yellow hammer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


hidoku

(games, puzzles) a puzzle where a diagram is filled with numbers between 1 and the number of cells of the diagram, each number is used exactly once, and consecutive numbers must be orthogonally or diagonally adjacent.


ABs

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


ground ball with eyes

en-noun

ground ball with eyes (plural ground balls with eyes)

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

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


turn-up

I'll bet $10 that the next turn-up is an ace.

(card games) The next card taken from the top of a pack of cards and displayed.


pather

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non-player character
non-player character

(computer games) A non-player character that walks a repeating path.


above the line

(bridge) In the part of the score sheet in bridge that is reserved for honors, penalty, and premiums; a score that does not count towards game.


red dog

red dog (countable and uncountable, plural red dogs)

(countable, US, American football) A blitz.


red dog

en-verb

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

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


AAF

Alliance of American Football
w:Alliance of American Football

(American football) Initialism of Alliance of American Football.


necro

necro (third-person singular simple present necroes or necros, present participle necroing, simple past and past participle necroed)

necroes (present singular third-person)
necros (present singular third-person)
necroing (participle present)
necroed (participle past)
necroed (past)

“I killed and necroed a couple guards practically every time I went out. My boys have the south gate manned, and they'll be stepping aside any minute now.”

2018, Xavier P. Hunter, House Rules: a LitRPG novel, Magical Scrivener Press, →ISBN:

(Internet, video games and card games slang) To practice necromancy; to bring back from the dead.


shot clock

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


penalty throw

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


hot hand

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


body line

en-noun

body line (countable and uncountable, plural body lines)

(cricket) The bodyline style of bowling.


fumblerooski

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

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


trick play

trick play (countable and uncountable, plural trick plays)

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


highbie

[…] and since everyone knows what they did, the players give them all the respect *they* believe a 'botter deserves. (I.e. they aren't a "real" highbie in the eyes of their peers.)

1998 June 9, Arlie Stephens, “Re: Botting and Autoplaying”, in rec.games.mud.admin (Usenet):

A lowbie always has access to highbie stuff simply by leveling up, but highbies are purposely restricted from this content.

2001 September 5, Silverlock [username], “Re: Why trivial loot code sucks mister Harmon.”, in alt.games.everquest (Usenet):

The score was "the great equalizer," and Imani knew that as a "highbie" she was poised to benefit at the highest level.

2011, Lauren McLaughlin, Scored, Random House Children's Books, →ISBN, page 3:

(online gaming) A high-level character in an MMORPG.


rouf

(costermongers) The number four.
(slang, gambling) Odds of four to one.


rally cap

rally caps (plural)
rally-cap (alternative)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


three-and-out

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


table talk

This then, is my hope: if at least one of us does not talk bridge at the table, the table talk will eventually be lessened.

2002, Roselyn Teukolsky, How to Play Bridge with Your Spouse and Survive, →ISBN, page 186:

"Did you see that?" Paula pointed a lit cigarette. “No table-talk!” Alex snarled.

2002, David Fiore, Darkling I Listen, →ISBN, page 192:

One of the rules of the game is NO TABLE TALK, which means you don't want to bring moves to other players' attention that might benefit them or prevent them from making a damaging one.

2007, Joan Butman, Table Talk: Food for Thought That's Easy to Swallow!, →ISBN, page 1:

(games) Conversation that illicitly conveys information or suggestions to another player.


cockal

cockal (countable and uncountable, plural cockals)

(obsolete, uncountable, games) A game played with sheep bones instead of dice.


flash cut

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


swy

1951, Dymphna Cusack, Florence James, 1957, Come In Spinner, page 306,
“ […] Coupla bastards come the raw prawn over me on the last lap up from Melbourne and I done me last bob at Swy.”

“Then I come,” Kernow said, “and maybe I show you Old Australians how to play this — swy.”

1953, Tom Inglis Moore, editor, Australia Writes, page 3:

‘[…]You′d swear a butterflied penny was spinning, especially in the night, playing under lights, but a good ringkeeper or any experienced swy player can pick a butterflied penny from the genuine spinning article.’

1990, Frank J. Hardy, Retreat Australia fair and other Great Australian Legends, page 121:


floor general

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


WHIP

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

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


winning hazard

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


losing hazard

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


backhead

en-verb

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

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

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


WFM

(chess) Initialism of Woman FIDE Master.


rubberbanding

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From rubber band + -ing, referring to the fact that when two objects are connected by an elastic band then the movement of one is constrained by the other.

(video games, racing games) The speeding up of computer-controlled cars far behind the player, often as a method to increase the level of challenge provided to the player.


Rangers

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

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


Twin

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


crosskick

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


FA Cup

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


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

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


codille

The Knave of Diamonds tries his wily Arts,
and wins (oh shameful Chance!) the Queen of Hearts
At this, the Blood the Virgin's Cheek forsook,
A livid Paleness spreads o'er all her Look;
She sees, and trembles at th' approaching Ill,
Just in the Jaws of Ruin, and Codille.

1712-17, Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock (London: Chiswick Press. 1925. p. 33-34)

(obsolete, card games) The winning of the majority of tricks in the game of ombre.


Irons

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


durak

(card games) A traditional Russian card game in which players attempt to shed all of their cards.


Moneyball

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(baseball) Baseball management relying on sabermetrics.


declared abundance

(card games) An undertaking to take all thirteen tricks with no trump suit.


royal abundance

(card games) An undertaking to take all thirteen tricks with the suit of the face-up card as trump.


kill stealer

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The intent of this rule is to discourage and make note of habitual kill stealers, not to punish those who honestly try to work together or those who make an honest mistake.

2001 October 1, Juanita Jones, Everquest Player's Guide, Prima Guides, →ISBN, →OL, page 7:

It won't get you any experience to argue with someone who is being a jerk, and struggling to grab viable targets with an aggressive kill stealer in the area is not worth the time and annoyance.

2006 April 18, Auto Assault Official Strategy Guide, Brady Games, →ISBN, →OL:

Alec and Keiichi then noticed a group of players walking by who were complaining about kill stealers:
"Those jerks totally stole our kill back there."

2009 June 15, Sophia Hughlette, Shinigami Boy, iUniverse, →ISBN, →OL, page 114:

(online gaming, derogatory) One who kill steals.


KSer

If a player saves your butt from a MEAN monster because HE thought you couldn't make it alone, don't call him a KSer

1999 October 4, Sylvain Laquiche, “Respect”, in alt.games.everquest (Usenet), message-ID <7ta3d1$he3$1@jaydee.iway.fr>:

How could you prove beyond any doubt that the person is a die-hard KSer or PKer?

2000 February 17, K. Laisathit, “Re: Verant planning a Star Wars MMORPG?”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg (Usenet), message-ID <88hndr$q8e$1@nntp6.u.washington.edu>:

I have recently switched over to a wizard and have yet to lose a kill to a KSer.

2000 May 31, Patrick Grinsell, “Re: Kill Stealing”, in rec.games.computer.everquest (Usenet), message-ID <FXiZ4.52$tP1.68808@news.pacbell.net>:

(online gaming, derogatory) Abbreviation of kill stealer.


kill steal

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

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

They shoot their own teammates, they kill steal, they fill the chat window with the word ‘LOL’, they camp, and they smash people’s stuff.

