word search

word searches (plural)
word-search (alternative)
wordsearch (alternative)

These word association lists can also be used in pedagogical materials, such as mind-maps, word-searches, weekly spelling lists, etc.

2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Advancing disciplinary literacy through English for academic purposes: Discipline-specific wordlists, collocations and word families for eight secondary subjects”, in Journal of English for Academic Purposes, volume 35, →DOI, page 109:

(games) A word game consisting of a grid of letters, the aim of which is to find an array of given words hidden within the grid.


FRP

en-noun

FRP (countable and uncountable, plural FRPs)

(gaming) Initialism of fantasy role-playing.

(gaming) Initialism of fail role-playing.


SV

SV (countable and uncountable, plural SVs)

SVs (plural)
S.V. (alternative)
S. V. (alternative)
S.V. (alternative)
S. V. (alternative)
S/V (alternative)
Sv (alternative)
Sv. (alternative)
SV. (alternative)


OM

Olympique de Marseille
w:Olympique de Marseille

(soccer) Initialism of Olympique de Marseille.


isolani

Coined by Aron Nimzowitsch, from Italian isolano (“islander”).

(chess) A queen's pawn with no pawns of the same colour on the adjacent files.


flat store

He had told me that in the old days in Chicago he had run a flat-store with a partner who had tuberculosis and also smoked cigars.

1962: Saul Bellow & Keith Botsford, The Noble Savage, p59 (World Pub. Co)

In shared-memory languages for parallel programming, the model is one of a global flat store equipped with various synchronization primitives.

1998, Michael Maher, Jean-Francois Puget, Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming — CP98, Springer, →ISBN, page 1, →ISBN:

The PDC uses the AD but exposes the data as a flat store, as in Windows NT.

2000: Syngress Media, Inc, MCSE Windows 2000 Server Study Guide (exam 70–215), p75 (McGraw–Hill Professional; →ISBN (10) (13))

2001: Elizabeth A. Wheeler, Uncontained: Urban Fiction in Postwar America, p139 (The Rutgers University Press; →ISBN (10), →ISBN (13)); quoting an unknown source
“It sat on the top of a steep, unpaved hill and commanded an uninspiring view of clean, gray concrete that was six lanes wide and an assortment of boxy, flat store buildings and spacious super gas-stations” (117).

These systems are often cheaper to install than conventional horizontal ducting and have the advantage over above-floor ducts that they are unlikely to be damaged by tractors unloading the flat store.

2004, Peter Golob, Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology Durables, Blackwell Publishing, →ISBN, page 80, →ISBN:

(gambling, slang) A crooked gambling establishment, such as a casino running rigged or fixed (dishonest) games of chance.


roll over

en-verb

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

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

(gambling) To reinvest funds from a lottery into a subsequent one, in the event that a prize was not won.


playbook

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


four of a kind

(card games) Four cards of the same rank.


alfil

alfils (plural)
fil (alternative)
pil (alternative)

Borrowed from Spanish alfil (“chess bishop”).

bor+

(chess) A fairy chess piece that moves two squares diagonally, leaping over any intermediary pieces.


overbid

en-verb

overbid (third-person singular simple present overbids, present participle overbidding, simple past and past participle overbid)

overbids (present singular third-person)
overbidding (participle present)
overbid (participle past)
overbid (past)

(intransitive, card games) To announce a goal, before starting play, that exceeds the goal actually achieved.


overbid

(card games) The announcement of a goal, before starting play, that exceeds the goal actually achieved.


air ball

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


drop-in

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

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


drop-in

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


snookered

en-adj

snookered (comparative more snookered, superlative most snookered)

more snookered (comparative)
most snookered (superlative)

(snooker, not comparable) In a situation where the cue ball position is such that one cannot directly hit the required object ball.


sabermetrician

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

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

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


headhunt

en-verb

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

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

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

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


overextend

overextend (third-person singular simple present overextends, present participle overextending, simple past and past participle overextended)

overextends (present singular third-person)
overextending (participle present)
overextended (participle past)
overextended (past)

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(chess, transitive) To push a pawn too far, so that it becomes vulnerable to the opponent's attacks.


tapper

(baseball slang) A weakly hit ground ball.


fool's mate

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(chess) The quickest possible checkmate in the game of chess.

ഫൂൾസ് മേറ്റ്

phūḷsŭ mēṟṟŭ


hardball

en-noun

hardball (countable and uncountable, plural hardballs)

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


aces and spaces

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(bridge, slang) A bridge hand with opening points based primarily on aces, so that there are not enough winners.


jack up

en-verb

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

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

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

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


helpmate

A folk-etymological alteration of helpmeet, by reanalysis as help + mate.

(chess) A recreational problem in chess in which both sides cooperate to achieve a specific goal.


Hillsborough

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

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

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

(soccer) the home stadium of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club

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


break off

break off (third-person singular simple present breaks off, present participle breaking off, simple past broke off, past participle broken off)

breaks off (present singular third-person)
breaking off (participle present)
broke off (past)
broken off (participle past)

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From Middle English breke of (“break off, terminate”), a dissimilated form of earlier Middle English ofbreken. By surface analysis, break + off.

inh

Ted's opening line, when Steve broke off for the deciding frame, was, 'Last night we put our clocks back one hour. These two stars turned theirs back to April.'

2017, John Virgo, Say Goodnight, JV - My Autobiography, John Blake Publishing, →ISBN:

(ambitransitive, billiards, snooker) To play the first shot in a frame of snooker, billiards or pool.


trey

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

Before you begin the Game at Picket, you must throw out of the Pack the Deuces, Treys, Fours and Fives, and play with the rest of the Cards, which are in number thirty and six.

1674, Charles Cotton, chapter 6, in The Compleat Gamester, London: R. Cutler, page 81:

He had been a pretty good guy, straight as ace-deuce-trey-four-five, till he got on the force.

1929, Dashiell Hammett, chapter 11, in Red Harvest:

You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace it reminds me that there is but one God. The deuce reminds me that the bible is divided into two parts; the Old and New Testaments. And when I see the trey I think of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

1948 January 1, “Deck of Cards” (track 20), in Famous Country Music Makers, performed by Tex Ritter:

Davidson had caught a trey which did not seem to improve his hand, yet he threw three dollars into the pot.

1982, Stephen King, The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands:

(card games, occasionally dice games) A playing card or die with the rank of three.

(card games, dice games, dominoes) A score of three in cards, dice, or dominoes.

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


high card

Coordinate term: small card

(bridge) An honor card, specifically, a jack, queen, king or ace, that is crucial in determining the strength of a hand.


three of a kind

(card games) A hand including three cards of the same rank.


clear up

en-verb

clear up (third-person singular simple present clears up, present participle clearing up, simple past and past participle cleared up)

clears up (present singular third-person)
clearing up (participle present)
cleared up (participle past)
cleared up (past)

(snooker, billiards, intransitive) To pot all of the remaining balls in a single turn.


trimmer

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


trundler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


give someone the heave-ho

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

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

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


holdout

He is probably working a vest or sleeve hold-out. Some clumsy or audacious sharpers will go so far as to hold out cards in their lap, or stick them in a "bug" under the table.

1897, Robert Frederick Foster, Foster's Complete Hoyle, page 195:

(card games) A device for cheating at card games by covertly holding a card out of play until it is wanted.


rebirthing

en-noun

rebirthing (usually uncountable, plural rebirthings)

(video games, online gaming) An act of resetting a player character's level to its initial value (i.e., 1) while retaining equipment and/or some skills (a feature that allows a player to try out different classes or builds).


overcall

en-verb

overcall (third-person singular simple present overcalls, present participle overcalling, simple past and past participle overcalled)

overcalls (present singular third-person)
overcalling (participle present)
overcalled (participle past)
overcalled (past)

/ˌəʊvəˈkɔːl/

/ˈəʊvəˌkɔːl/

Jill bet, Tommy called, and Julie overcalled.

(poker, bridge) To call a bet after another player has already called


overcall

/ˌəʊvəˈkɔːl/

/ˈəʊvəˌkɔːl/

(poker, bridge) A call which occurs after another player has already called


soccer player

soccer players (plural)
soccer-player (alternative rare)

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


basketball player

en-noun

basketball player (plural basketball players)

basketball players (plural)
basketball-player (alternative)

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

バスケットボール選手

バスケットボールせんしゅ


DKP

(gaming) Initialism of dragon kill points.


pinch-hit

en-verb

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

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

Jones pinch-hit for Smith in the sixth.

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

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

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


sack race

There's something for the whole family with events including cow pat throwing, sack races, three-legged races and more.

2021 December 2, The Road Ahead, Brisbane, page 27, column 3:

(games) A race in which competitors stand in sacks or similar items and try to be the first to jump to the finish line.


trick shot

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(billiards) An unconventional shot of the balls to show off or pot an otherwise impossible ball.


British bulldog

en-noun

British bulldog (countable and uncountable, plural British bulldogs)

(games) A children's game similar to tag in which players try to run from one zone to another without being caught by the catchers.


I spy

From the phrase I spy with my little eye used in the game.

- Let's play I spy! I spy with my little eye something beginning with W.
- Is it a watering-can?

