Dictionary of sports and games terminology

Introduction Any word or phrase in bold print in an entry serves as a cross-reference to its own entry in its alphabetical place. Mention of a game at the beginning of an entry describing a sport refers to the sport in question. Thus the denition of badminton begins a game for two or four people, so that the game is badminton. The same applies in entries such as aquabobbing, categorized as a type of water skiing, which begins a form of the sport, so that the sport is water skiing. On the whole, the text of an entry aims not to repeat the name of the sport in which the word or phrase is used. Where an entry describes an action carried out by the relevant sports participant, the pronoun he is used for both sexes in the interest of brevity and simplicity. This will nine times out of ten be appropriate anyway for a male-dominated sport, such as cricket or rugby union, but for sake of consistency the usage is also applied to sports in which women are prominent participants, such as gymnastics or tennis. It would unusually pedantic to have he or she every time. A number of entries append additional information or an etymology in square brackets. Thus the badminton entry explains how the game came to be so named, and the entry for caddie gives the origin of the word. 4 Some sports writing uses American spellings for American sports, such as baseball, and British spelling for British sports, such as cricket. But such a system presents difculties, since one has to choose which to use for an international sport such as tennis. In the present book, the spelling generally used is American rather than British, even for predominantly British sports. In some cases, however, where both a British and an American spelling exist for a headword, the British spelling may appear as a cross-reference, so that centre cross-refers to center. Headwords followed by an exclamation point represent a spoken command, such as action! in wrestling, break! in boxing, easy! in rowing, or mush! in sled-dog racing. Appendix and Bibliography The Appendix is devoted to a selection of the better-known standard abbreviations for the titles of sports ruling bodies and administrative organizations. The Bibliography lists the books and publications consulted both for denitions of sporting terms and for the rules and origins of the sports themselves. Each title has an appended description in square brackets. www.Atibook.ir THE DICTIONARY across the at (horse racing) at racing under Jockey Club rules, as distinct from over the sticks acting half-back (rugby league) the player, often the hooker, who picks the ball up after a playthe-ball action! (wrestling) the command by the referee to start wrestling action replay ( general ) an instant televised repeat of an important or disputed incident in a match, as a goal in association football or a catch in cricket ad court (tennis) short form of advantage court adaptive rowing (rowing) rowing or sculling in boats that have been adapted for people with physical limitations or disabilities added money (horse racing) extra money added to the basic stakes awarded to the winner added time ( general ) time added to the normal length of time for a match, as injury time in association football Addicks (association football ) nickname of the English club Charlton Athletic [corruption of Athletic] additional assistant referee (association football ) one of two extra assistant referees behind each goal who help the referee with decisions relating to the goal line, set pieces, and play in the penalty area address the ball (golf ) to take up a stance in order to strike the ball Admirals Cup (sailing) a biennial series of races off the south coast of England for national teams of three boats each, culminating in the Fastnet Cup [established in 1957 by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, whose admiral presents the trophy] adolph (trampolining) a forward somersault with three and a half twists [so called for its similarity to a rudolph] advantage (rugby league) a period of time allowed by the referee after an infringement to determine whether to award the opposing team a AAA (athletics) abbreviation of Amateur Athletic Association abaft (sailing) behind the boat A-bars (gymnastics) short form of asymmetric bars aboard (baseball ) another term for on base; (equestrianism, horse racing) another term for on board abseil (mountaineering) the descent of a rock face on a xed rope using braking and sliding mechanisms [German Abseil, from ab, down, and Seil, rope] abseiling (mountaineering) the descending of a rock face by means of an abseil Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (auto racing) the Formula One international Grand Prix held on the Yas Marina circuit, Abu Dhabi academy (equestrianism) a riding school acceptor (horse racing) a horse that has its entry for a race conrmed Accies (association football ) nickname of the Scottish club Hamilton Academicals accumulator (horse racing) a bet on four or more races, with the stake and winnings from each race laid on the next race, so that the punter either wins handsomely or loses everything accuracy jumping (parachuting) a jump made with the aim of landing on or near the center of a target laid out below ace (baseball ) a teams best starting pitcher; ( golf ) a hole in one; (squash, tennis) a serve that the receiver cannot touch acey-deucey (horse racing) colloquial term for a rider who sets his stirrups at different lengths [said to derive from AC/DC, alternating current/direct current] acro (skiing) a form of aerial [abbreviation of acrobatic] acrobat ( g ymnastics) a performer of acrobatics acrobatics ( g ymnastics) a routine of gymnastic feats across the board (horse racing) (of ) a bet that covers all possible results in a race, whether a win, a place or a show [the board is the noticeboard on which the races and odds are listed] 5 www.Atibook.ir advantage Albion penalty or to allow play to continue; (rugby union) a period of time allowed by the referee after an infringement to determine whether to award the opposing team a penalty, free kick, or scrum or to allow play to continue; (tennis) the rst point after deuce advantage court (tennis) the left side of the court, from which the serve is made and received at odd-numbered points advantage rule ( general ) a rule under which an infringement and its penalty are overlooked if this is to the advantage of the non-offending team adventure racing ( general ) a long and arduous race between individuals or teams over an open, varied course, typically including a mountain or river, with progress made either on foot (or by swimming) or by a form of transport, as by bicycle, by boat, or on horseback adventure sport ( general ) a sport played not in an enclosed area such as a eld but pursued in an open, natural environment such as water, snow, or air and potentially hazardous, so embracing all extreme sports and even such conventional sports as sailing and skiing aerial ( g ymnastics) (of ) a maneuver in which a complete turn is made in the air without touching the apparatus; (skateboarding) a trick performed in mid-ight, usually by launching the board off a ramp; (skiing) a maneuver such as an acro carried out in mid-air aerial contact ( general ) a contact in midair between two players, as in a ying tackle aerial ping-pong (sport) colloquial term for Australian Rules, where the frequent exchanges of high kicks in the air suggest the game of pingpong aerialist (skiing) a skier who performs gymnastic maneuvers in midair aero bars (cycling) extensions xed to the handlebars of a time-trial bike or track bike that allow the rider to lean further forward and so adopt an improved aerodynamic position aerobics ( g ymnastics) a system of rapid and strenuous exercises designed to increase tness and improve bodyshape [term coined in 1968 by U.S. physician Kenneth H. Cooper, from aerobic, requiring oxygen, with plural -s as in gymnastics] aet ( general ) abbreviation of after extra time AFC (American football) abbreviation of American Football Conference AFL (American football ) abbreviation of American Football League; (Australian Rules) abbreviation of Australian Football League African Games (Olympics) regional games held since 1965 for competitors from African countries 6 aft (sailing) at or toward the rear of a boat after extra time ( general ) (of ) a score when extra time has been added to the regular time against the darts (darts) (of ) a win scored even though the opposing player had the advantage of throwing rst against the head (rugby union) (of ) gaining the possession of the ball from a scrum to which the opposing team had the advantage of the put-in agricultural (cricket) (of ) a hefty or lofty stroke, as typically occurs in village cricket aid (equestrianism) a prompt of the hands or legs that the rider gives a horse to make it turn, change gait, or the like aid climbing (mountaineering) climbing with the assistance of special equipment such as crampons and ice axes aikido (sport) a Japanese martial art that uses specied moves and throws [Japanese ai, harmony, ki, breath, and do, way] aikidoka (aikido) a practitioner of aikido aiming mark (shooting) the center spot of a target Aintree (horse racing) the racecourse at Liverpool, England, where the Grand National is run air (basketball ) the distance between the ground and a players feet when shooting or jumping for the ball; (equestrianism) a staged or rehearsed movement in haute ộcole; (snowboarding, surng) an airborne maneuver air gun (shooting) a rie or pistol ring lead pellets by means of compressed air air hostess (cricket) colloquial term for a ball hit particularly high [as if able to bring down an air hostess in an airplane] air pistol (shooting) a pistol ring lead pellets by means of compressed air air rie (shooting) a rie ring lead pellets by means of compressed air air shot ( general ) a stroke that fails to connect with