) The area behind the line of scrimmage occupied before the snap by the team on offense.

Moving the ball directly out of the backfield is the greatest form of attack there is.

2000, Derek Smethurst, Soccer Offense for Winning, →ISBN, page 1:

Cheryl Salisbury[…]moved back to defense, and became a veteran force on the backfield. By 2003 she was captain of the Matildas, but still found enough time to hone her skills for the WUSA[…]

2012, Barbara Stewart, Helen Stoumbos, Women's Soccer: The Passionate Game, page 92:

“Like you should talk about good soccer, Ethan,” said Joshua, the team's starting keeper. “I bet every girl on the soccer team knows not to go charging on goal from the backfield, ignoring her teammates.”

2017, Jake Maddox, Eric Stevens, Soccer Stand-off, page 56:

(soccer, US) The area behind either the offensive or defensive line.


rusher

(American football) The fast defensive position whose objective is to sack the offensive team's quarterback.


run-up

(cricket) The approach run of a bowler before delivering the ball.

aanloop

(cricket) the approach run of a bowler before delivering the ball


bandbox

A small baseball park conducive to scoring home runs.


guarder

From guard + -er.
School slang relates to Stonyhurst College in the United Kingdom.

The Hodder Football is very good this year, and we have an excellent team. Hammond is a good guarder and can save some very difficult shots.

1914 February 16, “Hodder Notes”, in The Stonyhurst Magazine, volume 13, number 192, page 819:


yips

Defining precisely why a professional cyclist might lose his touch on descents is as difficult as explaining a golfer's yips or a striker's sudden inability to find the net. It happens rarely, most famously in the early 1990s; the double world champion Gianni Bugno suffered from it and only rediscovered his "flow" after being made to listen to Mozart to calm his nerves.

2013 May 13, William Fotheringham, The Guardian:

(informal) A nervous condition which prevents a sportsperson from playing properly; especially a condition which causes a golfer to miss an easy putt, or a tennis player to serve a double fault.


T-ball

en-noun

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

(US, countable) The lightweight wiffleball used to play a game of T-ball.


baseball bat

Beat on the brat / Beat on the brat with a baseball bat / Oh yeah...

A long instrument, typically wood, metal, or plastic, which is swung to strike baseballs.

baseballová pálka

device which is swung to try to make contact with baseballs


sextuple

Formed (in imitation of quadruple) from Latin sextus (“sixth”): compare French sextuple.

(sports, soccer) A team that wins 6 titles in the same year or season.

Sextuple

a team that wins 6 titles in the same year or season


warning track

Fly ball to deep center. Shelby goes back and makes the catch on the warning track.

(softball, baseball) The dirt or other material on the edge of a baseball or softball field that warns a player that he or she is approaching the fence, especially the portion in the outfield.


streaky

en-adj

streaky (comparative streakier, superlative streakiest)

streakier (comparative)
streakiest (superlative)

Although the two added thirteen important runs, including four byes let through by Mongia and a streaky outside edge cum late-cut by Pollock for four, one didn't need to be blessed with gifts of insight to realise that Pollock's days at the crease were numbered.

2001, Luke Alfred, Lifting the Covers: Inside South African Cricket:

...rather than hitting it with the middle of the bat, I jagged it off the inside edge and French-cut it over the top of the stumps for another four. That was the only streaky shot I can remember.

2005, Michael Slater, Slats: The Michael Slater Story:

Compton troubled Bradman with his Chinaman, and one streaky shot was edged past Crapp at slips.

2011, Roland Perry, Bradman's Invincibles: The Inside Story of the Epic 1948 Ashes Tour:

(cricket) Used to describe a shot where the ball deflects off the edge of the bat, but is not caught by the slips or wicket-keeper and instead results in runs for the batsman.

Two goals from Alexis Sánchez, the second a little streakier than the first, were enough to send Arsenal into a second successive FA Cup final, once again following extra time after being held over 90 minutes by a Championship side.

2015 April 18, Paul Wilson, The Guardian:

(soccer) Not well-executed, due to luck more than skill.


frog hair

en-noun

frog hair (usually uncountable, plural frog hairs)

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

(golf) The closely mown grass that surrounds a putting green, between the putting surface and any rough that might also surround the green.


rugby union

Alternative form of Rugby Union . (canonical)

A form of rugby football, historically amateur, having 15 players per side; points are scored for a try, penalty, drop kick or conversion.


sailer

From Middle English sailer, sayler, saylere, equivalent to sail + -er.

