sport terms dictionary I class

I-formation(American football) an offensive formation in which two backsline up behind the
hop • I-formation 76
quarterback[the formation is I-shaped, perpendicular to the line of scrimmage]
ICC(cricket) abbreviation of International Cricket
Council
ice ax(mountaineering) an ax used by climbers to
cut footholds in ice or compacted snow
ice dance (ice skating) an alternate term for ice
dancing
ice dancing (ice skating) a form of ice skating
based on the movements of ballroom dancing
ice diving(aquatics) scubadiving below the surface of frozen water
ice hockey (sport) an evolution of field hockey,
played between teams of six on a rink, in which
players equipped with skatesand stickstry to
send a puckinto the goalof their opponents
ice rink(ice hockey, ice skating) a rinkwith a prepared layer of ice
ice skates(ice hockey, ice skating) skatesmounted
on bladesfor moving over ice
ice skating (sport) a sport in which competitors,
either singly or in pairs, execute figureson a rink
ice the puck(ice hockey) to shoot the puckfrom a
team’s own side of the red lineto beyond the
opposing team’s goal line, as a result of which
play is stopped and a face-offtakes place in the
offending team’s zone on the face-off spot nearest to where they last touched the puck
ice track(ice skating) a frozen track used in speed
skating
ice yacht(sailing) a lightly built boat with runners
and a sail, used in ice yachting
ice yachting(sailing) the sport of traveling over ice
in an ice yacht
icing (ice hockey) the action of a player who ices
the puck
Iditarod Race(sled dog racing) an annual dogsled
race run from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska
[named for the village on the historic trail followed by the race]
IM(swimming) abbreviation of individual medley
impost(horse racing) the weightcarried by a horse
in a handicap
Imps(association football) nickname of the English
clubLincoln City [from the “Lincoln Imp,” a
grotesque carving of a gnome-like figure in the
city’s cathedral]
in chancery(boxing, wrestling) (of ) a combatant’s
head held under his opponent’s arm
in front(general) ahead in scoring
in-goal (rugby league, rugby union) the area between the goal lineand the dead-ball line, in
which a trymay be scored
in hand(billiards) (of ) a ballthat has to be played
from the D; (croquet) (of ) a ballafter a roquet
has been made and until croquethas been taken
in-lap(auto racing) the lapmade before a pit stop
in-off(billiards, snooker) a stroke, also known as a
losing hazard, in which a player’s own ballgoes
into a pocketafter striking another ball
in the hole (baseball) (of ) a batter due to bat in
two places after the current batter
in the money (horse racing) among the winners,
whether as runnersor bettors
Ina Bauer (ice skating) a move similar to a spread
eaglebut executed with one knee bent and the
other leg stretched out behind [invented by the
German skater Ina Bauer (1941–)]
inbounds (general) the central, usually markedout area of a fieldor court
incomplete(American football) (of ) a passthat is
not caught by a receiver
Indian dribble(field hockey) a dribbletechnique
in which a player drives the ballrepeatedly from
right to left and left to right while moving over
the pitch [introduced by the national team of
India at the 1956 Olympics]
Indian wrestling(wrestling) (1) a form of the sport
in which opponents lie on their backs side by
side, head to toe, interlock one arm and leg, and
attempt to force each other’s leg down; (2) a
form of the sport in which opponents stand face
to face, interlock one arm, brace the outsides of
corresponding feet against each other, and attempt to unbalance each other; (3) another term
for arm wrestling
Indianapolis 500(auto racing) a raceof 500 miles
(200 laps) held annually since 1911at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana
Indians(baseball) short name of the Cleveland Indians team
indicator board (association football) the electronic
number board held up by the fourth officialto
indicate the amount of added timeto be played
or the identity of a substitute
indirect free kick(association football) a free kick,
awarded after a foul, from which a goalcannot
be scored unless the ballis touched by another
player first (as distinct from a direct free kick)
individual medley (swimming) a medleyraced between individual swimmers
individual pursuit(cycling) a track race ridden by
two ridershead-to-head
indoor bowls(bowls) a form of the gameplayed indoors on a carpetwith a single rink
indoor cricket(cricket) a form of the sport adapted
for play indoors
indoor football(association football) a form of the
gameplayed indoors, usually as five-a-side
indoor hockey (field hockey) a form of the game
adapted for play indoors, with up to seven players a side
indoor target archery (archery) a form of target
archerystaged indoors
77 ICC • indoor target
indoor volleyball (volleyball) the original indoor
form of the sport, as distinct from beach volleyball
Indy car(auto racing) the low-slung, fenderless
(open-wheel) racecarthat competes in the Indianapolis 500
Indy 500 (auto racing) colloquial name of the Indianapolis 500
infield(auto racing, horse racing) the area enclosed
by the racetrack; (baseball) the area enclosed
within the baselines; (cricket) the part of the
fieldnear the wicket
infielder (baseball) any player positioned around
the infield
infighting(boxing) engaging at very close quarters,
so that it is impossible to throw full-length
punches
injury time (association football) stoppage time
that is added on to the regulation 90 minutes of
a match to make up for time lost because of injuries
inline skates (roller skating) another term for
rollerblades
inner(archery, shooting) the part of the targetnext
to the bull
inning(baseball) a turn at battingfor each team
innings(cricket) a turn at battingfor a batsmanor
for a whole team
inquiry(horse racing) shortening of stewards’ inquiry
inrun (skiing) the portion of a ski jumpduring
which the skier travels down the ramp
inside center (rugby union) the centerwho plays
between the fly halfand the outside center
inside edge (cricket) a deflection of the ballfrom
the inner edge of the bat; (ice skating) the inner
of the two edges of the bladeof a skate
inside left (association football, field hockey) an attacking position on the left side toward the center of the field
inside right(association football, field hockey) an attacking position on the right side toward the
center of the field
inside-the-park home run(baseball) a home run
scored without the ballgoing beyond the field of
play
inside track (general) the inner trackof a racetrackor racecourse, which is shorter because of
a curve and therefore advantageous
inspection (horse racing) an examination of the
course by stewardsbefore a raceor meeting
when racingis in doubt because of bad weather
instant replay (general) another term for an action reply
insurance(general) a tactical or strategic form of
play that enables a team to build up an unbeatable or unmatchable lead
inswinger(association football) a ballkicked so as
to swing in toward the goalor the center of the
pitch; (cricket) a ballbowled so as to swerve
from offto leg
intentional grounding(American football) the offenseof deliberately throwing the ballto a place
where it cannot be caught in order to avoid being
sacked
Inter(association football) short name of the Italian clubInter Milan
Intercalated Games  (Olympics) the special
Olympic Gamesheld in Athens in 1906 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the birth of
the modern Games [they were intercalated, or
inserted in the calendar, between the quadrennial 1904 and 1908 Games]
interception(American football) a passthrown by
the quarterbackthat is caught by a member of
the defense
interchange (Australian Rules, rugby league) another term for a substitute
intercollegiate football (American football) another term for college football
intermediates(auto racing) tires used in changeable
weather, having more grooves and tread than
dry-weather tires but fewer than wets
international(general) (1) (of ) a contest between
teams of different countries; (2) a participant in
such a contest
International Cricket Council(cricket) the governing body of the world game, with headquarters at Lord’s, founded in 1909 as the Imperial
Cricket Conference and until 1993 administered
by the MCC
International Olympic Committee(Olympics) the
body that administers the modern Olympic
Games, set up in 1894 and comprising representatives of national Olympic associations from all
of the member countries
interstate(baseball) a batting averagebelow 100
[all U.S. interstate highways have two-digit
numbers]
interval running (athletics) another term for interval training
interval training(athletics) alternate fast and slow
running at timed intervals in a single session,
carried out as training for marathonsand other
long-distance races
intervarsity (general) (of ) a gameor matchbetween universities, especially Oxford and Cambridge
inverted cross(g ymnastics) a holding move on the
ringsin a handstandposition, with the arms
stretched out perpendicular to the body
invitational(general) a matchor contest open only
to those invited
inward(swimming) a divein which the diverstarts
indoor volleyball • inward 78
with his back to the water and continues with a
rotation toward the board
inwick (curling) a wickin which the stoneslides
close to the tee
IOC (Olympics) abbreviation of International
Olympic Committee
ippon (judo, karate) a winning score of one full
point, awarded for a perfectly executed throwor
hold[Japanese ip(from ichi), “one,” and pon, a
numerical counter for something long, as a staff
or sword]
Irish(rugby union) short name of the English club
London Irish
Irish Derby(horse racing) an annual racerun at
the Curraghsince 1866 [named for the English
Derby]
Irish Grand National (horse racing) an annual race
run at Fairyhousesince 1870 [named for the
English Grand National]
Irish whip(wrestling) a one-handed throwin which
the arm is whipped back and forth forcing the
opponent to execute an aerial somersault
iron(golf) a clubwith a thin metal head, used for
shorter shotsthan a wood
Iron(association football) nickname of the English
clubScunthorpe United [from the town’s iron
and steel industry]
iron man (athletics) a powerful athlete
Ironman(general) a test of endurance in the form
of a triathlonat a surfcarnival, held in Hawaii
since 1978 and comprising a swim in the sea of 2.4
miles (3.9km), a cycle raceof 112 miles (180km)
around the island of Oahu, and a marathon
ironmongery(mountaineering) colloquial term for
all the metal tools and equipment used for climbing, such as ice axes, crampons, and pitons
irons(horse racing) colloquial term for stirrups
Irons(association football) occasional nickname of
the English clubWest Ham United [of the same
origin as the better-known nickname Hammers]
Ironwoman(general) the semi-official title of a female winner of an Ironman
Iroquois Cup (lacrosse) the cupawarded since 1890
to the winners of the annual English club championship[named for the Iroquois people of
Canada from whom the gamewas adopted]
Isis(rowing) the reserve eightof Oxford University,
who race their Cambridge counterpart, Goldie,
immediately before the Boat Race[name of the
Thames River at Oxford]
Island Games(general) a biennial festival of sporting contests similar to the regional gamesof the
Olympicsheld since 1985 for competitors from
an island community, the venuevarying but always on an island
Islanders(ice hockey) short name of the New York
Islanders team
Isthmian Games(general) a festival of sporting
contests similar to the Olympic Gamesheld in
ancient Greece on the Isthmus of Corinth
Italian Grand Prix(auto racing) the Formula One
international Grand Prixheld on the circuit at
Monza, Italy
Ivy League(American football) a conferenceof
colleges and universities in the northeastern
United States whose teams largely founded and
developed college footballin the late 19th century [from the nickname of the colleges themselves]

sport terms dictionary H class

hack(curling) footholds of metal or rubber at each
end of the rinkfrom which players can push off;
(general) to kick the shins of another player (illegally); (rugby union) shortening of fly hack
hacker(golf, tennis) colloquial term for a poor
player [who hacks at the ball]
hacking(sport) the riding of a horse in the countryside for recreation
hackle(angling) an artificial flymade of a cock’s
hackle or neck feather
Hacky Sack(sport) proprietary name of a gameof
U.S. origin in which players attempt to kick a
footbag without letting it touch the ground
[from hack, “kick,” and sack]
hail(shinty)(1) a goal; (2) a score[apparently from
hail!, the shout with which the player scored a
goal]
hail Mary (American football) colloquial term for
a high passthrown into the end zoneat the very
end of a game [a desperate move for which a
prayer is needed]
hailkeeper(shinty) a goalkeeper
hairdryer treatment(association football) a berating by a manager of his team for their poor play
[his scolding hits them like a blast of hot air]
hairpin(auto racing) a sharp double bend on the
track[shaped like a hairgrip or bobby pin]; (skiing) two successive vertical gateson a slalom
course
hairy Mary(angling) a kind of artificial fly[from
its appearance]
hajime(judo) the command with which the referee starts a bout[Japanese hajime, “beginning”]
haka(rugby union) the Maori war dance performed
by the All Blacksbefore the start of a match
[Maori haka, “dance”]
half(American football) shortening of half time;
(general) (1) one of the two periods of equal
length into which a gameis divided; (2) one of
the two parts of the field of play either side of
the half way line; (3) shortening of center half,
left half, right half, or half back
half ball(snooker) a strokethat sends the cue ball
against the edge of the object ball
half bisque(croquet) a restricted bisquein which
no point can be scored
half blue(general) a person who is second choice
for a blueor who is chosen to play in a minor
sport such as badmintonor lacrosse
half butt(snooker) a cuelonger than the standard
cue, usually used with a rest
half century(cricket) a scoreof 50 runs; (snooker)
a breakof 50 points
69 guernsey • half century
half cock(cricket) a strokemade by a batsman
that plays the ballneither forward nor back
half-court line(squash) a line on the floor of the
courtthat divides the back of the court into two
half-forward flank(Australian Rules) an attacking
player who plays on the flanknear the 50-meter
arc
half gainer(swimming) a divein which a backflip
is followed by a head-first plunge into the water
facing the board
half-in, half-out(g ymnastics) a move comprising a double salto with a half twiston each
salto
half marathon(athletics) a foot racejust over half
the length of a marathon(13 miles 352 yards,
21.243km)
half mile(athletics) the former equivalent of the
800 meters
half miler(athletics) a runnerspecializing in the
former half mileor present 800 meters
half nelson (wrestling) a nelsonapplied on one side
only, with one of the combatant’s arms under
one of his opponent’s arms
half-one(golf) a handicapof one strokeevery
second hole
half pass(equestrianism) in dressage, a sideways
and forward movement in which the horse
crosses its legs
half-pipe(skateboarding) a U-shaped structure
made of concrete from which boarderslaunch
the boardto perform aerial maneuvers; (snowboarding) a U-shaped channel cut into the snow
from which boarderslaunch the boardto perform aerial maneuvers
half pirouette(equestrianism) a half-circle turn by
the horse with its inside hind foot as a pivot
half roll(croquet) a croquetin which the opposing ball, when struck, travels two or three times
as far as the striker’s ball
half shot(golf) a shotplayed with about half the
usual swing
half strike(tenpin bowling) alternate term for a
spare
half time(general) the interval between the first
halfof a gameand the second
half twist(g ymnastics) a half-rotation of the body
around the spine
half volley(association football) a kick in which
the player’s boot makes contact with the ballas
it begins to bounce up off the ground; (cricket)
a strokeby the batsmanof a ballas it starts to
rise after pitching; (tennis) a shotof the ballimmediately after it bounces
half back(American football) a running backpositioned between the quarterbackand fullback;
(rugby league) either of the players scrum half
and standoff half; (rugby union) either of the
players scrum halfand fly half, providing a link
between the forwardsand the three quarters
half back flank(Australian Rules) a running defenderwho plays on the flank
half way line(association football, rugby league,
rugby union) the line that separates the two equal
halvesof the pitch
halieutics(angling) a formal term for the art of
fishing, especially as the title of a treatise [Greek
halieutes, “fisher,” from hals, “sea”]
Hall of Fame(general) an institution that honors
outstanding figures in the history of a particular
sport, as the BaseballHall of Fame, Cooperstown, New York, the Golf Hall of Fame, St.
