tatt

"Oh," said Killigrew, "you had the wit not to give yourselves out for sharpers?"
"Yes, sir; we used common dice; not tatts."
"You'd best keep the tatts till he's drunk," said Killigrew drily, "for I think you'll find my lord has a head on his shoulders when he's sober."

1897, Frances Heath Freshfield, The Wrothams of Wrotham Court, page 73:

(UK, gambling, slang, archaic) A die, especially one that is loaded.


misère

Borrowed from French misère. Doublet of misery.

The exasperating frequency of hands where one card alone, such as a king or ace, supported by a deuce only, or king or ace bare, debars the holder from calling misère is an experience common to every player.

1895, Barry Pain, Jerome Klapka Jerome (contributors), To-Day, A Weekly Magazine-Journal, volume 9, number 105, page 248:

(card games, whist and others) A bid to lose every trick, or the majority of tricks, with no trumps.


slips

(cricket) the area of the field covered by fielders in the slip positions; the slip fielders collectively


slog-sweep

(cricket) a shot played, on one knee, with a horizontal bat, hitting the ball hard into the air on the leg side


slog-sweep

en-verb

slog-sweep (third-person singular simple present slog-sweeps, present participle slog-sweeping, simple past and past participle slog-swept)

slog-sweeps (present singular third-person)
slog-sweeping (participle present)
slog-swept (participle past)
slog-swept (past)


pass out

pass out (third-person singular simple present passes out, present participle passing out, simple past and past participle passed out)

passes out (present singular third-person)
passing out (participle present)
passed out (participle past)
passed out (past)

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(bridge, transitive) To end (a round) by having passes as the first four bids.


marker

en-noun

marker (countable and uncountable, plural markers)

marker interface → marker interface pattern

Someone or something that creates marks, particularly

(paintball) A device that fires a paintball.

(Philippines, informal, basketball, volleyball) A point, unit of scoring in a game or competition.


on the nose

It was three o'clock. They were running the third race at Santa Anita and he had ten bucks on the nose.

1941 February, F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Fun in an Artist’s Studio”, in Esquire:

I once knew a fag dip into the till—not the whole two thousand at once on the nose win or Sing Sing.[…]

1962 [1959], William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch, New York: Grove Press, page 128:

(slang, gambling) Being a bet on a horse to finish first.


three-quarter

England's superior conditioning began to show in the final quarter and as the game began to break up, their three-quarters began to stamp their authority on the game. And when Foden went on a mazy run from inside his own 22 and put Ashton in for a long-range try, any threat of an upset was when and truly snuffed out.

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

(rugby) A player positioned between the half-backs and the full-backs (properly a three-quarter back)


flamethrower

flamethrowers (plural)
flame thrower (alternative)
flame-thrower (alternative)

/ˈfleɪmˌθɹəʊ.ə/

From flame + thrower, calque of German Flammenwerfer.

"We allowed him to kind of orchestrate the whole offense, and he got comfortable early," George said. "He's a flamethrower. Once he gets hot, it's over."

2017 April 11, “Mike Conley Rewards Grizzlies’ Faith With a Career Season”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2018-01-27:

So when we see guys like that open, we gotta give them the ball. Especially Bryn [Forbes], he's a flamethrower. The guy is one of the best shooters I've been around, so to have him going in the game, it's much needed for us. We need him to get going. We need him to hit shots.

2021 June 15, Eric Nehm, quoting Khris Middleton, “How Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton manipulated the Nets' defense in Game 4”, in The Athletic, archived from the original on 2023-07-04:

Unlike steroids, these supposedly illegal substances were not used in secret. There was an understanding that it was in everyone's best interest — pitchers and hitters alike — for today's flamethrowers to have a good grip on the ball.

2021 June 15, Jesse Campigotto, “Baseball has a sticky situation on its hands”, in CBC News, archived from the original on 2023-07-04:

(basketball, baseball, slang) Someone who is extremely good at throwing or shooting balls.


sticky wicket

(cricket) A pitch that has become wet because of rain and therefore on which the ball bounces unpredictably.


depot

depots (plural)
dépôt (alternative rare)

→ Malay: depoh

From French dépôt, from Old French depost, from Medieval Latin dēpositum, from Latin, participle of dēpōnō, dēpōnere. Doublet of deposit.

(card games) The tableau: the area where cards can be arranged in solitaire or patience games.


renounce

From Old French renoncier (French renoncer), from Latin renūntiō.


renounce

en-verb

renounce (third-person singular simple present renounces, present participle renouncing, simple past and past participle renounced)

renounces (present singular third-person)
renouncing (participle present)
renounced (participle past)
renounced (past)

(intransitive, card games) To fail to follow suit; playing a card of a different suit when having no card of the suit led.


sandshoe crusher

en-noun

sandshoe crusher (plural sandshoe crushers)

The term refers to the ball crushing the foot of the batsman, if not played with their bat. Sandshoe is not literal though: batsmen wear sturdy boots, not sandshoes, when batting.

Tony Greig was Australia's main stumbling block to victory. 'Thommo' worked out a solution to the problem, dismissing Greig in the 2nd innings with his famous 'sandshoe crusher'!

2002, “Cricket in the 70s”, in ABC TV, archived from the original on 2003-12-10:

(cricket) A yorker bowled at the batsman's feet.


half-tracker

We'd got ourselves into a great position, and if I'd hit that half-tracker for six, we would've won the game.

2004 February 16, Darren Lehmann, “Blue boy Phelps goes blazing on a sunny afternoon”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:

(cricket) A ball bowled so as to pitch roughly half way down the wicket, i.e. half-way between batsman and bowler. (From a slow bowler this is a poor delivery, likely to be hit to the boundary.)


Poohsticks

From Pooh + sticks, coined by the English author Alan Alexander Milne (1882–1956) in his book The House at Pooh Corner (1928): see the quotation.

coinage

And that was the beginning of the game called Poohsticks, which Pooh invented, and which he and his friends used to play on the edge of the Forest. […] Now one day Pooh and Piglet and Rabbit and Roo were all playing Poohsticks together.

1928 October 11, A[lan] A[lexander] Milne, “In which Pooh Invents a New Game and Eeyore Joins in”, in The House at Pooh Corner, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC, page 94:

(games) A game for two or more players in which each player throws a stick into a river from the upstream side of a bridge crossing it, the winner being the player whose stick emerges first on the other side.


kinjite

Borrowed from Japanese 禁じ手 (kinjite), from 禁じる (kinjiru, “to forbid”) + 手 (te, “hand”).


fourchette

(card games) The combination of the card immediately above and the one immediately below a given card.


touchback

The ball sailed into the end zone for a touchback and the Eagles had possession on the 20-yard line. https://web.archive.org/web/20060111202354/http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/gameday/postGameArchive.jsp?id=16746

(American football) The result of a play (usually a kickoff or punt) in which the ball passes out the back of the end zone or a team otherwise gains possession of the ball in their own end zone.


Brighton

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(place): From Old English Beorthelmestūn (“Beorthelm's farm”)
: (surname): From Breighton in Yorkshire.


number two

en-noun

number two (countable and uncountable, plural number twos)

(cricket) The batsman who opens alongside the number one, but does not face the first delivery.

Head coach Ruben Amorim will be asked by media on Wednesday who will start in goal for their crucial Europa League quarter-final with Lyon, Onana or United's latest scapegoat, number two Altay Bayindir.

2025 April 15, Simon Stone, “Why Amorim's next move on Onana is a big call”, in BBC Sport:

I came down here to cement the number two position, the right back role and I’ve not really managed to do that.

2015 December 30, Mike Simmonds, quoting Stephen O’Donnell, “O’Donnell wants to make right back slot his own”, in Luton Today:


packing

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From Middle English pakkynge; equivalent to pack (“verb and noun senses”) + -ing.

(rugby) The forming of players into a scrum.

The action of the verb.
The forming of players into a scrum.


Mackem

Mackems (plural)
Makem (alternative)
Mak'em (alternative)

From regional form of make + 'em, generally linked to the history of shipbuilding in Sunderland. In relation to the nearby port of Newcastle, Sunderlanders would supposedly say "we mack 'em and they tack 'em", with tack being either a regional form of "take" or referring to any of the nautical senses of tack.


combo

→ Portuguese: combo

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Obviously, this is something not seen very often, with super flashy, combo-driven fighters dominating store shelves everywhere.

2002, Andy Slaven, Video Game Bible, 1985-2002:

(gaming) Effective combination of gameplay elements.

(video games) An action composed of a sequence of simpler actions, especially a composite attacking move in a fighting game.

Tm have several OP combos, i think ecology expert with kelp algea^([sic]) is stronger than fish combo IMO.

2019, RyuSora, “OP Combo”, in Board Game Geek:

Two or more gameplay elements (e.g. characters, items) which are powerful when used together.

Personally I'd like to see an environment where all the major archetypes, control, beatdown, and combo are viable.

1999, Steven Merritt, “[ISSUE] An alternative to Banning, increase minimum deck size”, in rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy (Usenet):

Whenever I play (I play D&D alot^([sic]) too) I always play combo.

1999, michele oasheim, “The Funnest Combo Decks”, in rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy (Usenet):

(especially collectible card games) A strategy aiming to win by playing a specific combination of cards (or similar), often in a single turn.


varlet

From Middle English varlet, varlette, from Old French varlet, variant of vadlet, vallet, vaslet. Doublet of valet.


trull

From French tous les trois (“all three”).