2013 January 4, “A history of griefing: meet the gamers who, if you’re lucky, only want to ruin your day for kicks”, in Edge, →ISSN:

(online gaming, derogatory) In a multiplayer online game, to deal a finishing blow on an enemy that other player(s) had almost killed, without their consent, so that one gets the credit or rewards instead of them.


kill steal

(online gaming, derogatory) A finishing blow of this kind.


check swing

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


Maróczy bind

Maróczy binds (plural)
Maróczy Bind (alternative)

Named after the Hungarian Grandmaster Géza Maróczy.

(chess) A pawn formation, primarily played against the Sicilian Defence, characterized by white pawns on c4 and e4, with White's d-pawn having been exchanged for Black's c-pawn.


(American football) Initialism of first down.


passed pawn

(chess) A pawn that has passed beyond enemy pawns on its own or adjacent files, and that hence has a clear run to the first or eighth rank.


pottable

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


Süper Lig

From Turkish Süper Lig (“Super League”).

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


barleybrake

barleybrakes (alternative)
barleybreak (alternative)
barleybreaks (alternative)
barley-brake (alternative)

(games, historical) An ancient rural game, commonly played around stacks of barley or other grain, in which some players attempt to catch others who run from a goal.


park the bus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


prial

(card games) Alternative form of pair royal.


ECWC

European Cup Winners Cup
w:European Cup Winners Cup

(soccer) Initialism of European Cup Winners Cup.


shot stopper

shot stoppers (plural)
shot-stopper (alternative)

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


tag up

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

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

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


red ball

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

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

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

limited overs cricket
limited overs cricket

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


middle for diddle

(darts) The throw of a dart to decide who has first throw in a game darts: nearest the bullseye has first throw.


flea flicker

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


Virginia reel

(card games) A solitaire card game using two mixed decks of playing cards, and in which the foundations are built up by suit in intervals of three.


PTBNL

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

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

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

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


trickless

a trickless suit


JDT

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


scorpion volley

en-noun

scorpion volley (plural scorpion volleys)


tiki-taka

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


crosstable

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(chess) An arrangement of the results of every game in a tournament in tabular form.


quickplay

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(chess) A style of play in which each player has a fixed amount of time available to make all moves.


quiet move

(chess) A move that does not attack or capture an enemy piece.


discovered attack

discovered attack (plural discovered attacks)

(chess) An attack revealed when one piece moves out of the way of another.


pawn chain

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(chess) A locked diagonal formation of pawns, each one supported by a friendly pawn diagonally behind and blocked by an enemy pawn directly ahead.


Caro-Kann Defence

Named after Horatio Caro and Marcus Kann.

(chess) A chess opening characterized by the moves 1.e4 c6, in which the white king's pawn advances two squares and the black king's bishop's pawn advances one square.


centipawn

(computer chess) One hundredth of the value of a pawn, especially for calculation purposes in computer chess.


smothered mate

smothered mates (plural)
smother mate (alternative)

(chess) A checkmate, delivered by a knight, in which the mated king is unable to move because he is surrounded (or smothered) by his own pieces.


Alekhine's Defence

(chess) A chess opening characterized by the moves e4 Nf6.


algebraic notation

algebraic notation (usually uncountable, plural algebraic notations)

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notação algébrica

a method for recording chess moves using letters and numbers

(chess) A method for recording and describing the moves in a game of chess which employs a single uppercase letter for each piece and a letter-number coordinate for each square.


Double King's Pawn Opening

Double King's Pawn Opening (uncountable)


relative pin

(chess) A pin in which moving away the pinned piece would allow capture of a piece other than the king.


absolute pin

(chess) A pin in which moving away the pinned piece would illegally expose the king to check.


partial pin

(chess) A pin where a rook or queen is pinned along a file, or a bishop or queen is pinned along a diagonal.


advanced pawn

(chess) A pawn that is on the opponent's side of the board (the fifth rank or higher).


backward pawn

(chess) A pawn that is unable to advance without being threatened by an enemy pawn and is not defensible by pawns of the same color.


doubled pawn

(chess) A pawn that is on the same file as a friendly pawn.


isolated pawn

(chess) A pawn that has no friendly pawn on an adjacent file.


connected pawn

(chess) Any of the pawns in a group of pawns of the same color on adjacent files.


bad bishop

(chess) A bishop that is blocked by the player's own pawns.


tall pawn

Humorous construction that alludes to both the larger height of a bishop compared to a pawn, and the worthlessness of such a bishop blocked by its own pawns.


good bishop

(chess) A bishop that has high mobility.


rook's pawn

(chess) A pawn on the rook's file; i.e., the a-file or h-file.


knight's pawn

(chess) A pawn on the knight's file; i.e., the b-file or g-file.


bishop's pawn

(chess) A pawn on the bishop's file; i.e., the c-file or f-file.


queen's pawn

(chess) A pawn on the queen's file; i.e., the d-file.


queen's rook's pawn

queen's rook's pawn (plural queen's rook's pawns)

(chess) A rook's pawn on the queenside; i.e., a pawn on the a-file.


queen's knight's pawn

queen's knight's pawn (plural queen's knight's pawns)

(chess) A knight's pawn on the queenside; i.e., a pawn on the b-file.


queen's bishop's pawn

queen's bishop's pawn (plural queen's bishop's pawns)

(chess) A bishop's pawn on the queenside; i.e., a pawn on the c-file.


king's bishop's pawn

king's bishop's pawn (plural king's bishop's pawns)

(chess) A bishop's pawn on the kingside; i.e., a pawn on the f-file.


king's knight's pawn

king's knight's pawn (plural king's knight's pawns)

(chess) A knight's pawn on the kingside; i.e., a pawn on the g-file.


king's rook's pawn

king's rook's pawn (plural king's rook's pawns)

(chess) A rook's pawn on the kingside; i.e., a pawn on the h-file.


open file

(chess) A file with no pawns of either color situated on it.


half-open file

(chess) A file with only pawns of one color situated on it.


closed file

(chess) A file with pawns of both colors situated on it.


central pawn

(chess) A pawn on the e-file (a king's pawn) or on the d-file (a queen's pawn).


fifty-move rule

(chess) A rule in professional chess that a player may declare the game to be a draw after 50 consecutive moves by each side without any capture or pawn movement, usually invoked during an inconclusive endgame.


pawn island

(chess) A group of pawns of the same color side by side, without any pawn of the same color diagonally adjacent to them.


pawn storm

(chess) A tactic in which several pawns are moved in rapid succession toward the opponent's defenses.


pawn race

(chess) A situation where both opponents are pushing (moving forward) a passed pawn in an effort to be the first to promote.


perpetual check

perpetual check (countable and uncountable, plural perpetual checks)

(chess) A draw forced by one player by putting the opponent's king in a potentially infinite series of checks.


poisoned pawn

poisoned pawns (plural)
poison pawn (alternative)

(chess) An unprotected pawn whose capture would be a losing move for the capturing player.


tripled pawn

(chess) A pawn that is on the same file as two friendly pawns.


wrong rook pawn

wrong rook pawn (plural wrong rook pawns)

(chess) In the endgame, a rook pawn that is unable to promote under the protection of a bishop, because the promoting square is of the color the single friendly bishop cannot control.


touch-move rule

(chess) The rule stating that, if a player intentionally touches a piece when it is their turn, they must move or capture the piece if it is legal to do so.


takeback

takeback (countable and uncountable, plural takebacks)

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(chess) The withdrawal of the previous move, as in practice games.


zwischenschach

(chess, rare) A zwischenzug that is a check.


wastepile

(card games) The discard pile; the area where the cards from the stock go when they are brought into play.


worry back

en-verb

worry back (third-person singular simple present worries back, present participle worrying back, simple past and past participle worried back)

worries back (present singular third-person)
worrying back (participle present)
worried back (participle past)
worried back (past)

(card games) In a patience or solitaire game, to return a card from a foundation to the tableau.


downcard

(card games) A card that is dealt face down.


oggy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Confed

(soccer, informal) The Confederations Cup


West Brom

(informal, soccer) West Bromwich Albion Football Club


boot boy

boot boys (plural)
boot-boy (alternative)

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

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

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


foothole

footholes (plural)
foot hole (alternative)

From foot + hole, possibly influenced by foothold.