Augustine, Florida, and the Pro FootballHall of
Fame, Canton, Ohio
halt!(fencing) a command to stop fencing
halve(golf) to play a holeor matchin the same
number of strokesas one’s opponent
halyard(sailing) a rope used for raising or lowering a sail
ham(boxing) an incompetent boxer
Hambletonian (horse racing) an annual harness
racefor trotters, first held in 1926 at Syracuse,
New York, but now at the Meadowlands racetrack, New Jersey [named for Hambletonian
(foaled 1849), the ancestor of most harness racers]
Hamilton Park (horse racing) a flat racecourseat
Hamilton, central Scotland
hammer(athletics) (1) a heavy metal ballattached
to a long flexible wire which is thrown by being
swung around the thrower’s head and then released; (2) the field eventin which it is thrown
hammerlock(wrestling) a holdin which the opponent’s arm is twisted up behind his back
Hammers(association football) nickname of the
English clubWest Ham United [not directly
from the placename but from the shipbuilding
department of the Thames Ironworks, London,
where workers formed the club in 1895]
Hampden Park(association football) the home
groundin Glasgow, Scotland, of both the Scottish club Queens Park and the national team
Hampden roar(association football) traditional
term describing the vociferous support for the
home or national team at matchesat Hampden
Park
hand(general) a roundor innings
hand line(angling) a fishing linewithout a rod
handbags(association football, rugby union) colloquial term used by radio and TV commentators
for a confrontation between players [from the
concept of a woman’s handbag used to belabor
a rival or opponent]
handball(association football) the offenseof touching or striking the ballwith one’s hand; (Aushalf cock • handball 70
tralian Rules) the act of passing the ballby holding it in one hand and striking it with the fist of
the other; (sport) (1) a gamewith seven players
a side played on an indoor courtbetween goals
in which the ball is struck with the palm of the
hand; (2) a game similar to fivesin which a ball
is struck with the gloved hand against a wall
handcycle(cycling) a hand-cranked tricycle used
in races by disabled riders
handhold(mountaineering) a projection or other
feature that one can grasp while climbing
handicap(general) a raceor competition in which
an inferior competitor’s chances are improved by
some means, as being given a head start; (golf)
the number of strokesby which a player’s average scoreexceeds parfor the course, this number being subtracted from the player’s score in
strokeplaycompetitions; (horse racing) a race in
which each horse carries a weightdetermined by
its handicap markin order to equalize its chances
against other runners; (polo) a value assigned to
each player based on previous performances [apparently from hand i’ cap (“hand in the cap”),
from a game of chance in which a hand drawn
out of a cap holds either something or nothing]
handicap mark(horse racing) the assessment of a
horse’s form, expressed as a figure between 0 and
140 and used as the basis for calculating the
weightit carries in a handicap
handicap race(horse racing) a racerun as a handicap
handicapper(horse racing) (1) an official who assigns
a handicapto a horse; (2) a horse running in a
handicap race
handin(badminton, real tennis, squash) the player
whose side has the service
handle(association football) to commit the offense
of handball; (horse racing) the total takings from
betsplaced on a race
handled the ball(cricket) the offensecommitted
by a batsmanwho deliberately touches the ball
with a hand not holding the bat, as a result of
which he is out
handler(boxing) a person who trains and acts as a
secondto a boxer; (horse racing) another term for
a trainer
handling game(rugby union) play in which the
ballis primarily advanced by being handled, as
against a kicking game
handoff(American football) the passing of the ball
from the quarterbackto a running back; (rugby
league, rugby union) a {legal) move in which a
player with the ballpushes away an opponent
handout(badminton, real tennis, squash) (1) the
player whose side is receiving the service; (2) the
situation when the first player on the serving side
loses his service
handover(athletics) the passing of the batonfrom
one runner to another in a relay race; (rugby
league) the change in possessionafter the sixth
tackle
handpass(Australian Rules) another term for a
handball
handplant(snowboarding) a move in which a
boarderplants one or both hands on the rim of
the halfpipeto pivot into a turn
hands(association football) alternate term for
handball
hands and heels(horse racing) riding without the
use of a whip [using the hands and heels only to
direct and encourage the horse]
handsling(cycling) a method used to change places
in the madison, by which teammates grip hands,
then release the grip, so that one ridercan propel the other forward
handspring(g ymnastics) a movement in which the
gymnastmoves forward or backward onto his
hands from a standing position, then completes
a somersault, landing on his feet.
handstand(g ymnastics) a move in which the gymnast supports his body vertically on his hands
in an upside-down position
handy(horse racing) in a prominent position in a
race
hang(horse racing) to veer to one side while running
hang a left(skiing) to turn to the left
hang a right(skiing) to turn to the right
hang five(surfing) to have the five toes of one foot
projecting over the nose of the board, usually to
gain speed
hang-glider(hang-gliding) the light engineless aircraft used in hang-gliding
hang-gliding(sport) a sport in which the participant glides from a height such as a clifftop hanging in a harness from a hang-glider, which he
controls by shifting his body weight in opposition to the control frame
hang ten(surfing) to have the ten toes of both feet
projecting over the nose of the board, usually to
gain speed
hang up one’s boots(association football) to retire
from the sport
hang up one’s gloves(boxing) to retire from the
sport
hanging lie(golf) the position of the ballwhen it
is resting on a slope
hangtime(American football) the time that a
kicked ballremains in the air; (basketball) the
time a player is able to remain in the air when
shooting or jumping for the ball
Har-Tru(tennis) proprietary name of an artificial
surface for tennis courts, made from crushed
greenstone [combination of hardand true]
71 handcycle • Har-Tru
harbor race(sailing) a racearound a course marked
out by buoys, often in several laps
hard(horse racing) a category of going
hard court(tennis) a courtlaid with clay, cement,
or the like, as distinct from a grass court
hardball(sport) another term for baseball[as
against softball]
hare(athletics) another term for a pacemaker[he
sets the pace, like the artificial hare or lure in
greyhound racing]
hare and hounds (general) a race in which a
runnerwith a head start (the hare) leaves a trail
for the others (the hounds) to follow; (motorcycle racing) a form of endurowith no checkpoints
harl(angling) a type of artificial fly[made from a
harl, the barb of a feather]
Harmsworth Cup(powerboat racing) the cup
awarded to the winner of an international race
for boats under 40ft (12m) in length [presented
in 1903 by Sir Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922),
later Lord Northcliffe]
harness race(horse racing) a race between trotters
or pacersharnessed to sulkies
harness racing(horse racing) the staging of harness racesas a sporting contest
harriers(athletics) in cross-country running, a
group or club of participants in the sport [with
Harriers often part of their name]
Harriers(association football) short name of the
English clubKidderminster Harriers
Harrow drive(cricket) another term for a Chinese
cut[presumably from Harrow School]
Harry Sunderland Trophy(rugby league) the trophyawarded since 1965 to the man of the match
in the Super League Grand Final[named in
commemoration of Australian tour manager
Harry Sunderland (1890–1964)]
Harry Wraggs (association football) nickname of
the Scottish clubPartick Thistle [rhyming slang
for the more common nickname Jags, from the
English jockeyHarry Wragg (1902–1985)]
Hart Memorial Trophy(ice hockey) the trophy
awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player
[named for Cecil Hart, manager of the Montreal Canadiens 1926–39]
hash marks(American football) the marks at intervals of one yard that run the length of the field,
the two sets of such marks on the gridiron
marking the furthest distance from the center of
the field at which the ballcan be placed to restart
play [so called from their resemblance to hash
marks, “military service stripes”]
hat trick(association football) the scoring of three
goalsby the same player in a single match;
(cricket) the feat of taking three wicketswith
consecutive balls; (general) three successes of
any kind in any sport [so called as deserving the
award of a new hat]
Hatters(association football) nicknames of the English clubsLuton Town and Stockport County
[from the hat-manufacturing industry in each
town]
haul(cricket) a good number of wicketstaken by
a bowlerin a match [as if loot in a robbery]
haute école(equestrianism) a group term for the
more difficult feats of horsemanship[French
haute école, “high school”]
have the mount(horse racing) to ride a particular
horse in a race
Hawk-Eye(general) proprietary name of a computer program that uses high-speed video cameras around a tennis courtor cricket ground
to create a 3D image of the ballas it moves and
calculate the path it would have taken [invented
by Paul Hawkins as an aid to radio and TV commentators]
Hawks(Australian Rules) short name of the
Hawthorn Hawks team; (basketball) short name
of the Atlanta Hawks team; (rugby league) short
name of the English clubHunslet Hawks
Haydock Park(horse racing) a flatand National
Hunt racecoursenear Ashton-in-Makerfield,
northwestern England
haymaker(boxing) colloquial term for a wild
swinging punch; (cricket) colloquial term for a
sweeping strokewith the bat [suggestive of a
sweeping scythe in haymaking]
hazard(billiards, snooker) a strokein which one
of the ballsgoes into a pocketas either a winning hazardora lozing hazard; (fives) a feature
of a courtthat affects the behavior of a ball
played on to it, as the pepperboxin Eton fives;
(golf) an obstacle in the form of a bunkeror
water hazard; (real tennis) any of the openings
or galleriesaround the courtthat are not winning openings
hazard side (real tennis) the half of the courtinto
which the ballis served
head(bowls) the grouping of bowlsaround the
jack; (greyhound racing) the length of a greyhound’s head, used to describe the distance between two dogs at the finish; (horse racing) the
length of a horse’s head, used to describe the distance between two runnersat the finish
Head of the River(rowing) the title given the crew
finishing first in the bumping racesat Oxford
and Cambridge
Head of the River Race(rowing) an annualracefor
eightsover the reverse Boat Racecourse, first
held in 1926
head pin(tenpin bowling) the frontmost pinin the
triangular arrangement
head start(general) an advantage given to a conharbor • head start 72
testant at the startof a race[in horse racing
that of a horse in front of others by the length of
a head]
head string(pool) a line a quarter the length of the
tablefrom the top, behind which a player must
make any break
header(association football) a passor shotat goal
made by directing the ballwith the head
headhunter(baseball) colloquial term for a pitcher
who throws bean balls; (ice hockey) a player who
by physical means in this contact sport aims
with others to remove star oppositionplayers
from the game
Headingley(cricket) the home groundof Yorkshire county cricket club, Leeds
headless spin(ice skating) a spinlike the upright
spinbut with the head tilted away
headlock(wrestling) a hold in which a combatant
puts his arms around his opponent’s head and
tightens his grip by interlocking the fingers of
both hands
Headquarters(horse racing) another term for Newmarketas the center of English racing
headwork(association football) the directing of the
ballby means of headers; (cycling) smart tactical riding at the startof a sprint race
Hearts(association football) short name of the Scottish clubHeart of Midlothian
heat(general) (1) a single eliminating roundin a
race; (2) a division of a contest in which the winner goes on to a final test [so called because it is
intense or “burning”]
Heat(basketball) short name of the Miami Heat
team
heater(baseball) colloquial term for a fast ball
heavy(horse racing) a category of going
heavy artillery(golf) colloquial term for the driver
heavyweight(boxing) the professional weightcategory of maximum 91kg (201lb)
hecht(g ymnastics) a dismountfrom the horizontal baror asymmetric barsin which the gymnastreleases the bar at the height of a back
swing, sails forward with arms outstretched, and
lands upright on the feet [presumably introduced
by a gymnast named Hecht]
heel(golf) the lowest part of the clubhead; (rugby
league, rugby union) to send the ballout at the
back of the scrumwith the heel
Heineken Cup(rugby union) the cupawarded annually since 1996 to the winner of a competition
for major European clubsand provincial teams
[name of sponsor]
Heisman Trophy(American football) the trophy
awarded annually since 1935 to the outstanding
player in college football[named in honor of
U.S. collegiate football coach John Heisman
(1869–1936)]
helicopter(skiing) an upright aerial spinof 360
degrees
heliskiing(sport) an extreme sportin which a
skieris dropped by helicopter at the top of a
mountain, then skis down to the treeline
Hell of the North(cycling) nickname of the ParisRoubaix race[French l’enfer du nord, “hell of
the north,” from the devastated World War I
landscape through which the courseformerly
ran]
helmsman(sailing) the steersman
Henley(rowing) short name of Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta(rowing) Britain’s oldest regatta, with many prestigious trophies, held annually at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, since
1839
Hennessy(horse racing) short name of the Hennessy Gold Cup
Hennessy Gold Cup(horse racing) the cup
awarded to the winner of an annual raceat Newbury, first contested in 1957 [name of sponsor]
heptathlete(Olympics) a competitor in a heptathlon
heptathlon(Olympics) a women’s eventconsisting
of seven separate contests held on two consecutive days: 100-meter hurdles, shot put, high
jump, and 200 meterson day one, long jump,
javelin, and 800 meterson day two [Greek
hepta, “seven,” and athlon, “contest”]
Hereford(archery) a round of 72 arrowsat 80yds
(73m), 48 at 60 (55m), and 24 at 50 (46m);
(horse racing) a National Hunt racecoursenear
Hereford, Herefordshire, England
herringboning(skiing) a technique for climbing a
slope in cross-country skiingby which the tips
of the skisare angled outward [they make a
herringbone-like pattern in the snow]
hesitation dribble(basketball) a dribble in which
a player feints to stop before continuing to take
the ballforward [based on hesitation dance,
which has pauses at intervals]
Hexham(horse racing) a National Hunt racecourseat Hexham, Northumberland, England
Hibees(association football) nickname of the Scottish clubHibernian
Hibs(association football) short name of the Scottish clubHibernian
Hickstead(equestrianism) the location in West
Sussex, England, of many showjumpingevents
high bar(g ymnastics) (1) the higher of the two
asymmetric bars; (2) another term for the horizontal bar
high cheese(baseball) colloquial term for a fastball
thrown at the top of or above the strike zone
high dive(swimming) a divefrom a high diving