(card games) A set of three special trump cards used in some Tarock games, having a higher value than the other trumps.


clipping

clipping (countable and uncountable, plural clippings)

(uncountable, American football, Canadian football) Falling, rolling, or throwing one's body on the back of an opponent's legs after approaching from behind.


youngest

(card games) Receiving dealt cards last, i.e. immediately before the next deal to the eldest.


guessing game

Similar to The Masked Singer, I Can See Your Voice makes viewers and judges play a guessing game as to who are good and bad singers based only on sight, while Lotto Singer (or All Together Now, as the UK version is known) makes an almost bingo-like game with a judging panel of 100 people.

2021 September 15, Laura Martin, “How talent shows became TV's most bizarre programmes”, in BBC:

(games) Any game the object of which is for a player or players to guess a word, etc, for which the other player or players provide clues.


crossover

crossover (countable and uncountable, plural crossovers)


squad

From French escouade, from Italian squadra (“square”) (whence also French escadre). Doublet of squadra and square.

ջոկատ

small group of people organized for a purpose

A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.

(cricket, soccer, rugby) A group of potential players from whom a starting team and substitutes are chosen.


8 ball

8 balls (plural)
eightball (alternative)
eight-ball (alternative)
eight ball (alternative)

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The 8 ball was buried behind the 10 and the 15.

(literally, billiards) The eighth numbered ball.


carte blanche

carte blanche (countable and uncountable, plural cartes blanches)

Borrowed from French carte blanche, referring to a blank or white card.

(card games) A hand with no court cards.


slow ball

(cricket) A ball that is deliberately bowled slower than normal in an attempt to deceive the batsman into making a mistimed shot.


slow bowler

(cricket) a bowler who specializes in bowling (pitching a ball in cricket) relatively slowly, especially a spin bowler


check-swing

(baseball) A swing in which a batter starts to swing for a ball but stops the swing shortly before the ball reaches home plate.


kong

Borrowed from Cantonese 槓 /杠 (gong³ / gung³).

bor+

(mahjong) A set of four identical tiles.

槓 /杠

a call declaring a set of four identical tiles

(mahjong) A call declaring the formation of such a set.


square drive

(cricket) A shot played by swinging the bat down through the line of the ball, hitting it along the ground in the direction of point.


economical

en-adj

economical (comparative more economical, superlative most economical)

more economical (comparative)
most economical (superlative)
economicall (alternative)
œconomical (alternative)
œconomicall (alternative)

/ˌɛkəˈnɒmɪkəl/

/ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪkəl/


drop kick

drop kicks (plural)
drop-kick (alternative)

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(rugby, Australian rules football, American football, Canadian football) A kick made by dropping the ball on the ground and kicking it as it bounces up.


stock ball

(cricket) the type of ball (such as an off break) that a particular bowler most frequently bowls


straight bat

(cricket) The bat when held vertically, or when swung through a vertical arc.


straight bat

en-verb

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

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

(cricket) To play (a delivery) with the bat held or swung in this manner.


straight hit

(cricket) A fielding position close to the boundary directly behind the bowler; a fielder in this position.


strike bowler

(cricket) A bowler having the ability to take wickets, though often conceding runs.


tippity runs

(cricket, Australia, Victoria) A form of backyard cricket; the defining rule of the form, which requires the batsman to run if they hit the ball; the rule increases the pace of the game by creating more runout chances than in ordinary cricket.

tippy go tippy go run

parts of South Australia; Northern Territory


stump camera

(cricket) a small television camera embedded inside one of the stumps, intended to give a shot of the action as seen by the batsman


Nina

Borrowed into English in the nineteenth century, apparently from several sources. Many borrowings are of Russian Ни́на (Nína), the name of a Georgian saint in the fourth century, also known as Nino, of obscure origin and meaning, possibly connected with the Assyrian king Ninus. Others are of an Italian short form of diminutives like Annina from Anna and Giovannina from Giovanna.
Phonologically or orthographically similar names are present in several languages, including Afrikaans, Hindi, Italian, Persian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and some Native American languages. In many of those, it is a nickname for names ending in -ina or -nina.
(hidden message in crossword): After Nina Hirschfeld, the daughter of the American caricaturist Al Hirschfeld; her name was often concealed in his drawings.

Nina from Pasadena
Nina from Pasadena#English

(gambling, dice games) Ellipsis of Nina from Pasadena.


lanterloo

en-noun

lanterloo (countable and uncountable, plural lanterloos)

From French lanturlu, originally the refrain of a 16th-century song.

(uncountable, card games) A trick-taking card game popular in 17th-century England, where each player is dealt three or five cards.


take a wicket

en-verb

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

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


ten-for

(cricket) The feat of a bowler taking ten wickets in a match.


third man

(cricket) a fielding position on the off side, behind square, near the boundary; a fielder in that position


third slip

(cricket) a fielding position to the off side of second slip; a fielder in that position


third umpire

(cricket) A match official who uses TV replays to assist the two umpires in the case of close decisions.


timed out

(cricket) Describing the method of getting out in which the batsman takes longer than two minutes to appear on the field.


timed out

(cricket) Describing a wicket that has fallen by this means.


throw away

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

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

(American football, slang) To intentionally throw an incomplete pass.


tic-tac-toe

Imitative; from tick-tack, used earlier to denote games in which the pieces made clicking sounds.

tick-tack-toe (alternative)
tick-tat-toe (alternative)
tit-tat-toe (alternative)
tic tac toe (alternative)
tick tat toe (alternative)
tit tat toe (alternative)

(games) A game in which two players take turns placing circles and crosses on a 3x3 grid and attempt to obtain three of the same symbols in a straight line.


oche

Possibly from Middle French oche (“notch”), from Old French ocher, ochier (“to make a notch in; to notch”), which, according to Partridge, could be related to French hocher and English nick (“small cut, notch”).

As has been mentioned, Darts of to-day is essentially a "public-house game," and in pretty nearly every inn, club, or institute where it has a footing (and in which has it not!) will be found minor variations in play and often games that are peculiar to the locality or even to the "school" itself. […] And in this domestic circle, at all events, it is thought that this set of Rules will prove a useful guide when taken in conjunction with what has already been said as regards the board, its position, the hockey-line, etc.

1950, Edmond Hoyle, Lawrence H. Dawson, “Darts”, in Hoyle’s Games Modernized, 20th edition, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, →OCLC; republished as The Complete Hoyle’s Games (Wordsworth Reference), Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions, 1994, →ISBN, page 457:

Henry Lewis's body was tense, taut, his toes against the hockey, his right arm raised, his left eye half-closed. With grim intensity, backed by years of practice and experience, he sighted along the steel point, drew his arm back—and let the dart fly.

1977, Harry Harrison, chapter 22, in Skyfall, [London]: Hamlyn Publishing Group, →OCLC:

Small bars would tend to produce short hockeys; the tiny fishing pubs of Yarmouth gave rise to 6ft marks […]

1985, Keith Turner, Darts, 1st Perennial Library edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row, →ISBN, page 22:

When top players are aiming to maximize their total with three darts, their average score can exceed 100; they also expect to hit the closing double with their first or second attempt. Reaching the target within 15 darts (i.e. five visits to the oche, to slip into the vernacular) is not unusual; […]

2003, John Haigh, “Let’s Play Best of Three”, in Taking Chances: Winning with Probability, new edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 158:

The pièce de résistance was the bar where I had over a dozen dart boards with pop-up oches. It was a massive success.

2008, Eric Bristow, [Paul Carter], “The Milky Bar Kid”, in The Crafty Cockney: Eric Bristow: The Autobiography, London: Century, →ISBN; republished London: Arrow Books, 2010, →ISBN, page 173:

Whether a player is a bullshitter, adept at hitting bullseyes, or a chucker, who throws the darts willy-nilly and hopes for the best, the pull of the oche is the same.

2016, Susie Dent, “Keeping ’Em on the Island: Darters”, in Dent’s Modern Tribes: The Secret Languages of Britain, London: John Murray, →ISBN:

And it's because something of the mundanely manual still adheres to darts that the players' heroic walk of honour from the green room to the oche is so incongruous. The fanfare begins, the strobes go wild, the crowds roar, hostesses wearing the sort of tinsel dresses that drove me crazy when I was eighteen escort the gladiator into the arena, only he's not a gladiator, he's a plumber.

2017, Howard Jacobson, “The Wages of Indulgence is Darts”, in The Dog’s Last Walk (and Other Pieces), London, New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

(darts) A line behind which a player's front foot must be placed when throwing a dart.


diamond cutter

(baseball) A ball hit up the middle of the diamond over the pitching mound reaching the outfield.


gardening

en-noun

gardening (usually uncountable, plural gardenings)

(cricket) The act of a batsman prodding at the pitch with their bat, typically in order to flatten any bumps.


DM

DM (countable and uncountable, plural DMs)

(soccer) Initialism of defensive midfielder.


go it alone

en-verb

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

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

/ˈɡəʊ ɪt əˈləʊn/

/ˈɡoʊ ɪt əˈloʊn/

When the trump suit [in euchre] has been settled, the player who has named it (the maker) has the right to go it alone, but he must announce his intention to do so before a card has been led. His partner places his cards face downwards on the table, and takes no active part in the hand. The maker (he is the only one of the four who can go it alone) plays his hand against the two opponents in partnership.

2014, “Games for Three or More”, in Sarah Tomley, editor, The Card Games Bible: Over 150 Games and Tricks, London: Hamlyn, →ISBN, pages 125–126:

(card games) To play a hand without the assistance of one's partner.


bish

'It's all right, bish,' said Augustine.
'All—all right?' faltered the bishop.

