c(cricket) abbreviation of caughtin scoring
c and b (cricket) abbreviation of caught and
bowledin scoring
cabbage(golf) colloquial term for the rough
caber(athletics) the heavy pole, usually the trimmed
trunk of a tree, used in the sport of tossing the
caberat Highland games
caddie(golf) the person who assists a golferduring a round by carrying the clubs, advising on
the choice of club, and using his knowledge of
the courseto read the green[Scots form of
French cadet, originally “youngest son”]
caddie car(golf) a small motorized vehicle for
transporting players and equipment around a
course
caddie cart(golf) a light trolley for carrying a bag
of golf clubsaround a course
caddy(golf) another spelling of caddie
cadence(cycling) the rate at which a rideris pedaling
cage(baseball) an enclosed area for batting practice;
(ice hockey) colloquial term for the goal
Calcutta Cup(rugby union) the cupfor which England and Scotland have competed since 1879
[so called as made from the silver rupees remaining in the funds of the Calcutta Football Club,
India, when it was disbanded in 1877]
Calder Memorial Trophy(ice hockey) the trophy
awarded for the rookieof the year [named for
Frank Calder, president of the National Hockey
Leaguefrom 1917 to 1943]
Caley Jags (association football) nickname of
the Scottish clubInverness Caledonian Thistle
[“Caley” from Caledonian, “Jags” as a colloquial
term for the jagged leaves of a thistle, the Scottish national emblem]
calf-roping(rodeo) an eventin which a mounted
competitor chases a calf, lassoes it, dismounts,
throws the calf to the ground by hand, then ties
up three of its feet with a short rope
Calgary Stampede(rodeo) an annual eventand
stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, founded
in 1912
call(cricket) a shouted direction by a batsmanto
his partner whether to run (“Yes!”) or to remain
in the crease (“No!”); (tennis) a decision by
the umpire or a line judge on the status of a
shot
call a cab(horse racing) to wave one arm as a jockey
in order to retain balance when taking a fence
call one’s shot(billiards, snooker) to say which ball
one intends for which pocket
callisthenics(g ymnastics) special exercises designed
to achieve strength, fitness, and grace of movement
calx(Eton wall game) the area behind the goal line,
defined by a white line [Latin calx, “lime”]
cam(mountaineering) a mechanical device that
grips into a crack in the rock
caman(hurling, shinty) the slim curved stickused
in the game
Camanachd Cup(shinty) a cup involving 16
teams, first competed for in 1896 [Gaelic camanachd, “shinty”]
Cambridgeshire(horse racing) an annual handicapat Newmarket, first run in 1839 [name of the
county in which it was originally located]
camel spin(ice skating) a spinon one foot, with the
back arched and the non-skating leg extended
horizontally behind [the pose suggests the
humped back of a camel]
camogie(hurling) a modified form of the game
played by women [played with a stick called a
camog, a Gaelic word related to caman]
campaign(horse racing) to prepare a horse for a race
can(golf) colloquial term for the hole
Can-Am(auto racing) short name of the CanadianAmerican Grand Challenge Cup, an annual series of races, six in the U.S. and two in Canada,
first held in 1866
can of corn(baseball) colloquial term for an easy
catchfor a fielder[said to derive from the can on
a stack in a grocery that a sales clerk would
knock down with a stick and catch]
Canada Cup(golf) former name of the World
Cup
Canadian canoe (canoeing) a long narrow canoe
propelled by a single-bladed paddle
Canadian football(sport) a gamesimilar to American football but with 12 players a sideand a
longer field of play
Canadian Grand Prix(auto racing) the Formula
One international Grand Prixheld on the Gilles
Villeneuve circuit at Montreal, Canada
Canadiens(ice hockey) short name of the Montreal
Canadiens team
Canal Turn(horse racing) a difficult jump on the
Grand Nationalcourse at Aintree
Canaries(association football) nickname of the English clubNorwich City [either from the local
former breeding and exhibition of canaries, or
from the city’s mustard-making industry, with
the associated color represented in the yellow
shirts of the players]
cannon(billiards) the striking of both the redand
one’s opponent’s ballin a single shot; (croquet)
a croquet shotand roquetmade in a single
stroke; (snooker) a shotin which the cue ball
deflects from the object ballinto another ball
[altered form of carom]
cannon game(billiards) another term for carom
billiards
cannon-off(bowls) a deliveryin which one bowl
rebounds at an angle from another
27 c • cannon-off
cannonball(tennis) colloquial term for a fast serve
canoe(canoeing) the light, narrow, flat-bottomed
boat, propelled by one or more paddles, that is
used for the sport
canoe polo(water polo) a form of the gamein
which the participants are in short canoesusing
double paddles
canoeing(sport) (1) a contest between canoeists;
(2) the pastime of traveling in canoes
canoeist(canoeing) (1) a competitor in canoeing;
(2) a person who travels in a canoe
canopy(parachuting) the overhead, expanding part
of a parachute
canopy formation(parachuting) the stacked formation adopted by skydiversonce their canopies
have opened
canter(equestrianism) a horse’s gait, slower than a
gallopbut faster than a trot, in which three legs
are off the ground at the same time [shortening
of Canterbury gallop, from the easy paceat which
medieval pilgrims rode to Canterbury]
Canucks(ice hockey) short name of the Vancouver Canucks team
canvas(boxing) the floor of a ring; (rowing) a term
used to describe the measure of lead between
two boats in a close race, fixed as the length between the bowand the first oarsman[properly
the covering over the ends of the boat, originally
made of canvas]
canyoning(sport) an extreme sportin which participants jump into a fast-flowing mountain
stream or waterfall and allow themselves to be
swept rapidly downstream
cap(association football) (1) a commemorative cap
given to a national player each time he plays in
an international match; (2) an appearance by a
national player at international level; (general)
a distinguishing cap worn by a player or participant in a particular sport
Capitals(ice hockey) short name of the Washington Capitals team
capriole(equestrianism) an element of dressagein
which the horse leaps up with all four feet off
the ground and kicks its back legs at the height
of the jump[Old French capriole, “leap”]
captain(general) the leader of a sports team or
club
Captain Armstrong(horse racing) a jockey who
holds his horse back with a “strong arm” in order
to stop it drawing ahead
captain’s pick(general) (1) a player selected for a
team by its captain; (2) an outstanding player
carabiner(mountaineering) a steel link with a
spring clip in one side through which a rope can
be threaded in abseiling[German Karabinerhaken, “spring hook”]
carambole(billiards) the formal name of a carom
card(golf) shortening of scorecard; (horse racing)
shortening of racecard
Cardinals(American football) short name of the
Arizona Cardinals team; (baseball) short name of
the St. Louis Cardinals team
cardio(general) exercises to tone the circulatory
system, carried out in a gymnasiumand typically
involving equipment such as the treadmillor
exercise bikeand cross-training[abbreviation
of cardiovascular exercises]
Carling Cup(association football) the cupfor
which teams in the Football Leaguecompete
[to 1982 called the League Cup, a name still popularly current, and after that date successively
the Milk Cup, Littlewoods Cup, Rumbelows
Cup, Coca Cola Cup, and Worthington Cup,
eventually adopting its present sponsored name
in 2003]
Carlisle(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Carlisle, Cumbria, England
Carnoustie(golf) the coursenear Dundee, Scotland, that until 1975 hosted the Open Championship
carom(billiards) another term for a cannon[shortening of carambole, from French carombole, from
Spanish carambola, “the red ball in billiards”]
carom ball(cricket) a ballbowled by a spin bowler
with a flick of his middle finger [named after
caromas an Indian board game in which disks are
flicked onto the table]
carom billiards (billiards) a form of billiards
played on a tablewith no pocketsand thus consisting in making a series of cannons
carpet(bowls) the surface on which indoor bowls
is played; (cricket) the surface of the pitchand the
outfield; (golf) (1) colloquial term for the fairway; (2) colloquial term for the putting green
carriage driving(equestrianism) a disciplinein
which a two- or four-wheeled carriage with one
or more horses competes in dressage, a crosscountry time trial, and the negotiation of a
winding course marked out by cones
carrot(croquet) the part of the hoopbelow the
ground
carry(golf) the distance a balltravels through the
air before touching the ground at or near its destination; (ice hockey) to advance the puckdown
the ice by controlling it with one’s stick
carry one’s bat (cricket) to remain not outafter
batting throughout an innings
cart(golf) shortening of golf cart
CART Championship (auto racing) former name
of the ChampCar Championship[acronym of
Championship Autoracing Teams]
Cartmel(horse racing) a National Hunt racecourseat Cartmel, Cumbria, England
cartwheel(bowls) a bowldelivered with a marked
cannonball • cartwheel 28
bias; (g ymnastics) a sideways somersaultwith
arms and legs extended
carving(skiing) a technique of making fast turns by
turning the skisso that the edges cut into the
snow; (snowboarding) a technique of making fast
turns by turning the boardso that the edge cuts
into the snow; (surfing) the execution of large
smooth turns on a wave
carving skis(skiing) skis specifically designed for
carving
Cas(rugby league) short name of the English club
Castleford Tigers
cast(angling) the throwing of a fishing lineor net;
(trampolining) a sideways movement across the
bed
castle(cricket) colloquial term for the wicketdefended by the batsman
casual water(golf) a pool of water caused by rain
or flooding, from where a ballcan be repositioned without penalty
cat(sailing) shortening of catamaran
cat stance(karate) a position in which the front
footis raised ready to kick
cat-twist back drop(trampolining) a full twistto
a back drop
catamaran(sailing) a boat with two hulls
catch(angling) (1) the capture of a fish; (2) the
amount of fish caught; (baseball) the catching
by a fielderof the ballhit by the batterbefore
it touches the ground, so that he is out; (bowls)
a bowlthat prevents another from passing;
(cricket) the catching by a fielderof the ballhit
by the batsmanbefore it touches the ground, so
that he is out; (general) a simple game, popular
among children, in which a ballis thrown and
caught in turn; (rowing) the moment when the
bladeenters the water at the beginning of the
stroke
catch a crab (rowing) to sink the oartoo deep (or
not deep enough) in the water, causing the
rowerto fall back and the boat to be jolted and
even halted [as if the oar had been caught by a
crab]
catch and kick(Gaelic football) to catch the ball
and instantly kick it as a pass
catch and release(angling) the practice of releasing a fish after it has been caught and weighed
catch-as-catch-can(wrestling) a form of the sport
in which any holdis allowed
catch-waist camel spin(ice skating) in pair skating, a camel spinwith the free legs pointing in
opposite directions and each partner’s arms
around the other’s waist
catcher(baseball) the fielder positioned behind
the batter
catenaccio(association football) a rigidly defensive
system of playintroduced in the 1960s by the
Italian clubInter Milan, comprising four defenders, three midfielders, and three attackers
[Italian catenaccio, “bolt”]
Cats(Australian Rules) short name of the Geelong
Cats team
cats on the counter(darts) the winning of a game
[said to derive from the “cats” or large drinking
pots that the losers were obliged to line up on
the counter before the next game]
Catterick(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Catterick Bridge, North Yorkshire,
England
catworm(angling) a worm (Nephthys hombergi)
commonly used as bait
caught(cricket) (of ) a batsmanwhose strokeresulted in a catch, so that he is out
caught and bowled(cricket) (of ) a batsmanwhose
stroke gave a catchto the bowler
caught behind(cricket) (of ) a batsmanwhose
strokegave a catchto the wicketkeeper(who is
behind the wicket)
Caulfield Cup (horse racing) the cupawarded to the
winner of an annual race at Caulfield, Melbourne, Australia, first run in 1879
cauliflower ear (boxing) an ear permanently
swollen and disfigured by repeated blows [in appearance resembling the clumped shape of a
cauliflower]
caution (association football) another term for
a booking; (boxing) a reprimand given to a
boxerby the refereefollowing an infringement,
three such reprimands usually resulting in a
warning
Cavaliers(basketball) short name of the Cleveland
Cavaliers team
caver(caving) a person who explores caves
caving(sport) the exploration of caves
cavity back(golf) a clubheadwith a depression on
the back
Celtic League(rugby union) a contest between
major Irish, Welsh, and Scottish teams, introduced in 2001[the teams come from the Celtic
countries of the British Isles]
Celtics(basketball) short name of the Boston
Celtics team
center(American football) the player in the center
of the offensive line who begins the playwith a
snapof the ballto a player in the backfield;
(archery, shooting) the area of the targetbetween
the bulland the outer; (association football) a
kick from either of the wingsto the center of
the pitch; (Australian Rules) a player in midfield;
(basketball) the position of a player immediately
under the basket; (field hockey) a passfrom either of the wingsto the center of the pitch;
(lacrosse) a midfieldplayer who competes in the
drawand links play between defenseand at-29 carving • center
tack; (netball) a player who can operate anywhere on the courtexcept in the shooting circle; (rugby league, rugby union) one of the two
three-quartersin the center of the pitch
center back(association football) a player in the
middle of the defense
center bounce (Australian Rules) another term for
a ball up
center circle(association football) the circle painted
on the middle of the pitch, at the center of which
is the center spot
center field (baseball) the part of the outfielddirectly behind second baseas viewed from home
plate
center fielder(baseball) the fielderpositioned in
center field
center forward(association football, field hockey)
the central player in the line of forwards
center half(association football, field hockey) the
central player behind the center forward
center half back (Australian Rules) a defensive
player operating near the middle of the 50-meter arc
center half-forward(Australian Rules) an attacking player operating behind the full forward
center line(ice hockey) another term for the red
line
center pass(field hockey) the passthat starts the
game, made by a center from the center spotto
a teammate; (netball) the throwfrom the center of the courtthat starts the game
center service line(tennis) the line parallel to the
tramlinesthat divides the right and left service
courts
center spot(association football) the painted spot
in the center of the pitchfrom which the kickoffis made at the start of each halfand after the
scoring of a goal; (billiards) the spoton the billiard table midway between the two middle
pockets, corresponding to the blue spotin
snooker
center square(Australian Rules) the square marked
in the center of the oval
center three-quarter(rugby union) one of the two
middle players in the line of three-quarters
centerboard(sailing) a retractable keelor fin
centerman(ice hockey) the forward playing between two wingers
Central American and Caribbean Games(Olympics) regional gamesheld since 1926 for competitors from the countries of Central America and
the Caribbean
Central American Games(Olympics) the name to
1935 of the Central American and Caribbean
Games
central circle(wrestling) the inner circle of the mat
central contract(cricket) the contracting of a player
to his national team as well as to his county or
state team
central fire(shooting) (of ) a cartridge with its fulminate in the center of the base
central wrestling area(wrestling) the circle on the
mat between the passivity zoneand the central
circle
centre(general) another spelling of center
Centre Court(tennis) the central and most important courtat Wimbledon, where the finalof the
championshipsis played
centurion(cricket) a batsmanwho scores a century
