All Words Glossary Glossary of Sports Terms beginning with letter P Browse the Sports Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z pack noun A bundle made up and prepared to be carried; especially, a bundle to be carried on the back; a load for an animal; a bale, as of goods. A number or quantity equal to the contents of a pack; hence, a multitude; a burden. A number or quantity of connected or similar things; a collective. A full set of playing cards; also, the assortment used in a particular game; as, a euchre pack. A number of hounds or dogs, hunting or kept together. A number of persons associated or leagued in a bad design or practice; a gang; as, a pack of thieves or knaves. A shook of cask staves. A bundle of sheet-iron plates for rolling simultaneously. A large area of floating pieces of ice driven together more or less closely. An envelope, or wrapping, of sheets used in hydropathic practice, called dry pack, wet pack, cold pack, etc., according to the method of treatment. (slang): A loose, lewd, or worthless person. (context, snooker, pool) A tight group of object balls in cue sports. Usually the reds in snooker. verb (transitive) To make a pack of; to arrange closely and securely in a pack; hence, to place and arrange compactly as in a pack; to press into close order or narrow compass; as to pack goods in a box; to pack fish. (transitive) To fill in the manner of a pack, that is, compactly and securely, as for transportation; hence, to fill closely or to repletion; to stow away within; to cause to be full; to crowd into; as, to pack a trunk; the play, or the audience, packs the theater. (transitive) To sort and arrange (the cards) in a pack so as to secure the game unfairly. (transitive) To bring together or make up unfairly and fraudulently, in order to secure a certain result; as, to pack a jury or a causes. (transitive) To contrive unfairly or fraudulently; to plot. (transitive) To load with a pack; hence, to load; to encumber; as, to pack a horse. (transitive) To cause to go; to send away with baggage or belongings; esp., to send away peremptorily or suddenly; " sometimes with off; as, to pack a boy off to school. (transitive) To transport in a pack, or in the manner of a pack (i. e., on the backs of men or beasts). (transitive) To envelop in a wet or dry sheet, within numerous coverings. (transitive) To render impervious, as by filling or surrounding with suitable material, or to fit or adjust so as to move without giving passage to air, water, or steam; as, to pack a joint; to pack the piston of a steam engine. (intransitive) To make up packs, bales, or bundles; to stow articles securely for transportation. (intransitive) To admit of stowage, or of making up for transportation or storage; to become compressed or to settle together, so as to form a compact mass; as, the goods pack conveniently; wet snow packs well. (intransitive) To gather in flocks or schools; as, the grouse or the perch begin to pack. (intransitive) To depart in haste; " generally with off or away. (intransitive) To unite in bad measures; to confederate for ill purposes; to join in collusion. (intransitive) To carry a gun. paddle noun A two-handed, single-bladed oar used to propel a canoe or a small boat. A double-bladed oar used for kayaking. Time spent on paddling. We had a nice this morning. A slat of a paddleboat's wheel. A paddlewheel. A blade of a waterwheel. a meandering walk through shallow water, especially at the seaside. A kitchen utensil shaped like a and used for mixing, beating etc. A ping-pong bat. A flat limb of turtle or other sea animal, adapted for swimming. In a sluice, a panel that controls the flow of water. verb (paddles, paddling, paddled) (transitive) To propel something through water with a , oar or hands. To row a boat with less than one's full capacity. (transitive) To spank. (intransitive) To walk or dabble playfully in shallow water, especially at the seaside. palm noun Any of various evergreen trees from the family Palmae or Arecaceae, which are mainly found in the tropics. The inner and somewhat concave part of the human hand that extends from the wrist to the bases of the fingers. 1990 October 28, w:Paul Simon, Paul Simon, "Further to Fly", w:The Rhythm of the Saints, The Rhythm of the Saints, Warner Bros. : The open of desire wants everything. The corresponding part of the forefoot of a lower mammal. A handheld computing device used to store personal data such as calendars and phone numbers. verb to hold or conceal something in the palm of the hand to hold something without bending the fingers significantly to move something laterally by static friction against the palm of the hand parade noun An organized procession consisting of a series of consecutive displays, performances, exhibits, etc. displayed by moving down a street past a crowd. The floats and horses in the were impressive, but the marching bands were really amazing. Any succession, series, or display of items. The dinner was a of courses, each featuring foods more elaborate than the last. A line of goslings lead by one parent and often trailed by the other. A street, avenue or road. He was parked on Chester Parade. verb (parad, ing) (intransitive) To march or to display They paraded around the field, simply to show their discipline. (transitive) To display or show They paraded dozens of fashions past the