(games) A game where players have to guess what one can see, based on the initial letter of the object.

(games, archaic) A children's game of hide and seek, so called from the cry when one is found.


Simon says

(games) A children's game where players must carry out only those commands that are preceded by the utterance "Simon says".


wink murder

(games) A children's game in which a designated player attempts to wink at as many people as possible in order to "kill" them, without being caught by the player who has to find out who the murderer is.


ball-by-ball

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


putout

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

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

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


stumping

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

2013, Julian Knight, Cricket For Dummies:

(cricket) The act of somebody being stumped.


sledging

sledging (countable and uncountable, plural sledgings)

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


double-dip

en-verb

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

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

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

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


RHB

(cricket) Initialism of right-handed batsman.


LHB

(cricket) Initialism of left-handed batsman.


tunnelball

1994, Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read, Chopper 4: For the Term of His Unnatural Life, 2012, Pan Macmillan Australia, unnumbered page,
They run the sports for ten days. This includes weightlifting, football, tennis, table tennis, cards, scrabble, chess, draughts, darts, quoits, volleyball, baseball, frisbee tossing, tunnelball, scramble ball, the piggyback race, the egg and spoon race, target handball, the spit the dummy contest, […] .

I went along to my children′s sports day and found myself cheering madly at the tunnelball games and when they played Chariots of Fire over the running races – it was all I could do not to get up and break the record for the four minute mile myself.

2006, Sonia Neale, Bad Mother′s Revenge, HarperCollins Australia, unnumbered page:

(UK, Australia, games) A children's game in which players stand in line with their feet apart, making a tunnel with their legs, down which the lead player propels a ball back to the last player, who runs with it to the front of the line and repeats; played competitively between teams for speed, or by a single team for recreation or exercise.


spear tackle

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


micromanagement

(gaming) The management of short-term or small-scale aspects of a strategy game.


clean sheet

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

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

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

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

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

شِباكٌ نَظِيفَةٌ

(soccer) game played without having conceded a goal


four-foot

(curling) Alternative spelling of 4-foot.


penalty try

(rugby) An awarding of five points (equivalent to scoring a try) to a team whose opponents have prevented, by misconduct, a try being scored.


blood replacement

en-noun

blood replacement (plural blood replacements)

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


catch out

en-verb

catch out (third-person singular simple present catches out, present participle catching out, simple past and past participle caught out)

catches out (present singular third-person)
catching out (participle present)
caught out (participle past)
caught out (past)

(transitive, cricket) To put a batsman out by catching the batted ball before it touches the ground.


(cricket) A fast form of cricket in which each side bats for just twenty overs.


positional

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(chess) Based on long-term strategy, on gaining and exploiting small advantages, and on analyzing the larger position, rather than calculating more immediate tactics.


Socceroos

Australia national association football team

It was the day of the Socceroos′ first World Cup clash: the game against Japan.

2007, Raewyn Caisley, Hot Shot, unnumbered page:

Australia′s success on the international stage took a major leap forward when the Socceroos qualified for their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 1974, held in Germany.

2010, Dave Arthur, Greg Downes, “Chapter 19: Australia”, in Simon Chadwick, Sean Hamil, editors, Managing Football, page 342:

association football
association football

(soccer) The men's national soccer (association football) representative team of Australia.


line-out

line-outs (plural)
lineout (alternative)

(rugby) a set piece where a player throws the ball into play, and both teams can contest for possession.

(baseball) an out produced by catching a line drive


buzkashi

From Classical Persian بزکشی (buz-kašī); compound of بز (buz, “goat”) + کش (kaš, “dragging, drawing”) + ـی (-ī).

(games, sports) A team sport originating in Central Asia, where the players, all on horseback, try to place an animal carcass into a goal.


pin the tail on the donkey

en-noun

pin the tail on the donkey (uncountable)

(games) A children's game involving pinning a piece of material on a specified spot while blindfolded.


Gunner

From gunner, in reference to the weapons held in an arsenal.

The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot.

2011 January 8, Chris Bevan, “Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds”, in BBC:

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


ducks on the pond

* (coded warning): Originally used in shearing sheds; later extended to other normally all-male environments, such as some pubs.

There are two ducks on the pond for the cleanup hitter.

(baseball) Members of a batting order who are on base; baserunners.


TMS

(cricket) Initialism of Test Match Special.


line out

en-verb

line out (third-person singular simple present lines out, present participle lining out, simple past and past participle lined out)

lines out (present singular third-person)
lining out (participle present)
lined out (participle past)
lined out (past)

Jones lined out to second.

(baseball) To become out by hitting a line drive which is caught.


two for two

He's two for two tonight.

(idiomatic, baseball) In baseball, meeting two out of two attempts at-bat. Specifically, it means the batter has reached base safely two out of two times.


drop back

drop back (third-person singular simple present drops back, present participle dropping back, simple past and past participle dropped back)

drops back (present singular third-person)
dropping back (participle present)
dropped back (participle past)
dropped back (past)

The Tiger quarterback is dropping back to pass.

(American football) Of a quarterback or other player in the backfield, to take a number of steps back from the line of scrimmage immediately after the snap or hike of the ball, to avoid defenders.


drop back

With his ankle injury his drop back is not pretty.

(American football) The act by a player in the backfield of dropping back from the line of scrimmage after the hike of the ball.


drop-back

With his ankle injury his drop-back is not pretty.


touch down

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

touches down (present singular third-person)
touching down (participle present)
touched down (participle past)
touched down (past)
touchdown (alternative)
touch-down (alternative)

(American football) To score a touchdown

Centre Shontayne Hape scored two tries for England before the break, while Georgia number eight Dimitri Basilaia touched down to make it 17-10 at half-time.

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


inside baseball

There always has been a tendency to overlook the catcher, possibly because so much of him is covered up during the game, but more because the greatest part of his work is inside baseball and of the kind which the general public can neither see nor appreciate.

1914, Paul Withington, Lothrop Withington, The Book of Athletics, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard:

Here, the game is marked by the "little things" that have come to be defined as "inside baseball".

1993, Michael A. Katovich, “Humor in Baseball: Functions and Dysfunctions”, in The Journal of American Culture, volume 16, number 2, pages 7–16:

(US, idiomatic, baseball) Technical matters concerning baseball generally not apparent or of interest to spectators.


Marco Polo

en-noun

Marco Polo (countable and uncountable, plural Marco Polos)

Marco Polos (plural)
marco polo (alternative)
Marcopolo (alternative)
marcopolo (alternative)

en:Marco Polo
en:Marco Polo (disambiguation)

After Marco Polo (1254–1324), Venetian merchant, whose travels were documented in a book that introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China. The Italian name is from Latin Marcus + Paulus.

(uncountable, games) A hunting game—usually played in a swimming pool—where the seeker moves with closed eyes or blindfolded, finding the other players by calling "Marco" and reacting to the other players' replies of "Polo".


high tackle

The game was never going to be won by how good a team attacks, though, but with defence. When captain Kolisi was sin-binned for a high tackle, the Boks could've easily capitulated.

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

(rugby) A dangerous form of tackling in which a player tackles above the shoulders.


blood bin

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


behind in the count

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(baseball, of a pitcher) Having fewer strikes than balls against a batter in an at-bat.

(baseball, of a batter) Having more strikes than balls against a pitcher in an at-bat.


ahead in the count

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(baseball, of a pitcher) Having more strikes than balls against a batter in an at-bat.

(baseball, of a batter) Having fewer strikes than balls against a pitcher in an at-bat.


pick off

en-verb

pick off (third-person singular simple present picks off, present participle picking off, simple past and past participle picked off)

picks off (present singular third-person)
picking off (participle present)
picked off (participle past)
picked off (past)

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The pitcher attempted to pick off the runner at first, but he was safe.

(baseball) To throw out a runner by tagging them whilst they are not in contact with any of the three bases or home plate.


pick off

The final out of the game was determined by a pick off.

(baseball) An instance of throwing out a batter leading off base.


WBC

World Baseball Classic
w:World Baseball Classic

(baseball) Initialism of World Baseball Classic, a tournament for national teams jointly organized by the International Baseball Federation and Major League Baseball.


bailer

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(cricket, dated) A delivery that heads towards the bails after pitching.

(cricket, dated) A delivery in which the ball hits one or both bails but does not dislodge them.


Man U

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

(soccer) Clipping of Manchester United Football Club.


end run

(American football) A running play in which the player carrying the ball attempts to avoid being tackled by evading the defending players from the opposing team.


gunner

Cebuano: gunner

gonna (non-rhotic, based on the /ˈɡʌn.ə/ pronunciation)

From Middle English gonner; equivalent to gun + -er.

(American football) A player on the kicking team whose primary job is to tackle the kickoff returner or punt returner.

(UK, slang, soccer) A fan of the Arsenal Football Club.

(basketball) A player who can reliably shoot baskets.


centre-back

centre-backs (plural)
centre back (alternative)
centreback (alternative)
center back (alternative)
center-back (alternative)
centerback (alternative)

Ferguson was incensed as referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot - and United's sense of injustice deepened when Nemanja Vidic was sent off in stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Ramires, ruling the centre-back out of the visit to Liverpool on Sunday.