Centurions(rugby league) short name of the English clubLeigh Centurions
century(cricket) a scoreof 100 runsby a batsman;
(snooker) a breakof 100 or more points
Cesarewitch(horse racing) an annual handicapat
Newmarket, first run in 1839 [inaugurated by
the tsesarevich, the heir to the Russian throne
who became Alexander II (1818–1881)]
chain gang(American football) the members of the
officiating team who measure the 10 yards
needed to gain a new set of downs
chainring(cycling) the gear wheel that drives the
chain
chains(American football) a method employed by
the officiating team to measure the yardage
needed to gain a new set of downs
chainwheel(cycling) another term for the chainring
Chair(horse racing) a jumpon the Grand National
course at Aintree
Chairboys(association football) nickname of the
English clubWycombe Wanderers [from the
furniture-making industry in the town of High
Wycombe]
chairlift(skiing) a set of seats suspended on cables
used to transport skiers uphill
chairman(wrestling) one of the three officials in
charge of a bout, the others being the judgeand
the referee
chalk(snooker) the small cube of colored chalk
rubbed on the tip of the cueto give a good contact when striking the cue ball; (weightlifting)
the magnesium carbonate powder (not actually
chalk) applied by weightliftersto their hands
to help them grip the barbell
chalk eater(horse racing) colloquial term for a
punterwho bets only on the favorite [he follows the bookmakeras he writes up the latest
oddsin chalk]
challenge(general) an invitation to take part in a
sporting contest, especially to a reigning champion
Challenge Cup(rugby league) the leading British
cup competition, first held in 1929
challenge match(general) a matchheld as a challenge
center back • challenge 30
challenger(general) a person who takes up a challenge, especially to a reigning champion
champ(general) colloquial shortening of champion
champagne breakfast(darts) a scorein a single
throwof treble 20, treble 5, and treble 1, bettering a breakfast
ChampCar(auto racing) a finely tuned car, but
with a smaller engine than a Formula Onecar,
that takes part in the annual championshipof
this name [short for Championship Car]
champion(general) a competitor who has excelled
all others, especially in boxing
Champion Hurdle(horse racing) an annual race
at Cheltenham, first run in 1927
Champion Jockey(horse racing) the title of the
jockeywho rides the most winnersin a particular season, in both flat racingand National Hunt
Champions’ Dinner(golf) popular name for the
Masters Club
Champions League(association football) informal
name of the UEFA Champions League
Champions Trophy(cricket) an annual one-day
international tournamentfirst held in 1998, regarded as the most important of its kind after
the World Cup;(field hockey) an annual tournamentfirst held in 1978
Championship(association football) the group of
teams that replaced Division1 in 2004; (general) short title of a particular championship,
as the Open Championshipin golf
championship(general) (1) a contest held to determine who will be champion; (2) the titleawarded
to the winner of such a contest
chance(general) an opportunity of achieving a
positive result during a match, such as dismissing a batsmanin cricketor scoring a goalin
association football
change(cricket) the substitution of one bowler(or
type of bowling) for another during a match;
(horse racing) the fractions of a second taken to
declare the time of the first four horses in a race
change bowler(cricket) a bowlerwho relieves the
regular bowlers in a match
change ends(general) to switch from occupying
one half of an area of play, as a pitchor court,
to the other, so changing the direction of play
change-foot spin(ice skating) a spinin which a
jumpis made from one foot to the other
change-up(baseball) an unexpectedly slowpitch
intended to deceive the batter
changeover(athletics) the handing over of the
batonby one runner to another in a relay race;
(general) the point in a gameor match at which
the two sides change ends
changing room(general) a room or premises at a
sports ground where players change their
clothes before and after a game and discuss tactics
Chanticleers(rugby league) the English name for
the French national Tricolores team [from Chanticleer as a name for the domestic cock, the symbolic bird of France]
chap and lie(bowls) to deliver a bowlso that it
hits another and takes its place; (curling) to deliver a stoneso that it hits another and takes its
place
charge(golf) to play a roundaggressively
charge down(rugby league, rugby union) to run toward a kicked ball and block it with the hands
or body
Chargers(American football) short name of the
San Diego Chargers team
charging(basketball) the offenseof running into a
stationary defenderwhile in possessionof the
ball
charity event(general) an amateur contest, such as
a raceor match, organized to raise money for
charity
charity stripe(basketball) colloquial term for the
foul line
charity toss(basketball) colloquial term for a free
throw
chase(real tennis) the second impact of an unreturned ball, for which the player scores unless
his opponent betters it by a similar impact nearer
the end wall; (horse racing) shortening of steeplechase
chase track(horse racing) a racetrackwith fences
(for a steeplechase)
chaser(cycling) a riderwho is trying to catch up
with a break; (horse racing) a horse that competes in steeplechases
chassé(ice skating) a sequence in which the foot
that is not in contact with the ice moves up next
to the skating foot without passing it and replaces it as the skating foot [French chassé,
“chase”]
cheap(cricket) (of ) a wickettaken after the batsmanhas scored only a few runs
check(ice hockey) the (legitimate) blocking of an
opponent’s forward progress with one’s shoulder or hip
check side(snooker) a sidethat causes the cue ball
to rebound off the cushionat less of an angle
than in a normally struck shot
checkdown(American football) a short passto a
running backas a final option when the wide
receiversare covered
checkered flag(auto racing) another spelling of
chequered flag
checking(trampolining) the technique of absorbing the recoil from the bedby flexing the body
at the hips, knees, and ankles
31 challenger • checking
checkmark(athletics) the indicator on the track
that tells the incoming runner in a relay race
when he should start to accelerate
checkout(darts) a scorethat wins a gamein one
turn
cheekpieces(horse racing) strips of sheepskin sewn
onto each side of a horse’s bridleto help it concentrate its attention on the courseahead, much
in the manner of blinkers
cheer squad(general) volunteer supportersdrafted
in to empty spectator seats in a stadium
cheerleader(general) one of a team of uniformly
dressed young women who spur on a sports team
with coordinated shouts, cheers, and chanting
cheese(skittles) the heavy wooden ballused to
knock down the skittles
cheesecake(tenpin bowling) a lane in which it is
easy to make high scores
chef de mission(Olympics) the person who supports, promotes, and generally guides a national
team [French chef de mission, “mission leader”]
chef d’équipe(general) the person generally responsible for a team’s practical arrangements, especially when they are traveling [French chef
d’équipe, “team leader”]
Cheltenham(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, the location of the Cheltenham Gold
Cup
Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy(cricket) the
trophyawarded to the winners of an annual oneday competition of 60 oversper side, first held
in 1963 [originally the Gillette Cup but renamed
in 2001for new sponsors]
Cheltenham Gold Cup(horse racing) the cup
awarded to the winner of an annual steeplechase
at Cheltenham, first run in 1924 and now regarded as the greatest prizeof the National Hunt
Chepstow(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Chepstow, Gwent, Wales
chequered flag(auto racing) the black-and-white
flagindicating the end of a race, shown to the
winner and to each subsequent car that crosses
the finishing line
cherries(greyhound racing) colloquial term for the
racetrack[rhyming slang for dogs, from Cockney cherry hogs, “cherry pits”]
Cherries(association football) nickname of the English clubBournemouth [from the red shirts of
the players]
cherry(cricket) colloquial term for a new ball
[from its color and its “virginity”]
chest(association football) to hit or direct the ball
with the chest
chest pass(basketball) a passin which the player
holds the ball at chest level then passes it to a
teammate without bouncing it
chest trap(association football) control of the ball
using the chest
Chester(horse racing) a flat racecourseat Chester,
Cheshire, England
chewy on your boot!(Australian Rules) a call to a
player to discourage him from performing well
in a particular play[as if chewing gum were on
his boot]
Chicago Stadium(basketball) the home groundof
the Chicago Bulls team, Chicago
chicane(auto racing) a sharp double bend on a
track [French chicane“quibble at law”]
Chiefs(American football) short name of the
Kansas City Chiefs team
chili dip(golf) a weak loftfollowing a mishit[like
scooping up a mouthful of chili with a taco]
chimney(mountaineering) a cleft in a rock face just
wide enough to admit a climber to enter
chin(boxing) the ability to withstand punches;
(g ymnastics) to pull oneself up so that one’s chin
reaches the horizontal bar
chin music(baseball) colloquial term for a pitch
that passes close to the head of the batter;
(cricket) colloquial term for a bouncer that flies
up close to the head of the batsman[originally
a punch on the jaw]
chin-up(g ymnastics) an exercise in which the gymnastuses his arms to lift his chin over the horizontal bar
chinaman(cricket) an off breakor googlybowled
by a left-arm bowlerto a right-handed batsman
[said to have been introduced by a West Indian
bowler of Chinese descent]
Chinese cut(cricket) a mishitin the form of an
outside edge that sends the ballbehind the
wicket [perhaps so called because it is “devious,”
from racial stereotyping]
Chinese Grand Prix(auto racing) the Formula
One international Grand Prixheld on the circuit at Shanghai, China
Chinese snooker(snooker) a situation where the
cue ballis awkwardly placed, close to or touching another ball, but without actually being a
snooker
chip(general) a hitor kick that sends a ballhigh
into the air over a short distance; (golf) shortening of chip shot
chip in(golf) to put the ballin the holedirectly
from a chip shot
chip shot(golf) a shot, usually close to the green,
that sends the ball in a low trajectory, so that it
runs forward on landing
chip the winner (curling) to cast a stone that
“chips” the edge of another stone
Chipolopolo(association football) nickname of the
Zambian national team [local chipolopolo, “copper bullets,” for the copper important in the nacheckmark • Chipolopolo 32
tional eonomy and the deadly speed of the players]
chockstone(mountaineering) a stone jammed in a
crack, chimney, or crevice
choctaw(ice skating) a turn from either edge of
the skate to the other edge on the other foot in
the opposite direction [as distinct from a mohawk]
choke(golf) (1) to shorten the swinging length of
the clubby gripping it lower down the shaft;
(2) to crack or lose one’s nerve when in an apparently winning position
choke hold(judo, wrestling) a move to restrain
one’s opponent by encircling his neck with one’s
arm or legs
chop(general) a short, sharp downward blow or
stroke
chop block(American football) an illegal block
below the knees
chop volley(tennis) a volleyhit at waist height
close to the net
chopper(baseball) a ballthat bounces high after
being hit down to the ground
christiania(skiing) formal term for a christie
christie(skiing) a method of stopping short when
descending at speed, executed by turning with
the skisparallel [from Christiania, former name
of Oslo, Norway, where introduced]
Christmas tree(auto racing) colloquial term in
drag racingfor the array of yellow, green, and
red lights used to start a race
christy(skiing) another spelling of christie
chuck(cricket) a deliverytaken to be a throw, and
so illegal
chuck and chance it (angling) to fish without knowing whether a fish lies where the castis made
chucker(cricket) a bowlerwhose deliveryis regarded as a throw, and so illegal
chui(judo) a penaltyawarded for a serious violation [Japanese chui, “warning,” “caution”]
chukka(polo) one of the six periods into which a
gameis divided [Hindi chakkar, “wheel,” “circle”]
chukker(polo) another spelling of chukka
chum(angling) a groundbaitof chopped fish [origin uncertain]
Churchill Downs (horse racing) the racetrackat
Louisville, Kentucky, where the Kentucky
Derbyis held
chute(canoeing) a narrowing part of a river that
causes an increase in speed; (horse racing) an extension to a straightin an oval racecourse, used
in special races; (parachuting) shortening of
parachute
Cincinnati Reds(baseball) short name of the
Cincinnati Red Stockings team
circle(athletics) the area within which an athlete
must remain when throwing the hammer, discus, or shot; (general) a circular or semicircular
area marked on a playing area such as a field,
court, or rink
circuit(athletics) a single tour of a running track;
(auto racing) the specially designed looping road
or trackon which races are held; (general) (1) a
designated cross-country route, as in motocross; (2) the venuesvisited in turn by sports
competitors; (3) any circular route
circuit slugger(baseball) a regular sluggerwho
has to run the circuitof the basesevery time he
hits a home run
circuit training (general) a form of athletic
training using a series of different exercises
[the series forms a “circuit” or round of exercises]
circus(general) a team or group of players traveling together to compete in different places
cite(rugby union) to make an official complaint
about a player after a game
Citizens(association football) short name of the
English clubManchester City
City(association football) short name of a British
clubwith “City” in its name, as Brechin City,
Bristol City, Chester City, Elgin City, Manchester City, Norwich City
claimer(horse racing) another term for a claiming
race
claiming race(horse racing) a racein which any
horse that has taken part may be bought
(“claimed”) at a previously fixed price by anyone who has entered a horse at the same race
meeting
clap skates(ice skating) in speed skating, skates
with a blade hinged at the front so that it can be
separated from the heel of the skate and thus stay
longer in contact with the ice
Claret Jug(golf) popular name of the trophy
awarded at the Open Championship[from its
original design in 1873 in the style of a silver jug
used to serve red wine]
Clarets(association football) nickname of the English clubBurnley [from the dark red shirts of the
players]
clash of the ash(sport) descriptive nickname of
hurling[the hurleyis traditionally made from
the wood of the ash tree]
clash of the titans(general) nickname for a key
matchor contest, especially between national or
major teams
classic bow (archery) another name for the recurve
bow
classic race(horse racing) one of the five English
classics
classic technique(skiing) the traditional racing
technique in Nordic skiing, using a diagonal
stride with the skisparallel
33 chockstone • classic technique
classics(horse racing) short name of the English
classics
claw(bowls) a delivery grip in which the bowlis
held in the palm with the three middle fingers on
the playing surface and the thumb and pinkie
stretched either side
clay(shooting) colloquial shortening of clay pigeon
clay court(tennis) (1) a courtwith a clay surface;
(2) alternate term for a hard court
clay pigeon(shooting) the saucer-shaped disk of
baked clay shot at as a substitute game bird in
trapshooting
clay-pigeon shooting(shooting) a form of trapshootingusing a clay pigeon
clean(angling) without a catch; (weightlifting) the
first phase of the clean and jerkmovement in
which the weightlifterlifts the barbell from the
floor to shoulder height and holds it there with
arms bent in preparation for the jerk
clean and jerk(weightlifting) a liftin two parts in
which the cleanis followed by the jerk
clean bowled(cricket) (of ) a batsmanwho has
been bowled by a ballthat hit his stumpswithout first hitting his bator pad
clean round(equestrianism) another term for a
clear round
clean sheet(association football) a matchin which
no goalsare conceded
clean-up hitter(baseball) the hitterwho bats fourth
for the batting side, whose hitsare thought likely
to enable a baserunnerto score
