CONCACAF

Association Football
association football

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


walkless

It was a walkless inning.


eephus

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

eephus pitch (alternative)
ephus (alternative)

Sewell was determined to live or die by the eephus.

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

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

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

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

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

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


crotched

en-adj

crotched (comparative more crotched, superlative most crotched)

more crotched (comparative)
most crotched (superlative)

When so crotched, only three counts are allowed, unless one or both object balls are forced out of the crotch.

1909, John Huston Finley, “Billiards”, in Nelson's Perpetual Loose-leaf Encyclopaedia, volume 2, page 83B:

The object-balls shall be considered crotched whenever the centers of both lie within a 4 1/2 inch square at either corner of the table, and when so crotched, but three counts are allowed unless one or both object-balls be forced out of the crotch.

1911, William Brisbane Dick, The American Hoyle: Or, Gentleman's Hand-book of Games, page 463:

The balls are said to be crotched, a crotch being the term used to describe the inner corner of a table . It's a perfect situation for scoring caroms . You simply tap the cue ball into both crotched balls simultaneously, driving them deeper and deeper into the corner.

1979, George Sullivan, The Complete Beginner's Guide to Pool and Other Billiard Games, page 149:

(billiards) Lying within one of the crotches on the table.


scorebox

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


trouble the scorers

en-verb

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

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

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


sixer

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


centre half

centre halves (plural)
centre-half (alternative)
centrehalf (alternative)


centerfield

centerfields (plural)
centrefield (alternative)

(baseball) The central part of the outfield


misfield

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

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

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

prefix

Coordinate term: mishit

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

(intransitive) To field a ball clumsily or ineptly.

pelata pallo huonosti

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


misfield

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


outcurve

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


cricket whites

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


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


Snickometer

Snickometers (plural)
snickometer (alternative)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


jump cut

jump cuts (plural)
jump-cut (alternative)
jumpcut (alternative)

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

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

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


through ball

through balls (plural)
through-ball (alternative)

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

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

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

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

(soccer) A forward pass played between opposition defenders.


junkballer

junkballers (plural)
junk baller (alternative)
junk-baller (alternative)

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

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

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


defensive back

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


defensive halfback

en-noun

defensive halfback (plural defensive halfbacks)

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


Madridista

Borrowed from Spanish madridista, from Madrid + -ista.

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

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

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

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

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

(soccer) Someone who works for Real Madrid CF.


gluepot

gluepots (plural)
glue-pot (alternative)


notcher

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


base on balls

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

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


catcher interference

catcher interference (plural catcher interferences)

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


runathon

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


runscorer

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

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


LUFC

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

(soccer) Initialism of Leeds United Football Club.


tip over

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

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

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


tee up

en-verb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


side-netting

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

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

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

petit filet

in soccer, the net at either side of the goal


short corner

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

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

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


straight red card

en-noun

straight red card (plural straight red cards)

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

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

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


shoestring tackle

shoestring tackle (plural shoestring tackles)

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


PAT

PAT (countable and uncountable, plural PATs)

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


M and M boys

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


starting berth

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

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

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


toe-poke

en-verb

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

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

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

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

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

tåpaja

To kick the ball with the toe end of the boot


toe-poke

toe-pokes (plural)
toepoke (alternative)
toe poke (alternative)

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


out ball

out balls (plural)
out-ball (alternative)

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

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

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


overhead kick

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

2013 September 1, Phil McNulty, BBC Sport:

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


seal dribble

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

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


far post

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

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

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


near post

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

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

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


on the front foot

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


route one football

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

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

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

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


bodyliner

(cricket) A bowler who uses bodyline tactics.


hold-up play

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

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

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


slowball

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


slowball

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

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


wave off

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

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

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


across the line

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


snap shot

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

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

(soccer) A hard shot without much planning.


Gulls

As a seaside town, Torquay has many seagulls.

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

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

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


Accy

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


Bee

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


Bantam

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

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

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


air-shot

air-shots (plural)
air shot (alternative)

A comical Bendtner air-shot then brought ironic cheers from the 5,000 Huddersfield fans massed behind the Clock End goal, before the Dane was involved in a fortuitous Gunners' opening goal.

2011 January 30, Kevin Darling, “Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield”, in BBC:

(sports, soccer, golf, snooker etc.) A failed attempt to strike the ball.


long throw

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

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

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


throw-out

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

servei de porteria

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

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


slide-tackle

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

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

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


crossfield

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

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

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


Posh

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

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

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


grubber kick

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


slip in

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

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

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

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

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


whip in

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

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

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

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


flick-on

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

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

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


blood substitution

en-noun

blood substitution (plural blood substitutions)

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


box-to-box midfielder

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

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

volante mixto

a central midfielder who both defends and attacks


ball-playing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


byeline

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

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


nothing ball

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

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

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

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

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


choke up

en-verb

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

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

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


wing-play

wing play (alternative)
wingplay (alternative)

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

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

(soccer) The art of playing as a winger.


ugly finder

ugly finders (plural)
ugly-finder (alternative)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


submarine pitch

en-noun

submarine pitch (plural submarine pitches)

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


SPL

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

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

Scottish Premier League
w:Scottish Premier League

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


presnap

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


postsnap

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


tryless

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

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

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

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


linescore

linescores (plural)
line score (alternative)

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

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

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


flyhawk

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

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

(baseball, informal) A skilled outfielder.


dust off a batter

en-verb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


touch football

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


busher

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

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


Prem

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

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

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

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


ballhandler

ballhandlers (plural)
ball handler (alternative)

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

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


century break

(snooker) A consecutive score of 100 or more points in one visit to the table in a frame of snooker.


number ten

attacking midfielder
attacking midfielder

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


c&b

Caught and bowled
caught and bowled#English

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


roll in

roll in (third-person singular simple present rolls in, present participle rolling in, simple past and past participle rolled in)

rolls in (present singular third-person)
rolling in (participle present)
rolled in (participle past)
rolled in (past)

He rolled the red in dead weight, and now he's nicely on the blue.

(snooker, transitive) To pot with minimal force.


sag off

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


sac bunt

(colloquial, baseball) A sacrifice bunt.


DRS

Decision Review System
w:Umpire Decision Review System

(cricket) Initialism of Decision Review System.


UDRS

Umpire Decision Review System
w:Umpire Decision Review System

(cricket) Initialism of Umpire Decision Review System.


Trent Bridge

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


MCC

Marylebone Cricket Club
w:Marylebone Cricket Club

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


square ball

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


end line

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

hurling; Gaelic football; hurling; Gaelic football

(basketball) out of bounds line under the basket


overdribble

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

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

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

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

(basketball) To dribble the ball excessively.


fullcourt

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

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

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


short stuff

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


put over

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

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

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

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

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


speedballer

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

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


centerfielder

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

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

(baseball) A player in the centerfield position.


return pass

But then Arsenal scored. Sebastian Kehl's poor touch ended at Walcott's feet via Van Persie. The Englishman's return pass was a delight, allowing Van Persie to take a touch before rifling a rising drive past Roman Weidenfeller.

2011 September 13, Sam Lyon, “Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Arsenal”, in BBC:

(soccer) A pass back to the person who just passed the ball.


half-century

He brought up his half-century with a powerful drive past offspinner Dan Cullen, whose seven overs cost 0-52.

2009 January 30, AAP, “Vics make great start despite Rogers loss”, in Herald Sun:

(cricket) A score of 50 runs by a single batsman in one innings


long corner

(soccer) A corner kick played directly into the goal area, as opposed to a short corner.


kicking boots

If these two were outstanding, the others were not far behind. Finlow, having his best game for the School, put Murphy in for the next try and it did not seem to matter that Mangeot had for once left his kicking boots behind[,] for Lintin, Finlow and H. Cooper were all but over before half-time.