crowd. (transitive) To march past After the field show, it is customary to the stands before exiting the field. pass noun An opening, road, or track, available for passing; especially, one through or over some dangerous or otherwise impracticable barrier; a passageway; a defile; a ford. a mountain pass Quotations :"Try not the pass!" the old man said. &mdash; Longfellow (fencing) A thrust or push; an attempt to stab or strike an adversary. (Shakespeare) A movement of the hand over or along anything; the manipulation of a mesmerist. (rolling metals) A single passage of a bar, rail, sheet, etc., between the rolls. The state of things; condition; predicament. Quotations :Have his daughters brought him to this pass. &mdash; Shakespeare :Matters have been brought to this pass. &mdash; South. Permission or license to pass, or to go and come. Quotations A ship sailing under the flag and pass of an enemy. &mdash; Kent (baseball) An intentional walk Smith was given a after Jones' double. A document granting permission to pass or to go and come; a passport; a ticket permitting free transit or admission; as, a railroad or theater pass; a military pass. (figurative) A thrust; a sally of wit. (Shakespeare) A sexual advance. The man kicked his friend out of the house after he made a at his wife. (obsolete) Estimation; character. Quotations :Common speech gives him a worthy pass. &mdash; Shakespeare (obsolete; Chaucer; compare passus) A part, a division. (rail transport) A passing of two trains in the same direction on a single track, when one is put into a siding to let the other overtake. (Antonym: a meet.) (sport) The act of moving the ball or puck from one player to another. verb (pass, es) (defn, English) (rfc-header, Intransitive)       passage noun A paragraph or section of text or music with particular meaning. of scripture She struggled to play the difficult passages. Part of a path or journey. He made his through the trees carefully, mindful of the stickers. A movement in classical dressage, in which the horse performs a very collected, energetic, and elevated trot that has a longer period of suspension between each foot fall than a working trot An official agreement of a bill or act by a parliament. The company was one of the prime movers in lobbying for the of the act. An artistic term describing use of tight brushwork to link objects in separate spatial plains. Commonly seen in Cubist works. Shortened form of passageway (slang, lang=en) a vagina passed ball noun (baseball) A play where the catcher fails to stop a normally playable pitch and a runner advances. Jones let a get behind him. Pat proper noun (pluralPats) (given name, female), short for Patricia (given name, male), short for Patrick peel noun The skin or outer layer of a fruit, vegetable etc. (Rugby football) The action of peeling away from a formation. A cosmetic preparation designed to remove dead skin or exfoliate. verb (archaic) (transitive) To plunder; to pillage, rob. (transitive) To remove the skin or outer covering of. I sat by my sister's bed, peeling oranges for her. (transitive) To remove from the outer or top layer of. I peeled the skin from an orange and ate it hungrily. We peeled the old wallpaper off in strips where it was hanging loose. (intransitive) To become detached, come away, especially in flakes or strips; to shed skin in such a way. I had been out in the sun too long, and my nose was starting to . (intransitive) To remove one's clothing. The children peeled by the side of the lake and jumped in. (intransitive) To move, separate (off or away) The scrum-half peeled off and made for the touchlines. Peg proper noun a female given name, diminutive of Peggy penalty box noun (icehockey) An enclosed bench where a player must remain for timed period (a penalty) that is assessed after an infraction. Both players got to cool their heels for five minutes in their respective penalty boxes after the fight. (soccer) The penalty area. pentathlon noun An ancient athletics discipline, featuring stadion, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus (context, athletics) modern pentathlon penthouse noun (context, dated, _, or, _, historical) An outhouse or other structure (especially one with a sloping roof) attached to the outside wall of a building. 1826: William Eusebius Andrews, Review of Fox's Book of Martyrs, WE Andrews, pp. 386-7: : At length, recommending himself to God, he let go one end of his cord, and suffered himself to fall down upon an old shed or , which, with the weight of his body, fell in with great noise. An apartment or suite on the top floor of a tall building, especially as associated with being expensive or luxurious. 1995: Mary Ellen Waithe, Contemporary Women Philosophers: 1900-Today, Springer, p. 214: : Night of January 16th is the story of a woman on trial for pushing her wealthy boss-lover from a Manhattan . Any of the sloping roofs at the side of a real tennis court. 