clear(badminton) an overhead shotthat sends the
shuttlecockfrom one baselineto the other
clear hip circle (g ymnastics) a variant of the hip
circle in which the gymnast does not touch the
bar with his hips
clear round (equestrianism) in showjumping,
a roundridden without any faults or penalties
clear the boundary ropes(cricket) fuller term for
clear the ropes
clear the ropes(cricket) to hit the ballclear over the
ropesthat mark the boundary, so scoring a six
clear the table(snooker) to play a breakthat clears
all ballsfrom the billiard table
clearance(association football) a defensive kick
away from a dangerous attacking position; (field
hockey) a defensive hitaway from a dangerous
attacking position
cleat(cycling) a device attached to the bottom of a
cycling shoe that engages with the mechanism
on a clipless pedaland locks the riderto his bicycle
cleek(golf) an old-fashioned narrow-faced ironheaded club, corresponding to a 2-iron
clerk of the course(auto racing, horse racing) an
official in charge of administration
clerk of the scales(horse racing) the official whose
responsibility is to weigh inthe jockeys
clew(sailing) the lower corner of a sail
climb(cycling) a section of a raceor stagethat takes
ridersup a long hill or mountain
climb the ladder(American football) to jump very
high in order to catch the ball
climber(cycling) a riderwho specializes in climbs
climbing(mountaineering) the activity of ascending natural heights such as rocks, cliffs, or mountains, either for its own sake or as an integral part
of the sport
climbing rope(mountaineering) a rope serving as
an essential aid in climbing
climbing wall(mountaineering) a specially constructed wall with handholds and footholds,
used for practicing techniques in rock climbingor mountaineeringgenerally
clinch(boxing) the holding of one’s opponent in
such a way that he cannot throw punches
clip(American football) an illegal blockbelow the
waist from behind; (cricket) a sharp strokeof the
ball
clipless pedals(cycling) pedalsthat lock the rider
to his bicycle by means of cleatson the soles of
his shoes [so called because they avoid the need
for toeclips]
Clippers(basketball) short name of the Los Angeles Clippers team
clipping(ice hockey) the offense of delivering a
checkbelow an opponent’s knees
clips(cycling) shortening of toeclips
clock golf(golf) a form of puttingon a green
marked like a clock dial, in which players putt
from each hour figure in turn to a central hole
clocker(horse racing) a person such as a racingcorrespondent who times the training runs of horses
in order to get a guide to their form
clogger(association football) colloquial term for a
player whose tacklesare often fouls
Clonmel (horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland
close down(association football) to deny one’s opponents room to maneuver
close finish(general) a finishthat is only narrowly
won or gained
close-hauled (sailing) with sailstrimmed as closely
as possible to the direction the wind is coming
from
close season(angling) a set time of the year when
it is illegal to catch fish; (general) a period or
seasonwhen a sport is not normally played, as
winter for cricketin Britain
close the card(horse racing) to be the final racein
a race meeting
closer(baseball) a pitcherwhose specialty is defending a leadlate in the game
classics • closer 34
clothesline(American football) a foulin which a
player jabs his forearm into the throat of an oncoming opponent; (wrestling) the striking of a
moving opponent across the face or in the windpipe with one’s outstretched arm [the effect is
like running into a clothesline]
clout(archery) in long-distance shooting, a special
large targetin the form of a flat surface on the
ground divided into concentric circles
club(general) (1) the implement used for striking
the ballin various games, as a golf club; (2) an
association of people with common social, sporting, or other interests; (3) a formal association of
players of a named sport, as a football club or
golf club
club call(rugby league) the right of a clubto select
their opponents in a semifinal
club linesman(association football) an official who
assists the refereein matcheswhere there is no
assistant referee, as in many local games
clubface(golf) the striking surface of a club
clubhead(golf) the part of the clubthat strikes
the ball
clubhouse(golf) the premises attached to a golf
course
clutch team(general) a tough team that battles on
when in a poor position [they are “in the clutch”
or in a critical situation]
coach(general) a professional trainer, typically in
athleticsor rowing
coaming(canoeing) the raised rim of a cockpit
coarse fish(angling) any freshwater fish other than
those of the salmon family, as distinct from a
game fish
Cobblers(association football) nickname of the English clubNorthampton Town [from the local
footwear industry]
cock-a-bondy(angling) a type of dry fly[corruption of Welsh coch a bon ddu, “red with a black
stem”]
cocked hat(snooker) a shotin which the object
ballrebounds off three cushionstoward a middle pocket [the trajectory resembles the outline
of a three-cornered cocked hat]
cockpit(auto racing) the place where the driver sits
in the car; (canoeing) the space in the deck of a
kayakin which the kayakersits [originally the
pit where cockfights were held]
cocktail(horse racing) a horse that is not a thorougbbred[properly a horse with a cocked tail]
codriver(auto racing) in rally driving, the person
who takes turns in driving the vehicle and who
assists the main driver by carrying out organizational and administrative work
coffee grinder(g ymnastics) a movement in which
the gymnast, in a squatting position, circles his
leg while keeping both hands on the floor
coffin(cricket) colloquial term for the case used to
carry a player’s equipment and clothing
coffin corner(American football) the angle between
the goal lineand the sideline[a puntis often
aimed here so that it may go out of bounds and
become a dead ball]
collapse(general) the sudden failure or breakdown
of a player or team during a contest; (rugby union)
the breakdown of a scrum, especially when deliberately caused by a set of forwardsso that the
two front rowsfall toward each other
collar(rowing) another term for a button; (weightlifting) the device that secures the disk weights
to the barbell; (wrestling) a move in which the
opponent is tackled by the neck
collar the bowling(cricket) to hit the ballsdelivered by the bowlerall over the field
college football (American football) the sport as
played by teams of students at universities, colleges, and military academies
Colliers(association football) nickname of the English clubBarnsley [from the local coal-mining
industry]
color(snooker) any of the six colored ballswhich
are played after a red
colors(general) the distinctive colors worn by a
participant in a sport to show membership of a
team, club, college, or the like, or the identity of
an owner or sponsor
colt(cricket) a player during his first season; (general) (1) a young, inexperienced player; (2) a
member of a junior team; (horse racing) a male
horse under four years old
Colts(American football) short name of the Indianapolis Colts team
combat sport(general) a one-to-one sport in which
each combatant continually attacks the other and
protects himself from him, as wrestling or one of
the martial arts
combination(boxing) a series of punchesthrown
in quick succession
combination bat(table tennis) a batwith different
types of rubber on each side, used for different
shots
combined event(skiing) a downhill runfollowed
by two slalomruns
combined spin(swimming) in synchronized
swimming, a descending spin through at least
360 degrees followed immediately by an ascending spin in the same direction
come about(sailing) to change direction
come again(angling) to rise or take the baita second time; (horse racing) to regain speed
come from behind(general) to progress from the
rear of a group of contestants or from a losing
position into a winning position
come home(general) to complete a course
35 clothesline • come home
come in(cricket) to start an innings; (fencing) to
get within the guardof one’s opponent; (general) to take a specified place in a race
come off(cricket) to cease bowling
come on(cricket) to begin to bowl
comebacker(baseball) a ballhit directly back
along the ground by the batterto the pitcher
comma position(skiing) a position in which the
body is curved to one side, like a comma
Commonwealth Games(general) a quadrennial
sports contest between countries of the Commonwealth, first held (as the British Empire
Games) in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1930
complete(American football) (of ) a passthat is
successfully caught by a receiver
complete game (baseball) a gamein which a
pitcherrecords all 27 outs without being replaced by arelief pitcher
compound bow(archery) a bowequipped with a
system of pulleys and cables that allows the
archerto pull back the bowstringmore easily
compression(golf) the measure of the resilience of
a ball
compulsory(g ymnastics) a routinethat contains
obligatory moves
con(general) abbreviation of conversionin sports
reports
concours hippique(equestrianism) another term
for showjumping[French concours hippique, literally “hippic contest”]
conditional(horse racing) shortening of conditional jockey
conditional jockey(horse racing) a jockey who
may claim an allowance
conditional race(horse racing) a racein which only
conditional jockeysmay ride
conditions race(horse racing) the highest grade of
flat race, divided into pattern racesand listed
races[the races are governed by a condition or
set of conditions]
condor(golf) a (rare) scoreof four strokes under
paron a hole[as a “bird” greater and more impressive than an albatrossor an eagle]
cones(equestrianism) a discipline in carriage driving, in which the horse and carriage are maneuvered through a path of cones with balls balanced
atop, the dislodging of which incurs penalty
points
conference(general) an association of sports teams
that play each other, especially those representing educational institutions
Conn Smythe Trophy(ice hockey) the trophyfirst
donated in 1965 that is presented to the outstanding performer in the Stanley Cup playoffs [named for the Canadian player Conn
Smythe (1895–1980), founder of the Toronto
Maple Leafs]
connections(horse racing) the people associated with
a particular horse, such as the ownerand trainer
conquest(mountaineering) the successful ascent of
a mountain
consolation match(general) a matchfor contestants who have been unsuccessful or have not
won
consolation prize(general) a prizeawarded to a
contestant who was unsuccessful or just failed to
win
consolation race (general) a racefor contestants
who have been unsuccessful or have not won
contact(baseball) the touching of a baserunner
by a fielderwho holds the ball
contact sport(general) a sport involving bodily
contact between players
Continental Cup(ice hockey) the chief European
club championship
continuation stroke(croquet) the bonus stroke
taken either after a player has run a hoop or (as
a second bonus stroke) after a roquet
continuous spin(swimming) in synchronized
swimming, a descending spinthrough at least
720 degrees
contre-la-montre(cycling) another term for a time
trial [French contre la montre, “against the
watch”]
control point(orienteering) one of the checkpoints
marked on a map that competitors must visit en
route to their destination
conversion(American football) the scoring of an
extra point after a touchdownby kicking the
ballover the crossbar; (rugby league, rugby
union) the scoring of two extra pointsafter a try
by kicking the ballover the crossbar
Copa America(association football) a biennial
championshipfor South American countries,
first officially held in Montevideo, Uruguay,
in 1917 [Spanish Copa América, “America Cup”]
Copa del Rey(association football) an annual Spanish championshipfounded in 1902 [Spanish
Copa del Rey, “King’s Cup,” named for Alfonso
XIII (1886–1941)]
Copa Libertadores(association football) an annual
championshipfor South American countries,
first played in 1960 [Spanish Copa Libertadores de
América, “Liberators of America Cup”]
Corbett(mountaineering) a Scottish mountain peak
between 2,500 and 3,000 ft in height with a
reascent of 500ft on all sides [first listed by J.R.
Corbett (1876–1949)]
Cork (horse racing) a flatand National Hunt racecourseat Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland
corkscrew (boxing) a punchthrown with the
elbow out and a twisting motion of the wrist
corkscrew back drop(trampolining) one and a half
twiststo a back drop
come in • corkscrew 36
corner(association football) shortening of corner
kick; (boxing) (1) one of the diagonally opposite
angles of the ring, where a boxersits between
roundsand is attended by a second; (2) another
term for the second himself
corner flag(association football) one of the four
flags that mark the corners of the pitchwhere
the touchlinemeets the goal line
corner forward(hurling) a player in an attacking
position on the wing
corner hit(field hockey) another term for a long
corner
corner kick (association football) a kick awarded
to the attacking team at one of the four corners
of the pitchwhen a defending player puts the
ballout of play beyond the goal line
corner man (boxing) another term for a second
cornerback(American football)a defensive back,
usually covering an opposing wide receiver
Coronation Cup(horse racing) a racerun the day
after the Derby
Coronation Stakes(horse racing) a racerun during Royal Ascot
corps à corps(fencing) bodily contact between two
fencers [French corps à corps, “body to body”]
corridor of uncertainty(cricket) the area just outside the off stumpof a batsman, where he is
unsure what kind of stroketo play or whether to
play one at all
Cottagers(association football) nickname of the
English clubFulham [from their home ground
at Craven Cottage]
Cotton Bowl(American football) an annual college footballgame played since 1937 in Dallas,
Texas, matching teams from the Big Twelve
Conferenceand Southeastern Conference
Cougars(rugby league) short name of the English
clubKeighley Cougars
count(baseball) a tally of the number of balls and
strikesthat have been thrown during an at bat;
(boxing) the counting up to ten seconds by the
referee when a boxeris down on the canvas,
after which a win to his opponent by a knockoutis declared
countback(general) a method of determining a
winner in a contest when two competitors have
an equal scoreby taking their overall performance into account
counter(boxing) an attack made immediately after
an opponent throws a punch; (curling) a stone
in the housethat could be worth a pointat the
completion of the end; (fencing) a parryin
which one foil immediately follows the other;
(ice skating) a figurein which the body is revolved in a direction opposite to that in which it
was previously being revolved
counter play (American football) an offensive play
in which the player carrying the ballmoves in the
opposite direction to the other players
counterpunch(boxing) fuller term for a counter
country(cricket) another term for the outfield
country club(general) a clubin a rural area with
facilities for sports such as golf, swimming, and
tennis, as well as leisure and social activities
County(association football) (1) short name of the
English clubs Notts County and Stockport
County; (2) short name of the Scottish club Ross
County
County Championship(cricket) an annual contest by county cricketteams, first officially held
in 1890
county cricket(cricket) the sport as played between
first-classteams representing the 18 historical
British counties of Derbyshire, Durham, Essex,
Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent,
Lancashire, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and
Yorkshire
county ground(cricket) the home groundof a
club of county cricketplayers
county match(cricket) a matchbetween county
cricketteams
coup(billiards) the act of striking a ballso that it
goes into a pocketwithout hitting another ball
[French coup, “blow”]
Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett(ballooning) the sport’s most prestigious trophy, named
for the U.S. newspaper editor James Gordon Bennett, Jr. (1841–1918) and awarded since 1906 for
the furthest distance traveled from the launch site
[French Coupe Aéronautique, “Aeronautical Cup”]
coupon(general) a printed betting form on which
to enter forecasts of sports results, as especially a
football coupon
course(general) the ground or area over which a
raceis run or a gameplayed, as a golf course;