the ball, as typically in cricket or golf air sports (general ) a category of adventure sports, including, among others, gliding and parachuting airborne soccer (sport) a game similar to association football in which a Frisbee is substituted for the ball airborne throw (netball ) a throw made when a player is in the air albatross ( golf ) a score of three strokes under par on a hole [as a bird greater and more impressive than an eagle] Albiceleste (association football ) nickname of the Argentine national team [blend of Spanish albar, white, and celeste, sky blue, the colors of the stripes on the players shirts] Albion (archery) a round of 36 arrows each for men and women at 80, 60, and 50yds (73m, www.Atibook.ir 7 55m, and 46m); (association football ) (1) short name of the Scottish club Stirling Albion; (2) short name of the English club West Bromwich Albion alder (angling) an articial y that resembles the alder y allAmerican (American football ) a college football player in a team made up of the best such players at each position all-around ( g ymnastics) a competition in which the highest score from all events is combined to give an overall champion All Blacks (rugby union) nickname of the New Zealand international team [so dubbed for their dark strip by British journalists at the start of their tour of Britain in 1905] all-in wrestling (wrestling) a form of the sport with few restrictions on the permitted holds All-Ireland (Gaelic football, hurling) (of ) a nal between teams with players drawn from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all-play-all ( general ) another term for a round robin all-pro (American football ) a professional player selected to play in the Pro Bowl as one of the best in his position all-rounder (cricket) a player who is equally competent as batsman and bowler all-seater stadium ( general ) a stadium with no accommodation for standing spectators all-star (baseball ) a player selected to represent his league in an All-Star game All-Star game (baseball ) an annual match between teams selected from the best players in the National League and the American League all-ticket match (general ) a match for which spectators must obtain tickets in advance all-weather (horse racing) (of ) a racecourse with a synthetic surface that allows racing to take place in any weather All Whites (association football ) nickname of the New Zealand national team [the color of the teams strip] alley (baseball ) a section of the outeld between two elders; (bowls) the long narrow enclosure where indoor bowls are played; (skittles) the area where the game is played; (tennis) the space between the tramlines at the side of the court; (tenpin bowling) the long narrow enclosure where the game is played alley-oop (basketball ) a maneuver in which the ball is thrown up high so that another player running toward the basket can catch it in midair and score; (skateboarding, snowboarding) a spin made in the opposite direction to that in which the boarder is traveling [probably French allez!, go! and a supposed French pronunciation of alder Anaheim up, inuenced by Alley Oop, a character created by U.S. cartoonist V.T. Hamlin in the 1930s] allez! ( fencing) the command given by the referee to start fencing [French allez!, go!] Allianz Arena ( general ) a leading sports stadium in Munich, Germany allowance (horse racing) a deduction from the weight that a horse carries Alpine skiing (skiing) a competitive form of the sport involving downhill and slalom events [originating in countries where the Alps form part of the territory, as France and Switzerland] also-ran (horse racing) a horse that ran a race but did not nish with a place amateur ( general ) a person who takes part in sport for pleasure, as distinct from a paid professional Amateur Athletic Association (athletics) the British national governing organization for athletics, founded in 1880 amble (equestrianism) a horses leisurely gait in which the legs on one side are lifted alternately with those on the other side American bowls (bowling) another name for tenpin bowling American football (sport) a form of football played with an oval ball between teams of 11 players, points being scored for touchdowns and goals American Football Conference (American football ) one of the two conferences into which the National Football League was divided in 1969, the other being the National Football Conference American Football League (American football ) the professional football organization formed in 1959 to rival the National Football League and merging with the latter in 1970 American League (baseball ) one of the two most prestigious North American professional leagues, formed in 1901 to rival the National League American tournament ( general ) another term for a round robin Americas Cup (sailing) the cup awarded to the winner of an international series of races held approximately every four years between one defending vessel and one challenging vessel [rst awarded by