2011 March 1, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2 - 1 Man Utd”, in BBC:

(soccer) A central defender, a player who plays in the centre of defence, just in front of the goalkeeper


wing-back

(soccer) A player who plays on the wing, and acts as both a defender and an attacker depending on the team's situation.


homebrew

homebrew (third-person singular simple present homebrews, present participle homebrewing, simple past and past participle homebrewed)

homebrews (present singular third-person)
homebrewing (participle present)
homebrewed (participle past)
homebrewed (past)

(gaming) To jailbreak a video game console, specifically made by Nintendo, to run unofficial programs.


bingle

(baseball, slang) A base hit in which the batter stops safely at first base.


bingle

bingle (third-person singular simple present bingles, present participle bingling, simple past and past participle bingled)

bingles (present singular third-person)
bingling (participle present)
bingled (participle past)
bingled (past)

(baseball, slang) To achieve a base hit in which the batter stops safely at first base.


two-point conversion

en-noun

two-point conversion (plural two-point conversions)

(American football) An option, for a team that has scored a touchdown, to gain two points by getting the ball into the end zone by a running or pass play, in lieu of a kicked extra point.


extra point

(American football) A point scored after a touchdown by kicking the ball through the goal posts or by advancing to the end zone.


end zone

Veteran tight end Travis Kelce, who only had one catch for one yard in the first half, finished with nine receptions and 93 yards but didn’t find the end zone.

2024 February 12, Ben Morse and Steve Almasy, “Kansas City Chiefs defeat San Francisco 49ers in OT in Super Bowl LVIII, become first back-to-back NFL champions in 19 years”, in CNN.com:

(American football) The area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines, bordered on all sides by a white line indicating its beginning and end points; it is 10 yards long.

(Canadian football) Same as above, but is 20 yards long.


fair catch

(American football) An uncontested catch on a kicking play, after the receiver waves his hand to indicate that he will not run with the ball, assuring that he will not be tackled on catching it.


curse of Scotland

Uncertain; it may have come from a resemblance to the coat of arms of Dalrymple, Lord Stair, who was an object of criticism for his part in the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692, and his work in bringing about the Union with England in 1707 (ref. Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition 1989).

With a mixed hand and the highest card the curse of Scotland, I've seen that man stand pat in a game with four millionaire mining men.

1920, Peter B. Kyne, chapter IV, in The Understanding Heart:

After a moment of silence, it was Miles who announced in a clear and firm voice, “The cards you have put down there all happen to be black—your ‘red’ is the nine of diamonds, the curse of Scotland, and it's right here,” reaching to lift the sharper's hat, and to remove from atop his head, and exhibit, the card at issue.

2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 26:

(card games, slang) The nine of diamonds.


(cricket) A cricket team of eleven players.

(soccer) A football team of eleven players.


illegal forward kick

illegal forward kick (plural illegal forward kicks)

(American football) Any kick made from in front of the line of scrimmage. This results in a loss of down and a ten yard penalty.


goalkicker

(rugby) Someone who kicks for penalties and conversions.


defensive midfielder

defensive midfielder (plural defensive midfielders)

(soccer) A midfield player who specializes more in defensive duties.


attacking midfielder

attacking midfielder (plural attacking midfielders)

(soccer) A midfield player who specialises more in attacking duties.


England had started in a 4-3-3 formation that had Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain coming in from the wings, with James Milner and Stewart Downing operating alongside Jack Wilshere in more deep-lying positions.

18 November 2014, Daniel Taylor, “England and Wayne Rooney see off Scotland in their own back yard”, in The Guardian:

(soccer) A popular soccer formation with 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 strikers


(soccer) A popular soccer formation with 4 defenders, 5 midfielders and 1 striker


underbid

en-verb

underbid (third-person singular simple present underbids, present participle underbidding, simple past and past participle underbid)

underbids (present singular third-person)
underbidding (participle present)
underbid (participle past)
underbid (past)

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(bridge) To bid less than the full value of a hand of cards.


unpin

unpin (third-person singular simple present unpins, present participle unpinning, simple past and past participle unpinned)

unpins (present singular third-person)
unpinning (participle present)
unpinned (participle past)
unpinned (past)

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

(transitive, chess) To get (a piece) out of a pin.


abondance

with an abondance already declared against him and lacking the top two hearts, West took it as a fair bet that he must have held ten or eleven trumps, leaving a strong possibility of Ace bare in South's hand.

1976, Edu-Games (U.K.) (publisher), Games & Puzzles, numbers 44-55, page 32:

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles

Oxford University Press
w:Oxford University Press

(card games) Alternative form of abundance


blind man's bluff

blind man's buff
blind man's buff#English

(chiefly US, games) Alternative form of blind man's buff.


hit a home run

hit a home run (third-person singular simple present hits a home run, present participle hitting a home run, simple past and past participle hit a home run)

hits a home run (present singular third-person)
hitting a home run (participle present)
hit a home run (participle past)
hit a home run (past)

He was the first pinch hitter to hit a home run on the first pitch of his career.

2016, Jonathan Fraser Light, The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, 2d ed., McFarland, →ISBN, page 437:

(baseball) To hit a ball during an at-bat that results in all runners on base and the hitter scoring runs; the best result of an at-bat.


bat a thousand

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

bats a thousand (present singular third-person)
batting a thousand (participle present)
batted a thousand (participle past)
batted a thousand (past)
bat one thousand (alternative)

From a baseball batting average, often stated as the number of hits per 1000 at bats (so 1000 would be 100 percent).

(baseball, literal) To reach first base on every at-bat.


Olympic goal

This unique type of goal was named after Argentine striker Cesareo Onzari’s (at left) corner kick that spun directly into the goal for Argentina in a 1924 friendly against Uruguay, the reigning Olympic champion.

(soccer) A goal scored directly from a corner kick without any other player - on either team - touching or otherwise deflecting the ball into the goal.


jass

A Swiss jass master and I teamed up against my wife and an American, who were both rank beginners.

Jass is similar to bridge, though with completely different cards, and is a national obsession, for young and old alike.

2010, Diccon Bewes, Swiss Watching, page 244:

When Nonna plays cards, she moves her teeth from side to side. It makes a bit of a racket. It distracts the other jass players – that's why Nonna's so good at jass.

2014, Arno Camenisch, translated by Donal McLaughlin, Behind the Station:

(card games) A trick-taking card game popular in Switzerland and neighboring areas of Germany and Austria.


free ball

(snooker) A situation in which a player can play on any ball desired when snookered after a foul shot; also, that desired ball.


shoot the moon

shoot the moon (third-person singular simple present shoots the moon, present participle shooting the moon, simple past and past participle shot the moon)

shoots the moon (present singular third-person)
shooting the moon (participle present)
shot the moon (participle past)
shot the moon (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-shoot the moon.wav

In our last hand of pinochle, Leon and Janet shot the moon, taking all 50 tricks.

When Randy took the queen of spades on the last trick in our game of hearts, he shot the moon.

(card games) To achieve the lowest or highest score possible, such that the player is usually rewarded with bonus points.


spitter

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Coach says no throwing any spitters.


cue up

cue up (third-person singular simple present cues up, present participle cuing up or cueing up, simple past and past participle cued up)

cues up (present singular third-person)
cuing up (participle present)
cueing up (participle present)
cued up (participle past)
cued up (past)

(sports, billiards, snooker, pool) To take aim on the cue ball with the cue in a game of snooker, or billiards, etc.


respot

respot (third-person singular simple present respots, present participle respotting, simple past and past participle respotted)

respots (present singular third-person)
respotting (participle present)
respotted (participle past)
respotted (past)

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

(sports, billiards, snooker, pool) To replace a ball on its correct spot on a snooker, billiards or pool table.


frame ball

(snooker) The ball that will take the player's score past the theoretical winning point, even though the frame is not finished and there are still some balls remaining on the table.


screw back

screw back (third-person singular simple present screws back, present participle screwing back, simple past and past participle screwed back)

screws back (present singular third-person)
screwing back (participle present)
screwed back (participle past)
screwed back (past)

(sports, billiards, snooker, pool) To cue the cue ball in such a way as to impart backspin. On impact, the ball will follow a reverse trajectory according to the spin.


for keeps

When we gamble at poker, we play for keeps.

(gaming) With an agreement or intention to retain what one gains or receives.


maximum break

(snooker) The highest score possible in one visit to the table in a frame of snooker, 147 in normal circumstances (excluding the case where the break starts with a free ball), achieved by potting all fifteen reds with fifteen blacks and then the six colours in order.


The first player to make a 147 in a World Championship match was Cliff Thorburn.

2005, Dec 16. Clive Everton, writing about Ding Jun Hui in The Guardian
Unfortunately, his two 147s have been in events offering no bonus prize.