(horse racing) shortening of racecourse
course and distance(horse racing) (of ) a measure
for calculating a horse’s performance on a particular courseand in a raceover the same distance
course management(golf) the manner in which
a player adapts his gameto the demands of a
particular course
course specialist(horse racing) a traineror jockey
with a good record in racesat a named racecourse
court(general) a walled or marked-off area in which
a sport is played, as a squash courtor tennis
court
court game(general) a game played in a walled
court, such as fives, squash, or real tennis
court player(handball) a player other than the
goalkeeper
37 corner • court player
court tennis(sport) another term for real tennis[so
named for distinction from lawn tennis]
cover(cricket) shortening of cover point; (horse
racing) of a stallion, to copulate with a mare
cover drive(cricket) a driveby a batsmanthat goes
through the coverarea
cover point(cricket) a fieldingposition on the off
sidebetween pointand mid-on; (lacrosse) a defensive player just in front of pointwhose role is
to mark the opponents’ second home
cover shot(darts) a throwat another high number
when the treble 20 bedis obscured by a dartor
darts already thrown
cover tackle(rugby union) a tackleby a player running across the fieldbehind his teammates on
a player who has broken through the defensive
line
covers(cricket) a comprehensive term for cover
pointand extra cover; (general) a waterproof
covering spread over a playing area such as a
cricket pitchor tennis court to protect it from
rain
cow corner (cricket) colloquial term for the area
of the fieldnear the boundaryon the leg
sidebetween deep midwicketand long-on[an
area where fieldersare rarely positioned and so
where cows can graze during a gameof village
cricket]
cow shot (cricket) colloquial term for a slogto the
leg side in the direction of cow corner
cowabunga!(surfing) a surfer’s cry of exhilaration
when riding the crest of a wave [a meaningless exclamation originating on The Howdy DoodyTV
show in the 1950s]
cowboy(rodeo) a performer in the sport
Cowboys(American football) short name of the
Dallas Cowboys team
Cowes Week (sailing) a week of competitive racingheld annually at Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, since 1826
cox(rowing) the steersman who sits opposite stroke
and gives instructions during a race[shortening
of coxswain]
coxed four(rowing) a boat with four rowersand
a cox
coxed pair(rowing) a boat with two rowersand a
cox
coxless four (rowing) a boat with four rowersand
no cox, the steering being done by the bowman
with rudder lines attached to his shoes
coxless pair(rowing) a boat with two rowersand
no cox
coxswain(rowing) formal term for a cox[from
cock, “boat,” and swain, “servant”]
Coyotes(ice hockey) short name of the Phoenix
Coyotes team
crackback(American football) an illegal tacklein
which a receiverblocks a linebackeror defensive backby crashing into him at knee level
cradle(bowls) a delivery grip in which the bowlis
held in the palm with the fingers close together
and the thumb just below the disk on the side of
the bowl; (cricket) a device for practicing close
fieldingin the form of a bowl-shaped structure
that deflects a ballthrown into it; (lacrosse) a
gentle rocking action that keeps the ballnear
the edge of the netting in the crosseas the player
runs with it
cradle back drop(trampolining) a half-twistto a
back drop
crampon(mountaineering) a spiked metal attachment on a climbing boot that provides a grip on
snow and ice
crash and dash(skiing) a timed runbetween two
points on a piste
crash ball(rugby union) the taking or making of a
passby a player at the moment he receives a
tacklefrom the front
crash dive(trampolining) a three-quarter forward
somersaultwith the body fully extended during its descent to the bed
crash mat(athletics, g ymnastics) a thick mattress
used to absorb the impact of landing after a
jumpor other aerial maneuver
crash out(general) to be eliminated unexpectedly
or dramatically from a contest [as literally in auto
racing]
crash tackle(association football) a vigorous tackle
Craven Cottage(association football) the home
groundof Fulham football club, London
crawl(swimming) a high-speed strokewith alternate rotation of the arms from the shoulder and
rapid kicks of the legs
crazy golf(golf) a form of puttingin which the
ballhas to be maneuvered over or through a range
of obstacles to reach the central hole
cream-puff hitter(baseball) colloquial term for a
weak or ineffective batter
crease(cricket) a line that regulates the positions
of the bowlerand batsmanat the wicket; (ice
hockey, lacrosse) an area marked out in front of the
goal
creeper(cricket) a ballthat travels low along the
ground after being delivered by the bowler[it
does not bounce up as expected but “creeps” beneath the bat]
crew(general) a team of people giving technical
support to a competitor, as in rally driving;
(rowing) the oarsmen(and cox, where appropriate) in a racing boat; (sailing) the body of people (or the sole person) manning a boat or yacht
cricket(sport) a game played with batand ball by
two teams of 11players on a marked-out pitch, the
object of the batsmenbeing to score as many
court tennis • cricket 38
runsas possible and that of the bowler and fieldersto dismissthe batsmen as soon as possible
cricket bag(cricket) a type of long bag for carrying a player’s batand other equipment
cricket ball(cricket) the hard, red ball covered in
polished leather that is delivered by the bowler
to the batsmanand caught or retrieved by the
fielders
cricket bat(cricket) the long, flat-sided, wooden
implement with which the batsman strikes the
ball
cricket club(cricket) an established clubof cricketers[typically in the names of county cricket
teams, as Surrey Cricket Club]
cricket ground(cricket) the fieldwith a central
pitchwhere cricketis played
cricket match(cricket) a matchbetween two teams
cricket pads(cricket) the padsworn by batsmen
cricket pitch(cricket) the central pitchon the field
where the gameis played
cricket stumps(cricket) the three stumps(with
bails) that form the wicket
cricketana(cricket) publications or other items
concerned with cricket
cricketer(cricket) a person who plays cricket,
whether for pleasure or professionally
criterium(cycling) a raceconsisting of a series of
lapsover public roads [French critérium, “test”]
critical area(lacrosse) the area immediately in front
of the goal
critical point(skiing) another name for the k point
Crocodiles(handball) popular name of Australia’s
national men’s team [from the reptile native to
the country]
Croke Park(Gaelic football) the stadium in
Dublin, Ireland, that is the venue for the AllIreland finals and other important matches
Croker(Gaelic football) local nickname for Croke
Park
crooked number(baseball) colloquial term for any
number other than 0 or 1on the scoreboard[all
such numbers have more complex figures]
croquet(croquet) a shotin which the strikerplaces
his ballin contact with the ball that it struck in
a roquetand now strikes it so that it drives the
other ball away; (sport) a gameon a lawn for two
or four players who compete to hit ballswith
malletsthough hoopsto a central peg [said to
be dialect form of French crochet, from croche,
“hook”]
croquet ball(croquet) one of the colored wooden
ballswith which croquetis played
croquet hoop (croquet) one of the six hoops
through which ballsare driven
croquet lawn(croquet) a lawn on which croquetis
played
croquet shot(croquet) fuller term for a croquet
cross(association football) a transverse pass, especially when made to the area in front of the opponents’ goal; (boxing) a straight punchdelivered
from the side; (g ymnastics) a position on the
ringsin which the body is held rigid and the
arms extended horizontally
cross-batted(cricket) (of ) a shotplayed with the
bathorizontal
cross-body ride(wrestling) another term for a
grapevine
cross-buttock(wrestling) a throwin which the hip
is used to throw the opponent off his balance
cross-country(equestrianism) an eventthat simulates riding through open country, including
jumps; (general) the crossing of open country,
avoiding roads, either for exercise or as a competitive race
cross-country running (athletics) a foot race
across sections of countryside, with obstacles
such as hedges, ditches, and stiles
cross-country skiing(skiing) a raceacross sections
of countryside, as in Nordic skiing
cross-court(table tennis) (of ) a shothit diagonally
from one corner of the table to the other; (tennis) (of ) a shothit diagonally across the court
cross-fire(shooting) firing at a rival’s targetin error
cross-foot spin(ice skating) a spin performed on
the flat of the bladeswith the legs crossed
cross-handed grip(golf) a grip with the right
hand below the left (for a right-handed player)
cross-training(general) (1) training in different
sports in order to improve one’s skills and performance in one’s main sport; (2) a form of fitness
training that alternates in a single session between
exercises using gymnasiumequipment and aerobics
crossbar(general) the horizontal bar across a pair
of goal posts
crosscheck(ice hockey, lacrosse) an offensein which
a player holds up his stickwith both hands and
pushes it across an opponent’s body
crosse(lacrosse) the playing stick, with a pocket at
the top end for catching, carrying, and throwing the ball
crossfield(association football) (of ) a long pass
made sideways
crossing(rugby union) an illegal move in which a
player crosses in front of the player carrying the
ball, thus preventing the defensive team from
making a tackle
crosskick(association football) a kickof the ball
across the field
crossline(angling) a fishing linestretched across a
stream with a number of hooksattached
crossover(ice skating) a basic move in which one
skateis crossed over the other when turning a
corner and increasing speed
39 cricket bag • crossover
crossover dribble(basketball) a dribblemade first
with one hand then the other
crouch(athletics) shortening of crouch start
crouch start(athletics) a position adopted with the
knees bent at the startof a race
crown(general) a reward or honor accorded the
winner of a championshipor other contest
crown bowls(bowls) bowlsplayed on a crown
green
crown green(bowls) a greenthat is larger than that
used for lawn bowlsand that slopes gently upward from the sides to a central “crown”
Crows(Australian Rules) short name of the Adelaide
Crows team
Crucible(snooker) the theater in Sheffield, England,
where the world championshipis held
crucifix(g ymnastics) another name for the cross
cruiser(boxing) a cruiserweight boxer
cruiserweight(boxing) the professional weightcategory of maximum 86kg (190lb)
crush stroke(croquet) an illegal strokemade when
a mallettouches a ballthat is in contact with a
pegor hoop, other than playing it away
Cruyff turn(association football) a move to lose a
tracking opponent in which the player pretends
to pass the ballbut instead drags it back, turns
his body, and runs in the opposite direction [introduced by the Dutch player Johann Cruyff
(1947–)]
Cubs(baseball) short name of the Chicago Cubs
team
cue(billiards, snooker) a long tapered wooden rod
with a leather tip, used to strike the ball[French
queue, “tail”]
cue ball(billiards, snooker) the ballstruck by the
cue so that it in turn strikes the object ball
cue extension(billiards, snooker) a shaft extension
attached to a cue, used when a shot with a
standard-length cue is not possible
cue tip(billiards, snooker) the leather tip of a cue
cuervo(g ymnastics) a vaultin the form of a handspringoff the springboard, then a half-twist
followed by a backward saltooff the horse[introduced by the Cuban gymnastJorge Cuervo
in 1973]
Cultural Olympics(Olympics) an arts festival
staged to complement the Olympic Games, first
held at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and evolving from an educational enterprise initiated in
1929 by U.S. art patron and civic leader Samuel
S. Fleisher (1871–1944)
Cumbrians(association football) nickname of the
English clubCarlisle United [from the county of
Cumbria in which they are based]
cup(general) the trophyin the form of an ornamental cup awarded to a winner or champion;
(golf) the plastic or metal casing lining a hole
Cup(association football) shortening of Cup Final
cup final(general) the final and deciding match
in a competition for a cup
Cup Final(association football) the matchbetween
the winners of the finalof the FA Cup, held at
Wembley
cup of coffee(baseball) colloquial term for a spell
in the majorsby a player who then returns to
the minors
cup tie(general) one of a series of matchesto decide the winner of a cup
cup-tied(association football) (of ) a player ineligible to play for his clubin a cup tiebecause he
played for another club earlier in the competition; (general) (of ) a player unable to play in a
cup tiebecause he is injured or otherwise disallowed
cup winner(general) the winner of a cup, especially in a final
Cuppers(field hockey, rugby union) colloquial term
for the annual intercollegiate matches at Oxford
University, played for a cup[cupwith the Oxford slang suffix -er]
cuppy(golf) (of ) a ballin a “cup” or shallow depression in the ground
curl(American football) a pattern of play in which
two receiverscross each other; (cricket) a ball
delivered by a bowler that curves before or after
pitching; (surfing) the part of a hollow wave that
loops over as it breaks
curl pattern(American football) the route taken
by a receiverwhen he runs up the fieldthen
turns back toward the line of scrimmage
curler(curling) a player of the sport
curling(sport) a game, played mainly in Scotland,
in which each team slides a series of stonesover
the ice toward a target circle while aiming to
dislodge the other team’s stones already in the
circle
Curragh(horse racing) the center of the Irish horsebreeding industry in Co. Kildare, Ireland, with
a coursethat hosts many important flat races,
including the Irish Derby
Currie Cup(cricket, rugby union) the cupawarded
to the winner of a series of matchesbetween
provincial teams in South Africa [presented in
1890 by Sir Donald Currie (1825–1909)]
Curtis Cup (golf) the cupawarded to the winner
of the biennial tournamentbetween amateur
women’s teams from the U.S. and the U.K and
Ireland [donated in 1932 by the former U.S. amateur championsHarriot and Margaret Curtis]
curve(baseball) shortening of curveball
curveball(baseball) a ballthrown by the pitcher
with a spinthat gives it an arcing trajectory
curvet(equestrianism) an element of dressagein
which the horse rears up then leaps forward on
crossover dribble • curvet 40
its hindlegs before its forelegs are lowered [Italian corvetta, “little curve”]
cush(billiards, snooker) colloquial shortening of
cushion
cushion(billiards, snooker) the padded lining of
the inner side of the billiard table, from which
the balls rebound
cusp(ice skating) the point in a turn when the
skater moves from one edge of the skateto the
other
custodian(association football) colloquial term for
a goalkeeper
cut(American football) the regular sackings during pre-season practice of players deemed not fit
enough to make the grade; (cricket) a shoton
the off side, between coverand third man,
made with the bat almost horizontal; (fencing)
a strokewith the edge of the weapon rather than
the point; (golf) (1) a strokethat deliberately
makes the ball move from left to right in the air
(for a right-handed player); (2) a reduction of
the fieldin a tournament after a set number of
rounds, so that only players with the better
scoresqualify to play in the final round; (tennis)
a downward stroke, usually involving spin
cut and thrust(fencing) the use of both the edge
and the point of the weapon
cut back(association football) to kick back sharply
cut fastball(baseball) another term for a cutter
cut in the ground(horse racing) (of ) a coursewhere
the going is softor yielding[so that the horse’s
hooves imprint the turf]
cut line(squash) another term for the service line
cut-off man(baseball) a fielderwho goes out to a
long throwfrom the outfieldbefore it reaches
the infield
cut-over(fencing) an offensive disengagemade
over the opponent’s blade
cutback(surfing) a maneuver to change direction
and head back toward the breaking part of the
wave
cutter(baseball) a fastballwith a late veer to one
side; (cricket) a ballthat turns sharply after
pitching
cutting edge (fencing) the sharp edge of a saber
Cy Young Award(baseball) a trophyawarded to
the outstanding pitcherin the major leagues,
inaugurated in 1956 [commemorating the U.S.