1979, “Rugby Football”, in The Ampleforth Journal, volume 79, page 154:

Helped by a quite remarkable individual run by Jason[…], Jonny found his kicking boots again, Wales succumbed 28—17 and we were through to the semis in Sydney on 16 November.

2009, Josh Lewsey, One Chance: My Life and Rugby, page 127:

As in their narrow defeat of Argentina last week, England were indisciplined at the breakdown, and if Georgian fly-half Merab Kvirikashvili had remembered his kicking boots, Johnson's side might have been behind at half-time.

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

(chiefly rugby, idiomatic) Ability to kick well.


late tackle

Stepanov was then booked for a late tackle on Andrews and that would late prove very costly.

2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport:

Javier Hernandez's attempts to turn in the rebound were foiled by Ashley Cole's reckless late tackle - which left the England defender fortunate to receive only a yellow card from referee Phil Dowd and United puzzled that they were not awarded a second penalty.

2011 September 18, Phil McNulty, “Man Utd 3 - 1 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A mistimed attempt to take the ball of an opposing player that results in the tackler making contact with the player and not the ball


lay-up

Christophe could tell whether Joshua wanted him to pass the ball to him into the inside for an easy lay-up by the set of his mouth.

2008, Jesmyn Ward, Where the Line Bleeds, Bloomsbury (2018), pages 52-53:


open-side

(rugby) the portion of the field which is larger as measured from a scrum or breakdown to the touchline

(rugby) a position in the last row of forwards on that side, more fully open-side flanker, designated with number 7

Up front, skipper and open-side Lewis Moody looked almost back to full fitness, while England's set-piece was barely troubled, albeit against a Romania side showing 11 changes from that beaten by Argentina earlier in the week.

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


knock on

knock on (third-person singular simple present knocks on, present participle knocking on, simple past and past participle knocked on)

knocks on (present singular third-person)
knocking on (participle present)
knocked on (participle past)
knocked on (past)

It then took a desperate piece of defending from Ben Foden to deny Scotland a try in the left-hand corner, the full-back reaching out an arm to knock the ball from Simon Danielli's grasp, Nick de Luca knocking on with the line at his mercy.

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

(transitive, intransitive, rugby) To commit a foul by knocking the ball forward.


reaction save

The England striker had come close with a first-half header from a Bannan free-kick and after a neat piece of ball juggling and fierce shot, Bent was then denied by a superb reaction save from Al-Habsi.

2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2 - 0 Wigan”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) The instinctive blocking of the ball by a goalkeeper.


strikeforce

strikeforces (plural)
strike force (alternative)

Liverpool's £58m strikeforce of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez scored the goals that settled the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park - but Everton were left complaining bitterly about Jack Rodwell's controversial early red card.

2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer, figuratively) Collectively, the strikers in a team.


bring the lumber

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

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

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-bring the lumber.wav

While Dontrelle Willis got limber, the guys facing him brought the lumber — or aluminum, in this case

2005, “Hurricanes Knock Willis Around”, in Lewiston Tribune, Lewiston, ME:


fielding circle

en-noun

fielding circle (plural fielding circles)

(cricket, in a one-day match) A line, marked on the field, consisting of two semicircles around each wicket joined by parallel lines, outside of which there may be no more than two fielders


foul pole

(baseball) One of the two poles marking the area inside which a fair ball may be hit. It stands above a foul line.


tap and go

They grabbed an unlikely lifeline when Ben Youngs took a quick tap and go to release Foden, who jinked and dummied his way over to make it 16-5 with 23 minutes left on the clock, Wilkinson popping over the conversion for 16-7.

2011, Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France:

(rugby) A quick free kick taken by touching the ball with the boot and running forward.


holding midfielder

holding midfielder (plural holding midfielders)

After the restart, QPR holding midfielder Shaun Derry, in a rare advanced position, was inches away from connecting with a cross from Jamie Mackie, who was making his first start since he suffered a double leg break against Rovers in an FA Cup tie in January.

2011 October 15, Paul Fletcher, “QPR 1 - 1 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:

defensive midfielder
defensive midfielder


cross-shot

But the visitors halved the deficit within two minutes when Scott Sinclair burst into the area and, despite going down under Bennett's challenge, stabbed the ball across for Graham to score with a cross-shot.

2011 October 15, Graham Chase, “Norwich 3 - 1 Swansea”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A shot from one side of the field towards the opposite corner of the goal.


chip shot

chip shots (plural)
chip-shot (alternative)
chipshot (alternative)

When Ludwig Millfors lined up for a 19-yard chip shot of a field goal with three seconds left in the game, NDSU—and its 13,637 homecoming fans—had reason to feel comfortable.

1992 Oct. 11, "College Football Chip Shot Goes Wide in 2-point Bison Loss, Grand Forks Herald (USA), p. 3D (retrieved 17 Oct 2011)

A 20-yard run by quarterback Kade Harrington put them in Glander's range, and the senior kicker booted a chip-shot 30-yard field goal with 11 seconds left.

2011 October 15, Stephen Whitfield, “Kingwood beats Atascocita on last-second field goal”, in yourhoustonnews.com, USA, retrieved 2011-10-17:

(American football) A relatively easy field goal, made from a short distance.

Plantation surprised Palm Springs North early with a chip shot close to the net by Mike Noll.

1988 December 20, “Palm Springs North Wins Soccer Title”, in Miami herald, retrieved 2011-10-17, page 6C:

(soccer) A shot in which the ball is kicked from underneath with accuracy but with less than maximum force, to launch it high into the air in order either to pass it over the heads of opponents or to score a goal.

[I]n the Canadian curling championship . . . Florian scored with last rock on the first end and picked up another on the second when Ernie came up too fast on a chip shot and missed by a foot.

1962 March 8, Tom Melville, “Big Win for Saskatchewan”, in Leader Post, Canada, retrieved 2011-10-17, page 26:

(curling) A takeout shot aimed at hitting a rock at an angle.


stand-off

France's own stand-in stand-off Trinh-Duc missed with a drop-goal when well set but then set off on a curving run through a scattered defensive line which carried him deep into enemy territory until Weepu's desperate tap-tackle finally brought him down.

2011 October 23, Tom Fordyce, “2011 Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand 8-7 France”, in BBC Sport:


tap-tackle

tap-tackles (plural)
tap tackle (alternative)

(rugby, American football) A tackle made from behind the running ball-carrier, where the tackler dives to touch the player's ankle and trips him up.


tap-tackle

en-verb

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

tap-tackles (present singular third-person)
tap-tackling (participle present)
tap-tackled (participle past)
tap-tackled (past)
tap tackle (alternative)

Farrell drilled home a 46-metre penalty and should have had another when Pollard, attempting to jink his way out of defence, was tap-tackled by Anthony Watson and penalised for not releasing.

2019 November 2, Robert Kitson, “Rugby World Cup: South Africa surge to glory as England fall short”, in The Observer:

(rugby, American football) to tackle with a tap-tackle


outcourt

Offensive player in the middle of the outcourt receives a pass from one of his teammates.

1951, Blair Gullion, Techniques and Tactics of Basketball Defense, page 60:

For Calvin it was Rog Postmus with 18, mostly from outcourt, Duane Rosendahl with 16, Stu Sisco with 15, and Preston "Butts" Kool had 10.