(snooker) The highest score possible in one visit to the table in snooker in normal circumstances (excluding the case where the break begins with a free ball).


baulk colour

(snooker) Any one of the three colours normally spotted on the baulk line in snooker. Namely the yellow, green, and brown balls.


in baulk

(sports, billiards, snooker, pool) In the area behind the baulk line in cue sports.


check side

(sports, billiards, snooker, pool) A sidespin of the cue ball which makes it bounce off the cush, or off another ball, at a shallower angle than normal.


green pocket

(snooker) The corner pocket on a snooker table that is nearest the green spot.


yellow pocket

(snooker) The corner pocket on a snooker table that is nearest the yellow spot.


half-ball

From half- + ball, so called because the view from the cue ball is half eclipsing the object ball.

The shot needs to be slightly thicker than half-ball to get to the center pocket.

(sports, billiards, snooker, pool) Describes a shot where the cue ball and the object ball make contact at a natural 45º angle.


in-off

From a reconstitution of (go) in + off (preposition), as used in phrases such as, "The white has gone in off the black."

Hendry replied with 34, but went in-off attempting a double and next season's world No.1 returned to the table to put the frame beyond doubt and level at 4-4.

(snooker, pool) Of the cue ball: (going) into a pocket, after cannoning another ball.


in-off

He looked set to win the frame, until the in-off from the yellow.

(snooker, pool) The situation where the cue ball goes into a pocket after striking the object ball.


go in off

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

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

(snooker, pool) To pot the cue ball accidentally after hitting the object ball.


hanging ball

(sports, billiards, snooker, pool) A ball that is in the jaws of a pocket


stumper

He's not yet well known, but he's a good stumper.


rabbit hole

rabbit holes (plural)
rabbit-hole (alternative)
rabbithole (alternative)

rabbit + hole. Extended senses reference Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, where Alice travels down a rabbit hole into a bizarre world.

alternate reality game
alternate reality game

(gaming) The initial clue that leads to an alternate reality game.

królicza nora

gaming: clue that leads to an alternate reality game


Reds

In reference to the ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine racing faction, a calque of Latin russātī (“Reddish-Brown-Clads”) or factio russata (“the reddish-brown-clad faction”) and Byzantine Greek Ῥούσιοι (Rhoúsioi, “Reds”).

bor

(informal, sports) Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly red, particularly


bunny hop

The first baseman misplays the bunny hop, so all runners are safe.

(baseball) A ground ball that hops along the field instead of rolling.


grognard

/ˈɡɹɑɡ.nɑɹd/

James is such a grognard: he only plays the original edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

(games, slang) Someone who enjoys playing older war games or roleplaying games, or older versions of such games, when newer ones are available, and often complains frequently about newer games.


batter up

(baseball) Used by an umpire to invite the next batter to the batter's box, especially at the beginning of a half-inning.


short pass

(netball) A pass of the ball between teammates too close together to allow an opponent to get between them. There is no particular distance the ball must travel to qualify as a short pass. For instance, if the passing player drops the ball and retreats before her teammate takes possession, it is not a short pass. A short pass is against the rules and results in a free pass to the opposition.

(American football) A pass of the ball that is primarily to the side rather than one that gains yardage.


quarterbacking

(American football) The act of playing as a quarterback


advancer

advancers (plural)
advauncer (alternative)

(bridge) The overcaller's partner, especially one who bids following the overcall.


DT

en-noun

DT (countable and uncountable, plural DTs)

DTs (plural)
DT. (alternative)
Dt. (alternative)
Dt (alternative)
D/T (alternative)

defensive tackle
defensive tackle#English

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


block party

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(basketball, slang) A game during which a single player blocks the shots of many other players.


nullo

If the adversaries of a nullo revoke, the declarer can give them three of his tricks, or take 100 in honours as penalty. If he revokes, they take 100 penalty as usual. SUGGESTIONS FOR BIDDING. The dealer should never bid a nullo originally ...

1914, Robert Frederick Foster, Encyclopedia of Games: Including All the Indoor Games Played at the Present Day, [etc.]., page 26:

It takes a better nullo hand to raise nullos than to bid them. Dummy shows. A player who has once been called off from nullos by his partner should never return to them.

1916, Florence Irwin, The Complete Auction Player, page 375:

(card games) A bid in which the bidder asserts that he or she will not take any tricks.


hit the net

en-verb

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

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


back line

Battling Bolton disputed the goal, claiming Drogba was offside, but the Ivorian appeared to have timed his angled run across the visitors back line to perfection to race onto a fine Michael Essien pass and ensure Chelsea moved back into fourth place in the Premier League.

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

(soccer) Collectively, the defenders of a team.

A running fullback radically improves the attacking prowess of any back line, particularly if she is able to read a play, knowing when it's time to hit the line at pace or to join the line to act as an extra attacker.

2011, Mathew Brown, Patrick Guthrie, Greg Growden, Rugby For Dummies, →ISBN, page 58:

(rugby) The players known as the backs, whose primary responsibility is defense.

(rugby) The imaginary tactical line across the field that passes through the backs, through their primary line of attack/defence (i.e. excluding any players in a more backward defensive position).


see yellow

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

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

Healy’s first act was to crudely wipe out Forrest on the touchline. He saw yellow when it could have been red.
 Lafferty then had his name taken for a late one on Adam Matthews.

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

(idiomatic, soccer) To receive a yellow card.


substitutes' bench

en-noun

substitutes' bench (plural substitutes' benches)

Oleg Blokhin's side lost the talismanic Andriy Shevchenko to the substitutes' bench because of a knee injury but still showed enough to put England through real turmoil in spells.

2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport:

(soccer) The bench on which the players sit when they are not in action.


spot kick

spot kicks (plural)
spot-kick (alternative)
spotkick (alternative)


CF

CF (countable and uncountable, plural CFs)

(baseball) Abbreviation of center field.

(baseball) Abbreviation of center fielder.


LB

(American football) Initialism of linebacker.


SG

SG (countable and uncountable, plural SGs)

(basketball) Initialism of shooting guard.


VN

(online gaming) Initialism of very nice (complimenting a play).


HB

(American football) Initialism of halfback.


three-legged race

three-legged race (plural three-legged races)

There's something for the whole family with events including cow pat throwing, sack races, three-legged races and more.

2021 December 2, The Road Ahead, Brisbane, page 27, column 3:

(games, athletics) A race in which a team of two players are joined together at opposite ankles, and must complete a short sprint before the other teams.


egg and spoon race

egg and spoon race (plural egg and spoon races)

(chiefly British, games) A race in which competitors must carry an egg on a small spoon and race to the finish line without dropping the egg.


sleeping lions

(games) A children's game in which some participants lie on the floor and attempt to stay motionless, while others try to make them move without physically touching them.


fielding position

fielding position (plural fielding positions)

(cricket, baseball) Any of many named parts of the field of play at which fielders traditionally stand


dweomer

dweomer (usually uncountable, plural dweomers)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-dweomer.wav

Borrowed from Middle English dweomer, from Old English dwimor, from Proto-Germanic *dwemrą, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to whisk, raise dust, fume”).

der

(fantasy, games) The magical aura on an enchanted item; or more broadly, the aura of a magic spell having been cast while active.


touchline

touchlines (plural)
touch line (alternative)

French winger Hatem Ben Arfa has also taken plenty of plaudits recently and he was the architect of the opening goal with some superb trickery on the left touchline.

2012 April 21, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:

Some kids were having a kickabout on the grass beside the walkway, cheering, groaning, calling for the ball, absorbed in the game, a self-contained universe marked out by jackets for goalposts and invisible touchlines.

2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 107:

sideline

in Canadian football, field lacrosse and basketball

(rugby, soccer) One of the lines that mark the border limits of the pitch.


MUFC

Manchester United Football Club
w:Manchester United Football Club

(soccer) Initialism of Manchester United Football Club, a famous English football club from Manchester.


linkman

From link + -man. See link (“torch, light”).

(rugby) A player who uses speed and dexterity to keep an attacking team's downfield progress fluid.


blind man's buff

From blind man's + an obsolete sense of buff, coming from Old French buffe (“blow”). First known usage from 1854.

That was a further clue; and here, indeed, young Mr. Dowse was getting "warm," as children say at blind-man's-buff, although, as a matter-of-fact, she had now been talking of George Miller at all.

1876, William Black, “An Encounter”, in Madcap Violet. […], volume III, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 74:

Smithsonian Books
w:Smithsonian Institution

(British, games) A game where one person is blindfolded and tries to catch the other players.

blindemol

game where someone is blindfolded and tries to catch the others


Liga

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


non-league

Crawley missed two penalties but still edged out League Two Torquay to become the first non-league side to reach the FA Cup fifth round for 17 years.

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

(British, soccer) Playing in a division below The Football League, being amateur or semi-professional teams.


sedan chair

sedan chairs (plural)
sedan-chair (alternative)

/səˈdæn ˌtʃɛər/

Clarifying the intended meaning or sense of sedan.

kador-doug

portable chair used as a mode of transport — see also litter, palanquin

Another way of carrying a patient is upon what is known among school-boys as a ‘sedan-chair’, each bearer grasping his own fore-arm and that of his fellow about its middle... and the patient grasping the bearers' necks.

1869, Cassell's Household Guide, volume I, page 72:

(games) An equivalent mode of transport created by two people grasping each other's forearms, making a seat for the rider.


handball

en-noun

handball (countable and uncountable, plural handballs)

desc

→ Portuguese: andebol, handebol (Brazil)

sport involving bouncing a ball off a wall

It was a dramatic finish to an absorbing, fast-paced game but Blackburn will be deeply unhappy with referee Anthony Taylor as Nzonzi's handball was harsh.