(baseball) A fastball that skims through the air.


AMF

AMF (countable and uncountable, plural AMFs)

attacking midfielder
attacking midfielder#English

(soccer) Acronym of attacking midfielder.


chicken-wing

en-verb

chicken-wing (third-person singular simple present chicken-wings, present participle chicken-winging, simple past and past participle chicken-winged)

chicken-wings (present singular third-person)
chicken-winging (participle present)
chicken-winged (participle past)
chicken-winged (past)

Don't chicken-wing it!

(volleyball, humorous) To pass a hard-hit ball with the upper arm extended out from the body. This usually has the lower arm pulled in toward the body and is reminiscent of a chicken's wings when trussed.


off base

The hippo heard us, and, like a baseball player caught off base, tried to get back to the river.

1907, Richard Harding Davis, chapter 5, in The Congo and Coasts of Africa:

(not comparable, baseball, of a baserunner) Positioned somewhere between the bases, and hence vulnerable to being caught out.


the bigs

He played AA ball for years, but never made it to the bigs.


run in

run in (third-person singular simple present runs in, present participle running in, simple past ran in, past participle run in)

runs in (present singular third-person)
running in (participle present)
ran in (past)
run in (participle past)

Toeava went over unopposed to stretch his side's lead but Japan got on the scoreboard on 56 minutes, wing Hirotoki Onozawa intercepting an attempted offload from Slade, who had a rather flaky game, and running in from the All Blacks' 10m line.

2011 September 16, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand 83-7 Japan”, in BBC Sport:


army golf

The term stems from the army marching cadence: left-right-left. In other words, a golfer hits one shot to the left, the next to the right, and very few of them straight.

I play army golf; right, left, right, left from one side of the course to the other. More than I would like, I hit the ball into shrubs or trees rather than into the generous mowed areas of grass.

2002, John P. Borden, The Complete Guide for the Romantically Challenged Male, page 102:

(golf, slang, humorous, derogatory) The situation when a player is spraying the golf ball all over the golf course in different directions.


bench jockey

As verbal jousting is frequently called "riding", the "rider" sitting on a bench came to be known as the "bench jockey".

(US, idiomatic, slang, baseball) A player, coach or manager who verbally annoys and distracts opposition players and umpires from his team's dugout bench.


Super Bowl

From super + bowl, from bowl games such as the Rose Bowl Game and Orange Bowl.

(American football) The championship game of the NFL played in early February played between two teams, one each in the American Football Conference and National Football Conference.

Jooł Yitalíjí Akéeʼdi Ahąąh Honinééhígíí


move the yardsticks

move the yardsticks (third-person singular simple present moves the yardsticks, present participle moving the yardsticks, simple past and past participle moved the yardsticks)

moves the yardsticks (present singular third-person)
moving the yardsticks (participle present)
moved the yardsticks (participle past)
moved the yardsticks (past)

The phrase originates from American football, where every ten yards of forward progress by the offense moves the yardsticks ahead to measure the next ten yards of progress.


rain check

1877 US in baseball; metaphorical usage from 1896, more generally from 1930. From at least 1870, baseball teams would reissue tickets in case of postponement due to rain, which became known as rain checks.

改天

an extension or postponement of an offer

With trembling fingers he pulled out his watch. The hands pointed to five minutes to three. A blessed vision came to him of a moist and disappointed crowd receiving rain-checks up at the Polo Grounds.

1920 March – 1921 February, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “Summer Storms”, in Indiscretions of Archie, New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, publishers […], published 1921, →OCLC, page 167:

Feel so bad / Feel like a ball game on a rainy day / Yes, I got my rain check / Shake my head and walk away

1954, Chuck Willis (lyrics and music), “I Feel So Bad”:

The St. Louis club is the only nine in the league which gives its patrons the right to see a full game or no pay. In Chicago and other cities, after the first inning is interrupted by rain the spectators are supposed to have received their money’s worth. In St. Louis ‘rain checks’ are issued in such cases.