player Cy Young (1867–1955)]
cycle(baseball) a single, double, triple, and home
runhit by a batterin a single game; (cycling) a
bicycle
cycle race(cycling) a raceof cyclists, as individuals or in teams
cycleball(sport) a modified form of association
footballin which the players, mounted on bicycles, maneuver the ballwith their front wheels
cycling (sport) (1) the sport of racing on bicycles; (2)
the riding of a bicycle for exercise or pleasure
cyclist(cycling) a participant in a cycle race
cyclo-cross(sport) cross-countryracing on bicycles
D(association football) the semicircular area at the
edge of the penalty boxoutside which players
must stand when a penaltyis being taken; (billiards, snooker) the semicircular area that adjoins the
balk lineat the bottom end of the billiard table;
(field hockey) another name for the shooting circle[the areas have the shape of a capital “D”]
dab(cricket) a gentle deflection of the ballby the
batsmanto the off side
daff y(skiing) a maneuver in which an air-borne
skierextends one leg forward and the other back
daily double(horse racing) a beton the winners of
two different raceson one day of a meeting,
with the stake and winnings from the first placed
on the second
daisycutter(cricket) a ball bowled along the ground,
or one that stays low after pitching
Dakar rally(auto racing) short name of the ParisDakar rally
Dale(association football) short name of the English clubRochdale
dam(greyhound racing) the mother of a greyhound;
(horse racing) the mother of a foal
dan(martial arts) a grade of black belt[Japanese
dan, “grade,” “step”]
dance floor(golf) colloquial term for the green
[it is flat and smooth]
dancing(ice skating) shortening of ice dancing
dandy line(angling) a weighted fishing linewith
crosspieces at short intervals, each with a hook
at either end
danger(horse racing) a horse seen as a possible threat
to a likely winner
danger line(athletics) the distance a runner must
go before overtaking a rival and winning a race
danger man(general) a player seen as posing a particular threat
danger position(wrestling) a position that places
an opponent’s back at less than a right angle to
the mat
dangerous play(association football) any play
which is likely to injure another player, such as
raising one’s leg to kick the ball from an opponent as he is running up for a header
dap(angling) to fish with a flythat bounces gently on the surface of the water
Dark Blues (association football) nickname of the
Scottish clubDundee [from the color of the
team’s shirts]
dark horse(horse racing) a horse whose racing
formis not known
dart(darts) the small pointed missile thrown in
darts
c and b (cricket) abbreviation of caught and
bowledin scoring
cabbage(golf) colloquial term for the rough
caber(athletics) the heavy pole, usually the trimmed
trunk of a tree, used in the sport of tossing the
caberat Highland games
caddie(golf) the person who assists a golferduring a round by carrying the clubs, advising on
the choice of club, and using his knowledge of
the courseto read the green[Scots form of
French cadet, originally “youngest son”]
caddie car(golf) a small motorized vehicle for
transporting players and equipment around a
course
caddie cart(golf) a light trolley for carrying a bag
of golf clubsaround a course
caddy(golf) another spelling of caddie
cadence(cycling) the rate at which a rideris pedaling
cage(baseball) an enclosed area for batting practice;
(ice hockey) colloquial term for the goal
Calcutta Cup(rugby union) the cupfor which England and Scotland have competed since 1879
[so called as made from the silver rupees remaining in the funds of the Calcutta Football Club,
India, when it was disbanded in 1877]
Calder Memorial Trophy(ice hockey) the trophy
awarded for the rookieof the year [named for
Frank Calder, president of the National Hockey
Leaguefrom 1917 to 1943]
Caley Jags (association football) nickname of
the Scottish clubInverness Caledonian Thistle
[“Caley” from Caledonian, “Jags” as a colloquial
term for the jagged leaves of a thistle, the Scottish national emblem]
calf-roping(rodeo) an eventin which a mounted
competitor chases a calf, lassoes it, dismounts,
throws the calf to the ground by hand, then ties
up three of its feet with a short rope
Calgary Stampede(rodeo) an annual eventand
stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, founded
in 1912
call(cricket) a shouted direction by a batsmanto
his partner whether to run (“Yes!”) or to remain
in the crease (“No!”); (tennis) a decision by
the umpire or a line judge on the status of a
shot
call a cab(horse racing) to wave one arm as a jockey
in order to retain balance when taking a fence
call one’s shot(billiards, snooker) to say which ball
one intends for which pocket
callisthenics(g ymnastics) special exercises designed
to achieve strength, fitness, and grace of movement
calx(Eton wall game) the area behind the goal line,
defined by a white line [Latin calx, “lime”]
cam(mountaineering) a mechanical device that
grips into a crack in the rock
caman(hurling, shinty) the slim curved stickused
in the game
Camanachd Cup(shinty) a cup involving 16
teams, first competed for in 1896 [Gaelic camanachd, “shinty”]
Cambridgeshire(horse racing) an annual handicapat Newmarket, first run in 1839 [name of the
county in which it was originally located]
camel spin(ice skating) a spinon one foot, with the
back arched and the non-skating leg extended
horizontally behind [the pose suggests the
humped back of a camel]
camogie(hurling) a modified form of the game
played by women [played with a stick called a
camog, a Gaelic word related to caman]
campaign(horse racing) to prepare a horse for a race
can(golf) colloquial term for the hole
Can-Am(auto racing) short name of the CanadianAmerican Grand Challenge Cup, an annual series of races, six in the U.S. and two in Canada,
first held in 1866
can of corn(baseball) colloquial term for an easy
catchfor a fielder[said to derive from the can on
a stack in a grocery that a sales clerk would
knock down with a stick and catch]
Canada Cup(golf) former name of the World
Cup
Canadian canoe (canoeing) a long narrow canoe
propelled by a single-bladed paddle
Canadian football(sport) a gamesimilar to American football but with 12 players a sideand a
longer field of play
Canadian Grand Prix(auto racing) the Formula
One international Grand Prixheld on the Gilles
Villeneuve circuit at Montreal, Canada
Canadiens(ice hockey) short name of the Montreal
Canadiens team
Canal Turn(horse racing) a difficult jump on the
Grand Nationalcourse at Aintree
Canaries(association football) nickname of the English clubNorwich City [either from the local
former breeding and exhibition of canaries, or
from the city’s mustard-making industry, with
the associated color represented in the yellow
shirts of the players]
cannon(billiards) the striking of both the redand
one’s opponent’s ballin a single shot; (croquet)
a croquet shotand roquetmade in a single
stroke; (snooker) a shotin which the cue ball
deflects from the object ballinto another ball
[altered form of carom]
cannon game(billiards) another term for carom
billiards
cannon-off(bowls) a deliveryin which one bowl
rebounds at an angle from another
27 c • cannon-off
cannonball(tennis) colloquial term for a fast serve
canoe(canoeing) the light, narrow, flat-bottomed
boat, propelled by one or more paddles, that is
used for the sport
canoe polo(water polo) a form of the gamein
which the participants are in short canoesusing
double paddles
canoeing(sport) (1) a contest between canoeists;
(2) the pastime of traveling in canoes
canoeist(canoeing) (1) a competitor in canoeing;
(2) a person who travels in a canoe
canopy(parachuting) the overhead, expanding part
of a parachute
canopy formation(parachuting) the stacked formation adopted by skydiversonce their canopies
have opened
canter(equestrianism) a horse’s gait, slower than a
gallopbut faster than a trot, in which three legs
are off the ground at the same time [shortening
of Canterbury gallop, from the easy paceat which
medieval pilgrims rode to Canterbury]
Canucks(ice hockey) short name of the Vancouver Canucks team
canvas(boxing) the floor of a ring; (rowing) a term
used to describe the measure of lead between
two boats in a close race, fixed as the length between the bowand the first oarsman[properly
the covering over the ends of the boat, originally
made of canvas]
canyoning(sport) an extreme sportin which participants jump into a fast-flowing mountain
stream or waterfall and allow themselves to be
swept rapidly downstream
cap(association football) (1) a commemorative cap
given to a national player each time he plays in
an international match; (2) an appearance by a
national player at international level; (general)
a distinguishing cap worn by a player or participant in a particular sport
Capitals(ice hockey) short name of the Washington Capitals team
capriole(equestrianism) an element of dressagein
which the horse leaps up with all four feet off
the ground and kicks its back legs at the height
of the jump[Old French capriole, “leap”]
captain(general) the leader of a sports team or
club
Captain Armstrong(horse racing) a jockey who
holds his horse back with a “strong arm” in order
to stop it drawing ahead
captain’s pick(general) (1) a player selected for a
team by its captain; (2) an outstanding player
carabiner(mountaineering) a steel link with a
spring clip in one side through which a rope can
be threaded in abseiling[German Karabinerhaken, “spring hook”]
carambole(billiards) the formal name of a carom
card(golf) shortening of scorecard; (horse racing)
shortening of racecard
Cardinals(American football) short name of the
Arizona Cardinals team; (baseball) short name of
the St. Louis Cardinals team
cardio(general) exercises to tone the circulatory
system, carried out in a gymnasiumand typically
involving equipment such as the treadmillor
exercise bikeand cross-training[abbreviation
of cardiovascular exercises]
Carling Cup(association football) the cupfor
which teams in the Football Leaguecompete
[to 1982 called the League Cup, a name still popularly current, and after that date successively
the Milk Cup, Littlewoods Cup, Rumbelows
Cup, Coca Cola Cup, and Worthington Cup,
eventually adopting its present sponsored name
in 2003]
Carlisle(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Carlisle, Cumbria, England
Carnoustie(golf) the coursenear Dundee, Scotland, that until 1975 hosted the Open Championship
carom(billiards) another term for a cannon[shortening of carambole, from French carombole, from
Spanish carambola, “the red ball in billiards”]
carom ball(cricket) a ballbowled by a spin bowler
with a flick of his middle finger [named after
caromas an Indian board game in which disks are
flicked onto the table]
carom billiards (billiards) a form of billiards
played on a tablewith no pocketsand thus consisting in making a series of cannons
carpet(bowls) the surface on which indoor bowls
is played; (cricket) the surface of the pitchand the
outfield; (golf) (1) colloquial term for the fairway; (2) colloquial term for the putting green
carriage driving(equestrianism) a disciplinein
which a two- or four-wheeled carriage with one
or more horses competes in dressage, a crosscountry time trial, and the negotiation of a
winding course marked out by cones
carrot(croquet) the part of the hoopbelow the
ground
carry(golf) the distance a balltravels through the
air before touching the ground at or near its destination; (ice hockey) to advance the puckdown
the ice by controlling it with one’s stick
carry one’s bat (cricket) to remain not outafter
batting throughout an innings
cart(golf) shortening of golf cart
CART Championship (auto racing) former name
of the ChampCar Championship[acronym of
Championship Autoracing Teams]
Cartmel(horse racing) a National Hunt racecourseat Cartmel, Cumbria, England
cartwheel(bowls) a bowldelivered with a marked
cannonball • cartwheel 28
bias; (g ymnastics) a sideways somersaultwith
arms and legs extended
carving(skiing) a technique of making fast turns by
turning the skisso that the edges cut into the
snow; (snowboarding) a technique of making fast
turns by turning the boardso that the edge cuts
into the snow; (surfing) the execution of large
smooth turns on a wave
carving skis(skiing) skis specifically designed for
carving
Cas(rugby league) short name of the English club
Castleford Tigers
cast(angling) the throwing of a fishing lineor net;
(trampolining) a sideways movement across the
bed
castle(cricket) colloquial term for the wicketdefended by the batsman
casual water(golf) a pool of water caused by rain
or flooding, from where a ballcan be repositioned without penalty
cat(sailing) shortening of catamaran
cat stance(karate) a position in which the front
footis raised ready to kick
cat-twist back drop(trampolining) a full twistto
a back drop
catamaran(sailing) a boat with two hulls
catch(angling) (1) the capture of a fish; (2) the
amount of fish caught; (baseball) the catching
by a fielderof the ballhit by the batterbefore
it touches the ground, so that he is out; (bowls)
a bowlthat prevents another from passing;
(cricket) the catching by a fielderof the ballhit
by the batsmanbefore it touches the ground, so
that he is out; (general) a simple game, popular
among children, in which a ballis thrown and
caught in turn; (rowing) the moment when the
bladeenters the water at the beginning of the
stroke
catch a crab (rowing) to sink the oartoo deep (or
not deep enough) in the water, causing the
rowerto fall back and the boat to be jolted and
even halted [as if the oar had been caught by a
crab]
catch and kick(Gaelic football) to catch the ball
and instantly kick it as a pass
catch and release(angling) the practice of releasing a fish after it has been caught and weighed
catch-as-catch-can(wrestling) a form of the sport
in which any holdis allowed
catch-waist camel spin(ice skating) in pair skating, a camel spinwith the free legs pointing in
opposite directions and each partner’s arms
around the other’s waist
catcher(baseball) the fielder positioned behind
the batter
catenaccio(association football) a rigidly defensive
system of playintroduced in the 1960s by the
Italian clubInter Milan, comprising four defenders, three midfielders, and three attackers
[Italian catenaccio, “bolt”]
Cats(Australian Rules) short name of the Geelong
Cats team
cats on the counter(darts) the winning of a game
[said to derive from the “cats” or large drinking
pots that the losers were obliged to line up on
the counter before the next game]
Catterick(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Catterick Bridge, North Yorkshire,
England
catworm(angling) a worm (Nephthys hombergi)
commonly used as bait
caught(cricket) (of ) a batsmanwhose strokeresulted in a catch, so that he is out
caught and bowled(cricket) (of ) a batsmanwhose
stroke gave a catchto the bowler
caught behind(cricket) (of ) a batsmanwhose
strokegave a catchto the wicketkeeper(who is
behind the wicket)
Caulfield Cup (horse racing) the cupawarded to the
winner of an annual race at Caulfield, Melbourne, Australia, first run in 1879
cauliflower ear (boxing) an ear permanently
swollen and disfigured by repeated blows [in appearance resembling the clumped shape of a
cauliflower]
caution (association football) another term for
a booking; (boxing) a reprimand given to a
boxerby the refereefollowing an infringement,
three such reprimands usually resulting in a
warning
Cavaliers(basketball) short name of the Cleveland
Cavaliers team
caver(caving) a person who explores caves
caving(sport) the exploration of caves
cavity back(golf) a clubheadwith a depression on
the back
Celtic League(rugby union) a contest between
major Irish, Welsh, and Scottish teams, introduced in 2001[the teams come from the Celtic
countries of the British Isles]
Celtics(basketball) short name of the Boston
Celtics team
center(American football) the player in the center
of the offensive line who begins the playwith a
snapof the ballto a player in the backfield;
(archery, shooting) the area of the targetbetween
the bulland the outer; (association football) a
kick from either of the wingsto the center of
the pitch; (Australian Rules) a player in midfield;
(basketball) the position of a player immediately
under the basket; (field hockey) a passfrom either of the wingsto the center of the pitch;
(lacrosse) a midfieldplayer who competes in the
drawand links play between defenseand at-29 carving • center
tack; (netball) a player who can operate anywhere on the courtexcept in the shooting circle; (rugby league, rugby union) one of the two
three-quartersin the center of the pitch
center back(association football) a player in the
middle of the defense
center bounce (Australian Rules) another term for
a ball up
center circle(association football) the circle painted
on the middle of the pitch, at the center of which
is the center spot
center field (baseball) the part of the outfielddirectly behind second baseas viewed from home
plate
center fielder(baseball) the fielderpositioned in
center field
center forward(association football, field hockey)
the central player in the line of forwards
center half(association football, field hockey) the
central player behind the center forward
center half back (Australian Rules) a defensive
player operating near the middle of the 50-meter arc
center half-forward(Australian Rules) an attacking player operating behind the full forward
center line(ice hockey) another term for the red
line
center pass(field hockey) the passthat starts the
game, made by a center from the center spotto
a teammate; (netball) the throwfrom the center of the courtthat starts the game
center service line(tennis) the line parallel to the
tramlinesthat divides the right and left service
courts
center spot(association football) the painted spot
in the center of the pitchfrom which the kickoffis made at the start of each halfand after the