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

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

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


drive in

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

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

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


pitch up

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

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

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


red-inker

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


sixth man

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


forward line

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

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


conquian

Perhaps from Spanish con quién, "with whom"; perhaps from the Chinese game Kon Khin, a variation of the earlier game Khanhoo.

(card games) A card game, an ancestor of rummy.


Old Firm

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


Le Classique

(soccer) a football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille, known for its fierce rivalry


LOOGY

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


ticat

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


take it to the house

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

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

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


break-off

break-offs (plural)
breakoff (alternative)

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


bang-bang

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

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

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

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


thirteener

thirteeners (plural)
Thirteener (alternative)

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

affix

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

At last they were all chosen [for the watch] but me; and it was the chief mate's next turn to choose; though there could be little choosing in my case since I was a thirteener, and must, whether or not, go over to the next column, like the odd figure you carry along when you do a sum in addition.

1849, Herman Melville, “He is Put into the Larboard Watch; Gets Sea-sick; and Relates Some Other of His Experiences”, in Redburn: His First Voyage. […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 56:

[T]he following description of a thorough-going College Whist-player is too good to lose. […] How he used to bring out forgotten thirteeners at the end of the hand! And how the majesty of your kings and queens was forced to bow down before his dirty little sixes and sevens!

1870 December 23, “Hash”, in The Harvard Advocate, volume X, number VI, Cambridge, Mass.: Students of Harvard College, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 89, column 1:

When you hold the best trump and partner the next best, and right-hand adversary holds the only other trump, you may force partner by leading a thirteener, if necessary, so as to divide your trumps; and he should, when he holds a high trump, always play it on your thirteener, unless it is evident that you cannot hold the best trump.

1895, Fisher Ames, “The Card to Lead”, in A Practical Guide to Whist by the Latest Scientific Methods […], 7th edition, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 37:

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

maan viimeinen kortti

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

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

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


respotted black

en-noun

respotted black (plural respotted blacks)

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


one-pocket

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


touching ball

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


push shot

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


Dagger

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


Shrimp

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


Gull

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

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


fag out

en-verb

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

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

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


go it blind

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

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

(card games) To bet without having examined the cards.


duck fart

Surhoff blooped a weak duck fart into shallow right field.

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


Buccos

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


G-men

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


chii

(mahjong) A call for forming a run of three consecutive tiles of the same suit using a discarded tile.

上

mahjong: a call for a set of three consecutive tiles


high striker

(games) An attraction at fairs and carnivals which is operated by striking a puck attached to a tower with a mallet, with punters attempting to ring the bell suspended at the top.


draw weight

draw weights (plural)
drawweight (alternative)

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


Cove

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


Messian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


tanky

en-adj

tanky (comparative tankier, superlative tankiest)

tankier (comparative)
tankiest (superlative)

The phrase, “tank meta”, is one that carries a lot of weight when it comes to MOBAs. These metas are generally characterized by tanky, unkillable behemoths dominating the meta and leaving any character that isn’t focused around raw DPS in the dust.

2022 November 17, Carver Fisher, “League of Legends preseason 13 has made tanks unkillable”, in Dexerto:

When it comes to weakside tanks, Sion is the tankiest of the bunch. Between Heartsteel and his max HP stacking on W, killing Sion takes forever.

2023 May 30, Carver Fisher, “Best Top laners in League of Legends for patch 13.10 (2023)”, in Dexerto:

The demon lord that is Mauga has been a top-tier option since Season 11’s midseason patch, and he’s still tankier than ever in Season 13.

2024 October 18, Josh Tyler, “Best Overwatch 2 tank heroes tier list: Most popular characters for Season 13”, in Dexerto:

If the added physical damage to enemies wasn’t enough, Qionjiu can also apply Burn damage which helps chew through tanky enemies.

2024 December 3, James Busby, “How to reroll in Girls’ Frontline 2: Exilium & best characters to get”, in Dexerto:

(gaming) Able to withstand much damage, having a lot of hit points (that is, like a tank).


gh

(online gaming slang) Initialism of good half.


MCFC

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

(soccer) Initialism of Manchester City Football Club.

Melbourne City Football Club
w:Melbourne City FC

(soccer) Initialism of Melbourne City Football Club.


Citeh

Respelling of a local pronunciation of (Manchester) city.

(soccer, informal) Manchester City Football Club


FCUM

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

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


dark flow

From dark (“sinister”) + flow (“state of focus”).

compound

We propose that players who experience dark flow have difficulty staying on task in everyday life, but, the reinforcing sights and sounds of slot machines rein in these otherwise wandering minds and induce these flow-like states

2019, Mike J. Dixon, Jeffrey Gutierrez, Madison Stange, Chanel J. Larche, Candice Graydon, Sonia Vintan, Tyler B. Kruger, “Mindfulness Problems and Depression Symptoms in Everyday Life Predict Dark Flow During Slots Play: Implications for Gambling as a Form of Escape”, in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, →DOI:

(gambling, psychology) A state of flow experienced in gambling, especially by slot machine players; a state of intense focus and absorption on gambling.


Pope Joan

He could sing, and talk, and drink, and keep things stirring, and the gentlemen liked him; and he was, 'twas said, a wonderful fine player at whist, and piquet, and ombre, and all sorts of card-playing. So you see he could afford to play fair. The first time he came down, he fought three duels about a tipsy quarrel over a pool of Pope Joan.

1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

The game of Pope Joan is played on a special circular board with divisions, and often lacquered in red and gold upon a black background. It was played early in the nineteenth century and several boards exist, mainly in museums and also in some of the stately homes of England. It was a popular game with the Prince of Wales, later Willliam IV.

1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 117:

(card games) A card game played on a round board with compartments.


free spin

(gambling) A slot machine bonus game where the player is awarded reel spins on the same wager.


Cup Final

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


six-pointer

six-pointers (plural)
six pointer (alternative)

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

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

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

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

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


rerack

en-verb

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

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

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


rerack

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


no-doubter

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


stampeder

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


big cassino

(card games) The ten of diamonds in the game of cassino.


little cassino

(card games) The two of spades in the game of cassino.


coat card

(archaic, card games) A face card, picture card or court card; the king, queen, or jack.


king card

If the ace and king of a suit have been played, the queen is the king card of the suit.

(card games) In whist, the best unplayed card of a suit.


tiger cat

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


bear off

bear off (third-person singular simple present bears off, present participle bearing off, simple past bore off, past participle borne off)

bears off (present singular third-person)
bearing off (participle present)
bore off (past)
borne off (participle past)

The first player to bear off all checkers is the winner.