1992, Gordon M. Brewer, --But how You Played the Game!: 1862-1955, page 169:

[…] shows that all shots are taken from outcourt, this is not necessarily true because it is possible, by reversing direction, for the dribbler to catch his guard overplaying him and drive in for a layup.

1970, William Albert Healey, Joseph W. Hartley, Ten Great Basketball Offenses, page 132:

(basketball, handball) The other half of the court from the goal one is aiming for.


outcourt

Special mention is due Abadie, 03, Heyman, 04, whose outcourt playing is excellent, and Roos, '04, who has shown good judgment in placing the ball.

1883, “College Sports”, in The Occident, page 244:

The middle man normally will be the outcourt defensive man, away from the rebound.

1969, Robert J. Buck, The Shuffle and Press Offense for High School Basketball, page 29:

It should also be remembered that the outcourt shots are all taken from behind the screen.

Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the other team.

2018, Ace Banking And Static Awareness, page 273:

(basketball, handball) Playing or played on the outcourt.


outcourt

Many coaches are of the opinion that high school teams attempt too many rebound shots but would profit by dribbling or passing the ball outcourt more often and starting their offensive attack over again.

1946, Athletic Journal - Volume 27, page 22:

Jack felt a warm glow of pride as he watched his brother smoothly carry the ball outcourt and then turn to drive in with flashing legs and lace the leather through the net.

1953, Leon E. Burgoyne, Jack Davis, Forward, page 52:


scuffball

(baseball) An illegal pitch where the baseball has been altered using sandpaper or a similar tool to modify its spin.


side netting

Paul Robinson produced a spectacular full-stretch stop to deny David Fox his first goal of the season from 25 yards before Elliott Bennett fired into the side netting when he should have done much better from eight yards.

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

(soccer) Alternative form of side-netting


skittle out

skittle out (third-person singular simple present skittles out, present participle skittling out, simple past and past participle skittled out)

skittles out (present singular third-person)
skittling out (participle present)
skittled out (participle past)
skittled out (past)

(cricket, transitive) To dismiss (batsmen) quickly.


outground

(cricket) Alternative spelling of out ground


find the net

find the net (third-person singular simple present finds the net, present participle finding the net, simple past and past participle found the net)

finds the net (present singular third-person)
finding the net (participle present)
found the net (participle past)
found the net (past)

It is testimony to QPR's spirit then that it was they who next found the net as Bothroyd's goalbound header from an Armand Traore cross ultimately found the net courtesy of the back of Helguson, who was on the goalline but - despite the protestations of a number of City players - not offside.

2011 November 5, Phil Dawkes, “QPR 2 - 3 Man City”, in BBC Sport:


safety call

(billiards) A type of called shot where a shooting player does not have to continue their turn after pocketing one or more of their balls.


hand bridge

(billiards) a player's front hand formed to position their cue while making a shot


Laker

(basketball) A player for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team


Daley

From Clipping of (Roch)dale. + -y. From dale.

(soccer) A supporter of Rochdale Association Football Club


sideline cut

In the sideline-and-up pass, both the receiver and the passer are faking the sideline cut.

1958, Donald E. Fuoss, Quarterback generalship and strategy, page 96:

Here, the receiver combines the sideline-flag pattern with a second sideline cut.

1993, Bud Wilkinson, Football: Winning Offense, →ISBN, page 68:

The l, 2, and 4 players run picks; the picks are set to free up the 1 player for a sideline cut.

2006, Jill Prudden, Coaching Girls' Basketball Successfully, →ISBN, page 123:

The second passing option for O5 presents itself when O1 is unable to get open on the sideline cut.

2013, Winning Basketball Fundamentals, →ISBN, page 237:

(American football, basketball) A sudden change of direction and run for the sideline.

If it is too far back he can't get as sharp a downward angle or sideline cut.

1959 September, “Volleyball is a Rugged Game”, in Boys' Life, volume 49, number 9, page 56:

(volleyball) A shot where the ball is angled sharply toward the sideline, just barely in bounds.


post up

post up (third-person singular simple present posts up, present participle posting up, simple past and past participle posted up)

posts up (present singular third-person)
posting up (participle present)
posted up (participle past)
posted up (past)

(basketball) To establish a position in the frontcourt on one side or the other of the free-throw lane, especially used against smaller defenders.


reverse pass

That seemed to inject life into United, and Rooney was denied by goalkeeper Yann Sommer from a Giggs reverse pass before seeing a penalty shout turned down.

2011 December 7, David Ornstein, “FC Basel 2 - 1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) A pass in which the player runs in the opposite direction to where he passed.


Champions League

The result sees Arsenal leapfrog Chelsea - who face Manchester City on Monday - and occupy a Champions League spot for the first time this season.

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

(soccer) The highest-level European club football (soccer) tournament, organised by UEFA.

Չեմպիոնների լիգա

UEFA Champions League: the highest-level European club football tournament

CAF Champions League
CAF Champions League

(soccer) An annual African football (soccer) competition, formally known as CAF Champions League.

AFC Champions League Elite
AFC Champions League Elite

(soccer) An annual Asian football (soccer) competition, formally known as AFC Champions League Elite.


switch pitcher

As the result of a childhood injury, Larry Kimbrough became both a switch hitter and a switch pitcher, and he carried those abilities all the way to the only major leagues available to a black ballplayer in the early 1940s: the Negro League

2000, Brent P. Kelley, The Negro leagues revisited: conversations with 66 more baseball heroes, →ISBN, page 142:

(baseball) A pitcher who pitches both right-handed and left-handed.


fieldsman

The batsmen took an easy single as the ball approached the fieldsman but Gambhir called for a second on the throw and Franklin uprooted the non-striker's stumps.

2009 March 19, AAP, “India 4-278 at stumps”, in Herald Sun:

Radley pulled it, as a great laugh went up, to the very spot from which the fieldsman had been removed.

I timed it successfully, and had no doubt of having added four to my score, when, to my astonishment, I saw a fieldsman running from the direction of the hedge.

1920, Various, Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 159, July 14th, 1920:

Watch the flying fieldsman, Keen to save the fourer, Gallop past the wooden box Sacred to the scorer!

William Grey, 1; Samuel Long, 2; James Brown, 3; George and John Simmons, one capital, the other so-so--an uncertain hitter, but a good fieldsman, 5; Joel Brent, excellent, 6; Ben Appleton--here was a little pause, for Ben's abilities at cricket were not completely ascertained, but then he was a good fellow, so full of fun and waggery!

1873, Various, The World's Greatest Books, Vol VI.:

(cricket, chiefly Australia, dated in UK) fielder


high and tight

Comparing the terms high and tight for the longer hair on the high part of the scalp and the shortest or tight-to-the-scalp hair on the sides.

(baseball) Being a pitch that is thrown close to the batter, but does not hit him.


total football

(soccer) A tactic in which the outfield players assume different roles during a game, while keeping an organised structure.


game manager

He was a "game manager" who threw five interceptions on the season, a steady, if unspectacular, player surrounded by a solid team.

(American football) A quarterback who makes a minimum number of mistakes on a team that relies on its defense and rushing offense to win games.


junkball

(baseball) An off-speed pitch, such as a changeup, a curveball or a slider.


IBB

(baseball) Initialism of intentional base on balls, an intentional walk.


Linsanity

(US, basketball, slang) Enthusiasm and excitement about the sudden rise of Jeremy Lin (then of the NBA's New York Knicks) to basketball stardom in 2012.


lead the line

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

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

Andy Carroll is leading the line, with Suarez playing behind him.

Martial, who had been an injury doubt, led the line with strength and positivity.