2005, Tony Collins (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Traditional British Rural Sports, Routledge, page 262, : An odd derivative of real tennis lasted until the latter part of the eighteenth century at Rattray in Perthshire. It was played in the churchyard by two pairs of men, and the method for starting the play was to throw the ball onto the church roof, using it like the sloping of the tennis court. pepper noun A plant of the family Piperaceae. (uncountable) A spice prepared from the fermented, dried, unripe red berries of this plant. A fruit of the capsicum: red, green, yellow or white, hollow and containing seeds, and in very spicy and mild varieties. (baseball) A game used by baseball players to warm up where fielders standing close to a batter rapidly return the batted ball to be hit again Some ballparks have signs saying "No games". verb (transitive) To add pepper to. (transitive) To strike with something made up of small particles. (transitive) To be covered with lots of (something made up of small things). After the hailstorm, the beach was peppered with holes. (transitive) To add (something) at frequent intervals. He liked to his conversation with long words. perfect game noun (baseball) A game in which every batter on one team is retired without reaching base. A is extremely rare. The whole city had a party when he pitched a . period noun (context, now mostly, North America) Punctuation mark ending a sentence or marking an abbreviation. <!-- What languages does this apply to? All? Or just most? Should it be adjective appropriate, Appropriate for a given historical era. 2004, Mark Singer, Somewhere in America, Houghton Mifflin, page 70 :As the guests arrived &mdash; there were about a hundred, a majority in attire &mdash; I began to feel out of place in my beige summer suit, white shirt, and red necktie. Then I got over it. I certainly didn't suffer from Confederate-uniform envy. photo finish noun The finish of a race in which the leaders are so close together that the winner cannot be identified using the naked eye but is determined by means of a photograph (context, by extension) Any competition with a very close outcome picador noun Bullfighting. A lancer mounted on horseback who assists a matador. I saw the lance the bull. pick noun A tool used for digging. A comb with long teeth, for use with tightly curled hair. A choice. (basketball) A screen (lacrosse) An offensive tactic in which a player stands so as to block a defender from reaching a teammate. An interception. (baseball) A good defensive play by an infielder (baseball) Short for pick-off (music) a tool used for strumming the strings of a guitar verb To grasp and pull with the fingers or fingernails. Don't at that scab. To remove a fruit or plant for consumption. It's time to the tomatoes. Decide between options. I'll the one with the nicest name. (cricket) to recognise the type of ball being bowled by a bowler by studying the position of the hand and arm as the ball is released He didn't the googly, and was bowled. pile noun A hair; hence, the fiber of wool, cotton, and the like; also, the nap when thick or heavy, as of carpeting and velvet. Velvet soft, or plush with shaggy pile. &mdash;Cowper A covering of hair or fur. A large stake, or piece of timber, steel section pointed and driven into the earth or drilled and cast reinforced concrete, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support of a building, a pier, or other superstructure, or to form a cofferdam, etc. The head of an arrow or spear. (heraldry) One of the ordinaries or subordinaries having the form of a wedge, usually placed palewise, with the broadest end uppermost. A mass of things heaped together; a heap; as, a pile of stones; a pile of wood. A mass formed in layers; as, a pile of shot. A funeral pile; a pyre. A large building, or mass of buildings. A bundle of pieces of wrought iron to be worked over into bars or other shapes by rolling or hammering at a welding heat; a fagot. A vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, as copper and zinc, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; &mdash; commonly called Volta"s pile, voltaic pile, or galvanic pile. The reverse (or tails) of a coin. (Obs) A hemorrhoid (usually it is in plural) pill noun A small portion of a drug or drugs to be taken orally, usually of roughly cylindrical shape, often coated to prolong dissolution or ease swallowing. 1864, Benjamin Ellis, The Medical Formulary http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC14843090&id=pHoMvHRmrlIC&pg=PA170&lpg=PA170&dq=%22take+two+pills%22&as_brr=1 :Take two pills every hour in the apyrexia of intermittent fever, until eight are taken. the pill: A pill which functions as a contraceptive. 1986, Jurriaan Plesman, Getting Off the Hook: Treatment of Drug Addiction and Social Disorders Through Body and Mind http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1862525919&id=cIbpj59s-KAC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=%22on+the+pill%22&as_brr=1&sig=z-8oEUpPPJD-kIIWP8AUxG4Obic :Many specialists are requesting that this vitamin be included in all contraceptive pills, as women on the pill have a tendency to be depressed. A contemptible, annoying, or unpleasant person. 2000, Susan Isaacs, Shining Through http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0061030155&id=6_1FJWFEYGoC&pg=PA172&lpg=PA172&dq=%22a+real+pill%22&sig=RCUR5O3MhNXeq8rMOnx9-LR5Mfo :Instead, I saw a woman in her mid-fifties, who was a real ; while all the others had managed a decent "So pleased," or even a plain "Hello," Ginger just inclined her head, as if she was doing a Queen Mary imitation. A small piece of any substance, for example a ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile by rubbing. 