board
73 head string • high dive
high house(shooting) the higher trapin skeet
high hurdles(athletics) a racein which the hurdles
are 107cm (42in) high
high jump(athletics) a field eventconsisting of a
jumpover a high bar
high post(basketball) an offensive position on the
courtnear the foul circle
high-sticking(ice hockey) an offense in which a
player touches an opponent with the stickabove
shoulder level
high tackle(association football) a tacklein which
the player’s foot is dangerously high, resulting
in a foul
high-toss serve(table tennis) a servein which the
ballis tossed high in the air
highboard(swimming) (of ) a high diving board
Highland games(general) an annual contest held
in the Scottish Highlands with competitions in
sports (including tossing the caberand tug of
war), piping, and traditional dancing
hiking(sailing) a maneuver to keep the boat flat
in the water by which the helmsmanbalances
between the middle of the boat and the side or
sits on the edge of the boat, sometimes leaning
far out
hilt(fencing) the handle of the sword, including
the guard
Hindenburg(kitesurfing) an accident in which the
kite stalls and crashes into an onshore structure
[after the disastrous crash in 1937 of the German dirigible Hindenburg]
hip circle(g ymnastics) a move on the horizontal
baror asymmetric barsin which the gymnast
executes a circle with his hips touching the bar
hiplock(wrestling) a form of cross-buttock
hit(baseball) a strokethat sends the ballinto the
field of play, allowing the batterto reach first
basesafely; (fencing) an accurate contact of the
sword with the target; (general) a strokeor shot
that sends a ballor other missile (as an arrow
in archeryor a roundin shooting) to a target
or simply through the air; (rugby union) another
term for a tackle
hit and giggle(cricket) derisory name for one-day
cricket[pun on slap and tickle, a euphemism for
amorous frolicking, by comparison with a dedicated five-day test match]
hit-and-run(baseball) a maneuver in which the
baserunnerat first basebegins to run as soon as
the pitcherbegins to throw the ball, expecting
the batterto put the ball into play, thus giving
the baserunner more time to advance safely and
force the infieldersto move out of position
hit-in(polo) the hitting of the ballinto the field of
play
hit-out(field hockey) a passawarded to a defending team to restart play after the ballhas been
sent over the goal line(without a goalbeing
scored) by the attacking team
hit the ball twice(cricket) a (possibly inadvertent)
strokeby the batsmanin which he hits the ball
twice and so is out
hit the post(association football) to kick or head the
ballagainst one of the goalposts
hit the wall(athletics) to lose energy suddenly in
long-distancerunning, such as a marathon, so
that it is a physical and psychological struggle to
complete the course
hit wicket(cricket) a strokeby a batsmanin which
he hits the wicketwith his bator a part of his
body and dislodges the bails, so that he is out
hitch and kick(athletics) another term for a hitch
kick
hitch kick(athletics) a style of long jumpin which
the jumper makes two or more strides in the air
before landing feet together
Hitler’s Games (Olympics) a byname for the 1936
Olympic Games, held in Berlin, Germany,
where they were turned to advantage by Hitler as
a showcase to demonstrate his theory of the superiority of the Arian races
hitter(baseball) another term for the batter
hockey(sport) general name in British use for field
hockeyor in North American use for ice hockey
hockey ball(field hockey) the hard white ballwith
which the gameis played
hockey mom(ice hockey) colloquial term for a
mother who dedicates many hours to driving her
children to organized sports activities, especially
hockey games, and to supporting their participation in these, often with a greater degree of
commitment than a soccer mom
hockey stick(field hockey) the long wooden stick
with a curved end with which the ballis struck;
(ice hockey) the long (formerly wooden) stick
with an angled blade with which the puckis
struck
Hockeyroos(field hockey) nickname for the Australian national women’s team [blend of hockey
and Kangaroos]
hodad(surfing) colloquial term for a person who
hangs around surfing beaches but does not surf
[origin uncertain]
hog(curling) a stonethat fails to reach the hog
line
hog line(curling) a line drawn across each end of
the rink, 10m (33ft) from the hackand 6.4m
(21ft) from the tee, which a stonemust cross to
count
hog score(curling) another term for the hog line
hoist(ice hockey) an illegal trapping of an opponent by two players
hold(boxing) a grip of the opponent that prevents
him from throwing punches; (judo, wrestling) a
high house • hold 74
particular manner of gripping and immobilizing the opponent; (mountaineering) shortening
of handholdor foothold
hold-down(judo) a grip in which the opponent is
held down on the ground
hold serve(tennis) to win one’s own service game
hold service(tennis) alternate form of hold serve
hold the throw(darts) to win a legin which one
threw first
hold up(horse racing) the keep a horse toward the
rear of the fieldin a race
holding(American football) the act of illegally
grasping an opponent with the hands; (ice hockey)
the act of illegally grasping an opponent with the
hands or stick
hole(association football) colloquial term for the
space between the midfieldersand the attackerswhere the attacking midfielders play; (baseball) colloquial term for the area of the infield
between shortstopand third base; (golf) (1) the
cylindrical hollow 4
1
⁄4 inches in diameter in
the center of the greeninto which the ball
is played; (2) the distance, or the part of the
game, between the tee and the hole; (3) the
scorefor playing a ball into the hole in the fewest
strokes
hole in one(golf) a shotfrom the teethat sends
the ballstraight into the hole
hole out(cricket) to be caughtby a fielderand so
out; (golf) to play the ballinto the hole
home(association football) in football pools, a
matchwon by a team playing on their home
ground; (baseball) shortening of home plate;
(general) (1) an area where a player is free from
attack; (2) another term for the goal; (3) arrived
at the finishof a race; (golf) on the second nine
holesof the course; (lacrosse) one of the three
players first home, second home, and third
home
home advantage(general) the means used by the
hostsof a sporting contest to gain a tactical advantage over the visitors, as by giving athletes
advance access to venues, arranging competition schedules to suit domestic participants, and
block-booking seats near the finish lineto create a vociferous concentration of supporters
home base(baseball) another term for the home
plate
home brew(Canadian football) a player who is a
native of the city for which his team is named
home game(general) a gameplayed on a team’s
home ground
home ground(general) the groundwhere a team
is normally based
home gym(g ymnastics) an installation of gymnastic equipment in a person’s private home
home plate(baseball) the plateover which the
pitcheraims the balland to which the batter
must return to score a run
home run (baseball) a hitthat goes far enough to
enable the batterto make a complete circuit of
all four bases
home straight(horse racing) the final stretch of a
racecourse, leading to the finish
home stretch(horse racing) another term for the
home straight
home thrust(fencing) a thrustthat reaches the
point where it is aimed
homer(baseball) colloquial term for a home run
Honest Men (association football) nickname of the
Scottish clubAyr United [from Robert Burns’s
description of the town in “Tam o’ Shanter”:
“Auld Ayr, wham ne’er a town surpasses / For
honest men and bonnie lasses”]
honest player(ice hockey) colloquial term for a
player who is equally effective as attackerand
defender
honk(cycling) to pedal while standing up out of
the saddle, as a way to gain greater power or to
rest the legs while making an ascent [perhaps
from honk, “to sound a horn,” as of a driver seeking to power ahead]
honor(golf) the right to play first from the tee
hook(angling) the barbed piece of wire that is attached to the fishing line to carry the bait; (association football) a kick of the ballfrom the
angle of the ankle and boot; (boxing) a swinging
blow with the elbow bent; (cricket) a stroke
played with a horizontal or rising batthat sweeps
the ballto the leg sidebehind the wicket; (general) the curve of a ballin flight; (golf) a mishit
of the ballthat sends it through the air from
right to left (for a right-handed player) or the
converse; (rugby league, rugby union) to obtain
possessionof the ballin the scrumby using the
foot to kick it backward; (surfing) the top part of
a wave
hook shot(basketball) a shotmade by a player
side-on to the basketby curving up the arm farther away from it
hooker(rugby league, rugby union) the forward
who bindsbetween the two propsin a scrum
and who hooksthe ballback
hooking(ice hockey) the offenseof using a stick
as a hook to hinder an opponent
hoop(basketball) the hard circular part of the basketfrom which a net is suspended; (croquet) one
of the metal arches through which the ballmust
pass; (horse racing) one of the bands in contrasting colors on the silksof a jockey
hoops(sport) colloquial term for basketball
Hoops(association football) nickname of the English clubQueens Park Rangers [from the team’s
blue and white hooped shirts]
75 hold-down • Hoops
hop(athletics) the first stage of the triple jump
hop, skip, and jump(athletics) a former term for
the triple jump
hop, step, and jump (athletics) a former term for
the triple jump
horizontal bar(g ymnastics) a steel bar, suspended
on a frame above the ground, used in men’s competition for the rhythmic execution of various
swinging and turning movements
Hornets(association football) nickname of the English club Watford [from the team’s black shirts
with yellow and red trim]; (basketball) short
name of the Charlotte Hornets team; (rugby
league) short name of the English clubRochdale
Hornets
horse(g ymnastics) a leather-covered wooden block
used for vaulting(lengthwise by men, widthwise by women) [its use suggests the feat of
mounting a horse by leaping onto it]
Horse of the Year Show (equestrianism) an annual
competitive eventpresented by the British Show
Jumping Association, first held in 1949 and currently staged at the National Exhibition Centre,
Birmingham
horse race(horse racing) a racebetween horses with
(usually professional) riders, especially as a spectator sportintimately associated with money
and the placing of bets
horse racing(sport) the conducting of horse races
as a competitive sport
horse trials(equestrianism) a general term for a
three-day event
horsebox(horse racing) a road trailer or railcar designed to transport one or more horses
horseman(equestrianism) a person skilled in horsemanship
horsemanship(equestrianism) the art of riding,
training, and managing horses
horsewoman(equestrianism) a woman who rides
horses and is knowledgeable about them
hosel(golf) the socket for the shaftin the clubhead
hospital ball(association football) colloquial term
for a poorly executedpass, so placing the recipient (typically a defenderor the goalkeeper) in
a risky situation
hosts(general) the team who arrange and manage
a matchwith rivals on their home ground
hot corner(baseball) colloquial term for third
base, where the fielderhas little time to react to
ballshit in his direction
hot dog(surfing) (1) a surf boardof above-average
size; (2) a surferwho performs showy maneuvers
on such a board
hot-rod racing(auto racing) the racing of hot rods,
as cars specially modified to give added power
and speed
hotpot(horse racing) colloquial term for a horse
that has been heavily backed
hotshot(baseball) a player renowned for making
accurate shotsat the basket
house(curling) the targetfor the stones, as a set of
three concentric rings on the ice with the teein
the center
how’s that?(cricket) the appealof the fieldingside
to the umpireto declare that the batsmanis out
howzat? (cricket) an alternate spelling of how’s
that?[a representation of the spoken form]
huddle(American football) the gathering together
of a team behind their line of scrimmageto receive instructions before the next play
hull(sailing) the frame or body of a boat
Hull KR(rugby league) short name of the English
clubHull Kingston Rovers
hundred(cricket) a scoreof 100 runs
Hungarian Grand Prix(auto racing) the Formula
One international Grand Prixheld on the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest, Hungary
Huns(association football) a (derogatory) nickname
for the Scottish clubRangers
hunter(horse racing) a horse used for hunting
hunter chase(horse racing) a steeplechasefor amateur riderson hunters
Huntingdon(horse racing) a National Hunt racecourseat Brampton, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England
hurdle(athletics) one of the barriers which contestants jump in hurdling; (horse racing) (1) one
of the barriers (lighter and lower than a fence)
which horses jump in a steeplechase; (2) a race
with these
hurdler(athletics) an athletegood at hurdles;
(horse racing) a racehorsegood at hurdles
hurdles (athletics, horse racing) a raceover hurdles
hurley(hurling) the wooden broad-bladed stick
used both to hit and to carry the ball
hurling(sport) an Irish gamesimilar to field
hockeyplayed between teams of 15 using hurleys and a hide-covered cork ball [from hurl,
“fling violently”]
Hurlingham Club(polo) the organization responsible for governing polo, first played at this London sporting club in 1874
Hurricanes(ice hockey) short name of the Carolina
Hurricanes team
hurry-up offense(American football) an offensive
strategy in which the minimum time is taken to
huddleand line up between plays
hutch(cricket) colloquial term for the pavilion[as
the place where the players eat and drink, with
an implied pun on rabbit]
hybrid(golf) another term for a utility club

sport terms dictionary G class

Gable Endies(association football) nickname of
the Scottish clubMontrose [local people are so
nicknamed for the Flemish architecture of some
town houses with gable ends]
Gaelic football(sport) a gamesomewhat similar
to rugby unionplayed in Ireland by teams of
15 a side with a round ball that can be kicked,
bounced, or punched but not thrown or run
with, the aim being to score goalsand points
gaff(angling) a hookused to catch large fish; (sailing) a sparto which the head of a fore-and-aft
sailis fastened
gaffer(general) colloquial term for a manageror
coach
gag(angling) a device for keeping the jaws of a
newly caught fish open while the hookis extracted
gain(trampolining) a movement along the bedin
the opposite direction to that of the element
being performed
gain line(rugby league) an imaginary line on which
a play-the-ballor scrum has taken place, as a
defining point beyond which a player or team
may take the ball; (rugby union) an imaginary
line on which a set piece, ruck, or maulhas
taken place, as a defining point beyond which a
player or team may take the ball
gait(equestrianism) the rhythm and sequence of
leg movements in which a horse moves
galáctico(association football) a top-ranking signed
footballer[Spanish galáctico, “superstar,” a term
originally used for a player signed for Real
Madrid]
gallery(golf) the spectators at a tournament; (real
tennis) one of the eight openings in the side
penthousesof the court, shotsinto which count
as chases
gallery hit (cricket) a good shotappreciated and
applauded by the spectators
gallop(equestrianism) a horse’s fastest gait, at each
strideof which all four feet are off the ground;
(horse racing) a trackwhere horses are exercised