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

(countable, soccer) The offence of a player other than the goalkeeper touching the ball with the hand or arm on the field during play.


handball

en-verb

handball (third-person singular simple present handballs, present participle handballing, simple past and past participle handballed)

handballs (present singular third-person)
handballing (participle present)
handballed (participle past)
handballed (past)

If the defender handballs in the penalty area, a penalty is awarded.

(soccer) To illegally touch the ball with the hand or arm.


(dice games) A die roll used for example in some role-playing games and wargames to generate a random number between 1 and 1000. The most common method is to roll 3 differently colored d10s, where each color has been designated to represent one of the three digits.


fallaway

(basketball) Of a shot, taken while moving away from the basket.


fallaway

(basketball) A shot taken while moving away from the basket.


second down

(American football) The second down in a series that has a maximum of four downs.


third down

(American football) The third down in a series that has a maximum of four downs; traditionally the last running/passing play before punting.


fourth down

Mahomes converted key fourth downs with his legs and looked to Kelce throughout the second half and overtime – the tight end finished with nine receptions and 93 yards after just one catch in the opening half.

2024 February 12, Ben Morse and Steve Almasy, “Kansas City Chiefs defeat San Francisco 49ers in OT in Super Bowl LVIII, become first back-to-back NFL champions in 19 years”, in CNN.com:

(American football) The fourth down in a series that has a maximum of four downs; often used to punt the ball downfield or attempt a field goal (If not punted or converted, the opposing team takes possession wherever the ball is).


red zone

(American football) The area extending twenty yards from the end zone, where a team in possession of the ball is expected to score.


cowboys and Indians

(games) A children's game, with chasing and mock battles, in which the players assume the traditional roles of cowboys and American Indians.


uprights

(American football, rugby) Vertical (upright) posts of the goal.


reach-around

reach-arounds (plural)
reacharound (alternative)

(basketball) A passing style in which the ballhandler performs a crossover step in the direction of the intended pass and then extends his or her arms to throw the pass around the defender.


XFL

Xtreme Football League
w:Xtreme Football League

(sports, American football) Initialism of Xtreme Football League.

Extreme Football League
w:Extreme Football League

(sports, American football) Initialism of Extreme Football League.


transfer window

en-noun

transfer window (plural transfer windows)

Gary Cahill, a target for Arsenal and Tottenham before the transfer window closed, put England ahead early on and Rooney was on target twice before the interval as the early hostility of the Bulgarian supporters was swiftly subdued.

2011 September 2, Phil McNulty, “Bulgaria 0-3 England”, in BBC:

(soccer) A period of time during the year in which soccer players may be bought or sold between professional clubs.

Wechselperiode

period during which transfers can be made of players between soccer clubs


chanceless

en-adj

chanceless (comparative more chanceless, superlative most chanceless)

more chanceless (comparative)
most chanceless (superlative)

(cricket, not comparable) Without a chance of being dismissed.


knuckleballer

(baseball) A baseball pitcher known for throwing knuckleballs.


RNG

en-noun

RNG (countable and uncountable, plural RNGs)

The combat in this game is way too RNG-based.

Jeez, I'm having terrible RNG today.

random number generator
random number generator#English

(gaming, informal) Randomness, variability, or luck, especially produced by a random number generator.


end-to-end

But rather than the end-to-end action of the first half, much of the entertainment took place in the Sunderland third.

2011 February 1, Saj Chowdhury, “Sunderland 2 - 4 Chelsea”, in BBC:

(soccer) Smoothly alternating between attacking and defensive plays.


face card

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(US, card games) A playing card with a face, properly a jack, queen, or king but (inexact, sometimes proscribed) sometimes also an ace or joker.


even odds

(gambling, speculation) An opportunity in which the chance of success is equal to that of failure.


PF

PF (countable and uncountable, plural PFs)

(basketball) Initialism of personal foul.

(basketball) Initialism of power forward.

Coordinate term: PA

The Giants and Commanders have the same record after 13 games each. However, Washington has control of third place in the NFC East due to a better PF/PA record in comparison to the Giants.

2022 December 14, “NFL Playoff picture Week 15: Are the New York Giants still in contention for the postseason?”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2022-12-17:

(American football, fantasy football) Initialism of points for.


drop shot

drop shots (plural)
dropshot (alternative)

deixada

a lightly struck shot that lands just in play

укоро́ченный

уда́р m (udár)

first-person shooter
first-person shooter

(gaming) In first-person shooters, the act of quickly switching from a standing position to a prone position while shooting at an opponent.


battery mate

battery mates (plural)
batterymate (alternative)

(baseball) One who plays in the same battery, either the pitcher or the catcher.


sac fly

(baseball) A sacrifice fly, a fly out which allows a runner to advance a base.


slugging average

slugging average (plural slugging averages)

(baseball) A statistic which compares the total number of bases achieved by a batter over that batter's number of at bats.


slugging percentage

slugging percentage (plural slugging percentages)


FSF

Faroe Islands Football Association
w:Faroe Islands Football Association

(soccer) Initialism of Fótbóltssamband Føroya (Faroe Islands Football Association)


queening

queening (countable and uncountable, plural queenings)

(apple): From Middle English quenynges pl, from quene (“queen”) but not completely certain.

Over 1,200 games were examined in detail and 89 queenings were identified in 70 games.

1978, American Statistical Association. Social Statistics Section, Proceedings (part 1, page 536)

(chess) The promotion of a pawn to a queen.


refait

(card games) In the game of trente et quarante, the situation where the aggregate pip value of cards dealt to red equals that of those dealt to black. All bets are then off, unless the value is 31, in which case the banker wins half the stakes.


dibbly-dobbler

Sri Lanka's seamers, like their dibbly-dobblers of yesteryear, gave the speedometer a day off, their deliveries rarely touching 80mph.

2006 May 11, Charlie Austin, “Sri Lanka's defective Plan B: What went wrong for Sri Lanka on the first day at Lord's”, in Cricinfo, archived from the original on 2016-05-07:


game of skill

(games) A game in which the outcome depends mainly on the physical and mental skills of the players, and only secondarily on chance.

joc d'habilitat

a game in which the outcome depends mainly on the physical and mental skills of the players


scissor kick

There were few complains[complaints] from Arteta or his players when Vieira was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Brownhill, but Zinchenko's scissor kick nine minutes earlier had all but ended Burnley's hopes of salvaging a point.

2023 November 11, Matthew Howarth, “Arsenal 3-1 Burnley”, in BBC Sport:


billiard table

(sports, billiards, snooker) A heavy felt-covered table fitted with six pockets along the perimeter used in the games of pool, billiards or snooker.


hit someone for six

en-verb

hit someone for six (third-person singular simple present hits someone for six, present participle hitting someone for six, simple past and past participle hit someone for six)

hits someone for six (present singular third-person)
hitting someone for six (participle present)
hit someone for six (participle past)
hit someone for six (past)
knock someone for six (alternative)

From cricket, where hitting the ball over the boundary without it bouncing scores six runs, the maximum for one shot.

(cricket) To score six points against (a bowler) by hitting the ball over the boundary.


hit a six

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

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

(cricket) To hit the ball hard enough to go out of the boundary of the field without touching the ground, thereby scoring the maximum of six runs


scrummage

(rugby) An ordered formation of forwards, typically bending down, binding to one another with their arms, and pushing opponents shoulder to shoulder, in which each side aims to gain control of the ball; a scrum.


scrummage

scrummage (third-person singular simple present scrummages, present participle scrummaging, simple past and past participle scrummaged)

scrummages (present singular third-person)
scrummaging (participle present)
scrummaged (participle past)
scrummaged (past)

(rugby) To engage in an ordered formation of forwards in which each side aims to gain control of the ball, as described above.


keep one's cards close to one's chest

keep<,,kept> one's cards close to one's chest

keep one's cards close to one's chest (third-person singular simple present keeps one's cards close to one's chest, present participle keeping one's cards close to one's chest, simple past and past participle kept one's cards close to one's chest)

keeps one's cards close to one's chest (present singular third-person)
kept one's cards close to one's chest (participle past)
kept one's cards close to one's chest (past)

En-au-keep one's cards close to one's chest.ogg

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-keep one's cards close to one's chest.wav

The figurative sense is a self-evident extension from the literal sense.

(card games, literal) To hold one's hand close to one's chest so that other players cannot see the cards.


duppy

duppies (plural)
duffy (alternative)
duppie (alternative)
doopy (alternative)
dupie (alternative)

Jamaica, circa 18th century. From Bube dupe (“ghost”) (compare Akan adɔpe).

(Jamaica, games) A drawn game of noughts and crosses (in Jamaica tii-taa-tuo).


throwdown

throwdowns (plural)
throw-down (alternative)

Deverbal from throw down. Fight and music senses from earlier idiom throw down the gauntlet (“issue a challenge”).


pair of spectacles

en-noun

pair of spectacles (plural pairs of spectacles)

(cricket) Synonym of pair (“score of zero runs in both innings”).