(backgammon) To remove one of one's own checkers from the board.


hash mark

hash marks (plural)
hashmark (alternative)


leg before

Leg before wicket
leg before wicket#English

(cricket, colloquial) Leg before wicket.


West Coast offense

en-noun

West Coast offense (plural West Coast offenses)

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


Knickerbocker

A History of New York
Diedrich Knickerbocker
Knickerbocker
Washington Irving

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

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

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


Knickerbockers

National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association

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

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


sweep the deck

en-verb

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

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

(card games, idiomatic) To clear off all the stakes on the table by winning them.


wild-card

(sports, card games) Alternative form of wild card.


inwicking

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


outwicking

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


penalty mark

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


big bat

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


out ground

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


how's that

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


push out

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


cherry pit

What, man! 'tis not for / gravity to play at cherry-pit with Satan: hang / him, foul collier!

c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, act 3, scene 4:

(games, obsolete) A children's game in which players attempt to knock marbles into a hole without losing their taw in the same hole.


row Z

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


lower order

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


nervous nineties

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

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

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

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


long game

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

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

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


the handbags come out

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

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

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

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

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

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


dead wall

(mahjong) A section of the wall from which tiles are not normally drawn.


circle changeup

en-noun

circle changeup (plural circle changeups)

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


lay back

en-verb

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

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

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

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

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


Panenka

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He chipped a Panenka that was so bad it barely had enough power to bounce off the chest of Lukasz Fabianski.

2020 November 7, Paul MacInnes, “Soucek's late strike earns West Ham win as Lookman fluffs Fulham penalty”, in The Guardian, London:

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


seckill

seckill (third-person singular simple present seckills, present participle seckilling, simple past and past participle seckilled)

seckills (present singular third-person)
seckilling (participle present)
seckilled (participle past)
seckilled (past)

(online gaming, slang) to kill an enemy within seconds


fox in the box

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


heavy hitter

heavy hitters (plural)
heavy-hitter (alternative)

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

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

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

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

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


sidegrade

(gaming) A choice that is comparatively different but not objectively better or worse than another.


ghost in the graveyard

(games) A children's game, a form of tag in which the player designated as the ghost attempts to catch the others before they can reach base.


strike out looking

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

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

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

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


18-yard line

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

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

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


in the refrigerator

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

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


draw iron

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

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


feature back

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

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

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


playcalling

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


play-action pass

en-noun

play-action pass (plural play-action passes)

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


three-pointer

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

1948, The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball Guide:

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

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

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


Grob's attack

Named after Swiss chess player Henri Grob (1904–1974), who used and analyzed it extensively.

(chess) An unconventional chess opening in which White immediately moves the king knight's pawn two squares ahead.


Altuve

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


hit me

(blackjack, slang) Said by a player to ask the dealer to deal them another card.


forehander

(racquet sports) A shot played forehand.


alfin

From Middle English awfyn, alphyn, aufyn, etc., from Middle French alfin, from Old Spanish alfil, arfil, from Arabic الفِيل (al-fīl, “the elephant”).


flying wedge

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


cut card

(blackjack) A brightly coloured plastic card that serves to mark the point where the dealer will reshuffle the cards, to allow the player to cut the deck prior to dealing, and to prevent the bottom card from being exposed during play.


Tartan Army

The widely predicted jeering of Aiden McGeady from the Tartan Army briefly turned to cheers when he was next to see a yellow card for a poor challenge on Fletcher.

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

(soccer) The fans of the Scottish national football team


Hail Mary pass

Hail Mary pass (plural Hail Mary passes)

From Hail Mary, a prayer for intercession, from Latin Ave Maria, plus pass (“moving the ball from one player to another”). Attested from the 1970s in the context of American football.

With 11:04 left in the game, and a comfortable 38–14 lead, Smith heaved a 62-yard, Hail Mary pass to Carter.

1983, “A Run for the Roses”, in Michigan Ensian, page 120:

Maybe I should just toss up a “Hail Mary” pass deep into their territory, as though I was saying a prayer that one of our players would catch it.

1990, Michael Teitelbaum, Play Book! Football, →OCLC, page 35:

The black sky emptied as about 50,000 rain-soaked University of Colorado football fans exhaled in improbable joy at Folsom Field. This was after the Hail Mary pass caught as time expired, after the game-clinching fumble that squirted out of the end zone in overtime.

2024 October 4, John Branch, “What Does College Football Have to Do With College?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:

(American football) A long forward pass with little chance of completion, typically used by the losing team when time is running out and no other play is practical, in a desperate attempt to score the winning points.

Hail Mary

American football: pass with little chance of completion


win one for the Gipper

en-verb

win one for the Gipper (third-person singular simple present wins one for the Gipper, present participle winning one for the Gipper, simple past and past participle won one for the Gipper)

wins one for the Gipper (present singular third-person)
winning one for the Gipper (participle present)
won one for the Gipper (participle past)
won one for the Gipper (past)

Attributed to Knute Rockne, coach of the Notre Dame football team, during a 1928 American football game between Notre Dame and the Army. During a half-time talk to his team, who were losing the game, he encouraged the team with the death-bed speech of former player George "The Gipper" Gipp:
: "I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."
Popularized by the 1940 film Knute Rockne, All American, which starred future President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, as George Gipp.

(idiomatic, American football) To do something in memory of another person.


under center

Bill O’Brien’s quarterback preferences aren’t quite as clear, and the Texans don’t have an obvious solution under center, but he’s also exhibited an interest in big-armed mediocrities.

2014, Bill Barnwell, What’s Next for RG3? Breaking Down 10 Possible Destinations:

(American football) Playing at the quarterback position.

(American football) (Of the quarterback) initiating play from immediately behind the center.


Selection Sunday

en-noun

Selection Sunday (plural Selection Sundays)

(US, basketball) The Sunday in March on which the teams that participate in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament are selected.

(US, American football) The Sunday in December on which the college teams that participate in major bowl games are announced.


bowl game

From Rose Bowl Game, played in the Rose Bowl stadium, in turn named for the bowl-shaped Yale Bowl.

(US, American football) A postseason college football competition.

Rose Bowl (stadium)
Rose Bowl Game
Yale Bowl


I formation

From the vertical (as viewed from the opposing endzone) alignment of quarterback, fullback, and running back, particularly when contrasted with the same players' alignments in the T formation.

(American football) A common offensive formation, beginning with the usual five offensive linemen (two offensive tackles, two guards, and a center), the quarterback under center, and two backs in-line behind the quarterback. The base variant adds a tight end to one side of the line and two wide receivers, one at each end of the line.


arrow switch

(bridge) The action of changing the North direction during an event, typically for the last round of a Mitchell movement, so that the pairs who were North-South become East-West and vice versa. This allows a single winning pair to be determined.


bidding box

(bridge) A box holding cards with calls printed on them, allowing a player to bid without speaking.


Bath coup

Presumably named after the city of Bath, England.

(bridge) A coup where the declarer, holding AJx in a suit, ducks the left-hand opponent's lead of a king or queen.


rien ne va plus

/ɹɪˈã nə vɑː ˈpluː/

Borrowed from French rien ne va plus (literally “nothing goes any more”). In use since mid 19th century.

bor

(gambling) In roulette, an announcement made by the croupier while the wheel is spinning and no more bets can be placed.


complete game

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

(baseball) A game during which the starting pitcher pitches for the entirety of the game, without a relief pitcher.