scoring of a goal; (billiards) the spoton the billiard table midway between the two middle
pockets, corresponding to the blue spotin
snooker
center square(Australian Rules) the square marked
in the center of the oval
center three-quarter(rugby union) one of the two
middle players in the line of three-quarters
centerboard(sailing) a retractable keelor fin
centerman(ice hockey) the forward playing between two wingers
Central American and Caribbean Games(Olympics) regional gamesheld since 1926 for competitors from the countries of Central America and
the Caribbean
Central American Games(Olympics) the name to
1935 of the Central American and Caribbean
Games
central circle(wrestling) the inner circle of the mat
central contract(cricket) the contracting of a player
to his national team as well as to his county or
state team
central fire(shooting) (of ) a cartridge with its fulminate in the center of the base
central wrestling area(wrestling) the circle on the
mat between the passivity zoneand the central
circle
centre(general) another spelling of center
Centre Court(tennis) the central and most important courtat Wimbledon, where the finalof the
championshipsis played
centurion(cricket) a batsmanwho scores a century
Centurions(rugby league) short name of the English clubLeigh Centurions
century(cricket) a scoreof 100 runsby a batsman;
(snooker) a breakof 100 or more points
Cesarewitch(horse racing) an annual handicapat
Newmarket, first run in 1839 [inaugurated by
the tsesarevich, the heir to the Russian throne
who became Alexander II (1818–1881)]
chain gang(American football) the members of the
officiating team who measure the 10 yards
needed to gain a new set of downs
chainring(cycling) the gear wheel that drives the
chain
chains(American football) a method employed by
the officiating team to measure the yardage
needed to gain a new set of downs
chainwheel(cycling) another term for the chainring
Chair(horse racing) a jumpon the Grand National
course at Aintree
Chairboys(association football) nickname of the
English clubWycombe Wanderers [from the
furniture-making industry in the town of High
Wycombe]
chairlift(skiing) a set of seats suspended on cables
used to transport skiers uphill
chairman(wrestling) one of the three officials in
charge of a bout, the others being the judgeand
the referee
chalk(snooker) the small cube of colored chalk
rubbed on the tip of the cueto give a good contact when striking the cue ball; (weightlifting)
the magnesium carbonate powder (not actually
chalk) applied by weightliftersto their hands
to help them grip the barbell
chalk eater(horse racing) colloquial term for a
punterwho bets only on the favorite [he follows the bookmakeras he writes up the latest
oddsin chalk]
challenge(general) an invitation to take part in a
sporting contest, especially to a reigning champion
Challenge Cup(rugby league) the leading British
cup competition, first held in 1929
challenge match(general) a matchheld as a challenge
center back • challenge 30
challenger(general) a person who takes up a challenge, especially to a reigning champion
champ(general) colloquial shortening of champion
champagne breakfast(darts) a scorein a single
throwof treble 20, treble 5, and treble 1, bettering a breakfast
ChampCar(auto racing) a finely tuned car, but
with a smaller engine than a Formula Onecar,
that takes part in the annual championshipof
this name [short for Championship Car]
champion(general) a competitor who has excelled
all others, especially in boxing
Champion Hurdle(horse racing) an annual race
at Cheltenham, first run in 1927
Champion Jockey(horse racing) the title of the
jockeywho rides the most winnersin a particular season, in both flat racingand National Hunt
Champions’ Dinner(golf) popular name for the
Masters Club
Champions League(association football) informal
name of the UEFA Champions League
Champions Trophy(cricket) an annual one-day
international tournamentfirst held in 1998, regarded as the most important of its kind after
the World Cup;(field hockey) an annual tournamentfirst held in 1978
Championship(association football) the group of
teams that replaced Division1 in 2004; (general) short title of a particular championship,
as the Open Championshipin golf
championship(general) (1) a contest held to determine who will be champion; (2) the titleawarded
to the winner of such a contest
chance(general) an opportunity of achieving a
positive result during a match, such as dismissing a batsmanin cricketor scoring a goalin
association football
change(cricket) the substitution of one bowler(or
type of bowling) for another during a match;
(horse racing) the fractions of a second taken to
declare the time of the first four horses in a race
change bowler(cricket) a bowlerwho relieves the
regular bowlers in a match
change ends(general) to switch from occupying
one half of an area of play, as a pitchor court,
to the other, so changing the direction of play
change-foot spin(ice skating) a spinin which a
jumpis made from one foot to the other
change-up(baseball) an unexpectedly slowpitch
intended to deceive the batter
changeover(athletics) the handing over of the
batonby one runner to another in a relay race;
(general) the point in a gameor match at which
the two sides change ends
changing room(general) a room or premises at a
sports ground where players change their
clothes before and after a game and discuss tactics
Chanticleers(rugby league) the English name for
the French national Tricolores team [from Chanticleer as a name for the domestic cock, the symbolic bird of France]
chap and lie(bowls) to deliver a bowlso that it
hits another and takes its place; (curling) to deliver a stoneso that it hits another and takes its
place
charge(golf) to play a roundaggressively
charge down(rugby league, rugby union) to run toward a kicked ball and block it with the hands
or body
Chargers(American football) short name of the
San Diego Chargers team
charging(basketball) the offenseof running into a
stationary defenderwhile in possessionof the
ball
charity event(general) an amateur contest, such as
a raceor match, organized to raise money for
charity
charity stripe(basketball) colloquial term for the
foul line
charity toss(basketball) colloquial term for a free
throw
chase(real tennis) the second impact of an unreturned ball, for which the player scores unless
his opponent betters it by a similar impact nearer
the end wall; (horse racing) shortening of steeplechase
chase track(horse racing) a racetrackwith fences
(for a steeplechase)
chaser(cycling) a riderwho is trying to catch up
with a break; (horse racing) a horse that competes in steeplechases
chassé(ice skating) a sequence in which the foot
that is not in contact with the ice moves up next
to the skating foot without passing it and replaces it as the skating foot [French chassé,
“chase”]
cheap(cricket) (of ) a wickettaken after the batsmanhas scored only a few runs
check(ice hockey) the (legitimate) blocking of an
opponent’s forward progress with one’s shoulder or hip
check side(snooker) a sidethat causes the cue ball
to rebound off the cushionat less of an angle
than in a normally struck shot
checkdown(American football) a short passto a
running backas a final option when the wide
receiversare covered
checkered flag(auto racing) another spelling of
chequered flag
checking(trampolining) the technique of absorbing the recoil from the bedby flexing the body
at the hips, knees, and ankles
31 challenger • checking
checkmark(athletics) the indicator on the track
that tells the incoming runner in a relay race
when he should start to accelerate
checkout(darts) a scorethat wins a gamein one
turn
cheekpieces(horse racing) strips of sheepskin sewn
onto each side of a horse’s bridleto help it concentrate its attention on the courseahead, much
in the manner of blinkers
cheer squad(general) volunteer supportersdrafted
in to empty spectator seats in a stadium
cheerleader(general) one of a team of uniformly
dressed young women who spur on a sports team
with coordinated shouts, cheers, and chanting
cheese(skittles) the heavy wooden ballused to
knock down the skittles
cheesecake(tenpin bowling) a lane in which it is
easy to make high scores
chef de mission(Olympics) the person who supports, promotes, and generally guides a national
team [French chef de mission, “mission leader”]
chef d’équipe(general) the person generally responsible for a team’s practical arrangements, especially when they are traveling [French chef
d’équipe, “team leader”]
Cheltenham(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, the location of the Cheltenham Gold
Cup
Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy(cricket) the
trophyawarded to the winners of an annual oneday competition of 60 oversper side, first held
in 1963 [originally the Gillette Cup but renamed
in 2001for new sponsors]
Cheltenham Gold Cup(horse racing) the cup
awarded to the winner of an annual steeplechase
at Cheltenham, first run in 1924 and now regarded as the greatest prizeof the National Hunt
Chepstow(horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Chepstow, Gwent, Wales
chequered flag(auto racing) the black-and-white
flagindicating the end of a race, shown to the
winner and to each subsequent car that crosses
the finishing line
cherries(greyhound racing) colloquial term for the
racetrack[rhyming slang for dogs, from Cockney cherry hogs, “cherry pits”]
Cherries(association football) nickname of the English clubBournemouth [from the red shirts of
the players]
cherry(cricket) colloquial term for a new ball
[from its color and its “virginity”]
chest(association football) to hit or direct the ball
with the chest
chest pass(basketball) a passin which the player
holds the ball at chest level then passes it to a
teammate without bouncing it
chest trap(association football) control of the ball
using the chest
Chester(horse racing) a flat racecourseat Chester,
Cheshire, England
chewy on your boot!(Australian Rules) a call to a
player to discourage him from performing well
in a particular play[as if chewing gum were on
his boot]
Chicago Stadium(basketball) the home groundof
the Chicago Bulls team, Chicago
chicane(auto racing) a sharp double bend on a
track [French chicane“quibble at law”]
Chiefs(American football) short name of the
Kansas City Chiefs team
chili dip(golf) a weak loftfollowing a mishit[like
scooping up a mouthful of chili with a taco]
chimney(mountaineering) a cleft in a rock face just
wide enough to admit a climber to enter
chin(boxing) the ability to withstand punches;
(g ymnastics) to pull oneself up so that one’s chin
reaches the horizontal bar
chin music(baseball) colloquial term for a pitch
that passes close to the head of the batter;
(cricket) colloquial term for a bouncer that flies
up close to the head of the batsman[originally
a punch on the jaw]
chin-up(g ymnastics) an exercise in which the gymnastuses his arms to lift his chin over the horizontal bar
chinaman(cricket) an off breakor googlybowled
by a left-arm bowlerto a right-handed batsman
[said to have been introduced by a West Indian
bowler of Chinese descent]
Chinese cut(cricket) a mishitin the form of an
outside edge that sends the ballbehind the
wicket [perhaps so called because it is “devious,”
from racial stereotyping]
Chinese Grand Prix(auto racing) the Formula
One international Grand Prixheld on the circuit at Shanghai, China
Chinese snooker(snooker) a situation where the
cue ballis awkwardly placed, close to or touching another ball, but without actually being a
snooker
chip(general) a hitor kick that sends a ballhigh
into the air over a short distance; (golf) shortening of chip shot
chip in(golf) to put the ballin the holedirectly
from a chip shot
chip shot(golf) a shot, usually close to the green,
that sends the ball in a low trajectory, so that it
runs forward on landing
chip the winner (curling) to cast a stone that
“chips” the edge of another stone
Chipolopolo(association football) nickname of the
Zambian national team [local chipolopolo, “copper bullets,” for the copper important in the nacheckmark • Chipolopolo 32
tional eonomy and the deadly speed of the players]
chockstone(mountaineering) a stone jammed in a
crack, chimney, or crevice
choctaw(ice skating) a turn from either edge of
the skate to the other edge on the other foot in
the opposite direction [as distinct from a mohawk]
choke(golf) (1) to shorten the swinging length of
the clubby gripping it lower down the shaft;
(2) to crack or lose one’s nerve when in an apparently winning position
choke hold(judo, wrestling) a move to restrain
one’s opponent by encircling his neck with one’s
arm or legs
chop(general) a short, sharp downward blow or
stroke
chop block(American football) an illegal block
below the knees
chop volley(tennis) a volleyhit at waist height
close to the net
chopper(baseball) a ballthat bounces high after
being hit down to the ground
christiania(skiing) formal term for a christie
christie(skiing) a method of stopping short when
descending at speed, executed by turning with
the skisparallel [from Christiania, former name
of Oslo, Norway, where introduced]
Christmas tree(auto racing) colloquial term in
drag racingfor the array of yellow, green, and
red lights used to start a race
christy(skiing) another spelling of christie
chuck(cricket) a deliverytaken to be a throw, and
so illegal
chuck and chance it (angling) to fish without knowing whether a fish lies where the castis made
chucker(cricket) a bowlerwhose deliveryis regarded as a throw, and so illegal
chui(judo) a penaltyawarded for a serious violation [Japanese chui, “warning,” “caution”]
chukka(polo) one of the six periods into which a
gameis divided [Hindi chakkar, “wheel,” “circle”]
chukker(polo) another spelling of chukka
chum(angling) a groundbaitof chopped fish [origin uncertain]
Churchill Downs (horse racing) the racetrackat
Louisville, Kentucky, where the Kentucky
Derbyis held
chute(canoeing) a narrowing part of a river that
causes an increase in speed; (horse racing) an extension to a straightin an oval racecourse, used
in special races; (parachuting) shortening of
parachute
Cincinnati Reds(baseball) short name of the
Cincinnati Red Stockings team
circle(athletics) the area within which an athlete
must remain when throwing the hammer, discus, or shot; (general) a circular or semicircular
area marked on a playing area such as a field,
court, or rink
circuit(athletics) a single tour of a running track;
(auto racing) the specially designed looping road
or trackon which races are held; (general) (1) a
designated cross-country route, as in motocross; (2) the venuesvisited in turn by sports
competitors; (3) any circular route
circuit slugger(baseball) a regular sluggerwho
has to run the circuitof the basesevery time he
hits a home run
circuit training (general) a form of athletic
training using a series of different exercises
[the series forms a “circuit” or round of exercises]
circus(general) a team or group of players traveling together to compete in different places
cite(rugby union) to make an official complaint
about a player after a game
Citizens(association football) short name of the
English clubManchester City
City(association football) short name of a British
clubwith “City” in its name, as Brechin City,
Bristol City, Chester City, Elgin City, Manchester City, Norwich City
claimer(horse racing) another term for a claiming
race
claiming race(horse racing) a racein which any
horse that has taken part may be bought
(“claimed”) at a previously fixed price by anyone who has entered a horse at the same race
meeting
clap skates(ice skating) in speed skating, skates
with a blade hinged at the front so that it can be
separated from the heel of the skate and thus stay
longer in contact with the ice
Claret Jug(golf) popular name of the trophy
awarded at the Open Championship[from its
original design in 1873 in the style of a silver jug
used to serve red wine]
Clarets(association football) nickname of the English clubBurnley [from the dark red shirts of the
players]
clash of the ash(sport) descriptive nickname of
hurling[the hurleyis traditionally made from
the wood of the ash tree]
clash of the titans(general) nickname for a key
matchor contest, especially between national or
major teams
classic bow (archery) another name for the recurve
bow
classic race(horse racing) one of the five English
classics
classic technique(skiing) the traditional racing
technique in Nordic skiing, using a diagonal
stride with the skisparallel
33 chockstone • classic technique
classics(horse racing) short name of the English
classics
claw(bowls) a delivery grip in which the bowlis
held in the palm with the three middle fingers on
the playing surface and the thumb and pinkie
stretched either side
clay(shooting) colloquial shortening of clay pigeon
clay court(tennis) (1) a courtwith a clay surface;
(2) alternate term for a hard court
clay pigeon(shooting) the saucer-shaped disk of
baked clay shot at as a substitute game bird in
trapshooting
clay-pigeon shooting(shooting) a form of trapshootingusing a clay pigeon
clean(angling) without a catch; (weightlifting) the
first phase of the clean and jerkmovement in
which the weightlifterlifts the barbell from the
floor to shoulder height and holds it there with
arms bent in preparation for the jerk
clean and jerk(weightlifting) a liftin two parts in
which the cleanis followed by the jerk
clean bowled(cricket) (of ) a batsmanwho has
been bowled by a ballthat hit his stumpswithout first hitting his bator pad
clean round(equestrianism) another term for a
clear round
clean sheet(association football) a matchin which
no goalsare conceded
clean-up hitter(baseball) the hitterwho bats fourth
for the batting side, whose hitsare thought likely
to enable a baserunnerto score
clear(badminton) an overhead shotthat sends the
shuttlecockfrom one baselineto the other