2021 March 7, David Hytner, “Manchester United catch City cold as Fernandes and Shaw end winning run”, in The Guardian:

(idiomatic, soccer) To play as centre forward.


centre-forward

(soccer) Alternative form of centre forward


one-and-done

John Calipari's Kentucky squad was made up of one-and-done players.

(slang, basketball) A basketball player who plays college basketball for a single year and then declares for the NBA draft.


Elite Eight

(basketball, US, informal) The eight teams participating in the regional finals of the NCAA Division I tournament, one of whom will become the national champion.

(basketball, US, informal) The round of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament where all but 8 teams have been eliminated.

(basketball, US, informal) The eight teams that advance to the site of the final rounds of the NCAA Division II tournament, one of whom will become the national champion.

(basketball, US, informal) An appearance in the Elite Eight, whether in Division I or II.


double bonus

Colorado was in the double bonus for the last few minutes of the game, but had trouble hitting the free throws.

(basketball) The award of two free throws on any sort of foul when enough fouls have been accumulated.


role player

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat because their team had solid role players like J.J. Barea and Shawn Marion.

(basketball) A player who is not one of the best players on the team, but still makes a meaningful contribution.


biffer

(informal, cricket) An attacking batsman.


follow-on

(cricket) The act of a captain forcing the other side to bat again immediately after their first innings.


CFG

City Football Group
w:City Football Group

(soccer) Initialism of City Football Group.


side center

(basketball) A former position in women's basketball that played in the backcourt along with the guards.


163rd game

One game beyond the customary length of the Major League Baseball season, 162 games.

Much to the surprise of both the Red Sox and the Yankees, the Yankees lost. The Red Sox, however, did not. ¶ As a result, baseball's two best teams would be facing each other in a 163rd game. The winner would take on the Kansas City Royals in the league championship series, the prelude to the World Series, […]

2008, Richard Bradley, The Greatest Game, Free Press, →ISBN, page x:

The win-loss percentage is simply the number of games won divided by the total number of games played (the total number of games played is 162 at the end of the regular season). If two teams are tied at the end of the regular season, a 163rd game will be scheduled to break the tie.

2016, Dan Formosa, Paul Hamburger, Baseball Field Guide, 3rd edition, New York: The Experiment, →ISBN, page 18:

After the 162-game season, the Rays and the Rangers were both 91–71 and tied for the second wild-card spot in the AL. That meant a 163rd game was needed to decide who would go to the playoffs.

2023, Luke Hanlon, Tampa Bay Rays, Minneapolis: Abdo Publishing, →ISBN, page 29:

(baseball) A one-game playoff between two teams for a playoff spot.


Serie A

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


Ligue 1

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


Bundesliga

(soccer) The German Football Bundesliga (the highest division of professional men's football in Germany)

(soccer) The Austrian Football Bundesliga (the highest division of professional men's football in Austria)


Primeira Liga

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


Eredivisie

(soccer) The highest division of professional football in the Netherlands.


Hibs

Garry O'Connor stabbed Hibs into a third-minute lead from close range and the Edinburgh side deservedly went into the break with their lead intact.

2012 April 14, Clive Lindsay, “Aberdeen 1-2 Hibernian”, in BBC:

(soccer) Hibernian Football Club, a football club based in Edinburgh, Scotland.


Dons

Few goals had been expected with the three league meetings between the sides this season having produced one goal - and that a controversial penalty scored by Dons striker Scott Vernon.

(soccer) Aberdeen Football Club, a football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland.

(soccer) Wimbledon Football Club, a defunct football club based in London.

(soccer) AFC Wimbledon, a football club based in London, founded by the supporters of Wimbledon FC.

(soccer) Milton Keynes Dons F.C., a football club based in Milton Keynes, England.


Caley

(soccer) Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, a football club based in Inverness, Scotland


Killie

(soccer) Kilmarnock Football Club, a football club based in Kilmarnock, Scotland.


Doonhamers

(soccer, informal) Queen of the South Football Club, a football club based in Dumfries, Scotland.


Boro

They created the better chances while Boro, looking every inch a troubled team, rarely looked like avoiding a third successive goalless home draw.

1999, Stuart Barnes, “Boro's form keeps failing”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), The Guardian:

If, however, Boro let their guard slip, you can bet the Tigers will tear their guests for the day to shreds. In not one game this season have City sat back. Against Middlesbrough it will surely be no different.

2009, Ian Waterstone, Live Through the Dream: The Epic Journey Depicting Hull City's First Ever Season in the Top Flight of English Football, →ISBN, page 124:

Last week, the man from the local paper told the 24-year-old author that in years to come the "Linny", as the pub is known, will feature prominently on "Richard Milward Tours" of Boro.

2009, Caspar Llewellyn Smith, “A night out with the young bard of Boro”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), The Guardian:

(chiefly soccer and Teesside) The town of Middlesbrough, and more specifically Middlesbrough FC football club.

Craig Reid struck the United woodwork, while Boro goalkeeper Chris Day had to tip over a header from his own midfielder Michael Bostwick.

2012 May 11, Chris Osborne, “Stevenage 0-0 Sheff Utd”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) Stevenage Football Club, a football team from Stevenage formerly known as Stevenage Borough Football Club


take a knee

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

takes a knee (present singular third-person)
taking a knee (participle present)
took a knee (past)
taken a knee (participle past)
take the knee (alternative)

The N.F.L. estimates that number could rise to 30 percent, but special-teams coaches say at least 40 percent of kickoffs will end with the returner taking a knee in the end zone.

2011 August 6, Judy Battista, “Take a Knee or Take a Risk”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(American football, Canadian football) Of any player with the ball, to kneel and place the ball on the ground, thereby ending the play and indicating they do not intend to advance with the ball.


18-yard box

Falcao, who scored the only goal in last season's Europa League final as Porto beat Braga, received the ball halfway between the six- and 18-yard boxes.

2012 May 9, Jonathan Wilson, “Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao”, in the Guardian:


stepover

Fernando Amorebieta seemed to have checked him, but a stepover created a fraction of room that became significant as the defender slipped, giving Falcao just enough space to curl a superb finish into the top corner.


NFC

Initialism
* (unicode): in the Unicode sense, a compound of NF (“Normalization Form”) + C (“Canonical Decomposition, followed by Canonical Composition”).

compound

National Football Conference
w:National Football Conference

(American football) Initialism of National Football Conference.


screwback

(snooker, pool, billiards) The effect of putting backspin on the cue ball.


grasscutter

(baseball, cricket) Synonym of worm burner (“a hard-hit ground ball”)


crampet

crampets (plural)
crampette (alternative)
crampit (alternative)

(curling) A metal plate for a player to stand on when delivering the stones.


yellow hammer

Watching the ballgame today someone broke off a real good curve and I said, "That was a real yellow hammer."

Williams, getting steady doses of Koufax's "yellow hammer," struck out looking at a curve, Sandy's fifth K.

2004, Michael Coffey, 27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games, updated edition, page 106

“Bastard curveball” is one of several names in baseball for a virtually unhittable curve that breaks so sharply it qualifies as yet another marvel of physics. Yakker. Bowel-locker. Yellow hammer. Take your pick.

2006, John Schuerholz, Larry Guest, Built to Win: Inside Stories And Leadership Strategies from Baseball's Winningest GM:

"[…]I know my baseball, and this kid was a beast. His fastball was okay, a cutter in the low nineties, but it was his dirty deuce that was outright nasty.”
DeBorn frowned. “Dirty deuce?”
“You know—the dirty yellow hammer . . . the yakker. Public enemy number two. A breaking ball, Bert! This kid had a breaking ball that was like hitting a lead shot put[…]"

2010, Steve Alten, Grim Reaper: End of Days, page 125:

(baseball) A curve ball, especially a breaking curve that is particularly difficult to hit.