1999, Wally Lamb, I Know This Much Is True http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0060987561&id=LOYeA9GmrEwC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq=%22sweater+pills%22&sig=U11GOkTpfHlqyGyIdk7ZNZ0GNuI :One sleeve, threadbare and loaded with what my mother called "sweater pills," hung halfway to the floor. (context, archaic, baseball, slang) A baseball term meaning the ball. 2002, John Klima, Pitched Battle: 35 of Baseball's Greatest Duels from the Mound http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0786412038&id=G126RsLD3MsC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=%22threw+the+pill%22&sig=NmyoxWN_bP5AHc9imVPMTxY7lvw :Mr. Fisher contributed to the Sox effort when he threw the past second baseman Rath after Felsch hit him a comebacker. A comical or entertaining person. (obsolete) A small inlet or creek of a tidal river, especially one with a landing stage or wharf. verb (intransitive, textiles) Of a woven fabric surface, to form small matted balls of fiber. 1997, Jo Sharp, Knitted Sweater Style: Inspirations in Color http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1561581895&id=l5h-cGU5HUYC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=sweater+pilling&sig=6gfLWBL1QHVQZmbSYhJ4oipm8Kc :During processing, inferior short fibers (which can cause pilling and itching) are removed to enhance the natural softness of the yarn and to improve its wash-and-wear performance. To form into the shape of a pill. Pilling is a skill rarely used by modern pharmacists. To medicate with pills. She pills herself with all sorts of herbal medicines. pinch hitter noun (baseball) A substitute batter. (cricket) An aggressive batsman brought on to score runs quickly, even at the risk of losing his wicket. pinch runner noun (baseball) A substitute runner, usually brought in to replace a slow runner to increase the chance of that runner scoring. pirouette noun A whirling or turning on the toes in dancing. The whirling about of a horse. verb (pirouett, ing) (intransitive) To perform a pirouette; to whirl on the toes, like a dancer. pit noun A hole in the ground. A seed inside a fruit; a stone or pip (Eng.) inside a fruit. A shell in a drupe containing a seed. Area at the auto racetrack used for refueling and repairing the cars during a race (music) A section of the marching band containing mallet percussion instruments and other large percussion instruments too large to march, such as the tam tam. Also, the area on the sidelines where these instruments are placed. A mine verb (pit, t, ed) (transitive) To bring into opposition, as in "to pit one's wits against someone". (transitive) To make pits in. Exposure to acid rain pitted the metal. (transitive) To remove the stone from a stone fruit or the shell from a drupe. One must a peach to make it ready for a pie. (context, intransitive, motor racing) To return to the pits during a race for refuelling, tyre changes, repairs etc. pitch noun A sticky, gummy substance secreted by trees; sap. It is hard to get this off of my hand. A dark, extremely viscous material remaining in still after distilling crude oil and tar. They put on the mast to protect it.The barrel was sealed with . (baseball) The act of pitching a baseball. The was low and inside. (sports) The field on which cricket, soccer, rugby or hockey, field hockey is played. ''The teams met on the . An effort to sell or promote something. He gave me a sales . The distance between evenly spaced objects, e.g. the teeth of a saw or letters in a monospace font. The of pixels on the point scale is 72 pixels per inch. The of this saw is perfect for that type of wood. The angle at which an object sits. The of the roof or haystack, the propellor blades' More specifically, the rotation angle about the transverse axis. The of an aircraft (music) The perceived frequency of a sound or note. The of middle "C" is familiar to many musicians. (music) In an a cappella group, the singer responsible for singing a note for the other members to tune themselves by. Bob, our , let out a clear middle "C" and our conductor gave the signal to start. (aviation) A measure of the degree to which an aircraft's nose tilts up or down. Also a measure of the angle of attack of a propeller. (nautical) The measure of extent to which a nautical vessel rotates on its athwartships axis, causing its bow and stern to go up and down. Compare with roll and heave. The place where a busker performs is called their pitch. A level or degree. 1748. David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 11. : But, except the mind be disordered by disease or madness, they never can arrive at such a of vivacity verb (pitch, es) (transitive) To throw. He pitched the horseshoe. (context, baseball, transitive, or, intransitive) To throw (the ball) toward home plate. (i, transitive) The hurler pitched a curveball. (i, intransitive) He pitched high and inside. (context, baseball, intransitive) To play baseball in the position of pitcher. Bob pitches today. (transitive) To throw away; discard. He pitched the candy wrapper. (transitive) To promote, advertise, or attempt to sell. He pitched the idea for months with no takers. (transitive) To assemble or erect (a tent). Pitch the tent over there. (context, of, _, ships, and, aircraft, transitive, or, intransitive) To move so that the front of the craft goes alternatively up and down. (i, transitive) The typhoon pitched the