1927, P. G. Wodehouse, “The Bishop's Move”, in Meet Mr Mulliner:

BALDRICK: My Lord, the Bishop of Bath and Wells.
BISHOP: (enters) The time has come, Blackadder!

1986, Blackadder TV series, Money (series 2 episode 4)

'The Bishop of Bangor called.' My father and the bish were pals. 'He has received a strange request from the security service.'

2017, Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, We Know All about You, page 1:

(slang, chiefly British or chess) A bishop.


wind-up

He's into his wind-up. Here comes the pitch. Strike on the inside corner!

1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (movie)

(baseball) The phase of making a pitch where the pitcher moves his or her arm backwards before throwing the ball.


on the fly

Jones caught the ball on the fly.

(baseball, of the ball) While in the air, without having touched the ground.


up front

But, rather than make a change up front, Hughes shuffled his defence for this match, replacing Carlos Salcido with Baird, in a move which few would have predicted would prove decisive.

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


mover

(chess, in combination) A chess problem in which the solver must attain checkmate within the specified number of moves.


beaner

From bean + -er; see bean (“(slang) head”).

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


crowd catch

(cricket) A catch of a ball which was played into the ground near the batsman and bounced up to a fielder. Spectators who could not see from a distance that it was played into the ground may incorrectly think that the batsman is out.


stipulation

en-noun

stipulation (countable and uncountable, plural stipulations)

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(chess) A goal to be achieved in a chess problem; for example, to checkmate Black within a specified number of moves.


hippodrome

en-verb

hippodrome (third-person singular simple present hippodromes, present participle hippodroming, simple past and past participle hippodromed)

hippodromes (present singular third-person)
hippodroming (participle present)
hippodromed (participle past)
hippodromed (past)

/ˈhɪpəˌdɹəʊm/

Borrowed from French hippodrome, from Latin hippodromos, from Ancient Greek ἱππόδρομος (hippódromos), from ἵππος (híppos, “horse”) + δρόμος (drómos, “course”). By surface analysis, hippo- + -drome.

(US, slang, sports, especially baseball) To stage a sporting contest to suit gamblers.


sultan

en-noun

sultan (countable and uncountable, plural sultans or (rare, only in certain senses) salateen)

sultans (plural)
salateen (plural rare)
sultân (alternative)
sulṭān (alternative)

→ Chinese: 蘇丹 /苏丹 (sūdān)

From French sultan, from Ottoman Turkish سلطان (sultan), from Arabic سُلْطَان (sulṭān, “strength, authority, ruler”). (compare Hebrew שִׁלְטוֹן (shiltón) and Hebrew סוּלְטָן (sultán)). Doublet of soldan.

der

(card games, uncountable) A variant of solitaire, played with two decks of cards.


underarm

From under- + arm. The armpit sense is not old, historically speaking (1920s), and it is believed to have arisen as a euphemism in advertising.

(cricket) Old-fashioned and now outlawed style of bowling in which the arm is not swung over the shoulder.


retract

en-verb

retract (third-person singular simple present retracts, present participle retracting, simple past and past participle retracted)

retracts (present singular third-person)
retracting (participle present)
retracted (participle past)
retracted (past)
retract (infinitive)
retract (first-person present singular)
retracted (first-person past singular)
retract (present second-person singular)
retractest (archaic present second-person singular)
retracted (past second-person singular)
retractedst (archaic past second-person singular)
retracts (present singular third-person)
retracteth (archaic present singular third-person)
retracted (past singular third-person)
retract (plural present)
retracted (past plural)
retract (present subjunctive)
retracted (past subjunctive)
retract (imperative present)
retracting (participle present)
retracted (participle past)

From Middle French rétracter (“to annul; to reconsider; to withdraw”) (modern French rétracter (“to retract; to contract”)), and from its etymon Latin retractāre, the present active infinitive of retractō (“to retract, withdraw; to annul, revoke; to detract from; to undertake again; to reconsider; to remember; to decline, refuse”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + tractō (“to drag, haul, tug”) (from trahō (“to drag, pull; to extract, withdraw”) + -tō (frequentative suffix forming verbs)).

взимам си думите назад

to take back or withdraw (something that has been said or written) — see also disavow, repudiate

(games) Originally in chess and now in other games as well: to take back or undo (a move); specifically (card games) to take back or withdraw (a card which has been played).

(card games, archaic) To change one's mind after declaring an intention to make a certain move.


rink

→ Portuguese: rinque

→ Swedish: rink

Borrowed from Middle Scots rink, renk (“course, battlefield”), from Middle French renc, from Old French reng, from Frankish *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz. Doublet of rank and ring.

The Schmirler rink won the Silver Broom.


top hand

(cricket) The batsman's hand that is further up the handle; used for control rather than power.


top order

(cricket) the batsmen who bat in the first few positions


top-spinner

(cricket) a type of ball, bowled by a leg spin bowler, that spins forward and, when bouncing off the pitch, bounces higher than expected and slows down


tour match

(cricket) a cricket match played between a touring side and a local side


touring squad

(cricket) the group of players who go on a tour as a pool from which teams are selected for individual matches


triple century

en-noun

triple century (plural triple centuries)

(cricket) three hundred runs scored by a single batsman in one innings, or by two batsmen in a partnership


Valentine's Day

en-proper noun

Valentine's Day (plural Valentine's Days)

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tonk

(cricket, colloquial) A resounding strike of the ball; a powerful hit of the ball with the bat.


tonk

en-verb

tonk (third-person singular simple present tonks, present participle tonking, simple past and past participle tonked)

tonks (present singular third-person)
tonking (participle present)
tonked (participle past)
tonked (past)

Then your dad would step up and spend 45 minutes repeatedly tonking the ball over the shower block […]

2012, Iain Macintosh, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cricket But Were Too Afraid to Ask:

Moments later, Sehwag tonked the ball and it travelled some distance.

2014, Makarand Waingankar, Guts & Glory:

(cricket, colloquial, transitive) To knock or strike (a ball) so that it flies through the air.


offload

offload (third-person singular simple present offloads, present participle offloading, simple past and past participle offloaded)

offloads (present singular third-person)
offloading (participle present)
offloaded (participle past)
offloaded (past)
off-load (alternative)


offload

en-noun

offload (countable and uncountable, plural offloads)

offloads (plural)
off-load (alternative)

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

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

(rugby) The act of passing the ball to a team mate when tackled.


tuck box

(card games) A carton for storing a set of playing cards.


two-way

From two + way. Compare Old English twiweġ (“intersection, junction of two roads”).

cog

(American football, ice hockey) Playing both offense and defense in the same game.


see red

en-verb

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

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

Possibly from the red flag used in some historic armies to signal the imminence of battle, or from the red cloth used to enrage bulls in Spanish bullfighting, or more generally from the idea of red as a colour of warning and danger. Compare corresponding idioms in several European languages: Danish se rødt, German rotsehen, French voir rouge, etc.

Diop, sometimes criticized for passive play, saw red once this season when he lashed out at a foe who kicked away his legs.

2005 January 26, Rob Hughes, “Soccer: Trio from Senegal is having a ball”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-11-14:

Kalinic later saw red for a rash tackle on Paul Scharner before Gabriel Tamas was dismissed for bringing down Diouf.

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

(idiomatic, soccer) To receive a red card, and be dismissed from the playing field.


stomp

stomp (third-person singular simple present stomps, present participle stomping, simple past and past participle stomped)

stomps (present singular third-person)
stomping (participle present)
stomped (participle past)
stomped (past)

1803, variant of stamp. Compare German stampfen (“to stomp”). More at stamp.

(transitive, gaming) To completely defeat or overwhelm an enemy, to win by a large lead over someone


inside-the-park homer

en-noun

inside-the-park homer (plural inside-the-park homers)

(baseball) A home run that does not leave the stadium.


vice-skip

(curling) The player who throws the fifth and sixth rocks for a team


bosey

Named after English cricketer Bernard Bosanquet who toured Australia for the 1903/4 summer; + -y. (Reference: Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, second edition, 1966, chapter XI section 4, page 248.)


buzzer

→ Japanese: ブザー (buzā)

(cricket, slang) A run scored from an overthrow.


on air

→ Japanese: オンエア (on'ea)

The broadcasting sense derives from the early use of radio, literally sending the transmission on the air waves.

(bridge, of a trick) Won with a high card though capturing only small cards.


cow shot

The cow shot is regarded as inelegant, and indeed risky, but can be very effective for a batsman with strength and a good eye.

(cricket, slang) A batting stroke played across the line and aiming to hit the ball towards cow corner.


left fielder

The left fielder made a fine running catch.

(baseball) The outfield defensive player that stands to the left of the center fielder as viewed from home plate.


center fielder

The center fielder made a spectacular sliding catch.

(baseball) the outfield defensive player who stands in the middle of the field


right fielder

The right fielder nailed the runner at the plate with a perfect throw.

(baseball) The outfield defensive player that stands to the right of the field as viewed from home plate.


chin music

(folk music): The name jokingly refers to "playing" the mouth as if it were an instrument.

Jones backed Smith off the plate with a little chin music.

(baseball, informal) A fastball thrown near the batter's chin, often to set up a subsequent pitch thrown low and outside.