TMO

But before he could take the penalty there was a dramatic intervention from Irish TMO Joy Neville. She had spotted Russell trying to halt Youngs with his outstretched right leg and the Scotland stand-off was punished with ten minutes in the sin-bin.

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

television match official
television match official#English

(rugby) Initialism of television match official.


RAW

R.A.W. (alternative)
R. A. W. (alternative)

(games) Abbreviation of rules as written: the actual rules appearing in the rulebook, as opposed to house rules, or to rules that might have been intended (in the event of a mistake in the rulebook).


scissor tackle

Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboué has defended his scissor tackle on Liam Ridgewell by insisting that he "did not want to kill" the Birmingham player in Saturday's match at the Emirates.

2010, I did not want to kill Liam Ridgewell, says Emmanuel Eboué, The Guardian

As he looks to get a shot away, a clumsy, lunging scissor tackle by Ledley King drags him to the ground.

2013, Steve Mingle, From Balti Pies to the Biggest Prize: The Rebirth of Manchester City:

(soccer) A tackle where one player slides in and wraps their legs either side of an opponent's legs.


splitfinger

split-finger fastball
split-finger fastball


basic strategy

(blackjack) A playing strategy that offers the highest return on investment to a player who knows only his point total and the dealer's upcard.


hard hand

(blackjack) A hand of cards that are worth their face value, i.e. without any ace being counted as 11.


soft hand

(blackjack) A hand of cards that includes an ace being counted as 11.

(cricket) A grip on the bat that merely stops the ball moving towards the wicket


pitch game

See pitch (“to throw”); the cards are handed out to the players.

(blackjack) A game dealt from a maximum of two decks, without the use of a shoe.


flavor text

en-noun

flavor text (countable and uncountable, plural flavor texts)

flavor texts (plural)
flavour text (alternative)

In the old days of Magic the Gathering, the flavor text was almost all serious, sometimes even with quotes from Shakespeare or Edgar Allen Poe thrown in.

2008, Game Developer, Volume 15, Issues 7-11, unknown page

One reason why cards are now much more popular, and dice less, in tabletop games is that cards can include colorful, varied, interesting illustrations and brief “flavor text.”

2012, Lewis Pulsipher, Game Design: How to Create Video and Tabletop Games, Start to Finish, McFarland & Company, published 2012, →ISBN, page 129:

The metaphysical taxonomy of reality in magic systems occurs to varying degrees of depth, ranging from flavor text in small or large amounts (the backs of Magic: The Gathering cards exemplify short flavor text, while the codexes/codices in Dragon Age contain more elaborate philosophical ruminations) to deep integration with gameplay.

2014, Jeff Howard, Game Magic: A Designer's Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice, CRC Press, published 2014, →ISBN, page 104:

(chiefly card games) Text printed on a card or within the rulebook of a tabletop game or a menu in a video game which does not affect the game's mechanics, but gives background information on characters, places, etc. to enhance the game's atmosphere.


go deep

en-verb

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

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

On this play, we're going to fake a short pass but go deep to Kelly or Chris.

(American football, Canadian football) To throw a long pass attempt or to get in position to catch one.


run deep

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

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

(American football, Canadian football) Synonym of go deep.


rabona

(soccer) A kick made with the kicking leg crossed behind the other leg.


code-switch

code-switch (third-person singular simple present code-switches, present participle code-switching, simple past and past participle code-switched)

code-switches (present singular third-person)
code-switching (participle present)
code-switched (participle past)
code-switched (past)
codeswitch (alternative)
code switch (alternative)

(rugby, intransitive) To change from playing rugby league to rugby union or vice versa.


double napoleon

en-noun

double napoleon (countable and uncountable, plural double napoleons)

double napoleons (plural)
Double Napoleon (alternative)
double Napoleon (alternative)

From its value of twice the 20-franc napoleon.

(uncountable, card games) A form of solitaire.


military medium

When TV cricket is dull—and even on the Saturday of the Lord's Test most of the bowling was "military medium" and most of the batting was of the prod and push variety—I take refuge in the verbal gymnastics of the commentators.

A total of 109 was never going to be enough for Cuba, let down by their baseball-style batting again, and they couldn't cope with the military medium bowling of our imbedded Telegraph journalist Tony Francis, another son of Leicester, who made a remarkable five for nineteen, which made his day too.

(cricket) Straight, medium pace (bowling).


frozen rope

(basketball) A shot, especially a free throw, with little or no arc.


Chinese home run

Chinese home run (plural Chinese home runs)

Either from supposed tendency of early 20th-century Chinese immigrants to the United States to do minimally acceptable work for minimal compensation, or a possible corruption of "Chaney's home run" from such a hit by a batter with that name that ended a game when the ball could not be found.

Chinese home run: 1. A derogatory term for a home run hit over the portion of the outfield fence closest to home plate, often one that lands just inside (or hits) the foul pole in a ballpark with small dimensions.

2011, Paul Dickson, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, W.W. Norton & Co., pages 182-184:

(derogatory, dated) A home run hit to the minimum distance possible, usually just over the outfield fence closest to home plate.

Hal was too small to play, but he sat far out in foul territory, sucking on his blueberry Popsicle and chasing what the big kids called "Chinese home runs." (Cited at Dickson, above. He further quotes correspondence from King that indicates that his understanding of this term was that it applied to a foul ball over the backstop)

1985, Stephen King, “The Monkey”, in Skeleton Crew, Putnam, page 163:

(New England) A foul ball hit high and far, usually over the back of the plate.


problemist

(chess) One who composes chess problems for other players to attempt to solve.


Pirc Defence

Named after the Slovenian grandmaster Vasja Pirc.

(chess) An opening characterised by Black responding to 1.e4 with 1...d6 and 2...Nf6, followed by ...g6 and ...Bg7, while allowing White to establish an impressive-looking centre with pawns on d4 and e4.


suiter

Additionally your chances of going alone and getting all five tricks are rather better on a two-suited hand than a one-suiter.

2016, Card Games All-in-One For Dummies, page 73:

(card games, in combination) Something having a certain number of suits.


target man

target men (plural)
targetman (alternative)

For Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, however, it was further evidence his decision to add the former San Jose Earthquakes target man was on the money. Despite the precision passing of Robbie Keane and the pace of Gyasi Zardes up front, Gordon can still come on late for LA to go route one and chuck it in the mixer, or at least make the most out of set-pieces like corners.

2015 March 16, Richard Whittall, Graham Parker, “Turf war escalates as New York City FC makes home debut in week two”, in The Guardian:


go up for

en-verb

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

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

the keeper went up for a caught behind

(cricket, informal) Of the fielding side, to appeal for the batsman or batswoman to be out.


established suit

en-noun

established suit (plural established suits)

(bridge, whist) A plain suit in which a player (or side) could, except for trumping, take tricks with all of his or her remaining cards.


little slam

(bridge, whist) The winning of 12 out of the 13 tricks.


hanjie

Borrowed from Japanese 判じ絵 (hanjie, literally “picture puzzle”).

bor

(games, puzzles) A puzzle in which cells of a grid must be filled or left blank, according to sets of numbers given at the side of the grid, to reveal a hidden picture.


auction bridge

(card games) A precursor to the game of contract bridge.