ABs

(rugby) All Blacks, the New Zealand national rugby team.


ground ball with eyes

en-noun

ground ball with eyes (plural ground balls with eyes)

From the metaphor that the ball has eyes, allowing it to avoid the infielders.

(idiomatic, baseball, humorous) A weakly hit ground ball that barely evades the infielders.


red dog

red dog (countable and uncountable, plural red dogs)

(countable, US, American football) A blitz.


red dog

en-verb

red dog (third-person singular simple present red dogs, present participle red dogging, simple past and past participle red dogged)

red dogs (present singular third-person)
red dogging (participle present)
red dogged (participle past)
red dogged (past)


AAF

Alliance of American Football
w:Alliance of American Football

(American football) Initialism of Alliance of American Football.


shot clock

(basketball) A timer measuring the length of time since the last shot.


penalty throw

(handball) A free throw taken by an attacker from 7 metres away, defended by the goalkeeper.


hot hand

(idiomatic, basketball) Used in reference to a player who makes a series of successful shots in a game.


body line

en-noun

body line (countable and uncountable, plural body lines)

(cricket) The bodyline style of bowling.


fumblerooski

From fumble + -roo (as in switcheroo) + -ski?

(American football) A trick play wherein the quarterback deliberately places or leaves the ball on the ground upon receiving it from the center, technically fumbling it, after which the backs run to the right, deceiving the defense into following them, while the right guard picks up the ball and runs to the left.


trick play

trick play (countable and uncountable, plural trick plays)

(American football) A play in American football that uses deception and unorthodox strategies to fool the opposing team.


rally cap

rally caps (plural)
rally-cap (alternative)

His cap was turned backwards in the manner of a catcher or a rally-cap, though he had no intention of catching and there certainly wasn't a rally going on.

2001, Melissa M. Dudek, Wildfire Summer: A Season With the Wyoming Wildfire, page 56:

"It's a rally cap! It's a rally cap!” shouted her father teasingly, rubbing her head with every base runner.

2005, Allen St. John, chapter 9, in Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument, page 89:

[…]Brian always wore a Detroit Tigers baseball cap. He would turn his cap into a "rally cap" when anyone needed a bit of a rally in their lives.

2007, April 16th: Virginia Tech Remembers, page 207:

(US, baseball) A baseball cap worn inside-out and backwards, or in another unconventional manner, by players or fans, as a talisman in order to will a team into a come-from-behind rally late in the game.


three-and-out

(American football) The situation where a team is forced to punt the football without having made any first downs.


flash cut

Be in a strong, balanced stance and ready to withstand any contact that may take place as you stop the flash cut.

1994, Hal Wissel, Basketball: Steps to Success, →ISBN, page 201:

If the opponent's post players have an advantage in size and strength, the flash cut will not be as effective because the defender can step in front of the cut and use and arm bar to prevent it from being executed.

2007, Kathy McGee, Coaching Basketball Technical and Tactical Skills, →ISBN, page 144:

When the defenders switch, the screener is open (option b) on the inside flash cut (slip) to the ball.

2008, Jerry Krause, Don Meyer, Jerry Meyer, Basketball Skills and Drills, →ISBN, page 32:

(sports, basketball) A quick move from the weak side toward the ball.


floor general

(basketball) A point guard or other player who provides leadership by running the offense.


WHIP

walks plus hits per inning pitched
w:walks plus hits per inning pitched

(baseball) Acronym of walks plus hits per inning pitched; a statistic of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched.


winning hazard

(English billiards) When one's cue ball strikes some other ball and causes that other ball to sink into a pocket. If the sunken ball is the red ball then one scores three points, but if the sunken ball is the other player's cue ball then one scores two points.


losing hazard

(English billiards) The situation where one's cue ball bounces off another ball and then sinks into a pocket. If the ball bounced off is the red ball, then three points are scored; but if it is the opponent's cue ball, then two points are scored.


backhead

en-verb

backhead (third-person singular simple present backheads, present participle backheading, simple past and past participle backheaded)

backheads (present singular third-person)
backheading (participle present)
backheaded (participle past)
backheaded (past)

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


Rangers

(baseball) The team Texas Rangers, located in Arlington, Texas.

(soccer) The team Rangers F.C., located in Glasgow.


Twin

(baseball) A player who plays for the Minnesota Twins.


crosskick

(rugby) A kicked pass from one side of the pitch to the other.


FA Cup

(soccer) The most prestigious cup competition held every season between clubs in the English leagues.


[Huw] Jones was also involved in the second try, which started when [Finn] Russell received the ball near his own 22 and immediately detected that England’s defence was narrow, with Jonny May having strayed infield.

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:


Irons

(soccer) West Ham United F.C. (a football club based in London).


Moneyball

After the 2003 book by business journalist Michael Lewis; from money + ball.

Sure, the Florida Marlins and some others have a shot, but the “Moneyball” approach — using spreadsheets and unconventional thinking to fell baseball’s rich Goliaths — seems to have been co-opted by the big guys themselves.

2009 August 7, Tom Kuntz, “‘Moneyball’ Is in a Slump”, in NYTimes Idea of the Day Blog:

Sure, statistical analysis has changed baseball's front offices for the better. A little. But most things haven't changed. The Red Sox version of Moneyball, after all, includes lots and lots of money, and there's nothing new there.

2011 September 2, “The ‘Moneyball’ Effect: Are Sabermetrics Good for Sports?”, in The Atlantic:

The moneyball formula in baseball—replacing scouts’ traditional beliefs and biases about players with data-intensive studies of what skills actually contribute most to winning—is just as applicable to the battle against out-of-control health-care costs.

2013 June 20, John Bridgeland, Peter Orszag, “Can Government Play Moneyball?”, in The Atlantic:

(baseball) Baseball management relying on sabermetrics.


check swing

(baseball) A checked (halted, partial) swing of the bat.


(American football) Initialism of first down.


pottable

(billiards, snooker, pool) Able to be potted.


Süper Lig

From Turkish Süper Lig (“Super League”).

(soccer) The highest division of professional men's football in Turkey.


park the bus

park the bus (third-person singular simple present parks the bus, present participle parking the bus, simple past and past participle parked the bus)

parks the bus (present singular third-person)
parking the bus (participle present)
parked the bus (participle past)
parked the bus (past)

England goalkeeper Gordon Banks resisted everything Liverpool threw at him that day, as City parked the bus and banked on snatching the vital single goal and then holding on.

2011, John Williams, Red Men: Liverpool Football Club – The Biography:

Dan is Head Groundsman at Swansea, who in 2011/12 won plaudits For their positive, passing game - showing that you don't need to park the bus as a promoted side to retain top-flight status.

2012, The League Doesn't Lie: The 606 Book of Football Lists, page 311:

(soccer, idiomatic) To attempt to stop the opposition team from scoring a goal by playing extremely defensively and placing as many players as possible behind the ball.


ECWC

European Cup Winners Cup
w:European Cup Winners Cup

(soccer) Initialism of European Cup Winners Cup.


shot stopper

shot stoppers (plural)
shot-stopper (alternative)

(soccer, colloquial) A goalkeeper. More specifically refers to the ability to make saves, as opposed to other areas of goalkeeping like distribution and coming off the line.


tag up

tag up (third-person singular simple present tags up, present participle tagging up, simple past and past participle tagged up)

tags up (present singular third-person)
tagging up (participle present)
tagged up (participle past)
tagged up (past)

(baseball) Of a baserunner, when a fly ball is hit, to put one's foot on the base one is currently at until the ball is caught. When the ball is caught, the baserunner may attempt to advance to the next base, at the risk of being tagged out.


red ball

* ("high-profile high-priority" sense) From a routing system on the Santa Fe Railroad in the early 1900s. Fast freight trains which were to receive priority routing were marked with placards depicting a red disc, and were called "red ball" trains.