(cricket, informal) A bouncer aimed near the batsman's chin.


three-up

(gambling) A gambling game played with three coins.


tinker, tailor

(games) A method of choosing between two or more people or things, used by children. The child points to each item in turn (or alternately), while saying the rhyme "tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief", moving to the next item after naming each profession. The item pointed at on the word 'thief' is the one chosen.


counting-out game

counting-out game (plural counting-out games)

Coordinate term: counting rhyme

(games) A simple children's game using a rhyme (the counting rhyme) to select a person from a group, more or less at random. The selected person then takes a particular role in another game that follows.

valintaloru

simple children's game using a rhyme to select a person from a group


buster

Originally a dialectal variant of burster; later influenced by bust + -er.
The combining form of the term has appeared from the early 20th century but been especially prolific during three periods: in the 1930s, owing to the success of the radio series Gang Busters; in the 1940s, owing to its appearance as military slang; and in the 1980s, owing to the success of the movie Ghostbusters.

rebenta-

person or thing that breaks or overwhelms

Tops and Bottoms (also Tops, Busters, Ts, Mis-spots): These are the dice used by the professional cheats.

1961, John Scarne, Complete Guide to Gambling, page 283:

To make six-eight, natural dice, or busters, he would take unspotted dice and then grind and color only the spots he wanted.

1977, National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, The Development of the Law of Gambling: 1776-1976, page 423:

(gambling, slang) A cheat's die whose sides bear only certain combinations of spots, so that undesirable values can never be rolled.


shooter

From Middle English schoter, schuter, schotter, scheter, schetare, scheotere, from Old English sċēotere (“shooter”), equivalent to shoot + -er. Compare Dutch schieter, schutter (“shooter”), German Schießer (“shooter”), Swedish skjutare, West Frisian sjitter (“shooter”).

(cricket) A delivery that skids after pitching, instead of bouncing.


caller

From Middle English callar, equivalent to call + -er.

(bingo) The person who stands at the front of the hall and announces the numbers.


finishing

That guy's a slow and lazy player, but he's got excellent finishing.

Benítez's team had been subjected to some intense pressure and will be grateful that Benfica's finishing was not as refined as their buildup play. Jorge Jesus's side pinned them back at times but they were guilty of being too elaborate in front of goal.

2013 May 15, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian:


sitter

From Middle English sitter, sittere, syttare, equivalent to sit + -er.

How could he miss that? It was an absolute sitter!

Aaron Ramsey, a hero last season against Hull, missed a sitter at the end of normal time that would have made the game safe and must have been relieved that his shot against a post from four yards out did not cost his side more dearly.

2015 April 18, Paul Wilson, The Guardian:

(soccer, snooker, cricket, slang) A very easy scoring chance.


yardage

yardage (countable and uncountable, plural yardages)

Aiyuk a junior college transfer excels in grabbing yardage after the catch. No, like, really excels. In mid-October, according a story by The Athletic, Aiyuk was averaging more yards after the catch (13.6) than Jerry Jeudy was averaging per catch

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


clearance

clearance (countable and uncountable, plural clearances)

(sports, billiards, snooker, pool) The act of potting all the remaining balls on a table at one visit.

разчистване

billiards: act of potting all the remaining balls on a table at one visit

Bolton were then just inches from taking the lead, but the dangerous-looking Taylor drilled just wide after picking up a loose ball following Jose Bosingwa's poor attempted clearance.

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

(soccer) The act of kicking a ball away from the goal one is defending.

изчистване

soccer: the act of kicking a ball away from the goal one is defending

(chess) Removal of pieces from a rank, file or diagonal so that a bishop, rook or queen is free to move along it.


platoon

en-verb

platoon (third-person singular simple present platoons, present participle platooning, simple past and past participle platooned)

platoons (present singular third-person)
platooning (participle present)
platooned (participle past)
platooned (past)

From obsolete French plauton, variant of peloton, from Middle French pelote + -on. Doublet of peloton. Compare pellet.

Taylor has been hitting poorly against left-handers, and Morgan has been hitting poorly against right-handers, so they will platoon.

(baseball) To alternate starts with a teammate of opposite handedness, depending on the handedness of the opposing pitcher


vizier

viziers (plural)
vezir (alternative)
vezîr (alternative)
vazir (alternative)
wasir (alternative)
wazir (alternative)
wazīr (alternative)
vizir (alternative)
vizeer (alternative)
guazil (alternative)

→ Irish: visír

→ Welsh: fisir

From Ottoman Turkish وزیر (vezir) (Turkish vezir) (via French vizir), from Arabic وَزِير (wazīr, “helper, aide, minister”, literally “one who bears (the burden of office)”). Doublet of wazir.

der

(chess) A fairy chess piece that can only be moved one space up, down, left or right.


speed chess

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gopher ball

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(baseball) A pitched ball hit for a home run.


two-footed

From Middle English two-foted, equivalent to two + footed. Compare Old English twifēte (“two-footed”), Old Norse tvífættr (“two-footed”).

Villa full-back Alan Hutton was perhaps fortunate to stay on the field when his two-footed challenge on Shane Long went unpunished by referee Phil Dowd.

2011 October 22, Sam Sheringham, “Aston Villa 1 - 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:


run over

en-verb

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

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

Andrew Bishop then ran over in the closing stages, but it was too late.

2010 December 31, “Magners League: Cardiff Blues 27-25 Osprey”, in BBC:


jacks

The rest of the day he heard the children playing kick-the-can, hide-and-seek, Over-Annie-Over, jacks, tops, mibs, and the sound of the little monsters in every shrub and shadow would not let him rest.

(games) A children's game involving picking up objects; knucklebones; jackstones.


upfront

up-front (alternative)
up front (alternative)

He's a poor defender, so we always play him upfront.


crabs

(gambling, slang) A dice roll of two aces.


NBDL

(basketball, historical) Initialism of National Basketball Association Development League, former name of an organization within the National Basketball Association.


come-around

(curling) Any shot that curls around another rock.


gripper

/ˈɡɹɪ.pə(ɹ)/

(curling) A rubber or other material attached to a curling shoe to improve traction on the ice.


hog line

(curling) The line in which the stone must completely cross to be considered in play.

(curling) The line before which the thrower must release the rock during delivery.


hog line violation

en-noun

hog line violation (plural hog line violations)

(curling) The failure to release a stone before crossing the near hog line.


LSFE

(curling) Initialism of last stone in the first end.


negative ice

(curling) A shot in which the player curls the stone in the opposite direction in which the stone is expected to curve, due to significant defects in flatness of the ice surface.


curling stick

(curling) A device that permits a player to deliver a stone while standing upright


darts

(games, sports) A game or sport in which darts are thrown at a board, and points are scored depending on where the darts land

close only counts in horseshoes and darts


whites

A set of white clothes, especially as a uniform.


Ruy Lopez

Named for Ruy López de Segura, a Spanish priest who wrote a book about chess openings in 1561.

(chess) A common chess opening, an Open Game characterized by the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, in which White moves king's bishop to the fifth rank.


re-entry

re-entry (countable and uncountable, plural re-entries)

re-entries (plural)
reentry (alternative)
reëntry (alternative)

(card games, bridge and whist) The act of retaking the lead by winning a trick.

(card games, bridge and whist) A re-entry card.


slugger

That will bring up the slugger, Jones.

(baseball) A batter who has a high percentage of extra base hits.


dribbling

... dribbling skills. Depending on the purpose of dribbling, an athlete can use different dribbling techniques to accomplish his/her goals. There are four dribbling skills: (1) inside of the foot dribbling, (2) innerside of the instep dribbling[…]

2006, Jin Wang, Soccer made easy: From fundamentals to championship play, Ameriscientific, Inc., →ISBN, page 78:

(basketball, soccer) The act of dribbling.


twirl

en-verb

twirl (third-person singular simple present twirls, present participle twirling, simple past and past participle twirled)

twirls (present singular third-person)
twirling (participle present)
twirled (participle past)
twirled (past)

Of Scandinavian origin, akin to Norwegian Nynorsk tvirla, Old High German dweran (German zwirlen, quirlen), Dutch dwarrelen and Icelandic þyrill; all from Proto-Germanic *þwirilaz (“stirring-stick, whisk”), *þweraną (“to stir”). Or, an alteration of tirl (“to twist”), with influence from whirl.

der

When the batteries were announced, however, and Herb Pennock of the Boston Red Sox, probably the best pitcher in all baseballdom, was named to twirl for the invading team, we felt we had been tricked.

1949, Mark Raymond Murnane, Ground Swells: Of Sailors, Ships, and Shellac, page 302:


pooper

(gambling) A selection in a slot machine game that ends the picking bonus.


steal

en-verb

steal (third-person singular simple present steals, present participle stealing, simple past stole, past participle stolen or (nonstandard, colloquial) stole)

steals (present singular third-person)
stealing (participle present)
stole (past)
stolen (participle past)
stole (colloquial nonstandard participle past)

From Middle English stelen, from Old English stelan, from Proto-West Germanic *stelan, from Proto-Germanic *stelaną.
Compare West Frisian stelle, Low German stehlen, Dutch stelen, German stehlen, Danish stjæle, Swedish stjäla, Norwegian Bokmål stjele, Norwegian Nynorsk stela, Sanskrit स्तेय (steya); see below for more.
For the meaning development compare with Russian красть (krastʹ, “to steal”) and Russian кра́сться (krástʹsja, “to stalk, to prowl, to slink”).
etymology notes
Proposed etymologies beyond Germanic are numerous and include
* Proto-Indo-European *ster-: compare Welsh herw (“theft, raid”), Ancient Greek στερέω (steréō, “to deprive of”)
* Proto-Indo-European *stel(H)- (“to stretch”): compare Albanian pë/mbështjell (“I confuse, mess up, mix, wrap up”), Old Church Slavonic стєлѭ (steljǫ, “I spread out (bed, roof)”), Ancient Greek τηλία (tēlía, “playing table”)
* Proto-Indo-European *tsel- (“to sneak”): compare Sanskrit त्सरति (tsárati, “creep, sneak up on”) and other forms under Pokorny 5. *sel- "schleichen, kriechen"

cog

close the stable door after the horse has been stolen

don't teach your grandmother to steal sheep

lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen

(transitive, baseball) To advance safely to (another base) during the delivery of a pitch, without the aid of a hit, walk, passed ball, wild pitch, or defensive indifference.