Cooperstown

(baseball, slang) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located in the New York town.


mugginsed

(card games) Having had points deducted for making a mistake which another player then pointed out.


anchor shot

(billiards) A shot made with the object balls in an anchor space.


anchor space

(billiards) In the balk-line game, any of eight spaces, 7 × 3½ inches, lying along a cushion and bisected transversely by a balk line. Object balls in an anchor space are treated as in balk.


royal spade

(card games, usually in the plural) In auction bridge, a spade when spades are trumps under the condition that every trick over six taken by the successful bidder has a score value of 9.


Sancho Pedro

(card games) A variety of auction pitch in which the nine (Sancho) and five (Pedro) of trumps are added as counting cards at their pip value, and the ten of trumps counts game.


Kopite

From kop + -ite. In 1906, the banked stand at one end of the team's ground was formally named after Spion Kop, a hill in KwaZulu-Natal where many Liverpudlians were killed in the Second Boer War.

(informal, soccer) A fan of the English football team Liverpool F.C..

(informal, soccer, derogatory) A fan of Liverpool F.C. who exhibits loutish behaviour, football hooliganism, or poor sportsmanship.


EFC

(soccer) Initialism of Everton Football Club.


Blucher

Named after Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (1742-1819), Prussian general.

(card games) In the game of nap, a bid that results in the bidder winning sextuple, or losing treble, the amount staked.


Banglawash

New Zealand cricket team in Bangladesh in 2010–11

From Bangla + wash. Coined in October 2010 by commentator Athar Ali Khan, who used the term to describe a 4–0 victory against New Zealand.

It gave their fans enormous belief, and it also made them hungry for more. For more Banglawashes.

2015 June 24, Agency, “India vs Bangladesh”, in Sunvilla Samachar, year 1, number 151, Ahmedabad, archived from the original on 2015-12-01, page 3:

Even though the spectators want nothing less than a Banglawash in the ODIs and T20Is, the reality is a bit different. Against a formidable side like South Africa, the chances of that happening is very low.

2015 June 28, Minhaz Uddin Khan, “Over-enthusiasm undermining Tigers' success”, in Dhaka Tribune, volume 3, number 76, page 26:

(cricket, informal) A whitewash by the Bangladesh national cricket team.


Banglawash

en-verb

Banglawash (third-person singular simple present Banglawashes, present participle Banglawashing, simple past and past participle Banglawashed)

Banglawashes (present singular third-person)
Banglawashing (participle present)
Banglawashed (participle past)
Banglawashed (past)

The Tigers have made us proud by defeating the Black Caps in seven ODIs in a row and Banglawashed them once again in the three match ODI series yesterday at Fatullah (Sunday).

2013 November 6, Mazhar Uddin, quoting a fan, “Fans queue overnight for tickets”, in Dhaka Tribune, volume 1, number 223, page 13:

After 'Banglawashing' Pakistan, Bangladesh have now thrashed India to win their three-match One-Day International (ODI) series 2-0 with one match to go.

2015 June 22, Sandipan Banerjee, “Bangladesh should now get the respect which they truly deserve”, in CricketCountry.com, archived from the original on 2017-08-22:

(cricket, informal, of the Bangladesh national cricket team) To whitewash.


Baltimore chop

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

(baseball) A ball hit forcefully into the ground near home plate, producing a bounce high above the head of a fielder; technique that was intentionally employed during the dead-ball era of Major League Baseball, but today occurs infrequently and usually unintentionally


punt-out

(American football) A punt made from the goal line by a player of the side which has made a touchdown to one of his own side for a fair catch, from which an attempt to kick a goal may be made.

(rugby, obsolete) A kick back into play from the touch line, after the ball had gone into touch. It has been replaced by the lineout/line-out

(soccer, obsolete) A method of returning the ball into play, similar to a goal kick


trois point

(backgammon) The third point from the outer edge on each player's home table.


California Jack

(card games) A card game similar to all fours.


level-handed

...however incredulous most of us then were as to the chances of success the Colonials would have, all heartily applauded the pluck of young Australia in coming so far to play the game, level-handed, against the well-seasoned skilled cricketers of old England.

2014, John Stern, Marcus Williams, The Essential Wisden: An Anthology of 150 Years of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, →ISBN:

I have got a single-wicket match on with Jackson " — he was the great bookmaker known as " Jock of Fairfield "— " for ,£5." I said : " You are surely not going to play him level-handed?

1894, Henry Custance, Riding Recollections and Turf Stories, page 119:


moundsman

Managed and shortstopped by George Wright and full of league stalwarts—Joe Start, Paul Hines, and Jim O'rourke—they also had 1-year-old phenom Monte Ward as primary moundsman (teams now generally used multiple pitchers).

2017, Brandon Isleib, Playing for a Winner, page 77:


platoon system

(baseball) A method of sharing playing time, whereby two players are selected to play a single defensive position.


spot stroke

(billiards) The pocketing of the red ball in a top corner pocket from off its own spot so as to leave the cue ball in position for an easy winning hazard in either top corner pocket.


beer and pretzels game

en-noun

beer and pretzels game (plural beer and pretzels games)

(games) Any simple, humorous game with few rules and little strategy.


pit boss

pit bosses (plural)
pit-boss (alternative)

Las Vegas: The pit boss sees all on the casino floor as a trained trouble spotter amid this high-roller’s paradise.

2007 July 22, Selena Roberts, “Stewards of Sport Need a Lesson From the Pit Bosses”, in New York Times, retrieved 2015-06-10:

One woman at a baccarat table […] shouted and mumbled something about wanting her money back, or at least the opportunity to win it back. A pit boss standing behind the dealer joked: “I don’t have any money! I’m unemployed!” and a few moments later, a security guard escorted the woman off the floor.

2014 January 16, Victoria Bekiempis, “Atlantic City's Last 'Low-Roller' Casino Busts”, in Newsweek, retrieved 2015-06-10:

(gambling) A supervisor who oversees the dealers and activity at the gaming tables in a casino, and who typically has the authority to expel unruly gamblers from the premises.


isolation play

Sure, there is room to be critical. He's holding on to the ball too much. He's settling for isolation plays too often.

2015 June 10, David Thorpe, “Top 10 Postseason MVPs: LeBron No. 1”, in ESPN:

(basketball) A goal attempt that does not result from a direct pass.


high challenge

ANOTHER PENALTY: Frickson Erazo with a high challenge in the area on the onrushing Lizio and Aguilar blows up for a spot kick.

2015, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

In the ninth minute, Mile Jedinak was booked for a high challenge on Christian Cueva, who was looking to break in the middle of the park.

2018 June 26, “Guerrero, Carrillo Score as Peru Spoils Australia Knockout Stage Bid”, in Sports Illustrated:

Chris Duvall was handed a straight red for a high challenge on Andrea Pirlo.

2016 July 5, Ryan Brister, “MLS Week 17 Recap, Highlights: NYCFC take derby, more”, in Empire Of Soccer:

It occurred after Roldan mistakenly booked Cameroon's Sebastien Siani for a high challenge on Germany's Emre Can which had been committed by team-mate Ernest Mabouka.

2018 June 17, “Gareth Southgate's England squad arrive in Volgograd ahead of World Cup opener against Tunisia”, in Daily Mail:

Álvarez is deservedly booked for a high challenge on Neymar.