(American football) A player for the San Francisco 49ers, an NFL team.


hangtime

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(skateboarding, American football) The length of time something can stay in the air.


mook

From the 1930s, origin unknown. Suggestions include a variant of British slang moke (“donkey”); a variant of US slang mooch (“a sponger, beggar, idler”); Irish muc (“pig”); Dutch mok, German Mocke, Mucke (both dialectal for “sow” and hence “slovenly or bothersome woman/person”); a corruption of Italian mammalucco (“fool”, literally “mamluk”).

der

(colloquial, gaming) An anonymous foe that appears in large numbers and is readily dispatched by the hero.


shimmed

(pool, of a pocket) Having shims that reduce its size


drop punt

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

(Australian rules football, rugby) A kick made by dropping the ball and kicking it before it touches the ground.


Anfield

Possibly from Middle English hange + feld, field (see field).

(soccer) A football stadium within the area, home of Liverpool Football Club.

(soccer, by extension) Liverpool Football club itself.


king of spades

(card games) One of the 52 playing cards in a standard deck.


queen of spades

en-noun

queen of spades (plural queens of spades)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-queen of spades.wav


queen of hearts

queen of hearts (plural queens of hearts)


king of diamonds

king of diamonds (plural kings of diamonds)


queen of diamonds

queen of diamonds (plural queens of diamonds)


jack of diamonds

jack of diamonds (plural jacks of diamonds)

jacks of diamonds (plural)
knave of diamonds (alternative)

ईंट का ग़ुलाम

ī̃ṭ kā ġulām


king of clubs

चिड़ी का राजा

ciṛī kā rājā


queen of clubs

चिड़ी की रानी

ciṛī kī rānī


student body

student body left

student body right

(American football slang) A football play in which most of the players run to one side of the field.


computer chess

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(computer games, chess) The game of chess involving a computer able to play autonomously, i.e. without human guidance.


FCB

(soccer) Initialism of FC Barcelona, a famous Spanish sports club from Barcelona, best known for its football (soccer) section; from Catalan FCB (“Futbol Club Barcelona”).

FC Barcelona

(soccer) Initialism of FC Bayern Munich, a famous German football (soccer) team from Munich.


VOR

VOR (countable and uncountable, plural VORs)

video operation room
w:Video assistant referee

video assistant referee
video assistant referee

association football
association football

(soccer) Initialism of video operation room, part of the set-up for the video assistant referee (VAR) in association football.


hung up

en-adj

hung up (comparative more hung up, superlative most hung up)

more hung up (comparative)
most hung up (superlative)

Snap throw to first, and they’ve got Sanchez hung up.

(baseball, of a runner, not comparable) In a position such that the path to the desired base is blocked by a fielder holding the ball; caught in a rundown.


hook shot

(basketball) A shot in which the offensive player gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of his arm in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends over his head.

(cricket) A type of shot played by swinging the bat in a horizontal arc, hitting the ball high in the air to the leg side, often played to balls which bounce around head height; a hook.

(cricket) Synonym of hook (“shot played by swinging the bat in a horizontal arc, hitting the ball high in the air to the leg side”).


flutterball

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(baseball) A type of pitch; knuckleball.


organized baseball

(baseball) Major League Baseball and its associated minor leagues. This does not include amateur leagues, most professional international leagues, the former Negro Leagues, and independent leagues.


knucklecurve

(baseball) A type of pitch with characteristics of both a curveball and a knuckleball.


ghostball

(baseball) A type of pitch; the knuckleball.


stickhandle

en-verb

stickhandle (third-person singular simple present stickhandles, present participle stickhandling, simple past and past participle stickhandled)

stickhandles (present singular third-person)
stickhandling (participle present)
stickhandled (participle past)
stickhandled (past)

Kovalev regained possession of the puck and stickhandled at full speed into neutral-zone open ice.

2008 April 17, Dave Stubbs, “Lots of life left in Bruins”, in The Gazette, Montreal, retrieved 2008-05-13:

(transitive, intransitive, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse) To maintain individual possession of the puck or ball by controlling it with movements of one's stick, especially to do so in a skillful manner.


stickhandling

(ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse) Skillful manipulation of the puck or ball with a player's stick, allowing the player to maintain control of the puck or ball.


court sense

(basketball) A player's knowledge of all that is occurring in the game.


superteam

superteams (plural)
super team (alternative)
super-team (alternative)

Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
LeBron James
Miami Heat

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Any well-respected or highly successful team (in any of several contexts)

(sports, chiefly basketball) A team composed of three or more high-caliber players, especially one assembled by free agency or trades rather than by drafting.


Grandmaster

Grandmasters (plural)
grandmaster (alternative)

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

(chess) A player of the highest rank, as determined by FIDE, with an Elo rating of at least 2500.

Grandmaster of the Soviet Union
Grandmaster of the Soviet Union#English

(chess, historical) Ellipsis of Grandmaster of the Soviet Union; USSR champion.


goalscorer

goalscorers (plural)
goal scorer (alternative)
goal-scorer (alternative)

At the other end, goalscorer Krohn-Dehli's 20-yard strike brought a fine stop from Stekelenburg.

2012 June 9, Owen Phillips, “Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark”, in BBC Sport:

At the age of 22, the Norwegian forward had already established himself as one of the best goalscorers in European football – first at Red Bull Salzburg, then with two prolific seasons at Borussia Dortmund.

2023 May 12, George Ramsay, “After a record-breaking season, Erling Haaland is on track to become ‘the best striker ever’”, in CNN:

Ronaldo Sr., who is the record goalscorer in men’s international soccer with 136 goals for Portugal, congratulated his son on his Instagram Stories by posting a picture of his name on the squad list, saying: “Proud of you, son!”

2025 May 7, Ben Morse, “‘Proud of you’: Cristiano Ronaldo’s eldest son earns first call-up for Portugal Under-15 national team”, in CNN:

(soccer) A person who scores a goal, or scores goals


pull the string

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

pulls the string (present singular third-person)
pulling the string (participle present)
pulled the string (participle past)
pulled the string (past)

(baseball) To throw an off-speed pitch, a change up, to cause the hitter to swing early and miss.


FBS

w:NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

(American football) Initialism of Football Bowl Subdivision.


reroll

reroll (third-person singular simple present rerolls, present participle rerolling, simple past and past participle rerolled)

rerolls (present singular third-person)
rerolling (participle present)
rerolled (participle past)
rerolled (past)
re-roll (alternative)

A player who rolls two sixes can reroll the dice for an additional turn.

You can reroll if you don't like your character's initial stats.

[T]he others worked preparing breakfast and re-rolling swags.

1963, Arthur Upfield, The Lake Frome Monster, London: Pan Books, published 1969, page 21:

(ambitransitive, dice games) To roll (dice) again.

(gaming) To try again for a different result.


reroll

(dice games) A situation in the rules of certain dice games where a player is given the option to reroll an undesirable roll of the dice.


Boot Hill

(cricket, slang) The position of short leg.


lappa

From English lap (“a stroke somewhere between a pull and a sweep”).

When the ball bounced, the open stance was a good preliminary position from which to play the cross-batted swipe or lappa.

2010, Mukul Kesavan, Keshwani Mukul, Men in White, page 12:


backlift

(cricket) The lifting of the bat in preparation for hitting the ball.


keep score

keep score (third-person singular simple present keeps score, present participle keeping score, simple past and past participle kept score)

keeps score (present singular third-person)
keeping score (participle present)
kept score (participle past)
kept score (past)

(sports, games) To keep track of the score in a game.


hit one out of the ballpark

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

hits one out of the ballpark (present singular third-person)
hitting one out of the ballpark (participle present)
hit one out of the ballpark (participle past)
hit one out of the ballpark (past)
hit one out of the ball park (alternative)
knock one out of the ballpark (alternative)
knock one out of the ball park (alternative)
hit one out of the park (alternative)
knock the ball out of the park (alternative)

(baseball) To hit a fair ball so well that the ball flies over all of the spectators' seats and lands outside the stadium.


PFA

Omar Beckles is the PFA chair and currently plays for Leyton Orient in League One of the English Football League. The PFA acts as a union for players in England and Wales.

2024 January 22, Thomas Schlachter, “There must be ‘significant consequences’ for clubs failing to deal with racism in stadiums, says player and union official”, in CNN:

Professional Footballers' Association
w:Professional Footballers' Association

(soccer) Initialism of Professional Footballers' Association.


text adventure

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

(computer games) A computer game in which the player is given a textual description of the environment and uses a command line to interact with it.


swing for the fences

swing for the fences (third-person singular simple present swings for the fences, present participle swinging for the fences, simple past and past participle swung for the fences)

swings for the fences (present singular third-person)
swinging for the fences (participle present)
swung for the fences (participle past)
swung for the fences (past)
swing for the fence (alternative)

Don't swing for the fences unless it's an easy ball; be content with running part way.

(US, baseball, softball) To swing at the ball as hard as possible, with the aim of getting a home run.


agricultural shot

en-noun

agricultural shot (plural agricultural shots)

(cricket) A swing across the line of the ball (resembling a scything motion) played without much technique, often resulting in a chunk of the pitch being dug up by the bat.