2010, Peter Morris, Chicago Times, July 8, 1877, quoted in A Game of Inches: The Stories Behind the Innovations That Shaped Baseball, →ISBN, 15.1.3 Rain Checks, pages 411–412:

(originally US baseball) A reissue, at no extra charge, of a ticket for a baseball game or other outdoor event postponed or interrupted because of rain.


Tinker to Evers to Chance

Baseball's Sad Lexicon
New York Evening Mail

A reference to a double play completed by Chicago Cubs shortstop Joe Tinker, second baseman Johnny Evers, and first baseman Frank Chance, famously eulogized in a poem.

A famous baseball infield double-play combination.


Senior Circuit

(baseball) The National League, the older of Major League Baseball's two leagues.


Junior Circuit

(baseball) The American League, the younger of Major League Baseball's two leagues.


OOP

en-noun

OOP (countable and uncountable, plural OOPs)

(tennis) Initialism of order of play (“the schedule of contests in a tennis event”).


clubhouse

(golf) A building at a golf course that houses various activities associated with golf.


Rover

(sports) Someone connected with any number of teams called the Rovers, as a fan, player, coach etc.

(soccer) someone connected with Blackburn Rovers FC, as a fan, player, coach etc.


lacrosse stick

The primary instrument used in lacrosse to handle the ball.


baseball cap

There are fewer more distressing sights than that
Of an Englishman in a baseball cap

2002, The Libertines, “Time for Heroes”, in Up the Bracket:

(clothing) A cap with a rounded crown and a curved, stiffened bill at the front.


blackwash

blackwash (countable and uncountable, plural blackwashes)

From black + -wash or black + wash (depending on sense).

(slang, cricket) A whitewash victory for the West Indies cricket team. Started in the 1984–86 "Blackwash" series of the West Indian cricket team in England in 1984.


WFC

(soccer) Initialism of women's football club.


rugby league

A version of rugby football, played between two teams of thirteen.


time of pitch

(baseball) The moment when the pitcher begins the motion of pitching the ball and, by the rules of the game, has committed himself to throwing the pitch.


ATA

American Tennis Association
w:American Tennis Association

(tennis) Initialism of American Tennis Association.


baserunner

(baseball, softball) A player who is on base and is thus trying to advance to the next base.


service line

(tennis, badminton) The line, in tennis and similar sports, from behind which the ball is initially served and which the feet must not cross when serving.


seeing eye ball

seeing eye ball (plural seeing eye balls)

Jones hit a seeing eye ball between third and short for a single his last time up.

(baseball) A batted ball that gets between several fielders.


shoestring catch

shoestring catch (plural shoestring catches)

Jones races in... and makes a fine shoestring catch in shallow center.

(baseball) A fielding play, typically made by an outfielder, who catches a ball near his shoes, often after a long run.


fungo bat

The fielding coach used his fungo bat to help Jones work on his first step.

(baseball) A specially designed small-diameter bat used to hit fly balls for fielding practice.


squeeze play

The squeeze play is on! Jones bunts, and Smith scores from third.

(baseball) The tactic of bunting the ball to help a runner at third base score.


reducer

Koulibaly flattens Steven Bergwijn with a reducer from behind but avoids a booking. Bergwijn gets to his feet and blows his cheeks in frustration. I think that really hurt but he doesn’t want to show it.

21 November 2022, Barry Glendenning, Live Feed: Senegal v Netherlands, The Guardian

(soccer) The reduction of the contribution to a football game of a more talented opponent by intimidation using a brutal tackle.


curler

The captain sent a curler into the top corner of the net.

Lampard was replaced by Kalou but the substitute immediately gave the ball to Jonas, whose 25-yard curler was tipped wide by Cech.

2011 September 28, Jon Smith, “Valencia 1-1 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:

Liverpool were energised at the start of the second half, with Curtis Jones shaping a curler just past the far post.

2024 February 4, David Hytner, “Arsenal ignite title hopes as Gabriel Martinelli punishes Liverpool error”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) A pass or a shot of the ball which swerves.


utility man

(baseball) Alternative form of utilityman


freeball

Just about every play in the game, service reception, general play and freeball, involves the use of the front A and/or back A, although they are not always set.

1981, National Volleyball Coaches Association Technical Journal:

Areas of emphasis can be: team blocking, serve reception, attack combinations, freeball execution, and spiker coverage.