the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1851 to the U.S. schooner America, winner of a race around the Isle of Wight] amidships (sailing) in or toward the middle of the boat amplitude (snowboarding) the height of a jump or trick anabolic steroids ( general ) a drug that increases muscle size, illegally taken by some athletes or administered to racehorses Anaheim Stadium (baseball ) the California stadium www.Atibook.ir anchor Arc that is the home ground of the Anaheim Angels team anchor (athletics) the contestant who runs the anchor leg; (cricket) a batsman who can be relied on not to take risks; (tenpin bowling) the last bowler for the team, and generally the best; (tug of war) the person at the end of the rope, who digs in to steady those in front anchor cannon (billiards) a stroke in which the two object balls are kept close to the cushion so that a series of cannons can be made without disturbing their position anchor leg (athletics) the nal stage of a relay race anchorman ( general ) another name for an anchor Aneld (association football ) the home ground of the English club Liverpool Angels (baseball ) short name of the Anaheim Angels team angle (snooker) to position the cue ball so close to the corner of the cushion that it is difcult to hit it in a straight line toward the object ball; (squash) a shot that hits one of the side walls, then the front wall, before bouncing angle of split (croquet) the angle at which the balls diverge in a split croquet shot angled shot (table tennis) a sharp stroke that sends the ball away at an angle angler (angling) formal term for a person who shes angling (sport) the formal name for the sport or pastime of catching sh angulate (skiing) to bend the body, or part of the body, away from the slope in order to maintain balance ankle lace (wrestling) a hold in which a wrestler traps his opponent by the ankles, so that his back is to the mat Annies room (darts) a score of double one [from the World War I phrase up in Annies room as a dismissive reply to a query regarding the whereabouts of a person or thing, the number 1 being at the top of the dartboard] AN Other ( general ) a name inserted in a list of team members to represent a player yet to be announced [another spelled as if a personal name] ante-post (horse racing) a bet placed before the day of the race [before (ante) the runners have their numbers posted] apex (auto racing) the center point of a corner apparatus ( g ymnastics) the equipment, or piece of equipment, on which a gymnast performs appeal (cricket) a request from a elder to the umpire to establish whether the batsman is out or not appearance money ( general ) a fee paid to a famous player or performer to ensure his presence at a sporting event and so draw paying spectators appel ( fencing) (1) a stamp of the front foot in a 8 feint; (2) a sharp blow with the ộpộe, also as a feint [French appel, challenge] apprentice (horse racing) shortening of apprentice jockey apprentice jockey (horse racing) a junior jockey in at racing, entitled to ride but receiving tuition while working for a trainer approach ( golf ) shortening of approach shot approach shot ( golf ) a stroke by which a player puts, or attempts to put, a ball onto the green; (tennis) a long hit that enables a player to move up to the net approach work (association football ) a play that leads in the direction of the goal apron (auto racing) in Indy car and NASCAR racing, the paved portion of the racetrack that separates the racing surface from the ineld; (boxing) the part of a ring that extends beyond the ropes; ( golf ) the part of the fairway immediately in front of the green aquabatics (aquatics) a display of spectacular feats in or on the water [blend of Latin aqua, water, and acrobatics] aquaboard (general ) a board for riding on the surface of the water, as in surng aquabobbing (water skiing) a form of the sport using a vehicle like a tricycle but with skis instead of wheels [the vehicle bobs or bounces on the water] aquacade ( general ) a display of swimming or diving, usually accompanied by music [blend of Latin aqua, water, and cavalcade] aquadrome ( general ) a leisure facility for aquatic pursuits [blend of Latin aqua, water, and hippodrome] aquat (aquatics) a type of aerobics performed in water aqualung (aquatics) a self-contained diving apparatus with a supply of compressed air, the latter carried on the back aquanaut (aquatics) another term for a skindiver [blend of Latin aqua, water, and astronaut] aquaplane (water skiing) another term for a wakeboard aquarobics (aquatics) a system of exercises similar to aerobics, carried out to music in chest-high water [blend of Latin aqua, water, and aerobics] aquatic art (swimming) a rare alternate name for synchronized swimming aquatics (sport) sports practiced on or in the water, such as surng, swimming, and water polo Arabs (association football ) nickname for supporters of the Scottish club Dundee United [said to derive from the sand spread