Barça

Shortened form of Futbol Club Barcelona, keeping the Catalan spelling rules. Since this football team is a symbol of the city of Barcelona, this word has been associated with the whole city, although it's wrong to use Barça to refer to the city itself; instead, one would use Barna.

(soccer) Clipping of Futbol Club Barcelona.


GG

G.G. (alternative)
G. G. (alternative)
G.-G. (alternative)
G-G (alternative)

(online gaming, slang) Good game; commonly used at the end of a gaming match; also sometimes used to end an argument.


lay up

en-verb

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

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

He takes the pass, he drives, he lays it up and in.

(transitive, basketball) To make a layup with (a basketball)


full-court press

en-noun

full-court press (plural full-court presses)

full-court presses (plural)
full court press (alternative)

(basketball) A coordinated maneuver, involving all team members, to block or interfere with the opposing team's attempt to advance the ball down the playing court, so as to force a turnover or backcourt violation.


five-second rule

five-second rule (plural five-second rules)

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Any rule that allows or prohibits certain behavior for five seconds after some event, especially:

(basketball) A rule that a closely-guarded player cannot hold the ball for more than five seconds without dribbling, passing, rolling, or shooting the ball.

(basketball) A rule that a player who throws in the ball from out of bounds must get rid of it in less than five seconds.


front wall

Because it is a wall and is located at the front of the court.

(squash, racquetball) The main and largest wall in court, located at the front of the world; the wall which the ball must hit in a rally.


back wall

Because it is a wall and is located at the back of the court.

(squash, racquetball) The wall at the back of a racquetball or squash court, directly opposite the front wall.


side wall

side walls (plural)
sidewall (alternative)

Because each of the walls in question is located on a side of the court.

(squash, racquetball) Either of the two parallel walls in a court, perpendicular to the front wall; either of the walls on the side of the court.


TBF

Turkish Basketball Federation
w:Turkish Basketball Federation

(basketball) Initialism of Turkish Basketball Federation.


stoopball

(games, New York City) A game played by bouncing a ball off a step or stoop.


line break

line breaks (plural)
line-break (alternative)
linebreak (alternative)

Toby Flood replaced Wilkinson at the break and scrum-half Ben Youngs scored almost directly from the restart, spotting a gap down the short side and linking well with Tuilagi down the right flank, and nine minutes later full-back Ben Foden extended England's lead following a bullocking line-break by Tuilagi.

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

(rugby) a break made through the opposition's defensive line


batsmanship

Although our team lost, we were complimented by everyone on our batsmanship.

(cricket) A skilled or courteous display of skill as a batsman.


bat away

en-verb

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

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

(US, baseball, of a batter) To use one's own judgment to aggressively swing at pitches, rather than following a coaches instructions.


griefer

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First, be a tree; in other words, ignore the griefer. This approach can be very effective because most griefers want you to get pissed off, and if you don't, they may move on to more fertile targets.

2007, Brian A. White, Second Life: A Guide to Your Virtual World, Que Publishing, →ISBN:

Julian Dibbell's description of griefer culture demonstrates a high degree of congruence with Huizinga's description of the spoilsport. The griefers have indeed “made a new community,” loosely organized on somethingawful.com and the /b/ forum of 4chan.org

2011, Kristie Miller, Marlene Clark, Dating: Philosophy for Everyone, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:

“[…]Maybe we can set up a trap for the griefer.” “That's an amazing idea!” said Kyra. “ What type of trap?” asked Steve. “We can create something very valuable that the griefer might want to steal or destroy and we can wait by it until the griefer arrives.

2015, Winter Morgan, The Mystery of the Griefer's Mark: An Unofficial Gamer's Novel, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

(online gaming) One who griefs: a player who plays a game primarily to reduce other players’ enjoyment of it.


massively multiplayer online game

en-noun

massively multiplayer online game (plural massively multiplayer online games)

massively multiplayer online games (plural)

(online gaming) A computer game in which a large number of players can simultaneously interact in a persistent world.

massively multiplayer online role-playing game


PnP

Feel not ashamed, if you can afford only PnP versions of certain games.


summonable

(gaming) A creature that may be summoned into existence.


ninja loot

en-verb

ninja loot (third-person singular simple present ninja loots, present participle ninja looting, simple past and past participle ninja looted)

ninja loots (present singular third-person)
ninja looting (participle present)
ninja looted (participle past)
ninja looted (past)

(online gaming) To unfairly loot the corpse of a fallen enemy before other members of the party can divvy the spoils.


bind on pickup

(online gaming) Describing an item that becomes bound to the player that loots it. The player cannot transfer it to another player; they may only sell it to an in-game vendor or discard it, destroying the item. Used mainly on quest MacGuffins and rare drops. Compare to bind on equip.


bind on pickup

bind on pickup (third-person singular simple present binds on pickup, present participle binding on pickup, simple past and past participle bound on pickup)

binds on pickup (present singular third-person)
binding on pickup (participle present)
bound on pickup (participle past)
bound on pickup (past)

(online gaming, of a piece of equipment) To become permanently associated with a player character upon being picked up.


bind on equip

(online gaming) Describing a piece of equipment (armor, weapons, accessories) that becomes bound to a player character when equipped by them. The player may sell/trade/give it to another character so long as they have not used it. After use, the player may only sell it to an in-game vendor or discard it, destroying the item. Used mainly on quest rewards and moderate to rare drops. Compare to bind on pickup.


bind on equip

bind on equip (third-person singular simple present binds on equip, present participle binding on equip, simple past and past participle bound on equip)

binds on equip (present singular third-person)
binding on equip (participle present)
bound on equip (participle past)
bound on equip (past)

(online gaming, of a piece of equipment) To become permanently associated with a player character upon being equipped.


multi-user dungeon

en-noun

multi-user dungeon (plural multi-user dungeons)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-multi-user dungeon.wav

massively multiplayer online game
massively multiplayer online game

(computer games) A text-based online game in which players enter instructions on a command line to jointly engage in role-playing. MUDs are a precursor to the massively multiplayer online game.


bowl-out

(cricket) A series of deliveries at an unguarded wicket at the end of a non-first-class cricket match, used to decide the winner of a drawn match.


Yahtzee

→⇒ Dutch: yahtzeeën

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Milton Bradley Company
Yacht (dice game)
Yahtzee

Trademarked by the Milton Bradley Company in 1956, as an alteration of "Yatzie", derived from yacht (see Yacht (dice game)).

(dice games) A probability game where players amass scores depending on the values of the five dice they roll.


change up

en-verb

change up (third-person singular simple present changes up, present participle changing up, simple past and past participle changed up)

changes up (present singular third-person)
changing up (participle present)
changed up (participle past)
changed up (past)

He changed up on Wilson after three fastballs and struck him out.

(intransitive, baseball) To throw a pitch at a much slower than expected speed.


playthrough

playthroughs (plural)
play-through (alternative)

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(gambling) The cumulative monetary amount that must be wagered before an account may be withdrawn, typically stated as a multiple of the initial deposit.


savegame

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(computing, sometimes chess) A saved game.


posterize

posterize (third-person singular simple present posterizes, present participle posterizing, simple past and past participle posterized)

posterizes (present singular third-person)
posterizing (participle present)
posterized (participle past)
posterized (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-posterize.wav

(basketball, slang) To score a slam dunk by leaping over another player.


rollout

rollouts (plural)
roll-out (alternative)

(American football) A play in which a quarterback moves toward the sideline before attempting to pass.

(backgammon) A form of analysis in which the same position is played many times (with different dice rolls) and the various outcomes are recorded.


gold farming

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The gold farming industry turns one man's play into another's work, but most gaming workers see a clear difference between work and play.

2007 October 23, Ge Jin, “Chinese Gold Farmers: Immigrant Workers in the Game Land”, in Friedrich Von Borries, Steffen Peter Walz, Matthias Böttger, editors, Space Time Play: Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism: The Next Level, Birkhäuser Basel, page 463:

While some companies seem largely indifferent to gold farming, others see gold farmers as unfairly extracting value from property that they do not own. Gold farming is often described as a parasitic business practice that undermines the stability of virtual economics.

2010 October 26, Greg Lastowka, Virtual Justice: The New Laws of Online Worlds, Yale University Press, →ISBN, →OL:

You heard of gold farming? Selling multiplayer online game currency for real cash?

2012 November 15, “Critical”, in Person of Interest, season 2, episode 7, spoken by Leon Tao (Ken Leung):

massively multiplayer online games
massively multiplayer online games

(online gaming) The business of farming/grinding for in-game currency (gold in many games) and items in massively multiplayer online games for for-profit resale outside of the game.

打钱 打錢 /打钱

farming/grinding for in-game currency for for-profit resale outside of the game


gold farmer

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(online gaming) A person who plays an online game to resell in-game currency and items for profit outside of the game; one who engages in gold farming.


dunk shot

(basketball) A dunk, a shot where the ball is propelled directly downward through the hoop.