Or are the red-ball and white-ball games diverging to the extent that it is possible to envisage a future where they are, to all intents and purposes, different sports?

2017 January 28, Jonathan Liew, “To cling together or drift apart? Red and white-ball cricket facing a divided future”, in The Daily Telegraph, London:

limited overs cricket
limited overs cricket

(cricket, journalism, metonymically, uncountable) first-class cricket, as distinct from limited overs cricket (or "white ball")


flea flicker

(American football) A trick offensive play in which the quarterback laterals the ball to the running back, who then runs a short distance, then laterals the ball back to the quarterback.


PTBNL

If the PTBNL is Ben Ford, or if the DBacks plan on signing Womack long-term, then this is definitely a bad trade. As I see it now, I'd say there's a 90% chance the DBacks get the better end (by a tiny tiny margin) and a 10% chance the Pirates get the better end (possibly by a huge margin).

1999 February 27, ddr...@imap1.asu.edu, “Re: Arizona does it again...”, in rec.sport.baseball (Usenet):

player to be named later
player to be named later#English

(baseball) Initialism of player to be named later (“an unspecified player, either not yet chosen or named publicly, at the time of a trade between teams”).


JDT

(soccer, Malaysia) Initialism of Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C.. (a Malaysian football club)


scorpion volley

en-noun

scorpion volley (plural scorpion volleys)


tiki-taka

(soccer) A style of play characterised by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels, and maintaining possession.


oggy

Phonetic reading of OG, or OG + -y (diminutive suffix).

A more recent City centre-half scored two 'oggies' in only 5 league appearances during the early 2000s.

2012 January 31, David Collins, Gareth Bennett, Never Mind the Bluebirds: The Ultimate Cardiff City Quiz Book, The History Press, →ISBN, page 2:

'Dad, there's been an oggy!' The own goal, prized as it is, is something of a rare species at training grounds.

2019 October 17, Peter Crouch, I, Robot: How to Be a Footballer 2, Random House, →ISBN:

Euro 2024 was one own goal short of the all-time record for the most "oggies" at a single European Championship!

2024 September 26, MATCH, Match Annual 2025: The UK's Best-selling Football Annual!, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 82:


Confed

(soccer, informal) The Confederations Cup


West Brom

(informal, soccer) West Bromwich Albion Football Club


boot boy

boot boys (plural)
boot-boy (alternative)

Among Bryan Gunn's myriad incarnations, from Alex Ferguson's babysitter through Scotland goalkeeper to Norwich manager, boot boy to Alex McLeish was one of the less successful. Once, just before a Scottish Cup final, McLeish discovered his size 10s were still in Aberdeen.

2009 March 22, Phil Shaw, “Gunn peppers Birmingham's automatic promotion hopes”, in The Guardian:

(British, soccer) A boy who cares for a footballer's boots.


foothole

footholes (plural)
foot hole (alternative)

From foot + hole, possibly influenced by foothold.

The 24-year-old, who made three one-day appearances against Australia last summer, injured his ankle on Wednesday and further damaged it yesterday when he slipped in the footholes.

"The wicket didn't play too bad today. Day five is going to be the biggest worry. The footholes will get bigger as the day goes on."

(cricket) A hole in a cricket pitch made by the bowler's foot during the runup.


drive in

en-verb

drive in (third-person singular simple present drives in, present participle driving in, simple past drove in, past participle driven in)

drives in (present singular third-person)
driving in (participle present)
drove in (past)
driven in (participle past)

(transitive, baseball, of a hitter) To hit the ball or reach base in such a way that a run scores.


pitch up

pitch up (third-person singular simple present pitches up, present participle pitching up, simple past and past participle pitched up)

pitches up (present singular third-person)
pitching up (participle present)
pitched up (participle past)
pitched up (past)

(transitive, cricket) To bowl (a delivery) on a fuller length.


red-inker

(informal, cricket) A not out batsman (whose score is recorded in red ink).


sixth man

(basketball) A player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves.


forward line

Now Hodgson just has to work out a makeshift forward line against a Ukraine team who warmed up for Tuesday by doling out the obligatory thrashing to San Marino, knocking in four goals by half-time and another five in the second half.

6 September 2013, Daniel Taylor, “Danny Welbeck leads England's rout of Moldova but hit by Ukraine ban”, in The Guardian:


Old Firm

(soccer) Collectively, the two Scottish football teams Rangers and Celtic, both based in Glasgow, which are the most successful teams in Scotland. They have a fierce and long-standing rivalry.


LOOGY

(baseball) Lefty one-out guy, or left-handed one-out guy, a left-handed pitcher who specializes in pitching to left-handed batters and rarely faces right-handed batters.


ticat

(Canadian football) A team member for the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. (Rendered as Ti-Cat.)


take it to the house

take it to the house (third-person singular simple present takes it to the house, present participle taking it to the house, simple past took it to the house, past participle taken it to the house)

takes it to the house (present singular third-person)
taking it to the house (participle present)
took it to the house (past)
taken it to the house (participle past)

(American football) To score a touchdown, especially after a long run.


break-off

break-offs (plural)
breakoff (alternative)

(billiards, snooker) The first shot in a game of snooker or other cue-game


bang-bang

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

In a game between Los Angeles and host Cincinnati, the Dodgers second baseman is called out at first base on a bang-bang play.

2006, Dom Forker, Big League Baseball Puzzlers, →ISBN, page 41:

(baseball) Of a play, very close between being an out and being safe.


thirteener

thirteeners (plural)
Thirteener (alternative)

From thirteen + -er (suffix denoting people characterized by something, or people or things to which certain measurements or numbers apply).

maan viimeinen kortti

(card games, especially bridge) last playing card of a suit left after the other twelve have been played

oner · twoer · fiver · sixer · Sevener · niner · tenner · elevener · twelver · fourteener · fifteener · sixteener · hundreder · thousander · twenty-five-thousander

[A. C.] King once hit a "thirteener" in a match on the school ground. Probably the ball got lost for a minute or two in long grass, or perhaps it was badly overthrown. But, however it happened, there stands the score in the official book, a "13." clearly got in one fell swoop by the hard-hitting King.

1908 August 29, George A. Wade, “Notable Cricket Feats by Schoolboys”, in The Boy’s Own Paper, volume XXX, number 48 (number 1546 overall), London: “Boy’s Own Paper” Office, […], →OCLC, page 765, column 1:


respotted black

en-noun

respotted black (plural respotted blacks)

(snooker) In a frame that ends in both players having the same score, a tiebreaker where the black is put on its spot and the first player must play from the D until one player pots the black.


one-pocket

(billiards) A pool game in which points are scored by potting balls into specific designated pockets.


touching ball

(snooker) An instance where the cue ball is touching a potential object ball. If the player hits the ball in question, it is a foul shot.


push shot

(snooker) A shot where the cue ball is in contact with the object ball while the cue is in contact with the cue ball. Such a shot is a foul.


Dagger

(soccer) A player, supporter or other person connected with Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club.


Shrimp

(soccer) A player, supporter or other person connected with Morecambe Football Club.


Gull

In reference to the seagulls found in Torquay, a coastal town.