偷垒

baseball: to advance safely during the pitch


steal

(basketball, ice hockey) A situation in which a defensive player actively takes possession of the ball or puck from the opponent's team.

(curling) Scoring in an end without the hammer.


cocked

(gaming) Of a die: having landed in a tilted position, rather than flat.


headhunter

headhunters (plural)
head hunter (alternative)

→ German: Headhunter m

Thankfully, there aren't many headhunters in the modern game.

en:baseball pitcher who throws at batter_s head

(baseball) A pitcher who throws at the batter's head.


blocker

→ Polish: bloker, blokers

From Middle English blocker, blokker, bloker, blokkere, equivalent to block + -er.

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Agent noun of block (“obstruct or prevent”); something that blocks something else.

(cricket) A defensive or low-scoring batter.

(card games) A playing card, needed by one player, that is held by another.


soccer ball

soccer balls (plural)
soccerball (alternative)

(soccer) A ball that is designed for use in the sport of soccer; a football.


number one

England number one Hart produced a magnificent moment to deny Van Persie once more just after the hour mark, leaping across his goal to fingertip the Dutchman's crashing 25-yard, top corner-bound drive away.

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

(soccer) The main goalkeeper of a team, so-called because they wear the number 1 on the back of their kit.

(cricket) The batsman who opens the batting.


pile-up

(colloquial) A pile, a group of people or things which have piled up on one another, especially

(American football) A pile of tackling players.


truth or dare

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-truth or dare.wav

(games) A game where players take it in turn to perform a dare set by the other players, or truthfully answer a question put forth by them.

истина или предизвикателство

game where players perform a dare or answer a question


truth or dare

A: Truth or dare? B: Dare.

(games) The question asked during the truth or dare game, in which a player asks another player to choose between the two.


kakuro

en-noun

kakuro (countable and uncountable, plural kakuros)

/ˌkɑːˈkʊəɹəʊ/

From Japanese カックロ (kakkuro), in turn derived from English Cross Sums.

(games) A type of number puzzle, similar to a crossword but with numbers. Each "clue" is the sum of the digits to be placed in its group of squares, and no digit can be repeated within a group.


canasta

From Spanish canasta. The game originates from Uruguay.

“Do you know something, Fred?” she announced, “I won four dollars and eighty-five cents playing Canasta this afternoon.”
“Canasta!” exclaimed Mr. Grimes, “I didn′t know you could play that silly game.”

1951 July, Henry F. Tenney, “Per Stirpes and Not Per Capita: Or, What Your Clients Can Never Tell You”, in ABA Journal, page 492:

Imagine, first, two players who engage in a game of canasta according to a standard set of rules.[…]We may imagine, however, that at a certain moment the two canasta players cease to play canasta and start a discussion of the rules.

2004, Gregory Bateson, “15: A Theory of Play and Fantasy”, in Henry Bial, editor, The Performance Studies Reader, page 130:

Modern American Canasta is a younger cousin of the game of Canasta I explain here.

2011, Barry Rigal, Card Games For Dummies, unnumbered page:

(uncountable, games, card games) A card game similar to rummy and played using two packs, where the object is to meld groups of the same rank.

Groups of seven of a kind are called canastas, and before a player can go out he or his partner must have at least one canasta.

1949 December 19, “The Canasta Craze”, in Life (magazine), page 47:

(countable, card games) A meld of seven cards in a game of canasta.


suited

en-adj

suited (comparative more suited, superlative most suited)

more suited (comparative)
most suited (superlative)

a three-suited hand

(card games, in combination) Having the specified kind or number of suits.


powerhouse

A hand like A-2-3-4 is a powerhouse in Omaha/8, because it can easily make the best low hand and capture half the pot.

2011, Richard D. Harroch, Lou Krieger, Poker For Dummies:

(card games) A very good hand of cards, likely to win.


leaper

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From Middle English lepere, lepare, from Old English hlēapere (“runner, leaper, dancer, courier, vagrant”), equivalent to leap + -er. Compare Saterland Frisian Lööper (“runner”), West Frisian ljepper (“leaper”), West Frisian loper (“runner”), Dutch loper (“runner”), German Läufer (“runner”), Swedish löpare (“runner”), Icelandic hlaupari (“runner”).

inh

(chess) A piece, like the knight, which moves a fixed distance, and ignores pieces in the way.


laser beam

Ramirez hit a laser beam home run into the right center field seats leading the 10th inning off Boston closer Ken Ryan

1995, Russell Schneider, Glorious Indian Summer of 1995: Season of Dreams...Cleveland, →ISBN, page 44:

The batter hit a laser-beam to right field. A run for Cincinnati! Now the score was five to three.

2005, Dallas Woodburn, 3 A.m.: A Collection of Short Stories, iUniverse, →ISBN:

When in doubt, so I threw my best fastball. Mantle hit a laser beam past my right knee.

2009, P.J. Dragseth, Eye for Talent: Interviews with Veteran Baseball Scouts, McFarland, →ISBN, page 37:

The way he warmed up his famous arm by throwing laser beams out of a sleepy, feline half-windup to some bullpen lackey armed with the added protection of a catcher's mitt.

2010, Josh Wilker, Cardboard Gods: An All-American Tale Told Through Baseball Cards, Seven Footer Press, →ISBN:

Just as he finished that sentence, Evan Longoria hit a laser beam over the left field fence. The Red Sox season was over in a flash.

2012, Paul Kocak, Baseball's Starry Night: Reliving Major League Baseball's 2011 Wild Card Night of Shock and Awe, Digitature, →ISBN, page 152:

One reason the rookies weren't catching too many was that Bradshaw was throwing laser beams.

2013, Roy Blount Jr., About Three Bricks Shy...And the Load Filled Up, Ballantine Books, →ISBN:

The Bloomer Girls played a respectable brand of baseball, to be sure, but they didn't throw 350-foot laser beams from deep center, or chew Red Man during ballgames.

2014, Scott Simkus, Outsider Baseball: The Weird World of Hardball on the Fringe, 1876–1950, Chicago Review Press, →ISBN, page 116:

(baseball) A low, hard-hit or -thrown ball.


lifter

When he dismissed Keith Miller, caught at short leg off a lifter, I turned round to Tony Lock[.]

1990, Ashes: Battles and Bellylaughs, Byron Bay: Swan Publishing, page 148:

Someone or something that lifts or assists in lifting.

(cricket) A delivery that bounces well off the pitch.


anchorman

From anchor + man. Senses 1 and 4 derive from sense 2, sense 3 is literal.

(blackjack) The last player in sequence, seated furthest to the right of the dealer.


chip in

en-verb

chip in (third-person singular simple present chips in, present participle chipping in, simple past and past participle chipped in)

chips in (present singular third-person)
chipping in (participle present)
chipped in (participle past)
chipped in (past)

He seemed to hesitate when he chipped in.

(intransitive, card games) To ante; to put into the pot the amount of chips or money required to continue.


tip the can

(games) A children's game similar to hide and seek, with the addition of a target such as a flag.


Toblerone

Brand name, from a blend of Tobler (“surname of one of the creators”) + Italian torrone (“form of nougat”).

(cricket, slang) A length of soft sponge shaped like a triangular prism, usually printed with advertising, that can be placed over the boundary rope.


cleanskin

(cricket) A cricket bat with no maker's logo


no man's land

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LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-no man's land.wav

Originally from Middle English Nomanneslond, which first appears c. 1350. Revived with new senses in a dispatch printed in the Times newspaper by Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton writing as "Eyewitness".

No Man's Land (alternative)
noman's land (alternative)
no-man's land (alternative)

(cricket) An area of the field where a fielder cannot save a single, nor stop a boundary.


leadoff

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The leadoff batter began the inning with a double, setting a good example for the following players.

(chiefly baseball) Beginning something by leading the way.


loosehead

(rugby) prop who plays on the left hand side of the front row of the scrum, such that in a scrum, their head is not tightly bound (unlike that of the tighthead)


RT

en-noun

RT (countable and uncountable, plural RTs)

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


smother

en-verb

smother (third-person singular simple present smothers, present participle smothering, simple past and past participle smothered)

smothers (present singular third-person)
smothering (participle present)
smothered (participle past)
smothered (past)
smoother (alternative)

From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smurōną (“to suffocate, strangle”), probably related to *smallijan (“to burn”) or Old English smoca (“smoke”).
Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten (“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren (“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren (“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren (“to stew, simmer, braise”).

cog

Emmanuel Adebayor's touch proved a fraction heavy as he guided Van der Vaart's exquisite long ball round John Ruddy, before the goalkeeper did well to smother Bale's shot from Modric's weighted pass.

2011 December 27, Mike Henson, “Norwich 0 - 2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) To get in the way of a kick of the ball.


stopper

He's the number one stopper in the country.

And just before the interval, Kolarov, who was having one of his better games in a City shirt, fizzed in a cracker from 30 yards which the Wolves stopper unconvincingly pushed behind for a corner.