OL

(soccer) Initialism of Olympique Lyonnais.


dig out

dig out (third-person singular simple present digs out, present participle digging out, simple past and past participle dug out)

digs out (present singular third-person)
digging out (participle present)
dug out (participle past)
dug out (past)

(transitive, cricket) To block a yorker with the bottom of the bat, at the last second.


j'adoube

Borrowed from French j'adoube (“I adjust”), from je (“I”) + adouber (“to adjust”).

(chess) Spoken by a player before adjusting a piece on the chessboard, to indicate that he or she is not making a move in the game.


Ring of Fire

(card games) A drinking game in which each card of a pack of playing cards, picked at random from a deck sprawled out in a circle, has a certain consequence (involving drinking, or playing a particular drinking game).


pink spot

(snooker) The spot on a snooker table where the pink ball is normally placed.


blue spot

(snooker) The spot on a snooker table where the blue ball is normally placed.


brown spot

en-noun

brown spot (countable and uncountable, plural brown spots)

(snooker, countable) The spot on a snooker table where the brown ball is normally placed.


green spot

(snooker) The spot on a snooker table where the green ball is normally placed.


yellow spot

(snooker) The spot on a snooker table where the yellow ball is normally placed.


object ball

(snooker, billiards) The ball which the cue ball is intended to hit.


openside

opensides (plural)
open side (alternative)

Coordinate term: blindside

(rugby) The space on the side of the pitch with the larger distance between the breakdown/set piece and the touchline.


inside back

(rugby) a back whose primary job is to create space for the outside backs outside him, i.e. the scrum-half, the fly-half and the inside centre.


half-back

But Wales somehow snaffled possession for fly-half Jones to send half-back partner Mike Phillips haring away with Stoddart in support.

2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC:


three-quarter back

three-quarter back (plural three-quarter backs)

(rugby) Any of a group of players positioned between the half-backs and the full-backs; consists of the left wing, the inside centre, the outside centre and the right wing


first receiver

(rugby) The first player to receive the ball from a scrum-half. This is often the fly-half, but may be a different player if the fly-half is unavailable, or a forward who will drive.


outside back

(rugby) a back whose primary job it is to exploit space created by the inside backs, i.e. the outside centre, both wingers, and the full back


openside flanker

openside flanker (plural openside flankers)

(rugby) a forward position in rugby union, usually number 7.


scrummager

Their tighthead is a great scrummager, but is not very good in the loose.

(rugby) One who scrummages; usually used in reference to the qualities of front row forwards.


penalty goal

(ice hockey, soccer, rugby) A goal scored from a penalty.


pangene

… fargo, craps, draw poker, studhorse poker, pangeni or pangene, twenty-one …

(obsolete, card games) Alternative spelling of panguingue.


tight five

(rugby) The five forwards who form the front row and the second row in the scrum.


gain line

gain lines (plural)
gainline (alternative)

(rugby) an imaginary line running across the pitch perpendicular to the touchline and passing through the breakdown or set piece. The subsequent phase is said to have passed "over the gain line" if the gain line at the subsequent breakdown is in front of the last, or "behind the gain line" if it is behind.

(American football) Alternative form of line to gain.


ribeye

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

Watson had a 3-run homer and a 2-run double for a total of five ribeyes on the night.


pull the trigger

en-verb

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

pulls the trigger (present singular third-person)
pulling the trigger (participle present)
pulled the trigger (participle past)
pulled the trigger (past)

The Baggies almost hit back instantly when Graham Dorrans broke from midfield and pulled the trigger from 15 yards but Paul Robinson did superbly to tip the Scot's drive around the post.

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

(soccer, idiomatic, intransitive) To shoot, kick the ball in hope of scoring a goal.


piledriver

piledrivers (plural)
pile driver (alternative)

United did not dwell on the decision and Nani had a left-foot piledriver fended wide by Friedel, who is now the oldest player in Villa's history at 39 years and 259 days.

2011 February 1, Mandeep Sanghera, “Man Utd 3 - 1 Aston Villa”, in BBC:


ground game

en-noun

ground game (countable and uncountable, plural ground games)

Notre Dame, with its option-type quarterback, Tony Rice, is committed to the ground game.

1988 November 26, Mal Florence, “They Take Case to Polls Today USC-Notre Dame Game Could Settle Score for No. 1”, in Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 2013-06-30, page Sports 3:

(American football, countable) Running with the ball, rather than passing


tice

Possibly from entice, as below, suggesting the bowler's purpose.

Bowlers should practise both toss and tice.

1862, James Picroft, The Cricket-Field, Or The History and the Science of the Game of Cricket, page 120:

The tice is almost a full pitch. If you have a long reach, go in and play forward; if not, however, keep your bat down, and block it.

1863 March 7, “The Complete Guide to the Cricket Field: Chapter III: The Batsman”, in The Boy's Miscellany: An Illustrated Journal of Useful and Entertaining Literature for Youth, volume 1, page 155:

1870 July, The Wykehamist, Number 33, page 1,
Raynor, though somewhat wild, obtained an extraordinary number of wickets for very few runs, his fast "tices" quite puzzling the Eton bats.

1911, Henry Charles Howard Suffolk and Berkshire (Earl of), Hedley Peek, Frederick George Aflalo, The Encyclopaedia of Sport & Games, Volume 1, page 452,
A "yorker" (or "tice") pitches on, or within six inches of, the popping crease; […] .

(cricket, dated) A ball bowled to strike the ground about a bat's length in front of the wicket; a yorker.

yorker

ball bowled to strike the pitch near the batsman's feet


QID

Queen's Indian Defence
Queen's Indian Defence#English

(chess) Initialism of Queen's Indian Defence.


sweep the board

en-verb

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

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


distributional

en-adj

distributional (comparative more distributional, superlative most distributional)

more distributional (comparative)
most distributional (superlative)


run-and-gun

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-run-and-gun.wav

(basketball) Alternative form of run and gun.


technical foul

(basketball) Any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a nonplayer.


build up

en-verb

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

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

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


tabiya

From Arabic تَعْبِئَة (taʕbiʔa) or تَعْبِيَة (taʕbiya, “mobilization, arrangement”).

This position is a real tabiya. It frequently arises from the Queen's Gambit Declined rather than the Caro-Kann […]

2005, Sam Collins, An Attacking Repertoire for White, page 136:

This is pretty much the tabiya for this variation. You will encounter it again and again, and it can arise from numerous move orders […]

2018, Carsten Hansen, The Full English Opening, page 63:

(chess) A position in the opening of a game that occurs after a sequence of moves that is heavily standardized, and from which the players have many possible moves again.


Jack-in-the-pulpit

en-noun

Jack-in-the-pulpit (plural Jack-in-the-pulpits or Jacks-in-the-pulpit)

Jack-in-the-pulpits (plural)
Jacks-in-the-pulpit (plural)
jack-in-the-pulpit (alternative)


triominoes

Note: as the game plays, polyiamonds are created.

equilateral triangle
equilateral triangle

(games) a variant of the game of dominoes using tiles with the shape of an equilateral triangle.


shootaround

shootarounds (plural)
shoot-around (alternative)

The players came to the stadium for the morning shootaround.

(basketball) An informal practice session


returner

(American football) A player who runs back a ball which has been punted or kicked


runback

A fifty yard runback of a punt by Jack Reed in the fourth period gave Bowdoin a 6-0 win over Williams today in a driving rain.

1936 October 18, “Fifty Yard Runback of Punt Gives Bowdoin 6-0 Win Over Williams”, in Hartford Courant, archived from the original on 2013-06-30, page C4:

(American football) The act of returning a kicked ball, such as from a punt or kickoff


pie-chucker

(cricket, informal) A bowler who has no control over the movement of the ball


putback

(basketball) A move in which a player scores a basket immediately after securing an offensive rebound


goaltending

(basketball) A violation which occurs when a player interferes with the movement of the ball that is on its downward path toward the basket or on or within the rim of the basket, or after the ball touched the backboard.


goaltend

en-verb

goaltend (third-person singular simple present goaltends, present participle goaltending, simple past and past participle goaltended)

goaltends (present singular third-person)
goaltending (participle present)
goaltended (participle past)
goaltended (past)

Amazingly, of Fly's first eight shots two are blocked, three go in, and three are goaltended.

2004, Rick Teland, Heaven is a Playground, →ISBN, page 108:

(basketball) To engage in goaltending, interference with the ball on its downward path to the basket

hacer un tapón ilegal

basketball: interference with the ball on its downward path to the basket


outrebound

outrebound (third-person singular simple present outrebounds, present participle outrebounding, simple past and past participle outrebounded)

outrebounds (present singular third-person)
outrebounding (participle present)
outrebounded (participle past)
outrebounded (past)

We outrebounded the other team, but our offense wasn't good enough.


underruff

underruff (third-person singular simple present underruffs, present participle underruffing, simple past and past participle underruffed)

underruffs (present singular third-person)
underruffing (participle present)
underruffed (participle past)
underruffed (past)

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

And so, at trick five, when South ruffed a diamond with the board's queen of clubs, East, having a discard to make, found a gorgeous one— he underruffed with seven of trumps!

1973, Fred L. Karpin, The Art of Card Reading at Bridge, →ISBN, page 149:

(bridge) To ruff with a trump lower than the trump already played by one's opponent