1985, Bob Bertucci Tina Kogut Bertucci, Ralph Hippolyte, Championship Volleyball Drills: Combination and complex training, page 99:

By serving tough, using effective downball placement, not giving easy freeballs and simply attacking smartly and in a tough manner.

1998, The American Volleyball Coaches Association, Coaching Volleyball, page 34:

(volleyball) A ball that has been hit from below the top of the net.


freeball

en-verb

freeball (third-person singular simple present freeballs, present participle freeballing, simple past and past participle freeballed)

freeballs (present singular third-person)
freeballing (participle present)
freeballed (participle past)
freeballed (past)

But we can't just freeball it to them because they will kill it right back at you.

2017 September 6, Josh Seguin, “Hodsdon nets 500th career kill as STA sweeps Hilltoppers”, in Seacoastonline:


Proteas

(cricket) The South African cricket team


dewdrop

From Middle English deu drop, dew droppe, dewe droppe, equivalent to dew + drop. Compare Dutch dauwdruppel (“dewdrop”), German Tautropfen (“dewdrop”), Danish dugdråbe (“dewdrop”), Swedish daggdroppe (“dewdrop”), Faroese døggdropi (“dewdrop”).

(baseball, slang, dated, 1800s) A slow pitch.


tighthead

(rugby) prop who plays on the right-hand side of the front row of the scrum, such that in a scrum, their head is tightly bound between those of the opposing hooker and loosehead


inside centre

(rugby) A player who is positioned between the fly-half and the outside centre


outside centre

(rugby) A player who is positioned between the inside centre and the right wing


rugby ball

A spheroidal ball designed for the sport of rugby.


front row

(British, rugby) The row of players who participate in a scrum with direct contact with the opposing scrum.


number eight

But Ireland dug out a gutsy response and applied pressure which resulted in number eight Heaslip diving over in the corner to revive home hopes.

2011 February 13, Lyle Jackson, “Ireland 22-25 France”, in BBC:

(rugby) A player in the scrum, who controls the movement of the scrum, and can pick up the ball exiting the scrum; eighthman.

vazač

rugby player who controls the movement of the scrum


flanker

Audio (US)

From flank + -er. The verb is from the noun (sense 3).

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

rváček

rugby player in the back row of the scrum

(American football) A wide receiver who lines up behind the line of scrimmage.


tennis ball

From Middle English teneys-ball (attested in the plural teneys-ballis), equivalent to tennis + ball.

King. What Treaſure Vncle? / Exe. Tennis balles, my Liege.

1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 72:

A hollow, bouncy rubber ball, pressurized and covered with usually yellow felt, used in the game of tennis.


break one's duck

break one's duck (third-person singular simple present breaks one's duck, present participle breaking one's duck, simple past broke one's duck, past participle broken one's duck)

breaks one's duck (present singular third-person)
breaking one's duck (participle present)
broke one's duck (past)
broken one's duck (participle past)

From cricket, where duck means a score of zero.

(cricket) To score one's first run in an innings.


granny shot

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


granny style

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

(basketball) A method of shooting baskets, especially foul shots, in which the ball is thrown underhand, with both arms, from below or anterior to the pelvis.


rub of the green

en-noun

rub of the green (plural rubs of the green)

(golf) Any accidental deflection of the ball by an outside agency (spectator, caddie etc); the ball is played without penalty from where it comes to rest


ring up

en-verb

ring up (third-person singular simple present rings up, present participle ringing up, simple past rang up, past participle rung up)

rings up (present singular third-person)
ringing up (participle present)
rang up (past)
rung up (participle past)

(baseball) To strikeout a batter and thereby send him or her back to the dugout.


shirtfront

(cricket) A pitch that is easy to bat on.

(Australian rules football) A head-on charge aimed at bumping an opponent to the ground.


nightcap

(US, sports, baseball) The final match of a sporting contest, especially the second game of a baseball doubleheader.


scudetto

The race to the scudetto is on in Italy at the halfway point of the Serie A season.