2018 July 2, “As it happened: Brazil v Mexico, World Cup last 16”, in The 42:

(soccer) A tackle that is high up the targeted player's shin/legs.


Duckworth-Lewis

Duckworth-Lewis method
Duckworth-Lewis method


volume shooter

When the 76ers drafted Iguodala ninth overall in 2004, many wanted him to be a me-first scorer and volume shooter just like the player who previously held the team's spotlight and bared [sic] the same initials: Allen Iverson.

(basketball) A player who takes a lot of shots.


backscreen

(basketball) Alternative form of back screen.


outhomer

en-verb

outhomer (third-person singular simple present outhomers, present participle outhomering, simple past and past participle outhomered)

outhomers (present singular third-person)
outhomering (participle present)
outhomered (participle past)
outhomered (past)

Philadelphia has been outscored, 57-18, during the skid and has been outhomered, 19-2.

2015 June 17, The Associated Press, “Kris Bryant Hits Grand Slam as Cubs Romp, 17-0”, in New York Times:

(baseball) To score more home runs than another player.


Maracanaço

/ˌmæɹəkəˈnɑːsəʊ/

Borrowed from Portuguese Maracanaço, from Maracanã, the stadium that hosted the match.

OK. But will you, Mr Scolari, be able to make the Brazilians forget about O Maracanaço defeat?

2014, Luca Caioli, Neymar: The Making of the World’s Greatest New Number 10, Icon Books, →ISBN, page 198:

(soccer) The final match (Uruguay 2 – Brazil 1) in the 1950 FIFA World Cup, remembered in Brazil as a painful defeat.


round the wicket

Benaud, bowling round the wicket and pitching into the rough of Trueman's footholds, brought such a collapse that in 20 minutes to tea England virtually lost the game.

2011, Steven Lynch, Wisden on the Ashes: The Authoritative Story of Cricket's Greatest Rivalry:

around the wicket
around the wicket#English

(cricket) Alternative form of around the wicket.


selectorial

No great selectorial issues have been decided.

2015 June 27, Vic Marks, “Australia’s Mitchell Marsh punishes Kent bowlers to disturb the peace”, in The Guardian:

(especially cricket) Relating to selection.


legside

Captain Simon Katich (35 off 26) swiped three legside sixes to keep the scoreboard ticking along until he was dismissed right at the halfway point of the innings to leave NSW at 5-67.

2009 January 17, AAP, “NSW earn top spot and home final after win over Victoria”, in Herald Sun:


suitedness

(card games) The quality of having a certain suit.


Atleti

(informal, soccer) Atlético Madrid, a soccer team from Madrid


three-second rule

en-noun

three-second rule (plural three-second rules)

three-second rules (plural)
three seconds rule (alternative)

Any rule that prescribes or proscribes behavior in a three-second interval, especially

(basketball) A rule stating that no offensive player may remain in the free-throw lane, with or without the ball, for more than three seconds.


ten-second rule

ten-second rule (plural ten-second rules)

Any rule that prescribes or proscribes behavior during a ten-second interval, especially:

(basketball) The rule that a team must advance the ball over the center line within ten seconds of gaining possession. The 10-second interval is used in U.S. high school and college basketball; professional leagues use an 8-second limit.


tip drill

(basketball) A practice drill where a line of players improve their rebounding skills by catching a rebound in the air, tossing the ball back against the backboard before landing, and returning to the end of the line to go again.


stringbed

A second limitation is the lack of measurement of both handgrip force and ball impact location in the stringbed.

2015 July 16, “Tennis Racket Vibrations and Shock Transmission to the Wrist during Forehand Drive”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI:

(tennis, squash, racquetball) The matrix of strings within the oval frame of a racket


kalooki

kalookie (alternative)
kaluki (alternative)

(card games) A form of contract rummy, popular in Jamaica.


toolsy

en-adj

toolsy (comparative toolsier, superlative toolsiest)

toolsier (comparative)
toolsiest (superlative)

From tools + -y, in reference to a five-tool player.

Tabbed the No. 30 prospect in the Giants' system by Baseball America, which calls him "raw and toolsy. His best tool is his arm, and if he doesn't succeed in the field, he could ... move to the mound. He threw in the low 90s in workouts at Texas. ... One of the best defensive infielders in the system already, as his arm plays well at either (shortstop or third base). ... The best defensive third baseman in the organization."

2006 June 7, “Augusta pitcher is on the right track”, in The Augusta Chronicle:

He was considered very toolsy and athletic, but rather raw, best-known as a basketball player in high school.

2008 March 20, “Not a Rookie: Matt Kemp”, in SB Nation:

The Twins are known for their fascination with toolsy and athletic outfielders, but Hicks has the most talent of any Twins draft pick since Joe Mauer in 2002.

2008 June 11, “Breaking down the draft, Part 1”, in The Hardball Times:

Okay, this joke worked better when Jim Bowden was still the GM, with his fetish for toolsy outfielders and troubled second-chancers.

2009 August 2, “Michael Vick In MLB?”, in The Washington Post:

I think he might be a little bit toolsier than Dexter. He probably has a little more power.

2014 August 5, “Grand Junction Rockies broadcaster Adam Spolane on Hamlet Marte, Rockies' depth at lowest minor league levels”, in Purple Ros:

Mitchell was one of the more toolsy and projectable prep outfielders in this draft.

2015 June 8, “Mitch Hansen profile: A closer look at Dodgers' 2nd-round pick”, in SB Nation:

...the toolsy Jones was somewhat of a cult favorite among the prospect-watching set.
Now, three years later, Wilson is back as one of the toolsier college bats in the class. And he certainly looks the part, strong and athletic, with the ability to hit for power and run well.

2015 July 30, “Pirates trade JaCoby Jones for Joakim Soria”, in Bucs Dugout:

(sports) Of a player: having numerous skills and abilities.

(baseball) Able to hit for a high batting average and for power, to run the bases well, to throw well, and to field well.


through the gate

(cricket, slang) Through a gap between the bat and the batsman's shin pad.


longball

Wells, in the three hole, extended his streak of at-bats without a home run to 134, the longest longball drought of his career.

2009 June 14, RICHARD GRIFFIN, “Janssen struggles as Marlins take another”, in Toronto Star:


Morton's fork

Said to have originated with the collecting of taxes by John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury in the late 15th century, who held that a man living modestly must be saving money and could therefore afford taxes, whereas one living extravagantly was obviously rich and could still afford them.

(bridge) A coup in contract bridge that forces an opponent to choose between letting declarer establish extra tricks in the suit led, or losing the opportunity to win any trick in the suit led.


man in motion

(American football) A single player on offense (always a backfielder) who is moving backwards or parallel to the line of scrimmage at the snap.

(Canadian football) Any player on offense (always a backfielder) who is moving backwards, forwards or parallel to the line of scrimmage at the snap.


tagball

(sports, games) a game/sport similar to paintball, where one tags out opponents with rubber balls fired from air pistols or paintball guns, without the mess of paint, akin to dart tag


dart tag

(sports, games) A game/sport similar to paintball using suction darts fired from air pistols to tag out one's opponents; the variant game/sport that uses soft-headed tag darts instead of suction cups.


black bitch

Referring to the queen of spades, an undesirable card in this game.