at a gallop
Galway(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecoursein Co. Galway, Ireland
game(general) (1) a competitive sport with established rules; (2) an episode or period of play, at
the end of which there is usually a resultor
score; (sport) a byname of association football
(as “the game”)
game ball(general) another term for a game point
game breaker(American football) a player who determines the outcome of a game
game fish(angling) any freshwater fish of the salmon
family except the grayling, as distinct from a
coarse fish
game of two halves(association football) a match
in which the second halfnoticeably differs from
the first half, for example in the style of play
game on!(darts) traditional call of the announcer
to signal the beginning of a game
game plan(American football) a winning strategy
worked out in advance
game point(general) a stage in a gameat which the
next pointwins
game, set, and match(tennis) a complete and decisive victory, achieved by a player who has won
a game, then a set, and finally the match
game shot(darts) the shotthat wins a leg of the
game
games(general) a session of competitive games
Games(Olympics) shortening of Olympic Games
[often preceded by the name of an Olympic city
to refer to a specific contest, as London Games,
Moscow Games]
gamesmanship(general) the art of defeating an opponent by purely psychological means [from the
title of a humorous book by Stephen Potter, The
Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship, or the Art of
Winning Games Without Actually Cheating(1947)]
fumble • gamesmanship 62
gap(baseball) another term for an alley
gaper(cricket) colloquial term for an easy catch
[anything that “gapes” offers easy access]
gapper(baseball) a ballhit into an alley
garbage(general) colloquial term for an easy shot
or scoring opportunity
gardening(cricket) colloquial term for the tamping down of a loose area of turf on the pitch, as
carried out by a batsmanwith his bat
garland(skiing) alternate left and right turns across
a slope
garryowen(rugby union) another term for an upand-under[popularized by the Garryowen club
in Limerick, Ireland]
gate(canoeing) an obstacle in the form of two freehanging poles on a slalomcourse, which participants must pass between without touching
them; (cricket) the gap between the padand bat
of a batsmanas he plays a ball; (equestrianism)
a high, narrow fence; (general) collective term for
the people who pay to see a gameor match [they
pay at the gate]; (horse racing, motorcycle racing,
skiing) shortening of starting gate; (rowing) the
U-shaped attachment at the outer end of the
outriggerthat holds the oarat the point where
it pivots; (skiing) the two flagged poles between
which a skier must pass in a slalomevent
gate money(general) payment collected from a
gate
gather(baseball, rugby football) to catch a ballas
it moves through the air; (cricket) to pick up a
rolling ball
Gatorade(athletics) proprietary name of a soft drink
containing ingredients that include glucose, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium
chloride, drunk by athletesinstead of water to replenish rapidly lost body fluids and salts [so
named as an “aid to the Gators,” nickname of the
University of Florida college footballteam]
Gaylord flip(g ymnastics) a routineon the horizontal barcomprising a front giantand a oneand-a-half front saltoover the bar followed by
a regrasp of the bar [introduced in 1978 by the
U.S. gymnastMitch Gaylord (1961–)]
gazunder(cricket) colloquial term for a low ball
[which goes under]
GB&I(golf) abbreviation of Great Britain and Ireland as a professionalor amateurteam in an
international contest
gee-gees(horse racing) colloquial term for the
horses in a raceas the object of a bet[from geegee, a child’s word for a horse]
gelding(horse racing) a castrated male horse
general classification(cycling) the positions of ridersin a racebased on overall time
general impression(equestrianism) an aspect of
dressagefor whichpointsare awarded
genoa(sailing) a large jibthat overlaps the mainsail
gentle(angling) a soft maggot used as bait
gentle art(sport) another term for angling
Gentlemen v. Players(cricket) an annual match
between a team of amateurs (“Gentlemen”) and
a team of professionals (“Players”), first staged
at Lord’sin 1906 but discontinued from 1962,
when amateur status was abolished
genuine(greyhound racing, horse racing) relied on
to perform well in a race
German Grand Prix(auto racing) the Formula
One international Grand Prixheld on the Nürburgring circuit near Bonn, Germany
Gers(association football) short name of the Scottish clubRangers
get(squash, tennis) colloquial term for a difficult
shotsuccessfully reached and returned
get down (golf) to manage to get the ballin the
hole
get the trip(horse racing) to stay the distanceof a
race
get up(horse racing) to win a raceby a close margin
ghillie(angling) another spelling of gillie
ghost goal(association football) (1) a goalgenerally
judged to be fair but disallowed by the referee;
(2) a goal judged to be fair by the referee but in
reality not valid
gi(martial arts) another spelling of gie
giant(g ymnastics) a move on the asymmetric bars,
rings, parallel bars, or horizontal barin which
the gymnast, from a handstand position, describes a 360-degree circle by swinging down past
the ground then right up into a handstand again
giant slalom (skiing, snowboarding) an eventsimilar to the slalom, but over a longer courseand
with greater intervals between the gates
giantkiller(general) an individual or team that defeats a far superior opponent
Giants(American football) short name of the New
York Giants team; (baseball) short name of the
San Francisco Giants team; (rugby league) short
name of the English clubHuddersfield Giants
gie(martial arts) a judoor karatecostume [Japanese ki, “clothing”]
Gienger(g ymnastics) a routineon the horizontal
barand asymmetric barscomprising a flyaway
with a half-twistfollowed by a regrasp of the
bar [introduced in 1978 by the German gymnastEberhard Gienger (1951–)]
gill net(angling) a type of fishing netin which
fish are caught by their gills
Gillette Cup(cricket) original name of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
gillie(angling) a hired guide and adviser to an angler, mainly in Scotland and Ireland, perform-63 gap • gillie
ing much the same role as a caddieto a golfer
[Gaelic gille, “lad”]
Gills(association football) nickname of the English
clubGillingham
gimme(golf) a short puttthat an opponent is excused from playing as it is virtually unmissable
[respelling of give me]
gimp(angling) a fishing linebound with wire
girls(rugby union) a nickname used by forwardsfor
backs
Giro d’Italia(cycling) an annual stage raceheld in
Italy since 1909 and modeled on the Tour de
France[Italian Giro d’Italia, “Tour of Italy”]
give a horse its head(horse racing) to let a horse go
freely
give a miss(billiards) to allow an opponent to score
by deliberately failing to hit the object ball
give a ten(rowing) to row flat out for ten strokes
give-and-go(association football) another term for
a one-two [the player passes the ball(“gives”)
then runs (“goes”)]
give way!(rowing) the spoken instruction to begin
rowing
glance(cricket) a strokeby the batsmanthat deviates the ballonly slightly from its line of flight
as delivered by the bowler
glass(basketball) colloquial term for the backboard
[it deflects the ballas a mirror reflects an image]
glass arm(baseball) colloquial term for a sore arm
resulting from tendons damaged by throwing or
pitching balls
Glaziers(association football) former nickname for
the English clubCrystal Palace, now known as
the Eagles[from the club’s original location at the
Crystal Palace, London, a huge glass conservatory
built for the 1851Great Exhibition]
Gleneagles(golf) a noted golf coursein the
grounds of a hotel near Perth, Scotland
Gli Azzurri(association football) nickname for the
Italian national team [Italian gli azzurri, “the
blues,” from the color of their strip]
glide(cricket) another term for a glance; (skiing) a
smooth downhill run
glide wax(skiing) a substance applied to skis in
order to decrease their friction against the snow
glider(gliding) the engineless aircraft used in gliding; (hang-gliding) shortening of hang-glider
gliding(sport) the competitive sport of flying in
gliders, which are towed to a high altitude by a
powered aircraft then released, leaving the pilot
to use thermalsto maintain altitude or soar even
higher
glissade(mountaineering) the act of sliding down
a slope in a standing or squatting position, often
using an ice axfor braking
Globetrotters(basketball) short name of the
Harlem Globetrotters team
Glorious Goodwood(horse racing) traditional epithet for the annual racesat Goodwood
glove(baseball) a player regarded in terms of his
ability, like a batin cricket; (cricket) to strike
the ball, as a batsman, with one’s glove rather
than the bat
gloveman(cricket) colloquial term for a wicketkeeper[who wears large gloves]
Glovers(association football) nickname for the English clubYeovil Town [from the local glovemaking industry]
gloves(boxing) shortening of boxing gloves; (general) the special gloves worn in various ball
games, as by the goalkeeperin association footballor the wicketkeeperin cricket
glovework(cricket) colloquial term for the skills of
the gloveman
go about(sailing) to change course
go close(horse racing) to finish in second or third
place [a term often used as a prediction of a
horse’s chances in a race]
go down(general) to be defeated in a contest;
(horse racing) to go from the paddockto the
startof a race
go in(cricket) to begin an innings
go-kart(auto racing) a low racing vehicle consisting basically of a frame with wheels, engine, and
steering gear but now often closer in design and
form to a light racecar
go on(cricket) to begin bowling
go one better (horse racing) to finish a racein a
higher position than previously, especially when
this was a place
go the distance(boxing) to complete the scheduled duration of a fight
go the route(baseball) to pitchfor the entire
game
go yard(baseball) to hit a home run
goal(general) (1) in association footballand many
other games, the pair of postswith a crossbar
into or over which the ballis kicked, hit, or carried to make a score; (2) a corresponding structure in other sports, as a basketin basketball
or a netin netball; (3) the score itself
goal area(general) the area in front of the goal
goal-area line(general) a line parallel to the goal
line
goal attack(netball) an attacking player restricted
to the shooting circle, attacking third, and center third
goal average(association football) a method, replaced in 1976 by the goal difference, of deciding the league position of two or more clubs
with the same total of points, in which the number of goalsscored by a club was divided by the
number scored against them
goal celebration(association football) an exuberant
Gills • goal celebration 64
or extravagant display of triumph by a player
who has just scored a goal
goal circle(field hockey, netball) another name for
the shooting circle
goal crease(lacrosse) the circle around the goal
which only defensive players may enter
goal defense(netball) a defensive player restricted
to the shooting circle, defending third, and
center third
goal difference(association football) a method, replacing the goal averagein 1976, of deciding
the league position of two or more clubswith
the same total of points, in which the number
of goalsscored against a club is deducted from
the number it has itself scored
goal hit(shinty) the method of bringing the ball
back into play after it has gone over the goal line
goal kick(association football) a free kickawarded
to the defending team in the six-yard areaof
the penalty boxwhen the opposing team puts
the ballbehind the goal line(but not between
the goalpoststo score a goal)
goal line (American football,  association football; field hockey, ice hockey) the line marking the
end of the pitch, on which the goalsstand;
(rugby league, rugby union) another term for the
try line
goal shooter(netball) an attacking player restricted
to the shooting circleand attacking third
goal square (Australian Rules) a square marked in
front of the goal
goalball(sport) a gamedesigned specifically for the
blind, played on an indoor courtwith a ball
containing a bell, the aim being to roll the ball
past the opposing team into their goal
goalhanger(association football) a player who
spends much of the gamelurking near the goal
of the opponents for an opportunity to score
goalie(association football) colloquial shortening
of goalkeeper
goalkeeper(general) the player who defends the
goalin a gamesuch as association football
goalless draw(general) a drawwith a scoreof
0–0, no goalshaving been scored by either team
goalminder(ice hockey) another term for the goaltender
goalmouth(association football) the area immediately in front of the goal
goalposts(general) the poststhat form the goal
goalscorer(general) a player who regularly or reliably scores goals
goaltender(ice hockey) a player whose role is to
stop the puckfrom entering the net
goaltending(basketball) the illegal touching of the
ballas it comes down toward the basket
gobble(golf) colloquial term for a puttplayed so
powerfully that if the ballhad not gone into the
hole it would have gone far beyond it [the hole
“gobbled” it up]
goer(horse racing) a horse that runs fast
gofer(baseball) a pitchthat can be hit for a run,
especially a home run[the battercan go forit]
goff(golf) an archaic spelling of golf, reflecting
the word’s old-fashioned pronunciation
going(horse racing) the condition of the ground
at a racecourse in terms of its moisture and
“give,” conventionally divided into heavy(very
wet and soft), yielding, soft, good-to-soft, good,
good-to-firm, firm, standard, and hard[parts of
the coursemay be placed in a subsidiary category, giving a formula such as “good (good-tofirm in places)”]
gold(Olympics) shortening of gold medal
Gold Cup (horse racing) shortening of Ascot Gold
Cup,Cheltenham Gold Cup, Hennessy Gold
Cup, or any similarly named trophy
gold glove (baseball) an annual award made to the
outstanding fielderin the league at each position
gold medal(Olympics) the medal awarded as first
prize[gold is a more valuable metal than silver
or bronze]
Golden Boot (association football) the name until
1991of the Golden Shoe
golden duck(cricket) a duckscored by a batsman
who is outfirst ball[from goldas the first
award]
golden girl(Olympics) journalistic epithet for a
female winner, or potential winner, of a gold
medal, especially if fair-haired and good-looking
Golden Globe Race(sailing) a quadrennial singlehanded round-the-world racefirst held in 1968
[name of the trophyawarded]
Golden Gloves(boxing) an amateurcompetition
originating in 1927 as a U.S. intercities tournament, the winner receiving a gold medal and a
pair of miniature golden gloves
golden goal(association football) the first goal
scored in extra time, as a method of settling a
draw[introduced in 1996 but abandoned in
2004, like the silver goal, in favor of the penalty
shoot-out]
Golden Shoe (association football) an annual award
made to the player scoring the most goalsin
league matchesfrom the top divisionof every
European national league [formerly known,
under different and less stringent rules, as the
Golden Boot]
golden sombrero(baseball) a notional award given
to a batterwho strikes outfour times in a game
[a feat cynically regarded as greater than a hat
trick]
Goldie (rowing) the reserve eightof Cambridge
University, who race their Oxford counterpart,
65 goal circle • Goldie