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

(soccer) The Italian Serie A Championship title.


below par

(golf) (of a score) Less than par for the hole or course (which in golf, means better than par).


finisher

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

[Eddie] Jones has used his bench as finishers and repeated last year’s ploy that helped overcome France when he brought on Ben Te’o for [George] Ford. [Dylan] Hartley and [Mike] Brown had already gone off, along with [Nathan] Hughes, whose replacement Sam Underhill was making an impact at the breakdown when he was sent to the sin-bin for a no-arms tackle on Barclay.

2018 February 24, Paul Rees, “Finn Russell masterminds historic Scotland victory over England”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 2018-04-22:

(rugby) A substitute player who plays at the end of the game.


forkball

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

From fork + ball, since it is held between the first two fingers.

(baseball) A baseball pitch, much like the sinker.


kicking in danger

(Australian rules football) Kicking at the ball when there is a risk of kicking an opposition player who is trying to pick it up or otherwise close to it. Such a kick is against the rules and results in a free kick to the opponent.


suicide squeeze

en-noun

suicide squeeze (plural suicide squeezes)

(baseball) A play by the team at-bat where with a runner at third base, the batter puts down a sacrifice bunt with the aim of allowing the runner to score. In contrast to a safety squeeze, the runner sets off from third as soon as the pitch is made, allowing him or her to start running much earlier than on a safety squeeze.


take sign

(baseball) A sign from the third base coach, or whoever the batter receives signals from, telling the batter that no matter what he will not swing at the next pitch.


stolen base

The catcher caught the wild pitch and threw the ball to second, just in time, preventing another stolen base.

(baseball, softball) A play where a runner on any base runs to the next base, usually while the pitcher pitches to a batter. Such a runner is liable to be put out if tagged with the ball while not in contact with any base.

when a runner is unsuccessful and is thrown out

when the runner is not credited with a stolen base because the team playing the field did not try to stop the steal


nurdle

en-verb

nurdle (third-person singular simple present nurdles, present participle nurdling, simple past and past participle nurdled)

nurdles (present singular third-person)
nurdling (participle present)
nurdled (participle past)
nurdled (past)

(cricket) To score runs by gently nudging the ball into vacant areas of the field.


crumber

From crumb + -er (occupational suffix) or + -er (relational noun suffix).

(Australian rules football) A player who waits around a marking contest aiming to get the ball if it falls down to the ground (because the opposing players leaping for it have spoiled each other's efforts).


boundary umpire

en-noun

boundary umpire (plural boundary umpires)

(Australian rules football) A match official who decides when the ball has over the boundary line (out of bounds), and whether it was on the full from a kick. (Under the rules as of 2007, a free kick results from on the full, or a throw-in otherwise.)


goal umpire

(Australian rules football) A match official who decides when the ball passes between the goal posts (or behind posts) and the score then to be awarded (goal or behind).


love game

(tennis) A game in which one of the two players scored no points.

joc en blanc

a game in which one player scored no points


game point

(tennis) A situation where if one of the two players wins the next point, he or she will win the game (but not the set).


slogger

(cricket) A cricketer who attempts to score runs fast by attacking every ball that can be hit.


pétanque

A form of boules originating from the south of France.


spray

en-verb

spray (third-person singular simple present sprays, present participle spraying, simple past and past participle sprayed)

sprays (present singular third-person)
spraying (participle present)
sprayed (participle past)
sprayed (past)

From Middle Dutch sprāien, sprayen, spraeyen (“to spray, sprinkle, spread”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sprēwijaną (“to spray, sprinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to sow, scatter”).
Cognate with Middle High German spræjen, spræwen (“to squirt, spray, dust, splash, straw”), Danish dialectal språe (“to open up, burst forth”), Swedish dialectal språ (“to sprout, shoot forth, burst”), Norwegian dialectal spra, spræ (“to splash, splatter, spout, burst forth”), Dutch sproeien (“to spray, sprinkle”), German sprühen (“to spray, sparkle”).

der

Kevin McLeod sprayed the ball across from the left flank where a raging Ainsworth met it on the volley from 25 yards out, crashing the ball into the roof of the net.

2012 February 1, Ash Rose, The QPR Miscellany, The History Press, →ISBN:

Yunus sprayed it to the wing where Ali was in some space.

2013 August 11, Jamal Orme, The Victory Boys, Kube Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 13:

(transitive, soccer) To pass (a ball), usually laterally across the field and often a long distance.