clear hip circle (g ymnastics) a variant of the hip
circle in which the gymnast does not touch the
bar with his hips
clear round (equestrianism) in showjumping,
a roundridden without any faults or penalties
clear the boundary ropes(cricket) fuller term for
clear the ropes
clear the ropes(cricket) to hit the ballclear over the
ropesthat mark the boundary, so scoring a six
clear the table(snooker) to play a breakthat clears
all ballsfrom the billiard table
clearance(association football) a defensive kick
away from a dangerous attacking position; (field
hockey) a defensive hitaway from a dangerous
attacking position
cleat(cycling) a device attached to the bottom of a
cycling shoe that engages with the mechanism
on a clipless pedaland locks the riderto his bicycle
cleek(golf) an old-fashioned narrow-faced ironheaded club, corresponding to a 2-iron
clerk of the course(auto racing, horse racing) an
official in charge of administration
clerk of the scales(horse racing) the official whose
responsibility is to weigh inthe jockeys
clew(sailing) the lower corner of a sail
climb(cycling) a section of a raceor stagethat takes
ridersup a long hill or mountain
climb the ladder(American football) to jump very
high in order to catch the ball
climber(cycling) a riderwho specializes in climbs
climbing(mountaineering) the activity of ascending natural heights such as rocks, cliffs, or mountains, either for its own sake or as an integral part
of the sport
climbing rope(mountaineering) a rope serving as
an essential aid in climbing
climbing wall(mountaineering) a specially constructed wall with handholds and footholds,
used for practicing techniques in rock climbingor mountaineeringgenerally
clinch(boxing) the holding of one’s opponent in
such a way that he cannot throw punches
clip(American football) an illegal blockbelow the
waist from behind; (cricket) a sharp strokeof the
ball
clipless pedals(cycling) pedalsthat lock the rider
to his bicycle by means of cleatson the soles of
his shoes [so called because they avoid the need
for toeclips]
Clippers(basketball) short name of the Los Angeles Clippers team
clipping(ice hockey) the offense of delivering a
checkbelow an opponent’s knees
clips(cycling) shortening of toeclips
clock golf(golf) a form of puttingon a green
marked like a clock dial, in which players putt
from each hour figure in turn to a central hole
clocker(horse racing) a person such as a racingcorrespondent who times the training runs of horses
in order to get a guide to their form
clogger(association football) colloquial term for a
player whose tacklesare often fouls
Clonmel (horse racing) a flatand National Hunt
racecourseat Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland
close down(association football) to deny one’s opponents room to maneuver
close finish(general) a finishthat is only narrowly
won or gained
close-hauled (sailing) with sailstrimmed as closely
as possible to the direction the wind is coming
from
close season(angling) a set time of the year when
it is illegal to catch fish; (general) a period or
seasonwhen a sport is not normally played, as
winter for cricketin Britain
close the card(horse racing) to be the final racein
a race meeting
closer(baseball) a pitcherwhose specialty is defending a leadlate in the game
classics • closer 34
clothesline(American football) a foulin which a
player jabs his forearm into the throat of an oncoming opponent; (wrestling) the striking of a
moving opponent across the face or in the windpipe with one’s outstretched arm [the effect is
like running into a clothesline]
clout(archery) in long-distance shooting, a special
large targetin the form of a flat surface on the
ground divided into concentric circles
club(general) (1) the implement used for striking
the ballin various games, as a golf club; (2) an
association of people with common social, sporting, or other interests; (3) a formal association of
players of a named sport, as a football club or
golf club
club call(rugby league) the right of a clubto select
their opponents in a semifinal
club linesman(association football) an official who
assists the refereein matcheswhere there is no
assistant referee, as in many local games
clubface(golf) the striking surface of a club
clubhead(golf) the part of the clubthat strikes
the ball
clubhouse(golf) the premises attached to a golf
course
clutch team(general) a tough team that battles on
when in a poor position [they are “in the clutch”
or in a critical situation]
coach(general) a professional trainer, typically in
athleticsor rowing
coaming(canoeing) the raised rim of a cockpit
coarse fish(angling) any freshwater fish other than
those of the salmon family, as distinct from a
game fish
Cobblers(association football) nickname of the English clubNorthampton Town [from the local
footwear industry]
cock-a-bondy(angling) a type of dry fly[corruption of Welsh coch a bon ddu, “red with a black
stem”]
cocked hat(snooker) a shotin which the object
ballrebounds off three cushionstoward a middle pocket [the trajectory resembles the outline
of a three-cornered cocked hat]
cockpit(auto racing) the place where the driver sits
in the car; (canoeing) the space in the deck of a
kayakin which the kayakersits [originally the
pit where cockfights were held]
cocktail(horse racing) a horse that is not a thorougbbred[properly a horse with a cocked tail]
codriver(auto racing) in rally driving, the person
who takes turns in driving the vehicle and who
assists the main driver by carrying out organizational and administrative work
coffee grinder(g ymnastics) a movement in which
the gymnast, in a squatting position, circles his
leg while keeping both hands on the floor
coffin(cricket) colloquial term for the case used to
carry a player’s equipment and clothing
coffin corner(American football) the angle between
the goal lineand the sideline[a puntis often
aimed here so that it may go out of bounds and
become a dead ball]
collapse(general) the sudden failure or breakdown
of a player or team during a contest; (rugby union)
the breakdown of a scrum, especially when deliberately caused by a set of forwardsso that the
two front rowsfall toward each other
collar(rowing) another term for a button; (weightlifting) the device that secures the disk weights
to the barbell; (wrestling) a move in which the
opponent is tackled by the neck
collar the bowling(cricket) to hit the ballsdelivered by the bowlerall over the field
college football (American football) the sport as
played by teams of students at universities, colleges, and military academies
Colliers(association football) nickname of the English clubBarnsley [from the local coal-mining
industry]
color(snooker) any of the six colored ballswhich
are played after a red
colors(general) the distinctive colors worn by a
participant in a sport to show membership of a
team, club, college, or the like, or the identity of
an owner or sponsor
colt(cricket) a player during his first season; (general) (1) a young, inexperienced player; (2) a
member of a junior team; (horse racing) a male
horse under four years old
Colts(American football) short name of the Indianapolis Colts team
combat sport(general) a one-to-one sport in which
each combatant continually attacks the other and
protects himself from him, as wrestling or one of
the martial arts
combination(boxing) a series of punchesthrown
in quick succession
combination bat(table tennis) a batwith different
types of rubber on each side, used for different
shots
combined event(skiing) a downhill runfollowed
by two slalomruns
combined spin(swimming) in synchronized
swimming, a descending spin through at least
360 degrees followed immediately by an ascending spin in the same direction
come about(sailing) to change direction
come again(angling) to rise or take the baita second time; (horse racing) to regain speed
come from behind(general) to progress from the
rear of a group of contestants or from a losing
position into a winning position
come home(general) to complete a course
35 clothesline • come home
come in(cricket) to start an innings; (fencing) to
get within the guardof one’s opponent; (general) to take a specified place in a race
come off(cricket) to cease bowling
come on(cricket) to begin to bowl
comebacker(baseball) a ballhit directly back
along the ground by the batterto the pitcher
comma position(skiing) a position in which the
body is curved to one side, like a comma
Commonwealth Games(general) a quadrennial
sports contest between countries of the Commonwealth, first held (as the British Empire
Games) in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1930
complete(American football) (of ) a passthat is
successfully caught by a receiver
complete game (baseball) a gamein which a
pitcherrecords all 27 outs without being replaced by arelief pitcher
compound bow(archery) a bowequipped with a
system of pulleys and cables that allows the
archerto pull back the bowstringmore easily
compression(golf) the measure of the resilience of
a ball
compulsory(g ymnastics) a routinethat contains
obligatory moves
con(general) abbreviation of conversionin sports
reports
concours hippique(equestrianism) another term
for showjumping[French concours hippique, literally “hippic contest”]
conditional(horse racing) shortening of conditional jockey
conditional jockey(horse racing) a jockey who
may claim an allowance
conditional race(horse racing) a racein which only
conditional jockeysmay ride
conditions race(horse racing) the highest grade of
flat race, divided into pattern racesand listed
races[the races are governed by a condition or
set of conditions]
condor(golf) a (rare) scoreof four strokes under
paron a hole[as a “bird” greater and more impressive than an albatrossor an eagle]
cones(equestrianism) a discipline in carriage driving, in which the horse and carriage are maneuvered through a path of cones with balls balanced
atop, the dislodging of which incurs penalty
points
conference(general) an association of sports teams
that play each other, especially those representing educational institutions
Conn Smythe Trophy(ice hockey) the trophyfirst
donated in 1965 that is presented to the outstanding performer in the Stanley Cup playoffs [named for the Canadian player Conn
Smythe (1895–1980), founder of the Toronto
Maple Leafs]
connections(horse racing) the people associated with
a particular horse, such as the ownerand trainer
conquest(mountaineering) the successful ascent of
a mountain
consolation match(general) a matchfor contestants who have been unsuccessful or have not
won
consolation prize(general) a prizeawarded to a
contestant who was unsuccessful or just failed to
win
consolation race (general) a racefor contestants
who have been unsuccessful or have not won
contact(baseball) the touching of a baserunner
by a fielderwho holds the ball
contact sport(general) a sport involving bodily
contact between players
Continental Cup(ice hockey) the chief European
club championship
continuation stroke(croquet) the bonus stroke
taken either after a player has run a hoop or (as
a second bonus stroke) after a roquet
continuous spin(swimming) in synchronized
swimming, a descending spinthrough at least
720 degrees
contre-la-montre(cycling) another term for a time
trial [French contre la montre, “against the
watch”]
control point(orienteering) one of the checkpoints
marked on a map that competitors must visit en
route to their destination
conversion(American football) the scoring of an
extra point after a touchdownby kicking the
ballover the crossbar; (rugby league, rugby
union) the scoring of two extra pointsafter a try
by kicking the ballover the crossbar
Copa America(association football) a biennial
championshipfor South American countries,
first officially held in Montevideo, Uruguay,
in 1917 [Spanish Copa América, “America Cup”]
Copa del Rey(association football) an annual Spanish championshipfounded in 1902 [Spanish
Copa del Rey, “King’s Cup,” named for Alfonso
XIII (1886–1941)]
Copa Libertadores(association football) an annual
championshipfor South American countries,
first played in 1960 [Spanish Copa Libertadores de
América, “Liberators of America Cup”]
Corbett(mountaineering) a Scottish mountain peak
between 2,500 and 3,000 ft in height with a
reascent of 500ft on all sides [first listed by J.R.
Corbett (1876–1949)]
Cork (horse racing) a flatand National Hunt racecourseat Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland
corkscrew (boxing) a punchthrown with the
elbow out and a twisting motion of the wrist
corkscrew back drop(trampolining) one and a half
twiststo a back drop
come in • corkscrew 36
corner(association football) shortening of corner
kick; (boxing) (1) one of the diagonally opposite
angles of the ring, where a boxersits between
roundsand is attended by a second; (2) another
term for the second himself
corner flag(association football) one of the four
flags that mark the corners of the pitchwhere
the touchlinemeets the goal line
corner forward(hurling) a player in an attacking
position on the wing
corner hit(field hockey) another term for a long
corner
corner kick (association football) a kick awarded
to the attacking team at one of the four corners
of the pitchwhen a defending player puts the
ballout of play beyond the goal line
corner man (boxing) another term for a second
cornerback(American football)a defensive back,
usually covering an opposing wide receiver
Coronation Cup(horse racing) a racerun the day
after the Derby
Coronation Stakes(horse racing) a racerun during Royal Ascot
corps à corps(fencing) bodily contact between two
fencers [French corps à corps, “body to body”]
corridor of uncertainty(cricket) the area just outside the off stumpof a batsman, where he is
unsure what kind of stroketo play or whether to
play one at all
Cottagers(association football) nickname of the
English clubFulham [from their home ground
at Craven Cottage]
Cotton Bowl(American football) an annual college footballgame played since 1937 in Dallas,
Texas, matching teams from the Big Twelve
Conferenceand Southeastern Conference
Cougars(rugby league) short name of the English
clubKeighley Cougars
count(baseball) a tally of the number of balls and
strikesthat have been thrown during an at bat;
(boxing) the counting up to ten seconds by the
referee when a boxeris down on the canvas,
after which a win to his opponent by a knockoutis declared
countback(general) a method of determining a
winner in a contest when two competitors have
an equal scoreby taking their overall performance into account
counter(boxing) an attack made immediately after
an opponent throws a punch; (curling) a stone
in the housethat could be worth a pointat the
completion of the end; (fencing) a parryin
which one foil immediately follows the other;
(ice skating) a figurein which the body is revolved in a direction opposite to that in which it
was previously being revolved
counter play (American football) an offensive play
in which the player carrying the ballmoves in the
opposite direction to the other players
counterpunch(boxing) fuller term for a counter
country(cricket) another term for the outfield
country club(general) a clubin a rural area with
facilities for sports such as golf, swimming, and
tennis, as well as leisure and social activities
County(association football) (1) short name of the
English clubs Notts County and Stockport
County; (2) short name of the Scottish club Ross
County
County Championship(cricket) an annual contest by county cricketteams, first officially held
in 1890
county cricket(cricket) the sport as played between
first-classteams representing the 18 historical
British counties of Derbyshire, Durham, Essex,
Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent,
Lancashire, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and
Yorkshire
county ground(cricket) the home groundof a
club of county cricketplayers
county match(cricket) a matchbetween county
cricketteams
coup(billiards) the act of striking a ballso that it
goes into a pocketwithout hitting another ball
[French coup, “blow”]
Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett(ballooning) the sport’s most prestigious trophy, named
for the U.S. newspaper editor James Gordon Bennett, Jr. (1841–1918) and awarded since 1906 for
the furthest distance traveled from the launch site
[French Coupe Aéronautique, “Aeronautical Cup”]
coupon(general) a printed betting form on which
to enter forecasts of sports results, as especially a
football coupon
course(general) the ground or area over which a
raceis run or a gameplayed, as a golf course;
(horse racing) shortening of racecourse
course and distance(horse racing) (of ) a measure
for calculating a horse’s performance on a particular courseand in a raceover the same distance
course management(golf) the manner in which
a player adapts his gameto the demands of a
particular course
course specialist(horse racing) a traineror jockey
with a good record in racesat a named racecourse
court(general) a walled or marked-off area in which
a sport is played, as a squash courtor tennis
court
court game(general) a game played in a walled
court, such as fives, squash, or real tennis
court player(handball) a player other than the
goalkeeper
37 corner • court player
court tennis(sport) another term for real tennis[so
named for distinction from lawn tennis]
cover(cricket) shortening of cover point; (horse
racing) of a stallion, to copulate with a mare
cover drive(cricket) a driveby a batsmanthat goes
through the coverarea
cover point(cricket) a fieldingposition on the off
sidebetween pointand mid-on; (lacrosse) a defensive player just in front of pointwhose role is
to mark the opponents’ second home
cover shot(darts) a throwat another high number
when the treble 20 bedis obscured by a dartor
darts already thrown
cover tackle(rugby union) a tackleby a player running across the fieldbehind his teammates on
a player who has broken through the defensive