Isis, immediately before the Boat Race[named
for a Cambridge boatman]
golf(sport) a gameplayed with a club used to propel a ballinto each holeon a course[perhaps
from Dutch kolf, “club”]
golf bag(golf) a bag for carrying golf clubs
golf ball(golf) the small rubber-cored ballwith
which golfis played
golf cart(golf) a small motorized vehicle used to
drive around a golf course
golf club(golf) (1) a long-handled metal-faced
(formerly wooden-faced) club with which the
ballis struck; (2) an association of players with
its own golf courseand clubhouse
golf course(golf) the area of specially prepared
ground with fairways and hazardson which
golfis played
golf croquet(croquet) a shorter and faster form of
the gamein which each turn consists of a single
stroke
golf links(golf) another term for a golf course,
properly one on low ground by the sea [not from
link, “ring in a chain,” but an Old English word
meaning “bank”]
golf widow(golf) a woman whose husband spends
a good deal of time playing golf
golfer(golf) a player of golf
golfiana(golf) a collector’s term for items of
golfinginterest
golfing(golf) the sport of playing golf
good(golf, tennis) (of ) a shotmade accurately;
(horse racing) a category of going; (wrestling) (of )
a lift approved by the majority of the three
judges
good areas(cricket) colloquial term for those parts
of a pitch where a balldelivered by the bowler
makes it difficult for the batsmanto score easily
good ball(rugby union) a ball whose possessionhas
potential for scoring a tryor at least a good run
up the field
Goodwood (horse racing) a flat racecourseat Goodwood Park, near Chichester, West Sussex, England, the picturesque setting of Glorious
Goodwood
Goodwood Revival(auto racing) an annual race
of classic (period) cars held from 1998 on the
former Formula One racetrackat Goodwood
goof y footer(snowboarding) a boarderwho rides
with the right foot in front of the left, as distinct
from a regular footer; (surfing) a surferwho
rides with the right foot in front of the left, as distinct from a natural footer
googly(cricket) an off breakbowled with an apparent leg-breakaction by a right-arm bowler
to a right-handed batsman (or the converse)
[origin uncertain]
goon squad(ice hockey) a group of specially selected players whose role is to intimidate the opposition
Gooners(association football) another spelling of
Gunners
goose egg(general) a zero score[from the eggshaped figure 0 for zero]
goose step(rugby union) a hitch-kickaction performed by a player while running so that he
seems to be slowing down although is really
speeding up [from the military march step]
gopher(baseball) another spelling of gofer
gore(parachuting) the sector-like section of a
canopy
gorge(angling) a baitintended to be swallowed by
the fish
GP(auto racing) abbreviation of Grand Prix
Grace Road(cricket) the home groundof Leicestershire county cricket club, Leicester
grade cricket (cricket) a form of the game in Australia in which clubscompete in grades
graduation race(horse racing) a racedesigned to
develop inexperienced horses
Graham(mountaineering) a Scottish mountain
peak between 2,000 and 2,400 feet in height
with a reascent of 500 feet on all sides [named for
Fiona Torbet, née Graham, who published a list
of them in 1992]
grand amplitude(wrestling) a throwin which the
combatant’s center of gravity is lower than that
of his opponent
Grand Challenge Cup(rowing) the cupawarded
to the winner of a racefor eightsat Henley
Royal Regatta, inaugurated in 1839
Grand Final(rugby league) a system of play-offsintroduced to the Super Leaguein 1996 to replace
the earlier premiershipsystem
Grand National(horse racing) Britain’s most famous steeplechase, run annually at Aintree
since 1839
Grand Prix(auto racing) an international racefor
Formula One cars first held in France in 1906
and now staged on a number of circuitsaround
the world [name originally used for the Grand
Prix de Paris]; (general) a title for any major
contest or championship, as the MotoGP
Grand Prix de Paris(horse racing) an international
racefor three-year-oldsrun annually at Longchampsince 1863 [French Grand Prix de Paris,
“chief prize of Paris”]
grand prix freestyle (equestrianism) the final
roundof a grand prix dressagecompetition, in
which horse and riderperform a series of maneuvers to music
grand salami(baseball) colloquial alteration of
grand slam
grand slam(association football) the winning of
golf • grand slam 66
the domestic league, all domestic cups, and the
European Champions’ Cup; (baseball) a home
runhit when there is a baserunnerat each base;
(cycling) the winning of the Tour de France,
Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta d’Españain the same
season; (equestrianism) the winning of the Kentucky Three-Day Event and the equivalent
contests in England at Badmintonand Burghley; (golf) the winning of the four Majors;
(rugby union) the winning of all matchesin the
Six Nations; (tennis) the winning of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and
the U.S. Open[a term from card playing, as the
winning of every trick in a game, with slam of
unknown origin but popularly associated with
the sense “bang”]
Grande Boucle(cycling) (1) an annual stage racefor
female cyclistsequating to the Tour de France;
(2) a nickname for the Tour de France [French
Grande Boucle, “Great Loop”]
grandstand(general) an elevated structure for
spectators at a racecourseor other venue
grandstand finish(general) a close and exciting
finishto a raceor other contest
granny gear(cycling) colloquial term for a very low
gear
grapevine(ice skating) a figurein which the skates
trace interlacing lines on the ice; (wrestling) a
holdin all-in wrestlingin which a combatant
uses his legs to turn his opponent
grass(angling) to bring a fish to the bank; (cricket),
to drop a catch; (rugby league, rugby union) to
knock an opponent to the ground
grass court(tennis) a courtwith a grass surface, as
distinct from a hard court
grass hockey(sport) another name for field hockey
grass skis(skiing) skissimilar to roller skatesthat
are used for skiing down grassy slopes
grass-track racing(motorcycle racing) a form of
speedwayover grass tracks
grasshopper(angling) the live insect used as bait
Grasstex(tennis) proprietary name of an artificial
surface for tennis courtsconsisting of a composition base with a top layer of natural fibers
reinforced by emulsified asphalt [blend of grass
and texture]
gravel trap(auto racing) an area of gravel near a
corner, used to slow cars down if they run off
the track
gray race(horse racing) an annual raceat Newmarketfor gray horses only
great game(sport) an epithet for golf
Great North Run(athletics) an annual half
marathon run through Newcastle and Gateshead, northeastern England [name perhaps suggested by the Great North Road, a historic highway running north to this region from London]
Great South Run(athletics) an annual half marathonrun in and around Portsmouth, Hampshire, as the southern equivalent of the Great
North Run
Grecians(association football) nickname of the English clubExeter City [said to derive from a local
reenactment of the Trojan War, in which the
Greeks besieged the city of Troy]
Greco-Roman (wrestling) a type of wrestlingin
which only the upper body and arms, not the
legs, may be used for moves and holds[from the
supposed classical form of the sport]
green(bowls) the area of closely mown grass on
which the gameis played; (golf) the area of
closely mown grass around the holewhere puttingtakes place; (snooker) the green ball, worth
three points
green card(field hockey) a card shown by the refereeas a warning to a player after a relatively
minor infringement
green cloth(billiards, snooker) a term for the billiard table [shortening of board of green cloth,
for its baizecovering]
green flag(auto racing) a flagshown to a driver to
indicate that a hazard has been cleared and that
cars can return to normal racing speed
green horse(equestrianism, horse racing) a horse
that has not yet been trained, or that has only
just begun training
green jacket(golf) the jacket presented to the winner of the Mastersby the winner from the previous year
green jersey (cycling) (1) the jersey worn by the
winner of the points competitionin the Tour de
France[French maillot vert, “green jersey”]; (2)
the jersey awarded to the King of the Mountainsin the Giro d’Italia[Italian maglia verde,
“green jersey”]
green spot(snooker) the spot on the billiard table
where the green is positioned, in the left corner
of the Das viewed from the balkend
greenback(surfing) a wave before it breaks
greenie(surfing) another term for a greenback
greenkeeper(bowls) the person who has the care of
the green; (golf) the person who has the care of
the course
greensome(golf) a type of fourballplay in which
all players drive, then each pair selects the ball
with which they aim to complete the hole [blend
of greenand foursome]
gremlin(surfing) (1) colloquial term for a young
surfer; (2) colloquial term for a troublemaker
who frequents the beach but is not a surfer
[probably alteration of goblin]
gremmy(surfing) colloquial shortening of gremlin
Grey Cup (Canadian football) the cupawarded
67 Grande • Grey
annually to the championteam of the Canadian
Football League [donated in 1909 by Earl Grey
(1851–1917), governor general of Canada]
Greyhound Derby(greyhound racing) the sport’s
top racein Britain, first held in 1927 [named
after the Derby]
greyhound racing(sport) a sport in which (usually) six greyhounds pursue a lurearound a circular or oval track, the first dog to finish being
the winner
grid(American football) shortening of gridiron;
(auto racing) a pattern of lines painted on the
racetrackto indicate the positions of the cars at
the start
gridder(American football) a player of the game
gridiron(American football) the fieldon which the
gameis played, with lines marked across every
five yards; (sport) a byname of American football
grille(real tennis) a square opening in a corner of the
end wall of the court, a shotinto which scores a
point
grind(skateboarding) a move in which one of the
trucksis scraped along the grind rail or other
surface
grind rail(skateboarding) a long narrow bar on
which stunts can be performed
grip(general) the manner in which a player holds
a cricket bat, golf club, tennis racket, or the
like
griptape(skateboarding) a tough adhesive tape used
on the boardto provide extra grip for the feet
gripwax (skiing) a substance applied to skisto increase friction and thus also traction
Grizzlies(basketball) short name of the Vancouver Grizzlies team
grommet(general) colloquial term for any sort of
young boarder[perhaps from grummet, “ship’s
boy,” influenced by gremlin]
groom(equestrianism) an assistant and adviser to
the driver in carriage driving
gross(horse racing) (of ) a horse that is naturally
large-girthed, as distinct from overweight
ground(cricket) the area behind the popping
creasewith which the batsmanmust be physically in contact to avoid being stumpedor run
out; (general) the area on which a gameis regular played
ground angling(angling) fishingwithout a float,
with a weight placed close to the hook
ground ball(baseball) a ballhit along the ground,
as distinct from a fly ball
ground fielding(cricket) catching or stopping a
ballnear the ground
ground line(equestrianism) in show jumping, the
line along the base of a fence, used to judge the
point of a horse’s takeoff
ground out(baseball) to hit a ground balland be
put outby not reaching first basebefore the
throwfrom a fielder
ground shot(tennis) another term for a ground
stroke
ground staff(cricket) a paid staff of promising
young players kept by a club; (general) a group
of people who look after a sports groundor
playing field
ground stroke(tennis) a strokeplayed after the
ballhas bounced, especially one made from the
baseline
ground under repair(golf) an area of the course
that is being repaired and therefore not valid for
play
groundbait(angling) baitdropped to the bottom
of a stream or river to attract fish there
grounder(baseball, cricket) a batted ballthat rolls
along the ground instead of flying through the air
groundhopper(association football) a supporter
who travels to different groundsto see as many
matches as possible
groundman(general) another spelling of groundsman
groundsman(general) a person who takes care of
a sports ground or playing field
group(horse racing) one of the categories of pattern
races, group 1including the English classicsand
other important international races; group 2 the
less important international races, and group 3
mainly domesticraces; (shooting) a cluster of
hitson a target
group race(horse racing) another term for a pattern
race
grovet(wrestling) a holdin which a combatant
grips his opponent’s head between his chest and
forearm, forcing his rival’s shoulders to the mat
with his other arm [origin uncertain]
grub(cricket) a ball that runs flat along the ground
after leaving the hand of the bowler
grub kick(rugby league, rugby union) a ball dropped
from the hand and kicked along the ground
grubber(cricket) another term for a grub; (rugby
league, rugby union) shortening of grub kick
grudgeby(rugby union) colloquial term for the
keenly contested annual varsity matchbetween
Oxford and Cambridge universities, first held in
1872 [blend of grudge match, “contest aiming to
settle longstanding rivalry,” and rugby]
grummet(general) another spelling of grommet
gruppetto(cycling) another term for an autobus
[Italiangruppetto, “little group”]
guard(American football) a lineman positioned
immediately to the left or right of the center;
(basketball) a player who mainly operates away
from the basket, unlike a forward; (bowls) a delivery of the bowlthat blocks an opponent’s
Greyhound • guard 68
path to the jack or to another bowl; (boxing) a
defensive stance, with the gloves raised to protect the face; (cricket) the position of the bat
taken by the batsmanin front of the wicket
when he is ready to receive a ball; (curling) a
stoneplayed into a position where it can protect
another stone from being hit; (fencing) the metal
cup at the end of the hiltthat protects the hand
from being hit
guernsey(Australian Rules) a type of sleeveless shirt
worn by team players
guide runner(athletics) a person who accompanies a visually impaired track athlete
Guineas(horse racing) shortening of One Thousand Guineasor Two Thousand Guineas
gulley(octopush) the long tray that serves as a goal
Gulls(association football) nickname of the English clubTorquay United [from the seagulls
that frequent the coastal town]
gully(cricket) a fieldingposition on the off side,
between pointand slips [from gullyin its basic
sense “channel,” referring to the gap between the
named positions]
gumshield(boxing) another term for a mouthpiece
gun(surfing) a large heavy surf boardused for riding big waves
Gunners(association football) nickname of the English clubArsenal [from the workers at the Royal
Arsenal, London, who founded the club in 1886]
gunwale(rowing) the top section on the sides of a
shell, to which the outriggersare fixed
gutters(tenpin bowling) the gulleys that run the
length of the laneand to either side of it
gut wrench(wrestling) a move in which a combatant rolls his opponent onto his back while in a
bridgeposition
gutty(golf) an old-fashioned type of golf ball
[made from gutta percha]
gybe(sailing) to swing a sailfrom one side of the
boat to the other in order to alter course
gybe mark(sailing) a mark showing where yachts
must gybein an ocean race
gym(g ymnastics) familiar shortening of gymnasiumor gymnastics
gym rat (general) a person who regularly attends a
gym
gymkhana(auto racing) an autocrosscontest;