Despite a goal to Vin Gardiner for Carlton, courtesy of an infringement, the Blues squandered many opportunities in attack. They sprayed the ball with their field kicking, and in their path toward goal.

2011, Ashley Browne, Grand Finals: The Stories Behind the Premier Teams of the Victorian Football League. 1897-1938, Slattery Media Group, →ISBN, page 143:

But once again their forwards, including Sloss, sprayed the ball in front of goal and squandered their momentum by kicking a solitary goal and six careless behinds.

2016 June 28, Nick Richardson, The Game of Their Lives, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN:

(transitive, Australian rules football) To kick (a ball) poorly and in an unintended direction.


SV

en-noun

SV (countable and uncountable, plural SVs)


beautiful game

Amid all the fevered anticipation of this fixture, few would have expected to witness an aesthetically pleasing example of the beautiful game.

2014 November 14, Stephen Halliday, “Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero”, in The Scotsman:

After watching Saturday's final, don't you agree that soccer is still the beautiful game that Pelé called it?

1990 December 18, Fauzi Omar, “Cheers to Kedah But Not At All to Fifa”, in New Straits Times, Malaysia, page 32:

(sometimes capitalized) association football; soccer.


OM

Olympique de Marseille
w:Olympique de Marseille

(soccer) Initialism of Olympique de Marseille.


pull up stumps

en-verb

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

pulls up stumps (present singular third-person)
pulling up stumps (participle present)
pulled up stumps (participle past)
pulled up stumps (past)

To cut off one's roots; or to pull up your house, (figurative) stumps & all.

(US, figuratively) To relocate, emigrate, move one's home to some other place.


ga-ga

From Hebrew גע-גע, reduplicated form of Hebrew גע (“touch”).

A variant of dodgeball played inside a fenced area, usually a hexagon or octagon.


playbook

(US, American football) A book of strategies (plays) for use in American football (and by extension other sports or disciplines).


air ball

(basketball) A thrown ball that misses the basket, and completely fails to touch the net or supporting hoop.


drop-in

The pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is drop-in, and the ground is also used for Australian rules football.

(cricket) Of the pitch: prepared away from the ground or venue, and dropped into place only when a match is to be played.


drop-in

(cricket) A pitch that is prepared away from the ground or venue, and dropped into place only when a match is to be played.


sabermetrician

You could count on one hand the number of “sabermetricians” inside of baseball, and none of them appears to have had much effect.

2003, Michael Lewis, Moneyball, Thorndike Press, →ISBN, page 164:

(US, baseball) A baseball statistician; one who studies sabermetrics.


sabermetrics

Coined by Bill James in 1980, from SABR (“Society for American Baseball Research”) + metrics.

compound

By the early 1990s it was clear that “sabermetrics,” the search for new baseball knowledge, was an activity that would take place mainly outside of baseball.

More recently, specialists like him have had to fend off a new threat: sabermetrics. Baseball has always been a game obsessed with numbers. But sabermetrics, a term coined in 1980 by statistician Bill James in honor of the Society for American Baseball Research, strives to use every available technology to study baseball empirically—its players, its strategies, the statistics themselves.

2014 October 1, Randy Leonard, “Baseball’s Long and Complicated Relationship With the Bunt”, in The Atlantic:

(US) The analysis of baseball, especially via its statistics.

Society for American Baseball Research
sabermetrics


headhunt

en-verb

headhunt (third-person singular simple present headhunts, present participle headhunting, simple past and past participle headhunted)

headhunts (present singular third-person)
headhunting (participle present)
headhunted (participle past)
headhunted (past)

There's a brawl on the field because the pitcher has been headhunting throughout the game.

(baseball, intransitive) To pitch at a batter's head.


tapper

(baseball slang) A weakly hit ground ball.


wiffleball

en-noun

wiffleball (countable and uncountable, plural wiffleballs)

From (onomatopoeia) whiff (“to strike, to strikeout”) + ball.
Not derived from whiffle, though both derive from same onomatopoeic sources, namely a sound of wind.