line
covers(cricket) a comprehensive term for cover
pointand extra cover; (general) a waterproof
covering spread over a playing area such as a
cricket pitchor tennis court to protect it from
rain
cow corner (cricket) colloquial term for the area
of the fieldnear the boundaryon the leg
sidebetween deep midwicketand long-on[an
area where fieldersare rarely positioned and so
where cows can graze during a gameof village
cricket]
cow shot (cricket) colloquial term for a slogto the
leg side in the direction of cow corner
cowabunga!(surfing) a surfer’s cry of exhilaration
when riding the crest of a wave [a meaningless exclamation originating on The Howdy DoodyTV
show in the 1950s]
cowboy(rodeo) a performer in the sport
Cowboys(American football) short name of the
Dallas Cowboys team
Cowes Week (sailing) a week of competitive racingheld annually at Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, since 1826
cox(rowing) the steersman who sits opposite stroke
and gives instructions during a race[shortening
of coxswain]
coxed four(rowing) a boat with four rowersand
a cox
coxed pair(rowing) a boat with two rowersand a
cox
coxless four (rowing) a boat with four rowersand
no cox, the steering being done by the bowman
with rudder lines attached to his shoes
coxless pair(rowing) a boat with two rowersand
no cox
coxswain(rowing) formal term for a cox[from
cock, “boat,” and swain, “servant”]
Coyotes(ice hockey) short name of the Phoenix
Coyotes team
crackback(American football) an illegal tacklein
which a receiverblocks a linebackeror defensive backby crashing into him at knee level
cradle(bowls) a delivery grip in which the bowlis
held in the palm with the fingers close together
and the thumb just below the disk on the side of
the bowl; (cricket) a device for practicing close
fieldingin the form of a bowl-shaped structure
that deflects a ballthrown into it; (lacrosse) a
gentle rocking action that keeps the ballnear
the edge of the netting in the crosseas the player
runs with it
cradle back drop(trampolining) a half-twistto a
back drop
crampon(mountaineering) a spiked metal attachment on a climbing boot that provides a grip on
snow and ice
crash and dash(skiing) a timed runbetween two
points on a piste
crash ball(rugby union) the taking or making of a
passby a player at the moment he receives a
tacklefrom the front
crash dive(trampolining) a three-quarter forward
somersaultwith the body fully extended during its descent to the bed
crash mat(athletics, g ymnastics) a thick mattress
used to absorb the impact of landing after a
jumpor other aerial maneuver
crash out(general) to be eliminated unexpectedly
or dramatically from a contest [as literally in auto
racing]
crash tackle(association football) a vigorous tackle
Craven Cottage(association football) the home
groundof Fulham football club, London
crawl(swimming) a high-speed strokewith alternate rotation of the arms from the shoulder and
rapid kicks of the legs
crazy golf(golf) a form of puttingin which the
ballhas to be maneuvered over or through a range
of obstacles to reach the central hole
cream-puff hitter(baseball) colloquial term for a
weak or ineffective batter
crease(cricket) a line that regulates the positions
of the bowlerand batsmanat the wicket; (ice
hockey, lacrosse) an area marked out in front of the
goal
creeper(cricket) a ballthat travels low along the
ground after being delivered by the bowler[it
does not bounce up as expected but “creeps” beneath the bat]
crew(general) a team of people giving technical
support to a competitor, as in rally driving;
(rowing) the oarsmen(and cox, where appropriate) in a racing boat; (sailing) the body of people (or the sole person) manning a boat or yacht
cricket(sport) a game played with batand ball by
two teams of 11players on a marked-out pitch, the
object of the batsmenbeing to score as many
court tennis • cricket 38
runsas possible and that of the bowler and fieldersto dismissthe batsmen as soon as possible
cricket bag(cricket) a type of long bag for carrying a player’s batand other equipment
cricket ball(cricket) the hard, red ball covered in
polished leather that is delivered by the bowler
to the batsmanand caught or retrieved by the
fielders
cricket bat(cricket) the long, flat-sided, wooden
implement with which the batsman strikes the
ball
cricket club(cricket) an established clubof cricketers[typically in the names of county cricket
teams, as Surrey Cricket Club]
cricket ground(cricket) the fieldwith a central
pitchwhere cricketis played
cricket match(cricket) a matchbetween two teams
cricket pads(cricket) the padsworn by batsmen
cricket pitch(cricket) the central pitchon the field
where the gameis played
cricket stumps(cricket) the three stumps(with
bails) that form the wicket
cricketana(cricket) publications or other items
concerned with cricket
cricketer(cricket) a person who plays cricket,
whether for pleasure or professionally
criterium(cycling) a raceconsisting of a series of
lapsover public roads [French critérium, “test”]
critical area(lacrosse) the area immediately in front
of the goal
critical point(skiing) another name for the k point
Crocodiles(handball) popular name of Australia’s
national men’s team [from the reptile native to
the country]
Croke Park(Gaelic football) the stadium in
Dublin, Ireland, that is the venue for the AllIreland finals and other important matches
Croker(Gaelic football) local nickname for Croke
Park
crooked number(baseball) colloquial term for any
number other than 0 or 1on the scoreboard[all
such numbers have more complex figures]
croquet(croquet) a shotin which the strikerplaces
his ballin contact with the ball that it struck in
a roquetand now strikes it so that it drives the
other ball away; (sport) a gameon a lawn for two
or four players who compete to hit ballswith
malletsthough hoopsto a central peg [said to
be dialect form of French crochet, from croche,
“hook”]
croquet ball(croquet) one of the colored wooden
ballswith which croquetis played
croquet hoop (croquet) one of the six hoops
through which ballsare driven
croquet lawn(croquet) a lawn on which croquetis
played
croquet shot(croquet) fuller term for a croquet
cross(association football) a transverse pass, especially when made to the area in front of the opponents’ goal; (boxing) a straight punchdelivered
from the side; (g ymnastics) a position on the
ringsin which the body is held rigid and the
arms extended horizontally
cross-batted(cricket) (of ) a shotplayed with the
bathorizontal
cross-body ride(wrestling) another term for a
grapevine
cross-buttock(wrestling) a throwin which the hip
is used to throw the opponent off his balance
cross-country(equestrianism) an eventthat simulates riding through open country, including
jumps; (general) the crossing of open country,
avoiding roads, either for exercise or as a competitive race
cross-country running (athletics) a foot race
across sections of countryside, with obstacles
such as hedges, ditches, and stiles
cross-country skiing(skiing) a raceacross sections
of countryside, as in Nordic skiing
cross-court(table tennis) (of ) a shothit diagonally
from one corner of the table to the other; (tennis) (of ) a shothit diagonally across the court
cross-fire(shooting) firing at a rival’s targetin error
cross-foot spin(ice skating) a spin performed on
the flat of the bladeswith the legs crossed
cross-handed grip(golf) a grip with the right
hand below the left (for a right-handed player)
cross-training(general) (1) training in different
sports in order to improve one’s skills and performance in one’s main sport; (2) a form of fitness
training that alternates in a single session between
exercises using gymnasiumequipment and aerobics
crossbar(general) the horizontal bar across a pair
of goal posts
crosscheck(ice hockey, lacrosse) an offensein which
a player holds up his stickwith both hands and
pushes it across an opponent’s body
crosse(lacrosse) the playing stick, with a pocket at
the top end for catching, carrying, and throwing the ball
crossfield(association football) (of ) a long pass
made sideways
crossing(rugby union) an illegal move in which a
player crosses in front of the player carrying the
ball, thus preventing the defensive team from
making a tackle
crosskick(association football) a kickof the ball
across the field
crossline(angling) a fishing linestretched across a
stream with a number of hooksattached
crossover(ice skating) a basic move in which one
skateis crossed over the other when turning a
corner and increasing speed
39 cricket bag • crossover
crossover dribble(basketball) a dribblemade first
with one hand then the other
crouch(athletics) shortening of crouch start
crouch start(athletics) a position adopted with the
knees bent at the startof a race
crown(general) a reward or honor accorded the
winner of a championshipor other contest
crown bowls(bowls) bowlsplayed on a crown
green
crown green(bowls) a greenthat is larger than that
used for lawn bowlsand that slopes gently upward from the sides to a central “crown”
Crows(Australian Rules) short name of the Adelaide
Crows team
Crucible(snooker) the theater in Sheffield, England,
where the world championshipis held
crucifix(g ymnastics) another name for the cross
cruiser(boxing) a cruiserweight boxer
cruiserweight(boxing) the professional weightcategory of maximum 86kg (190lb)
crush stroke(croquet) an illegal strokemade when
a mallettouches a ballthat is in contact with a
pegor hoop, other than playing it away
Cruyff turn(association football) a move to lose a
tracking opponent in which the player pretends
to pass the ballbut instead drags it back, turns
his body, and runs in the opposite direction [introduced by the Dutch player Johann Cruyff
(1947–)]
Cubs(baseball) short name of the Chicago Cubs
team
cue(billiards, snooker) a long tapered wooden rod
with a leather tip, used to strike the ball[French
queue, “tail”]
cue ball(billiards, snooker) the ballstruck by the
cue so that it in turn strikes the object ball
cue extension(billiards, snooker) a shaft extension
attached to a cue, used when a shot with a
standard-length cue is not possible
cue tip(billiards, snooker) the leather tip of a cue
cuervo(g ymnastics) a vaultin the form of a handspringoff the springboard, then a half-twist
followed by a backward saltooff the horse[introduced by the Cuban gymnastJorge Cuervo
in 1973]
Cultural Olympics(Olympics) an arts festival
staged to complement the Olympic Games, first
held at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and evolving from an educational enterprise initiated in
1929 by U.S. art patron and civic leader Samuel
S. Fleisher (1871–1944)
Cumbrians(association football) nickname of the
English clubCarlisle United [from the county of
Cumbria in which they are based]
cup(general) the trophyin the form of an ornamental cup awarded to a winner or champion;
(golf) the plastic or metal casing lining a hole
Cup(association football) shortening of Cup Final
cup final(general) the final and deciding match
in a competition for a cup
Cup Final(association football) the matchbetween
the winners of the finalof the FA Cup, held at
Wembley
cup of coffee(baseball) colloquial term for a spell
in the majorsby a player who then returns to
the minors
cup tie(general) one of a series of matchesto decide the winner of a cup
cup-tied(association football) (of ) a player ineligible to play for his clubin a cup tiebecause he
played for another club earlier in the competition; (general) (of ) a player unable to play in a
cup tiebecause he is injured or otherwise disallowed
cup winner(general) the winner of a cup, especially in a final
Cuppers(field hockey, rugby union) colloquial term
for the annual intercollegiate matches at Oxford
University, played for a cup[cupwith the Oxford slang suffix -er]
cuppy(golf) (of ) a ballin a “cup” or shallow depression in the ground
curl(American football) a pattern of play in which
two receiverscross each other; (cricket) a ball
delivered by a bowler that curves before or after
pitching; (surfing) the part of a hollow wave that
loops over as it breaks
curl pattern(American football) the route taken
by a receiverwhen he runs up the fieldthen
turns back toward the line of scrimmage
curler(curling) a player of the sport
curling(sport) a game, played mainly in Scotland,
in which each team slides a series of stonesover
the ice toward a target circle while aiming to
dislodge the other team’s stones already in the
circle
Curragh(horse racing) the center of the Irish horsebreeding industry in Co. Kildare, Ireland, with
a coursethat hosts many important flat races,
including the Irish Derby
Currie Cup(cricket, rugby union) the cupawarded
to the winner of a series of matchesbetween
provincial teams in South Africa [presented in
1890 by Sir Donald Currie (1825–1909)]
Curtis Cup (golf) the cupawarded to the winner
of the biennial tournamentbetween amateur
women’s teams from the U.S. and the U.K and
Ireland [donated in 1932 by the former U.S. amateur championsHarriot and Margaret Curtis]
curve(baseball) shortening of curveball
curveball(baseball) a ballthrown by the pitcher
with a spinthat gives it an arcing trajectory
curvet(equestrianism) an element of dressagein
which the horse rears up then leaps forward on
crossover dribble • curvet 40
its hindlegs before its forelegs are lowered [Italian corvetta, “little curve”]
cush(billiards, snooker) colloquial shortening of
cushion
cushion(billiards, snooker) the padded lining of
the inner side of the billiard table, from which
the balls rebound
cusp(ice skating) the point in a turn when the
skater moves from one edge of the skateto the
other
custodian(association football) colloquial term for
a goalkeeper
cut(American football) the regular sackings during pre-season practice of players deemed not fit
enough to make the grade; (cricket) a shoton
the off side, between coverand third man,
made with the bat almost horizontal; (fencing)
a strokewith the edge of the weapon rather than
the point; (golf) (1) a strokethat deliberately
makes the ball move from left to right in the air
(for a right-handed player); (2) a reduction of
the fieldin a tournament after a set number of
rounds, so that only players with the better
scoresqualify to play in the final round; (tennis)
a downward stroke, usually involving spin
cut and thrust(fencing) the use of both the edge
and the point of the weapon
cut back(association football) to kick back sharply
cut fastball(baseball) another term for a cutter
cut in the ground(horse racing) (of ) a coursewhere
the going is softor yielding[so that the horse’s
hooves imprint the turf]
cut line(squash) another term for the service line
cut-off man(baseball) a fielderwho goes out to a
long throwfrom the outfieldbefore it reaches
the infield
cut-over(fencing) an offensive disengagemade
over the opponent’s blade
cutback(surfing) a maneuver to change direction
and head back toward the breaking part of the
wave
cutter(baseball) a fastballwith a late veer to one
side; (cricket) a ballthat turns sharply after
pitching
cutting edge (fencing) the sharp edge of a saber
Cy Young Award(baseball) a trophyawarded to
the outstanding pitcherin the major leagues,
inaugurated in 1956 [commemorating the U.S.
player Cy Young (1867–1955)]
cycle(baseball) a single, double, triple, and home
runhit by a batterin a single game; (cycling) a
bicycle
cycle race(cycling) a raceof cyclists, as individuals or in teams
cycleball(sport) a modified form of association
footballin which the players, mounted on bicycles, maneuver the ballwith their front wheels
cycling (sport) (1) the sport of racing on bicycles; (2)
the riding of a bicycle for exercise or pleasure
cyclist(cycling) a participant in a cycle race
cyclo-cross(sport) cross-countryracing on bicycles
D(association football) the semicircular area at the
edge of the penalty boxoutside which players
must stand when a penaltyis being taken; (billiards, snooker) the semicircular area that adjoins the
balk lineat the bottom end of the billiard table;
(field hockey) another name for the shooting circle[the areas have the shape of a capital “D”]
dab(cricket) a gentle deflection of the ballby the
batsmanto the off side
daff y(skiing) a maneuver in which an air-borne
skierextends one leg forward and the other back
daily double(horse racing) a beton the winners of
two different raceson one day of a meeting,
with the stake and winnings from the first placed
on the second
daisycutter(cricket) a ball bowled along the ground,
or one that stays low after pitching
Dakar rally(auto racing) short name of the ParisDakar rally
Dale(association football) short name of the English clubRochdale
dam(greyhound racing) the mother of a greyhound;
(horse racing) the mother of a foal
dan(martial arts) a grade of black belt[Japanese
dan, “grade,” “step”]
dance floor(golf) colloquial term for the green
[it is flat and smooth]
dancing(ice skating) shortening of ice dancing
dandy line(angling) a weighted fishing linewith
crosspieces at short intervals, each with a hook
at either end
danger(horse racing) a horse seen as a possible threat
to a likely winner
danger line(athletics) the distance a runner must
go before overtaking a rival and winning a race
danger man(general) a player seen as posing a particular threat
danger position(wrestling) a position that places
an opponent’s back at less than a right angle to
the mat
dangerous play(association football) any play
which is likely to injure another player, such as
raising one’s leg to kick the ball from an opponent as he is running up for a header
dap(angling) to fish with a flythat bounces gently on the surface of the water
Dark Blues (association football) nickname of the
Scottish clubDundee [from the color of the
team’s shirts]
dark horse(horse racing) a horse whose racing
formis not known
dart(darts) the small pointed missile thrown in
darts
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