(soccer) A player, supporter or other person connected with Torquay United Football Club.


fag out

en-verb

fag out (third-person singular simple present fags out, present participle fagging out, simple past and past participle fagged out)

fags out (present singular third-person)
fagging out (participle present)
fagged out (participle past)
fagged out (past)

(cricket, obsolete) To come on as a fielder at the behest of a senior student in British schools.


duck fart

Surhoff blooped a weak duck fart into shallow right field.

(baseball, slang) A ball hit by a batter into the gray area between the infield and outfield, usually tailing away from whoever is trying to catch it.


Buccos

(US, baseball) nickname of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.


G-men

(US, American football) A nickname of the New York Giants football team.


draw weight

draw weights (plural)
drawweight (alternative)

(curling) The force (weight) of delivering a stone required for it to come to rest in the house (to draw).


Cove

(Australia, soccer) The official active supporters' group of Sydney FC (an Australian soccer club based in Sydney).


Messian

Every game, every attempted dribble, every pass, every goal (all of which, together, create the Messian mode of jouissance), is an “experiment” in which Messi seeks to conserve himself at the highest possible level, with the greatest amount of integrity.

2019, Grant Farred, Entre Nous: Between the World Cup and Me, Durham, NC: Duke University Press, →ISBN, page unknown:

This week Lothar Matthaus compared him to Lionel Messi. […] His goal was typically Messian, he dribbled to the edge of the box before presenting the ball to a team-mate, and telegraphing with his run where he wanted the ball played back to him before sending an unerring shot at goal.

2022 October 29, “Bayern Munich 6-2 Mainz: Sadio Mane one of six different players to score as Julian Nagelsmann's team move top”, in Eurosport:

There is a kind of melancholy to the final from a Messian perspective. Argentina are favourites to win their first World Cup since 1986, reaching this point after playing some of the most impressive and effective football of the tournament.

2022 December 18, Samantha Lewis, “Argentina and France might be playing in the final but Qatar is the real winner of the FIFA World Cup”, in ABC News:

(soccer, rare) Of or pertaining to Lionel Messi (born 1987), Argentine professional footballer, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.


MCFC

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

(soccer) Initialism of Manchester City Football Club.

Melbourne City Football Club
w:Melbourne City FC

(soccer) Initialism of Melbourne City Football Club.


Citeh

Respelling of a local pronunciation of (Manchester) city.

(soccer, informal) Manchester City Football Club


FCUM

F.C. United of Manchester
w:F.C. United of Manchester

(UK, soccer) Initialism of F.C. United of Manchester.


Cup Final

(England and Wales, soccer) The last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup competition.


six-pointer

six-pointers (plural)
six pointer (alternative)

Sammy Lee has gone from Bolton and Fulham's Lawrie Sanchez is talking about six-pointers.

2007, Stuart Barnes, Sanchez's six-pointer stalemate, The Guardian

Manuel Pellegrini believes Arsenal are still in the title race but sees Saturday's clash as a six-pointer that could allow his side to open up a 12-point gap on Arsene Wenger's side.

2014, Arsenal match is a six-pointer, insists Pellegrini, ESPN

(soccer) A match between two teams on a similar number of points (in a league using the three points for a win system), such that the difference between a side winning and losing the match is a six-point swing relative to their opponents.


rerack

rerack (third-person singular simple present reracks, present participle reracking, simple past and past participle reracked)

reracks (present singular third-person)
reracking (participle present)
reracked (participle past)
reracked (past)

(transitive, billiards, snooker, pool) To rack (the balls) again, as when preparing for a new game.


rerack

(snooker) An instance of reracking the balls to restart a frame.


no-doubter

(baseball slang) a certain home run; a home run about which there is no doubt.


stampeder

(Canadian football) A team member for the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders. (Rendered with a capital 'S' as Stampeder.)


tiger cat

(Canadian football) A member of the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats (rendered as Tiger-Cat).


hash mark

hash marks (plural)
hashmark (alternative)


leg before

Leg before wicket
leg before wicket#English

(cricket, colloquial) Leg before wicket.


West Coast offense

en-noun

West Coast offense (plural West Coast offenses)

(American football) An offense that places a greater emphasis on passing than on running.


Knickerbocker

A History of New York
Diedrich Knickerbocker
Knickerbocker
Washington Irving

From Diedrich Knickerbocker, the pseudonym adopted by Washington Irving for his 1809 A History of New York, probably for the Knickerbackers of Schaghticoke, New York, descended from the Dutch immigrant Harmen Jansen van Bommel(l), who went variously by the names van Wy(y)e, van Wyekycback(e), Kinnekerbacker, Knickelbacker, Knickerbacker, Kinckerbacker, Nyckbacker, and Kynckbacker. The surname is of uncertain etymology, being variously explained as a corruption of Wyekycback, Dutch knacker (“cracker”) + German Bäcker, Dutch bakker (“baker”), or Dutch knicker (“marble (toy)”) + German Bäcker, Dutch bakker.

(basketball, uncommon) A player for the New York Knicks

(baseball, historical) A player for the New York Knickerbockers


Knickerbockers

National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association

(basketball, uncommon) The formal name of the New York Knicks, a team in the National Basketball Association

(baseball, historical) A short-lived 19th-century baseball team in New York


inwicking

(curling) The act of making a stone strike at an angle on the inner side of another.


outwicking

(curling) The act of making a stone strike at an angle on the outer side of another.


penalty mark

(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


big bat

(baseball, colloquial) A player who specializes in hitting home runs.


out ground

Out ground cricket these days is not particularly fashionable for counties…

2006, Edward Craig, Out of town but not out of favour, Cricinfo

I love playing at out grounds because there is always a festival feel about the ground and they always have endearing, if not quirky, characteristics.

2011, Luke Sutton, Luke at county cricket: That festival feel at Chesterfield and Dhoni's hair-raiser, Daily Mail

His best performance came at another out ground, St George's Road in Harrogate.

2013, Andrew Glover, Remembering Yorkshire County Cricket Club's out grounds, BBC:

(cricket) A ground other than a team's home ground, used for occasional matches.


how's that

(cricket) Used to make an appeal to the umpire as to whether the batsman is out or not


push out

(billiards) In nine ball pool, an optional shot after a legal break shot where a player is allowed to hit any ball first, or not any, as well as not hit a rail, and the opponent can choose who shoots the next shot.


row Z

Victoria Park's diminutive stands may preclude launching the ball into Row Z, but Row A would have sufficed as Hartlepool's otherwise dependable defender Chris Westwood looked to clear his lines.

2002, Jason Mellor, “Hartlepool hopes go west after late slip-up”, in The Guardian:

1446: Bobby Zamora smashes a volley into row Z, which is very much appreciated by the West Ham fans.

2010, Caroline Cheese, “Premier League as it happened”, in BBC Sport:

Sturridge’s curling strike looked dull in comparison to this wonder throw, with the expertly folded flyer gliding from row z onto the pitch and straight into the Peruvian’s face, as the crowd at the Home of Football erupted.

2014, "Direct hit! Peru star hit by England fans' paper plane after INSANE row z throw", talkSPORT

(soccer, humorous) The back row or rows of the stands.


lower order

(cricket) The batsmen, constituting the tail, who bat last - roughly in positions 8 to 11.


nervous nineties

I have never found anything particularly significant in the term nervous nineties for I firmly believe that a batsman should treat every ball on its merits, be his score 9 or 90.

Watson nearly fell again in the nervous nineties when Bresnan took an overhead catch at long off when the all-rounder was on 90 but the fieldsman tumbled over the rope and a six was declared.