(US, sports, uncountable) A game similar to baseball, played with a lightweight bat and ball and suitable for children to play in confined areas.


hardball

hardball (countable and uncountable, plural hardballs)

(ball games) In baseball, a type of ball and baseball game, as opposed to softball.


jack up

en-verb

jack up (third-person singular simple present jacks up, present participle jacking up, simple past and past participle jacked up)

jacks up (present singular third-person)
jacking up (participle present)
jacked up (participle past)
jacked up (past)

* Sense of “hoist with a jack” is from 1885; then, “increase prices, etc.” (1904, American English); both ultimately from noun jack (“mechanical device used to raise heavy objects”)
* “Screw up, mess up” sense derived from, or influenced by fuck up, as a bowdlerization; also possibly influenced by jacked up (“high, intoxicated”)
* First dialectal idiomatic meaning: “abandon, give up” (1873), possibly a corruption of chuck up, as chuck up the sponge (“give up, concede, give token of submission”)

(basketball, colloquial) To shoot, especially in the context of a poor shot opportunity.


Hillsborough

From hills and borough. The village in New Brunswick was probably named in honour of British politician Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire (1718 - 1793). The civil parish is named after the village.

Before kick-off, a section of Chelsea's support sadly let themselves and their club down by noisily interrupting the silence held in memory of the Hillsborough disaster and for Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini, who collapsed and died after suffering a heart attack during a Serie B game on Saturday.

2012 April 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC:

(soccer) the home stadium of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club

(soccer, by extension) Sheffield Wednesday Football Club itself.


run around

run around (third-person singular simple present runs around, present participle running around, simple past ran around, past participle run around)

runs around (present singular third-person)
running around (participle present)
ran around (past)
run around (participle past)

He'd gotten into tremendous shape so that he could run around his backhand and avoid hitting it altogether. He even tried a left-handed forehand. That was how desperate he was.

2006, Greg Moran, Tennis Beyond Big Shots, →ISBN, page 71:

(tennis, of a forehand or a backhand) To change one's position on the court to hit a forehand rather than a backhand, or vice versa.


trey

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Middle English treye, from Anglo-Norman trei or treis, from Old French treis (“three”). Doublet of three and tres.

(US, Canada, basketball, informal, obsolete) A three-pointer.


trimmer

(cricket) A fast, high-quality delivery by the bowler, especially one that results in a dismissal of a batter by removing the bails without hitting the stumps.


trundler

The high delivery of modern bowlers would horrify the famous trundlers of the good old days, when to deliver the ball from above the level of the shoulder was as heinous an offence as throwing is to-day […]

1899, W. G. Grace, “W.G.”: Cricketing Reminiscences and Personal Recollections, London: J. Bowden, Introduction, page xv:

Sometimes he would bowl to one of his children, and although on the field (a small strip of garden) there were only two cricketers, he would turn it into an England v. Australia match. The one batsman would stand for eleven men, and the one trundler would play the part of the regular and change bowlers […]

1914, William Bardsley Brash, chapter 10, in Love and Life, London: C.H. Kelly, page 146:

1978, Michael Anthony, The Making of Port-of-Spain, Port-of-Spain: Ministry of Sport, Culture, and Youth Affairs, Volume 2, Chapter 21, p. 123,
It was the first time the crowd was seeing this lithe, gangling trundler, sending down orthodox spin from the left arm.

(cricket) A bowler (player throwing the ball).

The next bowler was a trundler, and Luton, evidently inspired by Bognor’s cover drive, hit him to all corners of the ground.

1979, Tim Heald, chapter 5, in Just Desserts, New York: Scribner, page 104:

But he wouldn’t be a great cricketer; he was just a trundler, really, accurate enough, but no flair.

2010, Kate De Goldi, chapter 8, in The 10 p.m. Question, Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, page 217:

(cricket) A bowler who bowls slowly; a mediocre bowler.


basketball court

en-noun

basketball court (plural basketball courts)

An outdoor or indoor area on which the game of basketball is played.


give someone the heave-ho

en-verb

give someone the heave-ho (third-person singular simple present gives someone the heave-ho, present participle giving someone the heave-ho, simple past gave someone the heave-ho, past participle given someone the heave-ho)

gives someone the heave-ho (present singular third-person)
giving someone the heave-ho (participle present)
gave someone the heave-ho (past)
given someone the heave-ho (participle past)

(baseball) To eject a player or manager from the game.


soccer field

A playing field on which the game of soccer is played.

