List of Sports Idioms - S

S

saved by the bell

Boxing: to be saved from misfortune or unpleasantness by a timely interruption. Alludes to a boxer who is knocked to the canvas, and must regain his feet before a count of ten or lose the contest; if the bell signalling the end of the round is rung before the count is finished, the fighter now has until the start of the next round to recover and resume fighting. ADHI dates this to the "mid-1900s"; OED cites first boxing use in 1932, figurative use in 1959.

sideline; on/from the sidelines

Sports: To remove from participation. A player who it is injured, benched, etc. is removed from play and forced to sit on or observe from the sidelines. The sidelines themselves are the lines on the side of the playing field which define the playing area from that of spectators, non-playing team members, etc. OED defines sidelines in terms of "spec Football and other sports", figurative use from 1934. See also bench.

slam dunk, slam-dunk

Basketball: A forcefull, dramatic move, especially against someone. In basketball, it is a forceful shot in which the player jumps to the basket and slams the ball in. OED only cites the basketball definition, and that to 1976; AHDI cites a figurative usage from "about 1980 on". Figurative usage commonly includes the sense of "can't miss", a sure thing

slap-happy

Boxing: Synonym for punch-drunk, above; also, dizzy with happiness; carefree, casual, thoughtless, irresponsible. The "punch-drunk" meaning OED cites to 1936; the "dizzy" meaning appears two years later. The "carefree…etc" connotation appears in 1937; it appears the evolution of the idiomatic meaning was influenced by the element "happy" over that of "slap".

sparring partner

Boxing: A person with whom one routinely argues or enjoys arguing. Refers to a boxer who is hired to practise with another for training purposes. Other phrases such as "sparring match" (for a verbal argument), and even the verb "to spar" (to bandy words), may actually come from cockfighting.

square off

Boxing: To assume a fighting stance or attitude. In boxing, the term derives from the square shape of the ring, and the stance fighters assume immediately before the fight commences. AHD derives the figurative use from boxing in a note at the entry knockout. OED does not specifically refer to boxing, but cites a physical fighting usage to 1838 and a figurative in 1873.

sucker punch

Boxing: An unexpected blow. In boxing, a sucker punch is one delivered unexpectedly. OED dates boxing term to 1947, but does not cite first figurative usage.

Sunday punch

Boxing: A destructive blow to an opponent as in "knocked him into next Sunday". In boxing, a Sunday punch is a knockout blow. WordNet refers to it specifically in terms of boxing. OED cites a meaning as a knockout punch to 1929, figurative use to 1944, but does not ascribe it to the sport of boxing directly.