(slang, games) The trick-taking card game hearts.


beanbag race

(games, motor racing) A novelty race in which each competitor must balance a beanbag on their head while running.


missout

(gambling, slang) A die loaded in favor of the house and against the player.


TP

en-noun

TP (countable and uncountable, plural TPs)


spitballer

(baseball) A pitcher who moistens the ball with saliva before throwing it.


pop fly

(baseball, slang) A pop-up; a fly ball to the infield or the shallow outfield.


unbackable

en-adj

unbackable (comparative more unbackable, superlative most unbackable)

more unbackable (comparative)
most unbackable (superlative)

an unbackable racehorse

(chiefly gambling) That cannot or should not be backed, or supported in a contest, especially because the odds are unreasonably low.


Christmas tree formation

en-noun

Christmas tree formation (plural Christmas tree formations)

An overhead diagram of the formation has a pointed shape, like a Christmas tree.

(soccer) A formation consisting of four defenders, three central midfielders, two attacking midfielders, and one striker.


touch 'em all

en-verb

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

touches 'em all (present singular third-person)
touching 'em all (participle present)
touched 'em all (participle past)
touched 'em all (past)

(baseball, slang) To touch all four bases after hitting a home run, hence to hit a home run.


knee-buckler

(baseball, slang) A curveball (or occasionally a knuckleball) that fools the hitter, causing his or her knees to buckle (i.e. bend).


goalkicking

(rugby) The goalkicker's task of kicking for penalties and conversions.


EPL

English Premier League
w:English Premier League

(soccer) Initialism of English Premier League.


HIA

(rugby) Initialism of head injury assessment.


bad hop

(baseball) A ball that bounces in front of an infielder in an unexpected way, often as a result of imperfections in the field or the spin on the ball.


payoff pitch

(baseball, slang) A pitch thrown on a count of three balls and two strikes.


bonus baby

(baseball) A baseball player who is given a large bonus when joining a professional league for the first time.


speed stacking

en-noun

speed stacking (countable and uncountable, plural speed stackings)

(uncountable, games) a competitive speed game where competitors stack and unstack nesting cups between stacked triangles and nested stack columns with rapidity

(countable, games) a performance of the action found in the game, of stacking, unstacking, or stacking and unstacking


piling on

A fighting tactic wherein multiple people attack another.

(American football) An illegal strategy wherein players tackle an opposing player.


hidden-ball trick

hidden-ball trick (plural hidden-ball tricks)

hidden-ball tricks (plural)
hidden ball trick (alternative)

(baseball) A fielding play where the fielders deceive the baserunners as to the location of the ball, allowing one of the fielders to attempt to tag a runner out without the runner being aware of it.


nontender

en-verb

nontender (third-person singular simple present nontenders, present participle nontendering, simple past and past participle nontendered)

nontenders (present singular third-person)
nontendering (participle present)
nontendered (participle past)
nontendered (past)

In Los Angeles, where Turner signed after being nontendered by the Mets in December 2013, he has evolved past a cliché.

2015 October 13, Seth Berkman, “Former Met Justin Turner Provides Offensive Lift for Dodgers”, in New York Times:

(transitive, baseball) To fail to tender a contract to (a player).


turn two

turn two (third-person singular simple present turns two, present participle turning two, simple past and past participle turned two)

turns two (present singular third-person)
turning two (participle present)
turned two (participle past)
turned two (past)

(idiomatic, baseball) To complete a double play.


blindside flanker

en-noun

blindside flanker (plural blindside flankers)

The position of the blindside flanker depends on the proximity of a touch line, so if the scrum takes place close to the left-hand touch line, the blindside flanker will be closest to that touch line.

2015, Ann Waterhouse, Rugby Made Simple, Meyer & Meyer Verlag, →ISBN, page 23:

(rugby) a forward in rugby union, usually number 6, who binds to the scrum on the side closest to the side line.


in-goal

(rugby) a part of the playing area between each goal line and the corresponding dead ball line where players can score a try


chairmanager

Notoriously, Barry Fry spent nine years from 1996 to 2005 as chairmanager of Peterborough United, presiding over one promotion and two relegations.

2015 October 21, John Ashdown, “Football’s unbreakable records and the teams who can’t play each other”, in The Guardian:

(informal, soccer) A person who (temporarily) holds the position of both chairman and manager of a club


count cards

en-verb

count cards (third-person singular simple present counts cards, present participle counting cards, simple past and past participle counted cards)

counts cards (present singular third-person)
counting cards (participle present)
counted cards (participle past)
counted cards (past)

(gambling) To keep track of the cards that have been dealt and those that remain in the deck, in order to calculate the likelihood of certain hands in gambling games such as poker and blackjack.

算牌

keep track of cards that have been dealt


gegenpressing

From German, popularised by Ralf Rangnick (1958–), German football manager.

Not the kind of player you’d associate with the frenzied gegenpressing for which Jürgen Klopp’s name is a byword, the striker’s non-future with Liverpool is expected to be thrashed out by his agent Mino Raiola and Klopp in what the Rumour Mill imagines will be a fairly short conversation.

2015 October 26, Barry Glendenning, “Football transfer rumours: Pep Guardiola to manage Chelsea?”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) A tactic in which a team, after losing possession of the ball, immediately attempts to win back possession, rather than falling back to regroup.


FG%

field goal percentage
field goal percentage#English

(basketball) Abbreviation of field goal percentage.


FT%

free throw percentage
free throw percentage#English

(basketball) Abbreviation of free throw percentage.


free throw percentage

en-noun

free throw percentage (plural free throw percentages)

(basketball) A statistic computed by dividing a player or team's made free throws by the total number of free throws he or it attempted.


field goal percentage

field goal percentage (plural field goal percentages)

(basketball) A statistic computed by dividing a player or team's made field goals by the total number of field goals he or it attempted.


boardsman

The overall record for the team was also broken that night when the Royal boardsmen grabbed 71 bouncebacks.

1958, February 21, Pittston Gazette, page 6:

Willie Murrell, the fluid 6-6 frontliner, is the ’Cats No. 1 point producer with an 18.3 average. His 9.1 mark also tops the boardsmen.

1963, January 12, The Kansas City Times, page 23:

Michael Whitley of Ohlone led all boardsmen with 6 rebounds.

1984, February 9, Santa Cruz Sentinel, page 30:

(basketball) A basketball player who excels at rebounds.


build down

en-verb

build down (third-person singular simple present builds down, present participle building down, simple past and past participle built down)

builds down (present singular third-person)
building down (participle present)
built down (participle past)
built down (past)

(card games) In solitaire card games, to place a card over another card of higher value (e.g. 4♦ over 5♣).


Four Seasons

(card games) A solitaire card game, having five spaces for cards (the reserve) in the layout of a cross.


Flower Garden

(card games) A solitaire card game, starting with 36 cards (6 columns of 6 cards each) on the tableau. The sixteen leftover cards become the reserve, also called the bouquet.


Baker's Dozen

(card games) A solitaire card game, starting with 13 piles of 4 cards each.


Pyramid

(card games) A solitaire card game where the cards are arranged as a triangle (a "pyramid") and the object is to get the cards from the bottom to the top.


run of the ball

en-noun

run of the ball (plural runs of the ball)

runs of the ball (plural)
run of the balls (alternative)

(snooker, pool, billiards) A run of good luck; a situation where a player is able to make his or her desired shots without difficulty.