足球場 /足球场

a playing field on which the game of soccer is played


baseball field

A playing field on which the game of baseball is played.

bofbalveld

a playing field on which the game of baseball is played


soccer player

(soccer, US, South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) One who plays soccer, especially professional soccer.


baseball player

en-noun

baseball player (plural baseball players)

One who plays baseball, especially professional baseball.


basketball player

basketball player (plural basketball players)

(basketball) A person who plays basketball, especially professionally.

バスケットボール選手

バスケットボールせんしゅ


pinch-hit

en-verb

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

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

Jones pinch-hit for Smith in the sixth.

“Some people think that pitchers aren't complete athletes and some of them maybe weren't, but others were, so I think you'd remember Red Ruffing who used to pinch‐hit all the time, sometimes for outfielders, even though he was as complete a pitcher there was. […]” If he is wrong, however, and designated hitting does turn out to be a good thing, pinch‐hitting as now understood will become a thing of the past.

1973 January 4, Wells Twombly, “Now the 10th man”, in The New York Times:

(intransitive, baseball) To bat in place of another player


ball-by-ball

(cricket) Describing a commentary (especially on the radio) in which a commentator describes every ball bowled, every shot hit, and the positions of the fielders; normally assisted by a summarizer who describes the game as a whole and provides other comments and a scorer who keeps a record of all statistics.


putout

(baseball) A play in which a batter is retired.

Jones recorded 15 putouts in the first half of the season.

(baseball) The statistic of the number of outs a defensive player directly caused.


futsal

From Portuguese futsal, a blend of futebol de salão (literally “hall football”).

A form of soccer played indoors, with five players per team.


lofted

(golf, of a golf club) Having (a specified amount of) loft.


stumping

Wicket-keepers are measured by the number of catches and stumpings they make.

2013, Julian Knight, Cricket For Dummies:

(cricket) The act of somebody being stumped.


sledging

en-noun

sledging (countable and uncountable, plural sledgings)

(cricket) The practice of a fielder making insulting or comical references to an opposition batsman with the aim of distracting him


hip and shoulder

hip and shoulder (plural hip and shoulders)

(Australian rules football) A bump of an opponent, using the side of the body, i.e. roughly the hip through to the upper arm and shoulder; the upper arm is held close against the body. Such a bump is considered fair play unless it is a push in the back or hits the opponent's head (a high contact).


RHB

(cricket) Initialism of right-handed batsman.


double-dip

en-verb

double-dip (third-person singular simple present double-dips, present participle double-dipping, simple past and past participle double-dipped)

double-dips (present singular third-person)
double-dipping (participle present)
double-dipped (participle past)
double-dipped (past)

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

SPC Ladies double-dipped the Sudbury Storm in the NSA Canadian World Series.

(softball) To defeat a team twice in the finals.


LHB

(cricket) Initialism of left-handed batsman.


spear tackle

(rugby) An offensive tackle in which the tackled player is lifted up and driven into the ground head-first. This is very dangerous and can result in serious injury to the neck and spine and often a red or yellow card.


chewie on ya boot

(Australian rules football) A conventional expression meant to distract or wish bad luck to an opponent who is taking a kick for goal.


holding the ball

(Australian rules football) The action of a player keeping hold of the ball when tackled. When tackled the player must kick or handpass the ball and failing to do so (provided the opportunity was given) results in a free kick to the tackler.


clean sheet

Birmingham had their defence to thank for a clean sheet, although they were lucky to escape when Manuel da Costa shot off-target and then headed wide.

2011 February 6, Alistair Magowan, “West Ham 0 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC:

Nigeria had scored only three goals in three games, all against Australia, but they had also kept two clean sheets and their defensive organisation continued to frustrate England immensely.

2023 August 7, Suzanne Wrack, “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian:

(soccer, not in the US and Canada) A game played without having conceded a goal.

شِباكٌ نَظِيفَةٌ

(soccer) game played without having conceded a goal


boundary rider

(Australia, sports, Australian rules football) A commentator on Australian rules football games who reports from the boundary of the field of play, and interviews players on the interchange bench as well as coaching and medical staff.


Pumas

England were on the scoreboard after only one minute, Wilkinson, who missed five penalties in his side's opener against the Pumas, knocking over a three-pointer from bang in front, despite boos from the crowd.

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

the national rugby union representative team of Argentina