on the pitch in the winter of 1963 to make it playable for the cup tie against Albion Rovers] Arc (horse racing) short name of the Prix de lArc de Triomphe www.Atibook.ir 9 arch (athletics) the curve of the body of an athlete clearing the bar in the high jump archer (archery) a person who engages in archery archers bow (association football ) the posture of a player making a dive, differing from a genuine fall in that the perpetrator holds up both arms with open palms, thrusts out his chest, and bends his legs at the knee, suggesting the curve of a bow held by an archer archery (sport) the art of using bows to shoot arrows at a target archery darts (archery) a variety of the sport in which the target has the same arrangement as the numbers on a dartboard area (association football ) shortening of penalty area arena ( general ) the area enclosed by seating in which public sporting contests take place [Latin arena, sand, from the part of an ancient amphitheater that was strewn with sand for combats] Argentinian Grand Prix (auto racing) the Formula One international Grand Prix held on the circuit at Buenos Aires, Argentina Argonauts (Canadian football ) short name of the Toronto Argonauts team Argyle (association football ) short name of the English club Plymouth Argyle arm ( general ) the ability to throw arm ball (cricket) a delivery by a spin bowler that travels in the direction of the bowlers arm, instead of deviating from it, as is more usual arm throw (wrestling) a move in which the wrestler throws his opponent over his shoulder while holding him by the arm arm wrestling (wrestling) a form of the sport in which opponents sit facing each other at a table, rmly plant opposite elbows on the table, lock hands, and attempt to force each others arm back and down to the surface Armco (auto racing) proprietary name of the metal crash barriers on a racetrack formerly used to absorb the impact of cars and protect spectators [acronym of American Rolling Mill Company, the original manufacturers] armguard (cricket) a form of protection worn on the forearm by a batsman facing the bowler armhold (wrestling) a hold on an opponents arm armlock (wrestling) an armhold applied to an opponents elbow to gain a submission armstand (swimming) a handstand on the edge of a diving board held briey before the start of a dive around the horn (baseball ) (of ) a double play in which the ball is thrown from third base to second base to rst base, putting out runners at the latter two [from the image of a ship rounding Cape Horn, South America] arch assistant arrow (archery) the thin pointed missile shot from a bow to land on a target; (darts) colloquial term for a dart; (tenpin bowling) one of several lines marked on the lane to help guide the ball to the pins arrow-chucking (sport) colloquial term for darts arrowman (darts) colloquial term for a player of the game art of self-defense ( general ) a term originally applied to boxing but now to most of the martial arts Art Ross Trophy (ice hockey) the trophy awarded to the top point scorer at the end of the regular National Hockey League season [rst awarded in 1948 in honor of Art Ross, manager and coach of the Boston Bruins] articial y (angling) a y that imitates an insect, larva, or small sh artistic gymnastics (gymnastics) the principal form of the sport, performed on various pieces of apparatus, as distinct from rhythmic gymnastics artistic swimming (swimming) another term for synchronized swimming As (baseball ) nickname of the Oakland Athletics team ascender (mountaineering) a metal grip threaded on a rope as an aid in climbing ascham (archery) a tall cupboard for the storage of bows and arrows [named for Sir Roger Ascham (15151568), author of Toxophilus (1545), the rst English treatise on the sport] Ascot (horse racing) a at and National Hunt racecourse near Windsor, Berkshire, England, associated primarily with Royal Ascot Ascot Gold Cup (horse racing) the most prestigious race at Royal Ascot, rst run in 1807 Ashes (cricket) (1) a series of test matches between England and Australia; (2) the trophy awarded to the winner of the series [the trophy is in the form of a small urn, devised after the Australian victory of 1882 as a supposed receptacle of the ashes of English cricket but in reality said to contain the burned remains of a bail] ashitori (sumo) a move that brings ones opponent down by the leg [Japanese ashitori, leg-hold] Asian Games (Olympics) regional games held since 1951 for competitors from Asian countries assist (association football, ice hockey) a pass that leads to the scoring of a goal; (baseball ) a play that makes it possible for a batter or runner to be put out; (basketball ) a pass that allows a basket to be scored; (lacrosse) the last pass made before a goal is scored assistant referee (association football ) one of the two ofcials on either touchline who help the referee adjudicate the game by using a ag to indicate offsides, throw-ins, and corner kicks www.Atibook.ir