(equestrianism) a contest between amateur or
young ridersin various equestrian sports [Hindi
gend khana, “ball house,” influenced by gym]
gymnasium(general) a place, hall, or building for
gymnasticsor indoor sports [originally, in ancient Greece, a public place where youths exercised, from Greek g ymnos, “naked”]
gymnast(general) a person who performs or practices gymnastics
gymnastics(sport) a range of moves or exercises
performed on the flooror on apparatus, either
competitively or to tone the body and improve
agility and coordination
gyoji(sumo) the referee[Japanese g yoji, “referee”]

sport terms dictionary F class

F (horse racing) abbreviation of furlong(or furlongs)
in racingreports
FA(association football) abbreviation of Football
Association
FA Cup(association football) the cupawarded to the
winners of the knockout competitionfor professional English clubs, inaugurated by the
Football Associationin 1871
face-off(ice hockey) the procedure for starting or
restarting play in which a linesman drops the
puckbetween two opposing players; (lacrosse)
the procedure for starting or restarting play in
the men’s gameby which the ballis placed between the crossesof the players as they squat
down, the aim being to capture it or fling it to a
player on the same side
fade (golf) a strokethat deliberately causes the
ball to move from left to right in the air (for a
right-handed player) or from right to left (for a
left-handed player)
fadeaway (basketball) a shottaken while leaning
or falling away from the basket
fail(athletics) to be unsuccessful in clearing the bar
at a given height in the high jumpor pole vault
fair ball(baseball) a ballhit between the baselines
into the field of play
fair catch(American football) an unopposed catch
by a member of the team receiving a puntor
kickoff
fair goal (American football) a scoreof three points
gained by kicking the ballthrough the goalposts
of the opposing team
fair play(general) the principle of playing or participating in a sport according to the rules
faire Fanny(pétanque) to lose a game13–0 [French
faire Fanny, “to do a Fanny,” from a legend that
a French barmaid named Fanny allowed members of the losing team to kiss her as a consolation prize]
fairway (golf) the closely mown area of turf between the teeand the green, as distinct from the
uncut roughor hazards
fairway wood (golf) a woodother than a driver,
used for shotsfrom the fairway
Fairyhouse(horse racing) a flat and National Hunt
racecoursein Co. Meath, Ireland, the location
of the Irish Grand National
fake(general) a misleading movement to trick an
opponent
Fakenham(horse racing) a National Hunt racecourseat Fakenham, Norfolk, England
fakie(skateboarding, snowboarding, water skiing) a
move in which the boarderrides backwards [origin uncertain]
Falcons(American football) short name of the Atlanta Falcons team; (rugby union) short name of
the English club Newcastle Falcons
fall(cricket) the loss of a wicket; (wrestling) (1) another term for a bout; (2) a throw that keeps an
opponent on the matfor a particular time
Fall Classic(baseball) colloquial term for the
World Series
fall guy (association football) jocular name for a
player executing a dive
fall line(skiing) the natural line of a route down a
slope; (surfing) the line of fastest descent to the
base of a wave [a term borrowed from geography,
where it denotes the zone of falls and rapids between an upland region and a plain]
faller(horse racing) a horse that falls at a fenceor
hurdleand fails to complete the race
falling leaf(association football) a long-range shot
that sends the ballinto a curving aerial trajectory
false start(general) a startto a racemade ahead of
the official signal and therefore invalid
fan(baseball) another term for strike out[the batterineffectually “fans” his batat a ball]
fancy (horse racing) to select a horse as the likely
winner of a race; (general) a dated term for enthusiasts of a particular sport, especially originally boxingor horse racing[the word fancier
is still current for a breeder of distinctive varieties,
as of cats or pigeons]
fanny dipper(surfing) a surfer’s nickname for an
ordinary swimmer[who merely “dips his fanny”
in the water]
fantasy cricket(cricket) a competition on the lines
of fantasy footballbut with cricketersinstead
of footballers
fantasy football (association football) a competition in which entrants select an ideal team of real
players from different clubsand score pointsaccording to the actual performance of those players for their respective clubs
Far Eastern Games(Olympics) regional games
held from 1913 to 1950 for competitors from
China, Japan, and the Philippines
far post(association football) the goalpostthat is
farthest from the ballat a given moment
extra innings • far 52
farm(cricket) to contrive, as a batsman, to receive
most of the bowling
farm team (baseball) a minor leagueteam that
provides players as needed to a major league
team
fartlek(athletics) a method of training for marathons and long-distance running in which
bursts of fast running alternate with slower spells
[Swedish fart, “speed,” and lek, “play”]
fast bowler(cricket) a bowlerwho usually bowls at
a fast pace
fast break(basketball) an attempt to score by moving the ballforward quickly after gaining possession
fast leg theory(cricket) another name for bodyline bowling
fast side(association football) the shortest distance,
as the goalkeepersees it, for the ballto travel
from a player toward or into the net
fast suit(swimming) another term for a bodysuit
fastball (baseball) a deliveryfrom the pitcher
thrown at maximum speed
Fastnet Cup(sailing) the cupawarded to the winner of a biennial racefrom Cowes, Isle of Wight,
to the Fastnet Rock, off the southwest coast of
Ireland, and back to Plymouth.
fat (golf) striking the ground before the ball, so
that it does not travel far
fault(billiards, snooker) a failure to hit the correct
ball, incurring a penalty point; (equestrianism)
in showjumping, an error in performance, such
as disobedience, that incurs a penalty point;
(tennis) a servethat fails to land the ballwithin
the service court
fault line(real tennis) the line parallel to the main
wallin the hazardend which, with the service
line at right angles to it, marks the area into
which the servermust send the ball
favorite(horse racing) the horse expected to win a
raceand which thus attracts the most bets
FC(association football) abbreviation of football
club, as in the names of such clubs
feather(angling) a crudely made artificial flyresembling a small fish; (boxing) shortening of
featherweight; (cricket) to strike the balllightly
with the edge of the bat; (rowing) to turn the
oarsparallel to the water when swinging them
forward in order to reduce wind resistance;
(snooker) (1) to run the cueback and forth across
the bridgebetween finger and thumb while
preparing a shot; (2) to touch the cue ballunintentionally while doing this
feather fishing(angling) a method of fishingfrom
a drifting boat with weighted tackleto which
feathers are attached
feathered paddle(canoeing) in kayaking, a paddlewith blades at right angles to each other
featherweight(boxing) the professional weightcategory of maximum 57kg (126lb); (horse racing)
the lightest weightthat may be carried by a horse
feature race(horse racing) a steeplechasethat prepares horses for a championship race
Fed Cup(tennis) the cupawarded to the winners
of an international women’s team championship
held from 1963 [inaugurated by the International
Lawn Tennis Federation]
Federation Cup(tennis) former name of the Fed
Cup
feed(general) in field games, to pass the ballto another player; (rugby league, rugby union) another
term for a put-in
feeding station (cycling) a point in a road race
where riderscan pick up food and drink
feet(field hockey) the infringement that occurs when
the ballcomes into contact with the player’s foot
feint(boxing) the faking of a punchwith the intention of disorientating one’s opponent; (fencing)
a deceptive movement made to trick one’s opponent into changing his tactics
fence (equestrianism, horse racing) a structure (of
varying design) for a horse to jump
fencer(horse racing) a horse trained to jump fences
fencing(sport) (1) the sport of attack and defense
with a sword; (2) this sport as an elementof the
modern pentathlonin the Olympics
Fenway Park(baseball) the home ground of the
Boston Red Sox team in Boston, Massachusetts
ferret(cricket) colloquial term for a poor batsman
[he is sent in after a rabbit]
fevvers (darts) a score of 33 [said to derive from
“Firty-free fahsand fevvers on a frush’s froat,” a
Cockney pronunciation of “Thirty-three thousand feathers on a thrush’s throat”]
Ffos Las(horse racing) a National Hunt racecoursein southwestern Wales
field(athletics) shortening of field events; (baseball, cricket) (1) the arrangement of the fielders;
(2) collective term for the fielders themselves;
(cycling) another term for a peloton; (general)
(1) an enclosed area of grass or other ground
marked out for playing a field game; (2) all the
competitors or participants in a contest or sport;
(3) all such competitors except a specified one;
(horse racing) collective term for the horses in a
race
field archery(archery) a form of the sport in which
competitors move along a path aiming at targets(sometimes designed to look like animals),
as distinct from target archery
field event(athletics) any eventother than a race,
such as the high jump, shot put, or discus
field game(general) a gameplayed on a fieldor
pitch. such as association football, field hockey,
or rugby union
53 farm • field game
field general(American football) another term for
a quarterback
field goal(American football) a score of three
points made by kicking the ballthrough the
goalposts, usually on the fourth down; (basketball) a goalscored from normal play, rather than
from a free throw; (rugby league) another term
for a drop goal
field hockey(sport) a field gameplayed between
teams of 11players each who use sticksto hit the
ball toward (and into) the goalof their opponents [as distinct from ice hockey]
field judge (American football) a member of the
officiating team, positioned downfieldof the
line of scrimmage
field player(field hockey) a player other than the
goalkeeper
field sports(general) outdoor pursuits traditionally
associated with the English aristocracy and involving animals, such as hunting, shooting, and
fishing[field in the sense “rural”]
fielder(baseball, cricket) a player who catches or
stops (and returns) the ball, as a member of the
side that is not batting; (horse racing) a person
who backs the fieldagainst the favorite
fielder’s choice(baseball) a playin which a fielder
allows a batterto reach first basebut a baserunnerahead is put out
fielding(baseball, cricket) playing in the field, as
distinct from batting
fieldsman(baseball, cricket) a dated alternate name
for a fielder
Fiesta Bowl(American football) the bowlin
Phoenix, Arizona, where a college football nationalchampionshipis contested
FIFA(association football) the world governing
body of association football, formed in 1904
[abbreviation of French Fédération Internationale
de Football Association, “International Federation
of Association Football”]
Fifers(association football) nickname of the Scottish clubEast Fife
fifteen(rugby union) a team of 15 players
fifteen-all(tennis) a level scoreof one pointeach
1,500 meters (athletics) a foot race of the stated
distance
fifteen-love(tennis) a scoreof one pointto nil to
the server
50-meter arc(Australian Rules) a semicircular line
around the goalat each end of the pitch
fight-off(fencing) a contest to decide a tie
fighting weight (boxing) the specified weightor
weight range within which a boxermust come
to be eligible to fight in a particular class
figure(ice skating) a movement or set of movements
that follow a prescribed pattern and that often
begin and end at the same point
figure eight(equestrianism) a dressageexercise in
which the horse traces two connected circles, one
clockwise, the other anticlockwise
figure floating(swimming) the forming of set patterns by swimmersfloating in the water
figure of eight(general) the tracing of the outline
of a figure “8,” as by a skater in ice skating
figure skater(ice skating) a skater who executes
figures
figure skating(ice skating) the execution of figures
Filberts(association football) nickname of the English clubLeicester City [from the team’s home
ground, Filbert Street, Leicester]
fill the bases(baseball) alternate term for load the
bases
filly(horse racing) a female horse under the age of
four
final(general) the deciding heator gamein a contest
final whistle(association foootball) the whistlethat
ends the game, usually at full time
find the back of the net(association football) to
score an accurate goal
find the net(association football) to score a goal
find the open man(basketball) to pass the ballto
a player who is unmarked and so in a better position to receive it than others
find water(golf) to hit the ballinto a water hazard, obliging the player to take a drop
fine leg(cricket) a fielding position on the leg side
boundary at a more acute angle to the batsman
than long leg
finesse(croquet) a strategic move in which a player
apparently wastes a turn in order to gain a future
advantage
finger tab (archery) a piece of leather worn on the
finger to prevent injury when releasing an arrow
finish(general) (1) the end of a sporting contest; (2)
the point where a raceends; (rowing) the final
stage of a stroke, when the bladeis brought out
of the water
finish line(athletics) alternate form of finishing
line
finish straight(auto racing) the straight section of
trackwhere the gridis and where racesend
finisher(cricket) a middle order batsmanwhose
tactical skills help his side score a winning innings
finishing line(general) the line marking the end of
a race
finishing post(horse racing) the post marking the
end of a race
Finn(sailing) a class of single-handed dinghy
[originated in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952]
fins(surfing) small vertical projections on the underside of the surf boardthat aid stability; (water
skiing) small projections located on the underside
field general • fins 54
of some skisthat aid stability and help the skier
make sharp turns
fire(bowls) to make a fast direct shotaimed simply to displace the bowlsof one’s opponent;
(cricket) the tendency of a bowled ballto fly up
erratically
firing line(shooting) the line from which competitors shoot
firm(association football) a group of militant supporters, especially of a team in a derby; (horse
racing) a category of going
first base(baseball) the first of the basesto which
a battermust run, situated on the right side of
the infieldas viewed from home plate
first baseman(baseball) the fielderpositioned near
first base
first change(cricket) the third bowlerbrought on
in an innings after one of the original two is
changed
first-class(cricket) played between county cricket
teams
first cut(golf) the area of roughwith quite short
grass bordering the fairway
first down (American football) the first in a series
of four downswhich a team must make to retain
possessionof the ball
first eleven(cricket) the best elevento represent a
school, college, or the like
first half(general) the half of a gameor matchbefore half time
first home(lacrosse) the first of the three homes
positioned near the goalof the opposing team
and usually acting as the main goalscorer
first pitch(baseball) a ceremonial opening pitch
made at the start of a seasonor gameand often
thrown by an honored guest, as traditionally by
the U.S. president currently in office.