deck of the ship. (i, intransitive) The airplane pitched. (context, golf, transitive) To play a short, high, lofty shot that lands with backspin. The only way to get on the green from here is to pitch the ball over the bunker. (context, cricket, intransitive) To bounce on the playing surface. The ball pitched well short of the batsman. (context, Bristolian dialect, of snow, intransitive) To settle and build up, without melting. adjective Completely dark or black; like tar. The room was black. placement noun The act of placing or putting in place; the act of locating or positioning; the state of being placed. A location or position. It seems to me that the of that post could be better. The act of matching a person with a job The agency does not guarantee , but they work on commission. placer noun Someone who places or arranges something. (slang) Someone who deals in stolen goods; a fence. plastron noun The nearly flat part of the shell structure of a tortoise or other animal, similar in composition to the carapace (fencing) A half-jacket worn under the jacket for padding or for safety. An ornamental front panel on a woman's bodice. 1942: I bought here a wedding dress perhaps twenty or thirty years old ... a sequin to be worn over the womb as a feminine equivalent to a cod-piece, and a gauze veil embroidered in purple and gold. " Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (Canongate 2006, p. 784) plate noun A serving dish or food course. We filled our plate from the bountiful table. A flat metallic object of uniform thickness. A clutch usually has two plates. (weightlifting) A weighted disk, usually of metal, with a hole in the center for use with a barbell, dumbbell, or exercise machine. (printing) An engraved surface used to transfer an image to paper. We finished making the plates this morning. (context, printing, photography) An image or copy. (dentistry) A shaped and fitted surface, usually ceramic or metal that fits into the mouth and in which teeth are implanted; a dental plate. (construction) A horizontal framing member at the top or bottom of a group of vertical studs. A decorative or food service item coated with silver. The tea was served in the . (Cockney rhyming slang) feet, from "plates of meat". "Sit down and give your plates a rest" (baseball) home plate; where the batter stands next to There was a close play at the . (geology) tectonic plate verb (plat, ing) To cover the surface material of an object with a thin coat of another material, usually a metal. This ring is plated with a thin layer of gold. To place the various elements of a meal on the diner's plate prior to serving. After preparation, the chef will the dish. To perform cunnilingus. He fingered her as he plated her with his tongue. platoon noun (context, military) A unit of thirty to forty soldiers typically commanded by a lieutenant play noun Activity for amusement only, especially among the young A theatrical performance featuring actors. An individual's performance in a sport. A major move by a business. A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other resources. The amount of slackness in a drive chain or similar looped item. No wonder the fanbelt is slipping: there"s too much in it. (turn-based games) An action carried out when it is one's turn to play. verb (intransitive): To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation. 2001 February, Annabelle Sabloff, Reordering the Natural World, page 83, University of Toronto Press : A youngster...listed some of the things his pet did not do: ...go on vacation, in the same way that he did with his friends, and so on. 2003 November, Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont et al. (editors), Joining Society: Social Interaction and Learning in Adolescence and Youth, page 52, Cambridge University : We had to play for an hour, so that meant that we didn't have time to and joke around. (intransitive): To produce music using a musical instrument. I've practiced the piano off and on, and I still can't very well. (intransitive): To deal with a situation in a diplomatic manner. (transitive): To act in a performance as the indicated role. He plays the King, and she's the Queen. (transitive): To participate in the game indicated. football, sports cards, poker cat and mouse, games house, doctor (transitive) (ergative): To produce music on the indicated musical instrument. I'll the piano and you sing. Can you an instrument? (transitive) (ergative): To produce music, the indicated song or style, with a musical instrument. We especially like to jazz together. Play a song for me. Do you know how to Fí¼r Elise? My son thinks he can music. (transitive) (ergative): To use a device to watch or listen to the indicated recording. You can the DVD now. playing field noun A field on which a game, esp. a ball game, is played. playmaker noun (dated) A playwright. A sportsman who leads attacks for his team, and creates chances to score. plug noun (context, electricity) A pronged connector, connecting device which fits into a mating socket. I pushed the back into the electrical socket and the lamp began to glow again. Any piece of wood, metal, or other substance used to stop or fill a hole; a stopple. Pull the out of the tub so it can drain. A flat oblong cake of pressed tobacco. He preferred a of tobacco to loose chaw. (context, US, slang) A high, tapering silk hat. (