body English

body English

noun Sports.
a twisting of the body by a player as if to help a ball already hit, rolled, or kicked to travel in the desired direction.

Origin:
1905–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Body English is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

body English

Movements of the body that express a person's feelings, as in His body English tells us just how tired he is. This expression originated about 1900 in such sports as bowling and ice hockey, where a player tries to influence the path of a ball or puck by moving his body in a particular direction. (It was based on the earlier use of English to mean "spin imparted to a ball.")

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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