first service(tennis) the first serviceof the two allowed at the start of a game
first slip(cricket) the nearest of the slipsto the
wicketkeeper
first touch(association football) a player’s initial
contact with a passor cross
fish and globe(darts) a scoreof 45 [said to derive
from a fairground game in which a score of 45
would win the player a goldfish in a jar]
fish the water(angling) to place a flyin a likely
spot for a bite or catch rather than make a cast
to a particular fish
fisherman(angling) an everyday term for an angler
fishing(sport) the everyday term for angling
fishing line(angling) the fine strong nylon filament
used in a fishing rod
fishing net(angling) a net used for catching fish or
lifting them out of the water when caught
fishing rod (angling) a long slender rod to which
a lineis fastened for catching fish
fishing tackle(angling) the equipment such as
rods, lines, and netsused for catching fish
fistiana(boxing) colloquial term for anecdotes
about boxersand the sport in general
fisticuffs(boxing) facetious term for the sport
fitness walker(athletics) a person who walks for
exercise or pleasure (or both)
five(basketball) a team of five players
five-a-side(association football) a form of the game
played, usually indoors and with a smaller pitch
than usual, between teams of five players on each
side [created in Uruguay in 1930 and now more
popular than the traditional 11-a-side game]
five-eighth (rugby league) alternate term in
Australia and New Zealand for a standoff[positioned between the scrum half(as if “foureighth”) and the center three-quarter(as if “sixeighth”)]
five-fer(cricket) the taking of five wicketsby a
bowler for a given number of runs[respelling of
five for(so many runs), based punningly on the
name of the U.S. movie actress Michelle Pfeiffer (1958–)]
five-love(tennis) colloquial shortening of fifteenlove
five-meter line(rugby union) the line five meters in
from the touchlinebehind which the lineout
forms
Five Nations(rugby union) name of the Six Nationsuntil 2000, when Italy joined
501(darts) a popular form of the game in which
players start at this figure and deduct all scores
from it, aiming to reduce the starting score to
exactly zero
5,000 meters(athletics) a long-distance race of
the stated length run over 12.5 laps
five-yard line(rugby union) another term for the
five-meter line
fives(sport) a gamesimilar to squashplayed with
a gloved hand in a walled court [said to refer to
the five fingers of the hand but really of uncertain origin]
fivesome(golf) a gamefor five players
fixed odds(horse racing) a betwith oddsthat are
predetermined, as distinct from the starting
price
fixed rope(mountaineering) a rope anchored to a
route by the leadclimber and left for those following
fixed-wheel(cycling) (of ) a rear wheel with no freewheel so that the wheel and pedals turn together
fixture(general) a date fixed for a sporting event
such as a matchor race
fizzer(cricket) a fast and possibly wayward balldelivered by the bowler
flag(American football) a marker thrown by a
member of the officiating team to denote the oc-55 fire • flag
currence of an infringement; (general) a flag deployed by an official to convey immediate information, as the startof a race, an offsidein association football, or a shotin shooting; (golf)
a flag marking the location of a hole
flagman(polo) an official who signals a goalby
waving a flag
flagstick(golf) another term for a flag
flair(g ymnastics) a move performed on the pommel horseor floorin which the gymnastswings
his open legs in front of or behind his arms, with
only his hands touching the horse or floor
Flames(ice hockey) short name of the Calgary
Flames team
flamingo(swimming) in synchronized swimming,
a position in which one leg is extended perpendicular to the surface while the other is drawn up
to the chest
flamme rouge(cycling) a red flagmarking the
point 1km from the finishof a road raceor stage
[French flamme rouge, “red flame”]
flanconade(fencing) a thrustin the side [French
flanconade, from flanc, “side”]
flank(general) another term for the wing
flank back(rugby union) another term for a flanker
flank forward(rugby union) another term for a
flanker
flanker(American football) a player who lines up
in a position on the end; (rugby union) one of
the two players loosely bound on either side of
the scrum
flannels(cricket) the white (properly flannel)
trousers traditionally worn by cricketers
flapping(greyhound racing) a form of racing not
registered under the National Greyhound Racing Club; (horse racing) a form of racing not
subject to Jockey Club orNational Hunt regulations
flapping meeting(greyhound racing, horse racing)
a meetingfor flapping
flapping track(greyhound racing) a racetrackfor
flapping
flaptrack(greyhound racing) another term for a
flapping track
flare (American football) shortening of  flare
pass
flare pass(American football) a quick passout to
a back
flash the leather(baseball) to make a good defensive play [with the leather]
flashcard(general) one of a set of large colored
cards held up by a spectator in a stadiumand
with other such cards forming a picture or message
flasher(cricket) a batsmanwho plays forcefully at
ballsdelivered outside the off stump
flat(horse racing) (1) the level ground, without
jumps, over which flat racesare run; (2) shortening of flat racing[in this sense often spelled
with a capital letter, as “the Flat”]
flat race(horse racing) a raceover the flat
flat racing (horse racing) racingover the flat
flatwater(canoeing) calm water, as on a lake
flea flicker(American football) a deceptive playin
which a runneror receiverpitches the ball back
to a teammate who then attempts to advance it
flèche(fencing) a running attack [Frenchflèche,
“arrow”]
Flèche Wallonne(cycling) a racefrom Liège to
Charleroi, Belgium [FrenchFlèche Wallonne,
“Walloon Arrow,” for its location in Wallonia,
southern Belgium]
fleet race(sailing) a racefor several single boats
over the same course
fletching(archery) the feathers of an arrow [French
flèche, “arrow”]
flic-flac(g ymnastics) another term for a back
handspring [French flic-flac, imitating the
sounds of the hands and feet as they make contact with the flooror apparatus]
flick(field hockey) another term for a scoop; (general) a stroke made with a quick turn of the
wrist, as when throwing or playing a ball
flick-on(association football) a light forward header
of the ball to a teammate
flier(cricket, golf) an alternate spelling of flyer
flight(archery) the feathered or plastic attachment
at the end of an arrowthat stabilizes its trajectory; (athletics, horse racing) a series of hurdleson
a racetrack; (badminton) one of the feathered or
plastic attachments that stabilize the trajectory of
a shuttlecock; (darts) the feathered or plastic attachment at the end of a dartthat stabilizes its
trajectory; (general) the trajectory of a ball
through the air
flip(g ymnastics) another term for a somersault
flip-flop(g ymnastics) a backward somersault
flip jump (ice skating) another term for atoe jump
flipper(cricket) a balldelivered with a backward
spin by a leg-spin bowlerwith an extra flip of
the fingers, causing it to skid off the pitch
float(angling) a buoyant object made of cork or
other material on the end of a fishing linethat
by its movement indicates a bite
float-fishing(angling) fishingwhile floating down
a river
floatboard(windsurfing) a simple sailboardsometimes used by beginners in the sport
floater(surfing) a maneuver in which the surfer
rides the very top of the wave
floor(g ymnastics) the matted ground area in an
arenawhere exercises and routines are performed
floor exercises(g ymnastics) a routineof exercises
flagman • floor 56
such as acrobaticsand tumblingperformed on
the floor, as distinct from on apparatus
floorman(horse racing) an assistant to a tick-tack
man
flop(golf) shortening of flop shot
flop shot (golf) a short pitch shotwith a very high
trajectory
flopper(skittles) a throwthat knocks down all nine
skittles
flub(golf) another term for a fluff
fluff(general) a misplayed shotor stroke
fluke(snooker) a fortuitous pot, typically resulting
from an unintended collision of ballsor a random rebound from a cushion
flushgate(skiing) a series of three or more slalom
gateson a slope
Flushing Meadows (tennis) the site in Queens,
New York, of the U.S. Open
flutter kick(swimming) an element of a stroke
such as the crawlin which the legs are held
straight and moved alternately up and down
fly(American football) a specific passpattern in
which the receiverruns straight down the field;
(angling) a hookdressed to look like a fly for use
as bait; (swimming) shortening of butterfly
fly ball(baseball) a ballhit high in the air, as distinct from a ground ball
fly fishing(angling) the catching of fish with flies
as bait
fly hack (rugby union) a kick of a balllying loose
on the ground
fly half(rugby union) another term for a standoff
half
fly hook(angling) a hookbaited with a fly
fly kick(rugby union) a kick of the ballwhile it is
in the air
fly line(angling) a fishing linewith an artificial fly
fly out(baseball) to be put outby a fieldercatching a fly ball
fly rod(angling) a rodwith an artificial fly
fly slip(cricket) a fieldingposition between the
slipsand the boundary
fly-tying(angling) the art or act of dressing a hook
to represent a flyand serve as bait
flyaway(g ymnastics) a move on the horizontal bar
and asymmetric barsin which the gymnast
swings down, releases his hold, and lands, usually via a backflip
flybook(angling) a case like a book for holding
flies
flybox(angling) a small compartmented box for
holding flies
flyer(cricket) a ballpitched short that flies up from
the pitch; (golf) a mishit ballthat travels further
than intended
Flyers(ice hockey) short name of the Philadelphia
Flyers team
flying camel(ice skating) a combination of a jump
and a spin that ends in a camel spin
flying change(equestrianism) a move in which the
leading leg in the canterposition is changed
while the horse is in the air
Flying Dutchman (sailing) a class of doublehanded dinghy[named for the ghostly Dutch
ship condemned to sweep the seas around the
Cape of Good Hope for ever]
flying finish(auto racing) in rally driving, the
crossing of the finishing lineat speed at the end
of a stage
Flying Finn(auto racing) in rally driving, a nickname for a fast Finnish rally driver[Finns are
famed for their speed and the nickname was current for the long-distance runnerPaavo Nurmi
(1897–1973) before it was applied to the championrally driver Hannu Mikkola (1942–)]
flying horse(wrestling) a throwsimilar to a flying
mare
flying machine(horse racing) colloquial term for a
fast racehorse
flying mare(wrestling) a throw in which one
wrestlerheaves another over his back using his
opponent’s arm as a lever
flying rings(g ymnastics) an apparatusconsisting
of rings suspended in pairs from wire cables
flying sit spin(ice skating) a combination of jump
and spinthat ends in a sit spin
flying start(general) a startin which the contestants pass the starting lineat full speed
flying tackle(association football, rugby league,
rugby union) a tacklemade while running or
jumping
flyweight(boxing) the professional weightcategory of maximum 51kg (112lb)
foal(horse racing) a young horse up to the age of 12
months
foible (fencing) the part of a foil blade between
the middle and the point [Old French foible,
“weak”]
foil(fencing) a light blunt-edge sword with a button; (wrestling) an incomplete fall
Folkestone(horse racing) a flat racecourseat Westenhanger, near Folkestone, Kent, England
follow (general) to support a team or an individual in a particular sport; (horse racing) to backa
particular horse whenever it runs in a race
follow on (cricket) to start a second inningsimmediately after the first after failing to reach a score
a predetermined number of runsfewer than that
of the opposing team’s first innings
follow through(cricket) (1) to complete the action
of a strokeafter the ballhas been struck by the
batsman; (2) to complete the action of a delivery after the ball has been released by the
bowler; (golf) to complete the action of a stroke
57 floorman • follow
after the ball has been struck by the player;
(snooker) to continue to move the cueforward
after the cue ballhas been struck
following stroke (billiards) a strokedesigned to
spin the ballforward by striking it above the
center
following wind(athletics) a tail wind that assists an
athleteto run or jump further
Fontwell Park(horse racing) a National Hunt
racecourseat Fontwell, near Arundel, West Sussex, England
foot(motorcycle racing) to touch the ground with
one’s foot in a trialand so incur a penalty
foot-o(orienteering) the basic form of orienteering
on foot
foot-over-foot(ice hockey) fast forward movement
on a direct but narrow path
foot race(athletics) a racerun on foot
foot spot (pool) in nine-ball pool, the spot on
the table on which the number 1 ballis positioned
footbag(general) the ballused in Hacky Sackand
similar sports, typically having a crocheted exterior and filled with sand or plastic beads
football (American football) (1) the large inflated
ballwith which the gameis played; (2) the common name of the gamein the U.S.; (association
football) (1) the large inflated ball with which
the game is played; (2) the common name of the
gamein the U.K.