2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC:


scorcher

/ˈskɔɹ.t͡ʃɚ/

-ɔː(ɹ)t͡ʃə(ɹ)

From scorch + -er (agent noun suffix) or -er (descriptive suffix).

What a scorcher! See the net reverberate!

(soccer) A very good goal, notably made with a very hard shot.


queenside

en-noun

queenside (usually uncountable, plural queensides)

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

[Castling:] A move of the king towards a rook. See the article. In notation 0-0 kingside castling, 0-0-0 queenside castling.

2022, “2023 Laws of Chess”, in FIDE, page 31:

(chess) The side of the chessboard nearest to the queen (at the opening position).


kingside

kingside (usually uncountable, plural kingsides)

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(chess) The side of the chessboard nearest to the king (at the opening position).


(curling) The 12-foot diameter circle outermost in the house.


four foot (alternative)
four-foot (alternative)

(curling) The 4-foot diameter circle in the house


(curling) The 8-foot diameter circle in the house.


arena ice

(curling) Temporary curling ice made quickly on a hockey rink or the like, generally different or less suitable for curling than that of a full-time curling facility.


back board

(curling) The border at the extreme ends of the sheet.


blank end

(curling) An end in which no stones are touching the house, and thus no points are scored.


vivant

(card games, obsolete) In mort, bridge, and similar games, the partner of dummy.


cackle

en-verb

cackle (third-person singular simple present cackles, present participle cackling, simple past and past participle cackled)

cackles (present singular third-person)
cackling (participle present)
cackled (participle past)
cackled (past)

From Middle English caclen, cakelen, perhaps from Old English *caclian, *cacolian, from Proto-West Germanic *kakulōn, *kakilōn (“to cackle, gaggle, yelp, snarl”), perhaps of imitative origin.
Compare Dutch kakelen (“to cackle”), German Low German kakeln (“to cackle”), German kakeln (“to blather”), Danish kagle (“to cackle”), Swedish kackla (“to cackle”). Compare also Old English cahhetan, ċeahhettan (“to laugh loudly; cackle”), German gackern (“to cackle”).

onomatopoeic

imitative

Danny cackled the dice furiously in his cupped hand, then rolled them so they stopped inches from Slattery's hands. The result was the same as before – a seven.

1941, Mignon Good Eberhart, The Third Mystery Book: Six Short Mysteries, page 120:

[…] they spun all right, or so it seemed, and hit the wall all right, or so it seemed, but bottom line was this: The stirring of the dice was merely cackling, the cubes artfully framed so that the spots in the kid's fists showed 4‐4 up‐right and weren't really rattled but rather, held in control by the pinky, forefinger and thumb; […]

2015, Jack Engelhard, The Prince of Dice, page 11:

(transitive, gambling, slang) To pretend to rattle (dice) in one's hand while gripping them so that they maintain their orientation.


zugzwang

en-noun

zugzwang (countable and uncountable, plural zugzwangs or zugzwänge)

zugzwangs (plural)
zugzwänge (plural)
Zugzwang (alternative)

From German Zugzwang, from Zug (“move”) + Zwang (“compulsion”).

(chess) A situation in which a player is forced to make a disadvantageous move.


Indian Game

(chess) A group of chess openings characterized by the moves 1. d4 Nf6.


jarp

Borrowed from Scots jaup (“(noun) dash or splash of mud, water, etc.; broken piece, fragment; light blow, slap; (verb) of water: to dash; to splash; to cause a splash by striking the surface of or throwing water; to bespatter or splash (mud, water, etc.); (obsolete) to knock about, manhandle”), perhaps from jalp, jilp (“to spill, splash, squirt”), probably originally imitative of a splash.

bor

Making these Easter or anytime decorated hard-boiled eggs is a tradition in northern England where they are known as paste eggs (or pace eggs as they are called in other areas). They are used in jarping competitions, in which each child holds an egg pointy end up and tries to crack their opponent's egg with one jarp, without breaking their own. Then everyone eats the eggs.

2017, Linda Tubby, “Flower-power Paste Eggs”, in Cracked: Creative and Easy Ways to Cook with Eggs, London: Kyle Books, →ISBN:

(Cumbria, Ireland, Northumberland, Yorkshire, games) The act of knocking one's pace egg (“a coloured hard-boiled egg traditionally made at Easter”) against that of an opponent, with the aim of cracking the other's egg and leaving one's own intact, an Easter custom in many countries.

pääsiäismunien yhteen napautus

act of knocking one’s pace egg against that of an opponent, with the aim of cracking the other's egg and leaving one’s own intact, an Easter custom in many countries


jarp

en-verb

jarp (third-person singular simple present jarps, present participle jarping, simple past and past participle jarped)

jarps (present singular third-person)
jarping (participle present)
jarped (participle past)
jarped (past)

Many of the lads, however, have a much speedier method of either adding to their store of food or losing their egg. They jaup or jarp them together, i.e. one lad strikes his egg against that of his opponent, when one or both are broken; if only one, it is forfeited and becomes the property of the conqueror.

1898, Richard Blakeborough, “Customs of the Year and Folklore”, in Wit, Character, Folklore & Customs of the North Riding of Yorkshire […], London: Henry Frowde, Oxford University Press […], →OCLC, page 77:

Jarping hard-boiled eggs (sometimes the painted ones, but often we didn't want to sacrifice our laboriously decorated works of art) on Easter Monday; it was like conkers – you jarped one end of your pace egg against the end of someone else's and the winner was the egg that hadn't cracked, or still had one end intact.

1960s, Steve Roud, quoting a person from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, “The Children’s Year”, in The Lore of the Playground: One Hundred Years of Children’s Games, Rhymes & Traditions, London: Random House Books, published 2010, →ISBN, part 7 (Superstition and Tradition), page 481:

Here he [Sid Chaplin] learnt to swim and how to jarp Easter eggs; he played with penkers, and shutty ring with glass alleys, and sometimes the men joined in games of tipcat.

1987, Sid Chaplin, “The Night of the News”, in Michael Chaplin, Rene Chaplin, editors, In Blackberry Time, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear: Bloodaxe Books, →ISBN, page 72:

(transitive, Cumbria, Ireland, Northumberland, Yorkshire, games) To knock (a pace egg) against that of an opponent, with the aim of cracking the other's egg and leaving one's own intact.

napauttaa pääsiäismunia yhteen

to knock (a pace egg) against that of an opponent, with the aim of cracking the other’s egg and leaving one's own intact


backfill

backfill (third-person singular simple present backfills, present participle backfilling, simple past and past participle backfilled)

backfills (present singular third-person)
backfilling (participle present)
backfilled (participle past)
backfilled (past)
back-fill (alternative)

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(gaming) To enter an online game that's already in progress, replacing a player who left early.


BHA

Brighton & Hove Albion
w:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.

(soccer) Initialism of Brighton & Hove Albion.


skinner

From Middle English skynner, skinner, skynnere, schynnere, equivalent to skin + -er. Cognate with Old Norse skinnari (“skinner”), Old Swedish skinnare (“skinner”), Middle Low German schinder, schinner (“skinner”).

(gambling, slang) An instance of skinning the lamb, i.e. a bookmaker winning all of his bets where nobody backed the winner.


corner kick

(soccer) A kick awarded to the attacking team when the ball leaves the field of play by wholly crossing the goal line without a goal having been scored, having last touched a player from the defending team. For the kick, the ball is placed within the corner arc closest to where it went out of play.


grinding

en-noun

grinding (countable and uncountable, plural grindings)

/ˈɡɹaɪnd.ɪŋ/

Inherited from Middle English gryndynge. By surface analysis, grind + -ing.

I really hate the grinding to get that 1% chance item.

(roleplaying games, gaming) Repeatedly performing the same quest or similar in-game activity in order to amass points or wealth.

afã

repeating the same action in a videogame for experience


drawish

en-adj

drawish (comparative more drawish, superlative most drawish)

more drawish (comparative)
most drawish (superlative)

The Petroff is considered a very drawish opening.

(chiefly chess) Being a game, or a particular position in a game, deemed likely to end in a draw.


jamboree

/ˌdʒæm.bəˈɹiː/

Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell

Unknown 19th-century American slang. Chosen by Baden-Powell in 1919 for use in the Scout Movement.

(card games) In euchre: an undefeatable hand containing the five highest cards.


pianola

(bridge) A hand that is easy to play, i.e. one that "plays itself".


chalky

chalky (comparative chalkier, superlative chalkiest)

chalkier (comparative)
chalkiest (superlative)

It’s funny — even though the bracket has been so chalky, several of the top seeds have looked suspect at times.

(US, sports, chiefly basketball) Of a tournament: in which the favorites win, or expected to win, most of the games.


quinella

quinellas (plural)
quiniela (alternative)

From American Spanish quiniela (“sporting bet or pool”); US from 1942.

bor

1954, Michigan Department of State Compilation Commission, 1954 Michigan Administrative Code, page 38,
All tickets on the quinella will be calculated in an entirely separate pool.

A few tracks offer exactas and quinallas on the same races.

1989, Charles S. Romanelli, How to Make Money in One Day at the Track, page 166:

The track quinella paid $38.00 for a $2 wager, the track exacta paid $70.60 for a $2 wager.

2004, Jim Kilby, Jim Fox, Anthony F. Lucas, Casino Operations Management, page 355:

(gambling, horse racing) A form of bet in which the bettor predicts the first two finishers in a race, without concern for the order of finishing.


enforcer

(ice hockey, rugby, Australian rules football) A player who physically intimidates or confronts the opposition.


hold-up

→ Cebuano: holdap

→ French: hold-up

→ Tagalog: holdap

This was another hand on which a holdup caused declarer to lose control and to go down in a sensational way: […]

1974, Terence Reese, Master Play in Contract Bridge, page 75:

In a holdup, a player delays taking a trick until opponents' entries are reduced.