2013, Chris Barrett, “Shane Watson belts brutal century as George Bailey sets record against James Anderson”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:

(cricket) The set of individual scores between 90 and 99, when a batsman may play badly due to feeling pressure to convert the score into a century.


long game

[T]he Seahawks held Newton to 119 passing yards, as the Panthers kept mainly to the ground and Seattle's secondary shut down the long game.

2013 September 8, “What we saw: Seahawks 12, at Panthers 7”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 2014-07-11:

(American football) The aspect of the game in which the strategy is to advance downfield by throwing the ball to a receiving player; the passing game.


the handbags come out

Coined 2004, circa March 2nd, by Jeremy St. Louis on the radio show Fox Sports World Report. From women hitting each other with handbags during a catfight; compare earlier handbags, handbags at dawn.

"I'm ready to take the blame for all the problems of English football, if that is what he wants."
The handbags come out early doors when Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger responds to Ferguson's dig about the Gunners' foreign contingent.

2008, Chris Charles, BBC Sport, 12 May 2008, “Premier League quotes of the season”

The handbags have come out after a diplomatic argument between Israel and Brazil got, well, very personal.

2014, Oliver Wheaton, Metro, 26 Jul 2014, “Handbags: Israel has dig at Brazil’s 7-1 World Cup defeat after diplomatic row over Gaza bombing”

(UK, idiomatic, soccer, rare) A row intensifies; a dispute becomes heated.


circle changeup

circle changeup (plural circle changeups)

(baseball) A pitch thrown with a grip where the pitcher makes a circle with the index finger, holding the thumb at the bottom of the ball parallel to the middle finger and holding the ball far out in the hand.


lay back

en-verb

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

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

The ball ran loose to Sheringham and whereas less experienced players might have tried to score from a difficult angle he laid it back to Benayoun, whose shot was blocked by Curtis Davies.

2005 November 7, David Lacey, “Sheringham's veteran vision shows up the big problem with West Brom”, in The Guardian:

(soccer, transitive) To make a short backward pass to a teammate in an attacking position.


Panenka

Panenkas (plural)
panenka (alternative)
panenka kick (alternative)

Named after Antonín Panenka, a Czech football player who scored a softly-struck chipped penalty kick down the middle of the goal to win the penalty shootout in the UEFA Euro 1976 Final

Amazingly, in the most important football competition in the world, he had scored a penalty kick in the most risky and theatrical way possible, with what is called a panenka, after Antonín Panenka, a Czech footballer who in 1976 scored a vital penalty kick by chipping the ball over the goalkeeper into the center of the net.

2010, Laurent Dubois, Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France:

Up stepped Pirlo, who coolly took a Panenka as Hart dived to his right.

2015, Ben Lyttleton, Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty Kick:

Best used for penalties that are scored in a tidy, unfussy manner – no impudent Panenkas or short runups welcome here, thanks.

2015, Adam Hurrey, Football Clichés: Decoding the Oddball Phrases, Colorful Gestures, and Unwritten Rules of Soccer Across the Pond:

(soccer) A softly-struck chipped penalty kick into the middle of the goal.


fox in the box

(soccer, UK, informal) A player with good finishing and movement inside the penalty area; a poacher.


heavy hitter

heavy hitters (plural)
heavy-hitter (alternative)

This year's heavy hitter is Bobby Bonilla, the Pirates' slugger who's seeking to hit the biggest home run of his life.

1991 November 20, Claire Smith, “On Baseball: Bonilla Barnstorming In Search of Best Deal”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-08-20:

The congenial heavy hitter is one of the most beloved players in Twins history, as much for his gentle and approachable nature off the field as for the towering home runs he hit during his playing days.

2010 December 30, Associated Press, “MLB Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew has esophageal cancer”, in New York Daily News, retrieved 2014-08-20:

(baseball) A player with a favorable batting average who is especially good at hitting the ball deep into the outfield or farther.


strike out looking

strike out looking (third-person singular simple present strikes out looking, present participle striking out looking, simple past and past participle struck out looking)

strikes out looking (present singular third-person)
striking out looking (participle present)
struck out looking (participle past)
struck out looking (past)

(transitive, baseball, softball) To strike out (a batter) without the batter swinging at the called strike.

(intransitive, baseball, softball) To strike out without swinging at the called strike.


18-yard line

Van Gaal used his third substitute, James Wilson, well before the hour, and Welbeck, allowed to drift across the MK 18-yard line, drove a right-foot shot only just wide, but Robinson’s side were always alert to the possibility of a break.

2014 August 26, Richard Rae, “Manchester United humbled by MK Dons after Will Grigg hits double”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) The line on the pitch, 18 yards from the goal line, marking the outside of the penalty box


in the refrigerator

This game's in the refrigerator. The door's closed, the light's out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard and the Jell-O's jiggling!

(basketball, slang) Of a game: having its outcome beyond a doubt, despite the fact that time is remaining before the final buzzer.


draw iron

draw iron (third-person singular simple present draws iron, present participle drawing iron, simple past drew iron, past participle drawn iron)

draws iron (present singular third-person)
drawing iron (participle present)
drew iron (past)
drawn iron (participle past)


feature back

Colton Hansel was the Spartans’ feature back and netted 38 yards on 16 carries.

2014, Linder, Jeff, "Xavier’s district debut is a dandy," Cedar Rapids Gazette, September 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160311181713/http://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/xaviers-district-debut-is-a-dandy-20140912

(US, American football) In American football, a back – usually a running back – that gets the most carries and most yardage in a game.


playcalling

(American football) The communication between coach and players of the plays to be used during a game.


play-action pass

en-noun

play-action pass (plural play-action passes)

(American football) A certain kind of play; see Wikipedia article for details.


three-pointer

A basket by Texas' Hamilton and a three-pointer by Madsen put the Longhorns ahead.

1948, The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball Guide:

I'd like to see a long shot beyond an established line become a three pointer. It would stand out like a home run in baseball.

1966, Bob Pettit, Bob Wolf, Bob Pettit: The Drive Inside Me:

(basketball) A three-point shot; a basket made from beyond the three-point line.


Altuve

After José Altuve, Venezuelan-American baseball player who stands five feet, five inches tall.

So, if you want to know the minimum length of a World Cup Soccer field while watching TV, it's 60.9 Altuves.

2014 June 30, Bob Nightengale, “Diminutive dandy: Jose Altuve keeps reaching new heights”, in USA Today:

In 2012 Houston Astros fan Bryan Trostel was watching a game when he heard the announcers joke about how many “altuves” a home run had traveled.

2015, Uncle John's FACTASTIC Bathroom Reader, →ISBN:

Judge is 1.22 Altuves. Is there a drawback to being a big man in baseball?

2017 October 13, Victor Mather, “David vs. Goliath Gets an Update: It's Now Altuve vs. Judge”, in New York Times:

No matter how you slice it, Altuve is one of the best hitters in baseball despite yielding at least 7 inches (that’s about .108 Altuves) to every other elite hitter.

2018 February 20, Kate Preusser, Isabelle Minasian, Tim Cantu, Connor Donovan, “2018 AL West Preview: The Astros’ Lineup”, in Lookout Landing:

Want to know how many Altuves there are from home plate to first base? That would be 16.61436219309581.

2018 June 1, Melanie Hauser, “Ways to recover from the Rockets' loss”, in Houston Chronicle:

(baseball, slang) A distance of five feet and five inches, used chiefly as a unit to measure distances of home run balls.


forehander

(racquet sports) A shot played forehand.


flying wedge

(aviation, American football) A formation in which a group travels so that its components form a triangular shape.