football academy(association football) a training
center for student players of the game
Football Association(association football) the ruling body of the gamein the U.K., formed in
London in 1863
football club(association football) a clubfor professional players of the game
football coupon (association football) a coupon
used for an entry in the football pools
football ground(association football) a pitchwhere
the gameis played, with accommodation for
spectators
Football League(association football) a competition
in the game on a points system, inaugurated in
1888 for professional clubs
Football League Cup(association football) former
name of theCarling Cup
football match(association football) a matchbetween rival teams
football pitch (association football) a pitchor
groundwhere the gameis played
football pools(association football) a commercially
organized competition, introduced in England in
1923, in which betsare placed on the results of
weekly football matches
football special (association football) a specially
chartered train taking supportersto matches
footballer(association football) a professionalor
amateurplayer of football
footer (bowls) a round maton which a player of
crown bowlsstands when delivering the bowl;
(sport) colloquial term for association football
footfault (tennis) a fault committed by stepping
over the baselinewhen serving
foothold (mountaineering) a place to fix one’s foot
in while climbing
footie(sport) colloquial term for association football
footwork (association football) skillful use of the
feet in maneuvering the ball
footy(sport) another spelling of footie
foozle(golf) another term for a mishit[German
dialect fuseln, “to work badly”]
force(billiards) a strokein which the cue ballis
struck off-center so that it stops or goes off at an
angle; (real tennis) a powerful shotaimed at the
dedans; (tennis) a powerful strokeplayed with
the aim of forcing an error from one’s opponent
force the game(cricket) to take risks in order to
increase the rate of scoring
force the pace(general) to adopt a fast pacein a
racein order to tire one’s rival or rivals
forceout(baseball) the putting out of a baserunnerby obliging him to advance to the next base
when it is not safe to do so
fore!(golf) a warning cry to anyone in danger of
being hit by the ball[probably from before]
fore-and-aft(sailing) lengthwise [of any sailnot set
on yards]
fore-and-after(sailing) a ship with a fore-and-aft
rig
fore caddie(golf) a caddieformerly posted ahead
to see where the ballwent
forearm pass(volleyball) another term for a dig
forecheck(ice hockey) a checkmade to an opponent
in his own defensive area
forecourt (tennis) the part of the courtbetween
the service lineand the net
forehand(badminton, table tennis, tennis) a stroke
made with the arm extended away from the body
and the palm of the hand facing one’s opponent;
(bowls) the right side of the rink(for a righthanded bowler), where the bowlis delivered to
the right and curves back to the left; (polo) a
strokeof the ballforward or sideways to a teammate
forehand chop (table tennis) a chopmade as a
forehand
forehand drive (table tennis) a drivemade as a
forehand
foremast(sailing) the mast nearest to the bowof a
boat
Forest(association football) short name of the English clubNottingham Forest
following • Forest 58
forkball(baseball) a pitchin which the ballis delivered with the thumb, forefinger, and middle
finger spread apart, so that it falls down sharply
or is otherwise unpredictable
form (general) (1) the condition of training and
physical fitness of a competitor, especially a racehorseor athlete;(2) a record of a competitor’s
past performance
form book(horse racing) a record of a horse’s form
form horse(horse racing) another term for the favorite
form sheet(horse racing) another term for a form
book
formation(association football) the arrangement of
the players (aside from the goalkeeper) into a
particular disposition on the field, such as 4–4-2, denoting four defenders, four midfielders,
and two attackers
formation lap(auto racing) a lapmade before the
raceso the cars can warm up their tires
formula(general) a numerically ranked set of technical specifications for racing vehicles, especially
in auto racingand motorcycle racing
Formula One(general) the top-ranking formula
for vehicles entered in Grand Prixracing [so
named as built according to an evolving formula
established after World War I by the Fédération
Internationale de l’Automobile]
forte(fencing) the thicker, stronger half of a foil
blade [French fort, “strong”]
forty-fifteen(tennis) a scoreto the serverof three
pointsto one
forty-five(tennis) colloquial term for forty-fifteen
45-meter kick (Gaelic football) a free kick
awarded to an attacking team when the ballgoes
out of play beyond the goal lineoff a defender
forty-love (tennis) a scoreto the serverof three
pointsto nil
40-meter line(rugby league) a line marked across
the pitch40 meters from the try lineat each end
49er(sailing) a class of double-handed dinghy
[named for its length of 4.99m]
49ers(American football) short name of the San
Francisco 49ers team
40–20 rule(rugby league) a rule stating that if a
player kicks the ballfrom inside his own 40-meter line, and it goes on the bounce into touch
between the 20-meter lineof the opposition
and the try line, his side are awarded the put-in
at the scrum
forward(basketball) a player who operates mainly
in the area around the basket, unlike a guard;
(general) in field gamessuch as association
football, an attacking player such as a center
forwardor a winger; (rugby league, rugby union)
any of the players in the scrum; (sailing) at or
toward the front of a boat
forward pass(rugby league, rugby union) an illegal
passin which the ballis thrown forward
forward pocket(Australian Rules) a player operating in the 50-meter arcnear the goal
Fosbury(athletics) shortening of Fosbury flop
Fosbury flop(athletics) a style of high jumpin
which the athleteclears the barheadfirst with
body extended face-up and lands on his back
[introduced at the 1968 Olympic Gamesby the
U.S. athlete Dick Fosbury (1947–)]
foul(general) an infringement of the rules, resulting in a penaltysuch as the award of a direct
free kickto the opposing team in association
football
foul ball(baseball) a ballstruck behind the baselinesthat counts as a strikeunless there are already two strikes against the batter
foul circle(basketball) the circular area marked behind the foul line, inside which a player taking
a free throwstands
foul lane(basketball) the area between the basket
and the foul line, outside which other players
must stand when a free throwis attempted
foul line (basketball) a line 15ft (4.6m) from the
backboard, from which free throwsare taken
foul out(basketball) to be dismissed from the game
for committing more than the permitted number of personal fouls
foul play(general) a foulof any kind, whether penalized or not
foul pole (baseball) one of the two structures
marking the division between the edge of the
outfieldand foul territory
foul territory (baseball) any part of the ground
that is outside the field of play
foul throw (association football) an improperly
made throw-in
foul tip(baseball) a ballbarely deflected by the bat
four(cricket) a scoreof four runsgained by hitting
the ballover the boundary; (rowing) a boat with
four oarsworked by four rowers
four-cross(cycling) downhill BMXfor four riders
on mountain bikes
four-figure form(horse racing) the four-digit code
in a racing formthat denotes a horse’s performance in the previous four races, so that 1320
means won, third, second, unplaced
400 meters(athletics) a sprint or hurdle raceof the
stated distance
four-meter line (handball) a mark 4 meters in
front of the goalwhere the goalkeeperstands
during a seven-meter throwbut which he cannot cross
four-minute mile(athletics) a foot raceover a mile
run in four minutes or less, long an unbroken
record[first broken in 1954 by the British athleteRoger Bannister]
59 forkball • four-minute
Four Nations Championship(rugby league) an
annual championship contested by the national
teams of England, Australia, New Zealand, and
France, founded in 1999 as the Tri-Series and
known until 2009, when France was included, as
the Tri-Nations Series
four-point landing(skiing) a landing from a jump
with both polesplanted in the snow
470(sailing) a class of double-handed dinghy
[named for its length of 4.70m]
fourball(cricket) a poorly bowled ballwith which
the batsmancan easily score a four; (golf) a
matchbetween two pairs of players, in which
only the lower scoreof each pair for the holeis
counted
foursome (golf) a matchbetween two pairs of
players, in which each pair plays only one ball,
players taking alternate strokes
fourth official(association football) an official who
assists the refereeand assistant refereesfrom
the technical area
fourth umpire (cricket) an official who assists in
international matchesand who takes the place of
the third umpireif the latter has to stand in for
one of the regular umpires
Foxes(association football) nickname of the English clubLeicester City [from the reputation of
Leicestershire for fox hunting]
foxtrot (equestrianism) a horse’s pacewith short
steps, as in changing from trottingto walking
frame (snooker) (1) the triangular form in which
the ballsare grouped for the break; (2) the balls
themselves so grouped; (3) a single game
franchise(American football) an organization that
operates a team in the National Football League
franchise player(American football) a player paid
at a premium rate and not eligible to be signed
by other teams
free(Australian Rules) shortening of free kick
free agent(general) a player not under contract to
any professional team or club[the term gained
currency in 1976, when a U.S. Court of Appeals
ruled against the “reserve clause” that bound a
professional baseballplayer to a particular team]
free ball(snooker) (1) the nomination of any ballas
the object ballas a right granted after being
snookeredby a foul; (2) the ball itself so nominated
free bounce (trampolining) a straight bouncewith
no movement made while in the air
free climbing(mountaineering) climbingwith the
use of ropes but without any other aids
free drop(golf) a rule allowing a player to lift a ball
from its resting place and drop it elsewhere without penalty
free fall(parachuting) the part of a descent before
the parachuteopens, especially in skydiving
free flying(parachuting) the adoption of different
positions while making a descent
free-for-all(general) a contest open to anyone
free gate(canoeing) a gatethat can be entered from
either direction
free hit(field hockey) a shottaken when an offense
has been committed outside the shooting circle
or by an attackerinside the 23-meter lineof
the opposition
free kick(association football) a kick, awarded after
a foulor offside, which the opposing side is not
allowed to hinder or block
free pass(netball) a passawarded after an infringement
free pistol(shooting) a pistol shootingcompetition
in which the pistol does not have to conform to
the specifications required for other competition
pistols
free program (ice skating) a routinein which the
skaters perform movements of their own choosing, as distinct from a short program
free running (sport) an extreme sportin which
participants use techniques from gymnastics,
martial arts, and climbingto negotiate obstacles in an urban setting
free shot(netball) another term for a penalty shot
free skating (ice skating) a form of competitive
figure skatingin which the skater selects items
from an officially approved list of moves and maneuvers such as jumpsand spins
free throw (basketball) an unrestricted throwto
the basket, awarded as a penaltyagainst the opposing side after an infringement; (handball) a
throwawarded for various types of foul
free-throw lane(basketball) another name for the
foul lane
free-throw line (basketball) another name for the
foul line; (handball) another name for the ninemeter line
freediver(aquatics) another term for a skindiver
freediving(aquatics) another term for skindiving
freeride (skiing) shortening of freeride skiing;
(snowboarding) a type of boardwhich can be
used both on and off piste
freeride skiing(skiing) an extreme form of the sport
in which participants attempt difficult jumpsand
turns
freeriding(cycling) a type of competition in mountain bikingin which ridersnegotiate a track
with demanding obstacles
freeski(skiing) shortening of freestyle skiing
freestyle(general) a style or method of performance
that the competitor is free to choose; (swimming)
another term for the front crawl[popularly chosen as the fastest stroke]; (wrestling) another
term for all-in wrestling
freestyle skiing (skiing) a form of the sport in
Four • freestyle skiing 60
which competitors choose their events, the most
popular being aerialsand moguls
freewheel (cycling) the mechanism that can temporarily disconnect the rear wheel from the driving gear so that it continues to turn freely when
the rideris not pedaling
freeze(curling) a drawin which a stonestops near
another stone; (ice hockey) to try to regain control of the puckby holding it against an area of
the boardsor even by falling on it, in the process
stopping play
French billiards(billiards) another term for carom
billiards
French blinkers(horse racing) colloquial term for
cheekpieces
French cricket(cricket) a simplified form of the
game, popular among children, in which the
batsmanis outif struck by the ballon the legs
below the knee
French drive(cricket) a fortuitous snickoff the bat
through the slips
French Grand Prix(auto racing) the Formula One
international Grand Prixheld on the Magny
Cours circuit at Dijon, France
French Open (tennis) the international championship tournamentheld annually since 1891on
the clay courtsof the Stade Roland-Garros, Paris
fresh(horse racing) not having raced recently
fried egg(golf) colloquial term for the hollow created by a ballthat has landed in soft sand in a
bunker
friendly (association football) a matcharranged
outside normal competition
fringe(golf) the area bordering the green, where
the grass is slightly longer
fringe sports(general) sports regarded as less important or popular
Frisbee golf(sport) a game similar to golfbut played
with a Frisbee instead of a golf balland clubs
frog hair (golf) the well-cut grass between the fairwayand the green, in length somewhere between the two
front(trampolining) a forward somersault
front crawl(swimming) the crawlperformed face
down
front five(rugby union) another term for the tight
five
front foot(general) the left foot (of a right-handed
person), as the one nearer the target
front four (American football) the two endsand
two tackles in a team’s defensive line
front giant(g ymnastics) a giantin which the gymnastswings counterclockwise, his palms facing
in the same direction as his back
front handspring(g ymnastics) a handspringthat
starts with a forward flip
front nine(golf) the first nine holeson a course
front row(rugby league, rugby union) the three forwards, comprising the two  propsand the
hooker, in the front row of the scrum
front-row union (rugby league, rugby union) informal name for the front row[as a union of
players of similar physique and temperament]
front walkover (g ymnastics) a handstandperformed with the legs split and then one foot
brought over to be followed by the other foot
into an upright position
frontenis(sport) a Latin-American ball gamesimilar to handballand essentially consisting of jai
alaior pelotaplayed with tennis rackets[blend
of frontonand Spanish tenis, “tennis”]
frontman(general) another term for a forward
fronton(pelota) the wall against which the gameis
played [Spanish frontón]
frontrunner(general) (1) a (human or animal) contestant who runs best when in the lead or who
can set a fast pace; (2) a leading contestant
frontside air(snowboarding) an airperformed off
the frontside wall
frontside wall(snowboarding) the wall of the halfpipein front of the boarder
frosh(general) colloquial term for a member of a
freshman sports team [perhaps from German
Frosch, “grammar-school pupil”]
frozen rope (baseball) colloquial term for a ball
that travels on a fast, level trajectory
fuel load (auto racing) the amount of fuel on board
a car
full(trampolining) a full twistexecuted in a somersault
full ball(snooker) a strokethat sends the cue ball
against the full face of the object ball
full-bore(shooting) (of ) a larger caliber than smallbore
full count (baseball) a situation in which the
pitcherhas thrown three ballsand two strikes
to the batter
full-court press(basketball) a tactic in which the
defensive team challenges opponents in all areas
of the court, not just in their own area
full forward(Australian Rules) an attacking player
operating near the opponents’ goal
full-in, back-out(g ymnastics) a double saltowith
a full twistin the first salto
full nelson(wrestling) fuller term for a nelson
full pitch(cricket) another term for a full toss
full roll(croquet) the distance traveled by a struck
ballwhen equal to that of the ball that struck it
full time(general) the end of a match, when the
time allotted for it has expired
full toss (cricket) a balldelivered by the bowler
that does not pitch before reaching the batsman
full twist(g ymnastics) a complete twist
fullback (American football) an offensive player
61 freewheel • fullback
who lines up behind the quarterbackand halfbackand who is used primarily for line plunges
and blocks; (association football, field hockey) a
defensive player positioned near the goal; (rugby
league, rugby union) the player who normally
stands furthest back on the pitchin a defensive
position
fumble(American football) to lose hold of the ball
when in possessionof it
fun run(athletics) a long-distance raceusually less
than a marathonin length staged either for
amusement or to raise funds for charity rather
than as a serious athletic competition
funboard(windsurfing) a boardspecially designed
to give greater speed
fungo (baseball) a ballstruck high in the air for
fieldersto practice catching [origin uncertain]
fungo bat(baseball) a special lightweight batfor
striking fungos
funny car(auto racing) in drag racing, a car with
a fiberglass body built to resemble an ordinary car
furlong(horse racing) a standard distance equal to
one-eighth of a mile
furlong marker (horse racing) a post by a racecourseshowing the number of furlongsto the
winning post[the word “furlong” may be omitted in reports, as “Notre Pere fell five out when
returning to action at Down Royal” (The Times,
November 21, 2009)]
futsal(association football) an indoor version of the
gamebetween teams of five players. [blend of
Spanish fútbol, “football,” and sala, “room”]
futurity race (horse racing) a racefor two-yearolds nominated even before they are foaled