(bridge) The holding back of a card that could win a trick in order to use it later.


bite stick

(curling) A piece of equipment used to determine whether or not a stone is a biter.


drawmaster

(curling) The person who assigns teams to different sheets, sets starting times, assigns players to teams in casual play, etc.


draw raise

(curling) A shot in which the played stone pushes a stone straight forward into the house


front of the house

(curling) The portion of the house closer to the hog line.


front ring

(curling) The 12-foot diameter circle outermost in the house.


in-turn

For a right-handed thrower, an in-turn is clockwise, and the opposite for a lefty.

(curling) A shot in which the handle of the stone is rotated across the body.


measure stick

(curling) Equipment used to determine which of two or more stones is closest to the center when they are too similar to know with visual inspection


out-turn

For a right-handed thrower, an out-turn is counter-clockwise, and the opposite for a lefty.

(curling) A shot in which the handle of the stone is rotated away from the body.


shot rock

(curling) The rock in the house closest to the button.


split the house

en-verb

split the house (third-person singular simple present splits the house, present participle splitting the house, simple past and past participle split the house)

splits the house (present singular third-person)
splitting the house (participle present)
split the house (participle past)
split the house (past)

(curling) To use the strategy of drawing to a different area of the house to prevent one's opponent from taking out both stones.


swingy

en-adj

swingy (comparative swingier, superlative swingiest)

swingier (comparative)
swingiest (superlative)

(curling, of ice) Allowing stones to curl more than usual.


tee line

(curling) The line that goes across the house intersecting with the middle of the button, splitting it into two halves.


wobbler

(curling) A stone that rocks from side to side as it travels because it is not resting on its running surface.


netball

en-noun

netball (countable and uncountable, plural netballs)

netballs (plural)
net ball (alternative)
net-ball (alternative)

Some excellent photographs are taken of [...] members of the athletic club, "net-ball," "foot-ball," etc., [...]

1913 January 15, “Personal and Official”, in C. W. Hastings, editor, The Gas Engineer’s Magazine and Gas Industries, volume XXIX, number 441, London: J. G. Hammond & Co., →OCLC, page 13, column 2:

The next events were ones in which selected members of squads participated while the other members watched and cheered. These were net ball, hockey, tennis, and swimming, and followed in the order given.

1928 February, “News Notes. A Successful College Play Day.”, in James Huff McCurdy, editor, American Physical Education Review, volume XXXIII, number 2 (number 234 overall), Springfield, Mass.: American Physical Education Association, →OCLC, page 124, column 2:

In addition to the above prominent clubs, there are a number of cricket, tennis, net-ball, and football clubs in the Colony.

1946–1947, “[Windward Islands.] St. Lucia.”, in The West Indies Year Book: […], London: Thomas Skinner & Co., →OCLC, page 389, column 2:

Outcome goals are related directly to end results – e.g. a netball player wants to score more goals / Performance goals are measured against past performance, e.g. a netball player wants to score more goals than in the previous match.

1999, Michael Hill, “Training Methods”, in PE for You: Teacher Resource Pack, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: Stanley Thornes Publishers, →ISBN, part 3 (Health, Safety and Training), page 83, column 2:

[W]hen I asked each person to nominate the best thing about netball, the overwhelming response was the friendships they had made. Netball friendships have carried people through form slumps, heartbreaking losses and personal tragedies, and it is these friendships that make the wins and the highs so much sweeter.

2005, Liz Ellis, “A Few Words from Liz”, in Netball Heroes, Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, →ISBN, page 1:

Another key skill in netball is the art of dodging; a quick, decisive change of direction to out-manoeuvre or wrong-foot a defender and be free to receive a pass or create a space to move into.

2010, Anna Sheryn, Chris Sheryn, “Movement and Footwork”, in 101 Youth Netball Drills: Age 12 to 16, 2nd edition, London: A & C Black, published 2012, →ISBN, page 35:

It may be that this situation arose because of differential investment or more competent coaching in girls' as opposed to boys' sports in that school, but it is even more likely that it arose because of the composition, coaching, commitment, and so on of all other net ball teams in their league on the one hand, and all other soccer teams in their league on the other.

2012, Roger Gomm, “Qualitative Causal Analysis and the Fallacies of Composition and Division: The Example of Ethnic Inequalities in Educational Achievement”, in Barry Cooper, Judith Glaesser, Roger Gomm, Martyn Hammersley, Challenging the Qualitative–Quantitative Divide: Explorations in Case-focused Causal Analysis, London, New York, N.Y.: Continuum International Publishing Group, →ISBN, part I (Problems with Quantitative and Qualitative Research), page 119:

[A]round half the boys were of the view that roles in netball were suitable for both genders while one-third of boys indicated that all roles in netball were for girls only, with the exception of the warm-up coach. Girls were mostly of the view that only the equipment manager was more suitable for boys in netball.

2012, Gary D. Kinchin, “Learning Sport Education through Reflective Inquiry: Four Case Studies”, in Peter Hastie, editor, Sport Education: International Perspectives (Routledge Studies in Physical Education and Youth Sport), Abingdon, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 171:

(uncountable) A (usually women's) team sport derived from basketball, with seven players on each side who attempt to score goals by passing a ball and throwing it into the opponent's goal, which is a raised hoop with a net at one end of the playing area. Unlike basketball, a player in possession of the ball cannot move until the ball is passed to another player.

Over the years he had stitched Dr. Bailey's black bag, Paul's pram hood, the net balls at the village school, and saddles and bridles for Joan and Ruth when they were small, and kept in trim the footwear that passed and repassed his window as the various owners went about their business on Thrush Green.

1959, “Miss Read” [pseudonym; Dora Jessie Saint], “Sam Curdle is Tempted”, in Thrush Green, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company […], published 1960, →OCLC, part 2 (Afternoon), page 122:

'If we could find our netball, you could borrow it,' she said softly. / 'A netball!' he said in disgust. 'A netball is no use. It is not heavy enough. But I would borrow it,' he added quickly. 'It would be better than no ball at all.'

1992, Eileen Molver, chapter 1, in Rod Nesbitt, editor, Lindiwi Finds a Way, Oxford, Oxfordshire, Gaborone, Botswana: Heinemann Educational Publishers, →ISBN, page 2:

I've never been hit before in my life, except by a netball in PE once, so it takes me a while to realize that my head hasn't just rocketed off the top of my spine but is in fact still attached to the rest of me and that the ringing noise is just the repercussion of the blow sounding in my ears and not an orchestral score blasting from the stereo.

2013, Sarah Alderson, The Sound, New York, N.Y.: Simon Pulse, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, published May 2015, →ISBN, page 273:

In the MYSA program, organizers made an arrangement with local authorities to provide the young people with access to soccer balls, net balls, and playing fields.

2013, Roy McMurtry, “Sport as a Development Tool in the Commonwealth”, in Memoirs and Reflections, Toronto, Ont., Buffalo, N.Y.: University of Toronto Press for the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History, →ISBN, part 4 (At the Court of St James and Home Again), page 438:

(countable) The ball used in this sport.


Benito

(card games) A card game played using a deck of 1990 MLB all-star playing cards.


goal shooter

(netball) A player allowed in the goal third including the shooting circle.


goal attack

(netball) A player allowed in the centre third, goal third including the shooting circle.


wing attack

(netball) A player allowed in the centre third and goal third, but not the shooting circle.


wing defence

defensive goal third
defensive goal third

(netball) A player allowed in the centre third, defensive goal third, but not the shooting circle.


goal defence

(netball) A player allowed in the centre third and the defensive goal third, including the shooting circle.


shooting circle

shooting circle (plural shooting circles)

(netball) One of two semicircles in the goal thirds, radius 4.9 metres, in which the goal shooter and goal attack can shoot.


goal third

The playing court is divided into thirds, a 'centre third' sandwiched between two 'goal thirds', with a D shaped area in both of the goal thirds and restrictions on which players are allowed in each section.

2012, Sandy Green, Encouraging Early Sports Skills, page 16:

(netball) One of two thirds of a netball court nearest the goal ring.


centre third

(netball) The central third of a netball court.


fishhook

fishhooks (plural)
fish hook (alternative)

From Middle English fisch-hook, from Old English *fischōc (“fishhook”), equivalent to fish + hook. Cognate with Dutch vishaak (“fishhook”). In the sense of a jack (playing card), refers to the shape of the letter J on the card.

(slang, card games) A jack (type of playing card).


goal kick

(soccer) A set piece taken from the goal area after an attacker touches the ball out of play over the goal line.

رَكْلَة مَرْمًى

a set piece taken from the goal area after the ball has gone out of play


baulk end

baulk ends (plural)
balk end (alternative)

(snooker) The end of a snooker table where the green, brown and yellow balls are initially placed


baulk line

baulk lines (plural)
balk line (alternative)
balkline (alternative)
baulkline (alternative)

(snooker) The line at the baulk end of a snooker table, upon which the green, yellow and brown balls are initially placed.


cue ball

cue balls (plural)
cueball (alternative)

(snooker, pool, billiards) The white ball which, stricken by the cue, collides with the other balls to achieve the object of the particular game.


carrying violation

carrying violation (plural carrying violations)

(basketball) The violation that occurs when a player places the palm of his hand under the ball while dribbling. As long as a player's hand is on top of the ball, he can dribble it above his shoulder.


screamer

But then he came around the wicket again, I slashed at one, and Strauss, at full stretch diving to his left at second slip, took an absolute screamer. It was the catch of the summer, and it happened to me.

