Southpaws & Sunday Punches and Other Sporting Expressions

by Christine Ammer

Some 600 words and phrases from the world of sports that are now part of the vernacular. Terms from baseball, boxing, football, basketball, hockey, cricket and rugby pepper the English language, whether the subject is war (a maneuver in the Gulf War was called a "hail Mary play") to love (she's on the rebound). Baseball has given us southpaw, go to bat, coming out of left field, playing hardball. Boxers had to go the distance unless they were saved by the bell. And kingpins were the prime targets for bowlers. This Hall of Fame collection gives sports lovers a ringside seat on the inside track. Only an oddball who doesn't know the score would stay on the sidelines or take a rain check.

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1993

About the author

Christine Ammer is the author of more than three dozen reference books, on subjects ranging from classical music to women's health. Her books on words and phrases include Facts on File Dictionary of Clichés; Seeing Red or Tickled Pink; Fighting Words from War, Rebellion, and Other Combative Capers; Southpaws and Sunday Punches; Cool Cats and Top Dogs; and Fruitcakes and Couch Potatoes. She lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. It was more explanation than anything else, and she defined simple terms which I assume everyone knows - like dugout, southpaw, etc.