His screamer into the right field bleachers in the sixth with Scarborough and Viau on base put Hickory out in front 9 to 8 and the lead held for the rest of the game.

2006, R. G. Utley, Tim Peeler, Aaron Peeler, Outlaw Ballplayers: interviews and profiles from the Independent Carolina Baseball League:

Kasper Schmeichel brilliantly denied Marouane Chamakh before Bacary Sagna thumped home a second, though Bradley Johnson's screamer halved the deficit.

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


fadeaway

fadeaways (plural)
fade-away (alternative)

He taunted the Knicks instead with hanging jumpers, impossible fadeaways and layups in traffic.

2009 February 3, Howard Beck, “Bryant Puts on a Show, Setting Garden Records”, in New York Times:

[Markieff] Morris isn’t quite the post-up threat that [Enes] Kanter is, and he can play both the 4 spot and 5 spot instead of just center, like Kanter. He is capable of playing a similar way, backing defenders down in the post. He prefers getting his buckets there with a bevy of fade-aways and jumpers. He’s a heat checker. And he can get hot on the block.

2019 February 25, Brett Dawson, Fred Katz, “How power forward Markieff Morris might fit in with the Thunder”, in The Athletic:

(basketball) A jump shot made while jumping backwards, away from the basket, with the goal to create space between the shooter and the defender, making it much harder to block.


batboy

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

(baseball, softball) A boy employed to watch over the bats, and assist the players in retrieving them during play.


at the double

2016, FourFourTwo staff, “Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2: Messi at the double to down brave Gunners” at FourFourTwo


get over

en-verb

get over (third-person singular simple present gets over, present participle getting over, simple past got over, past participle (UK) got over or (US) gotten over)

gets over (present singular third-person)
getting over (participle present)
got over (past)
got over (UK participle past)
gotten over (US participle past)

Ireland got their second try not long before half-time with O'Leary, an injury doubt all week with a stiff back, just about getting over for a try which was confirmed by the video referee.

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

But when a side plays for almost 20 of the first 40 minutes with only 14 men, you have to make that advantage count in your favour. Credit must go to the three-time champions for keeping the world champions from getting over for five points.

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


cutline

(squash) A line on the front wall, above which the ball must hit for a serve


Pompey

(slang, soccer) Portsmouth Football Club.


Spurs

en-proper noun

Spurs (countable and uncountable, plural Spurses)

(soccer) Tottenham Hotspur Football Club


round the clock

(games) A variant of the game of darts in which players attempt to hit each section of the dartboard sequentially, from lowest to highest number.


spin the bottle

(games) A party game in which the players sit in a circle and spin a bottle in the middle, having to kiss (or perform some other dare with) the person at whom the bottle points when it stops.


upcard

(card games) In stud poker or blackjack, a playing card dealt face up and left on the table for others to see.

(card games) In rummy, the top card of the discard pile.


dispatcher

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

First see that each die has all six figures upon it, for some dice are dispatchers, made with double numbers, […]

1897, Robert Frederick Foster, Foster's Complete Hoyle, page 565:

He also knew, with another proficient glance, that the dice the youngster jiggled were likely a pair of dispatchers—so named because they effectively "dispatched" their intended targets: suckers.

2013, Lisa Plumley, The Honor-Bound Gambler, page 9:

(gambling, slang) Any die used for cheating, whether fraudulently weighted or bearing duplicate numbers.


back row

back rows (plural)
back-row (alternative)
backrow (alternative)

(rugby) The row of players in a scrum, consisting of two flankers and a number eight.


doosra

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

Known for his innovative and unpredictable strokeplay, Dhoni had dead-batted this doosra straight back to the bowler.

2022, Amit Sinha, Joy Bhattacharjya, Do Different: The Untold Dhoni:

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


penalty shootout

en-noun

penalty shootout (plural penalty shootouts)

penalty shootouts (plural)
penalty shoot-out (alternative)

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

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

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


penalty kick

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

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


penalty spot

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


goal line

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

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

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


free kick

a free-kick specialist

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

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

goditje e lirë

kick played without interference of opposition


direct free kick

direct free kick (plural direct free kicks)

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


indirect free kick

indirect free kick (plural indirect free kicks)

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


shut up shop

en-verb

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

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

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


scratch

scratch (third-person singular simple present scratches, present participle scratching, simple past and past participle scratched)

scratches (present singular third-person)
scratching (participle present)
scratched (participle past)
scratched (past)

From Middle English scracchen, of uncertain origin. Probably a blend of Middle English scratten (“to scratch”) and cracchen (“to scratch”). More at scrat and cratch.

scratch a liberal and you'll find a fascist

you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours

Embarrassingly, he scratched on the break, popping the cue completely off the table.

(billiards) To commit a foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.

(billiards, dated, US) To score, not by skillful play but by some fortunate chance of the game.


scratch

en-noun

scratch (countable and uncountable, plural scratches)

A foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.

(archaic, US, slang) A shot which scores by chance and not as intended by the player; a fluke.


DH

designated hitter
designated hitter#English

(baseball) Initialism of designated hitter.


designated hitter

designated hitter (plural designated hitters)

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


hitter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


up to bat

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


supplier

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

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

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


runout

runout (countable and uncountable, plural runouts)

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


gridiron

gridiron (countable and uncountable, plural gridirons)

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

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


DOGSO

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

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


simul

We're not just starting with Round 1. We're kicking off with a simul. Four simuls to be exact.

1969, Anthony Glyn, The Dragon Variation, page 96:

He could have organized a simul with a rat without blinking an eye.

1985, Daryl Lane, William Vernon, David Carson, The Sound of Wonder, page 80:

I saw Glenn wrapping up his speech, and told Baynes to come back that evening for the simul.

2003, J.C. Hallman, The Chess Artist, page 275:

(gaming) An exhibition in which one (typically much stronger) player plays several games at the same time against different opponents.


daub

en-verb

daub (third-person singular simple present daubs, present participle daubing, simple past and past participle daubed)

daubs (present singular third-person)
daubing (participle present)
daubed (participle past)
daubed (past)

From Middle English daub (noun), from Middle English dauben (“to plaster or whitewash; cover with clay; bespatter”, verb), from Old Northern French dauber (“to whitewash; plaster”), of uncertain origin. Probably from Latin dealbāre (“to whiten thoroughly”).

der

(transitive, bingo) To mark spots on a bingo card, using a dauber.


SMP

en-noun

SMP (countable and uncountable, plural SMPs)

(gaming, Minecraft) Initialism of survival multiplayer.


PECOTA

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


cream puff

cream puffs (plural)
creampuff (alternative)

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

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

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

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

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


wong

en-verb

wong (third-person singular simple present wongs, present participle wonging, simple past and past participle wonged)

wongs (present singular third-person)
wonging (participle present)
wonged (participle past)
wonged (past)

(gambling) To enter a betting game, particularly blackjack, when the odds are favorable.


spitball

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


spitball

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

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

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


ownage

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

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

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

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


Hammers

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


Lord's

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


one-time

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

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

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

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

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


night watchman

night watchmen (plural)
nightwatchman (alternative)

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


boneyard

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

(dominoes) In the game of dominoes, the pile of upside-down pieces that have yet to be used.


bevel

From Middle English *bevel, from Anglo-Norman *baivel (whence obsolete French beauveau) a diminutive of Old French baïf (“open-mouthed”), perhaps from baer (“to gape”), from Medieval Latin *batāre (“to gape, yawn, be open”), probably of imitative origin. If so, then related to Italian badare.

onomatopoeic

imitative

The different types of dice made for cheating (flat passers, bevels, cut edges, loaded dice, […]

1974, The New York Times Book Review, volume 2, page 35:

Bevels are shapes having one or more sides sandpapered so that they are slightly rounded rather than flat.

1978, John Scarne, Scarne's Guide to Casino Gambling, page 176:

(gambling) A die used for cheating, having some sides slightly rounded instead of flat.


kick-off

kick-offs (plural)
kickoff (alternative)

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

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

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

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

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


set piece

set pieces (plural)
setpiece (alternative)
set-piece (alternative)

Roberto Carlos is deadly from set pieces.

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


wingback

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

carrilero

soccer: player who doubles as a defender and winger

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


bullseye

bullseyes (plural)
bull's-eye (alternative)
bull's eye (alternative)

→ German: Bullauge (calque)

→ Esperanto: bovokulo (calque)

From bull's + eye. May have come from the practice of English archers shooting an arrow through the eye socket of a bull's skull as a test of skill. The connection to philately comes from the shape of the key plate or vignette.

(darts) The two central rings on a dartboard.

häränsilmä

darts: two central rings of the dartboard


center field

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

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


right field

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

He's got a cannon out in right field.

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


catcher's mitt

en-noun

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

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

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


Cubs

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


rimless

Took aim and scored, a sure, rimless basket.

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


hacky sack

hacky sack (countable and uncountable, plural hacky sacks)

A trademark of Wham-O. It uses reduplication of the word sack with the word hacky; a "hack", in the game's terminology, is akin to a point, and happens when every player in a group successfully passes the footbag.

(uncountable, games) A game or activity in which one or a group of players try to keep a footbag off the ground using only the feet.


retire the side

en-verb

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

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

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

Jones steps on first to retire the side.

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


bat around

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

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

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

1965, Recreation, National Recreation Association, page 498:

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

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

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

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

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

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