I have defined some of the words (underlined) in the dialogue, which you can add to your Personal Dictionary. Click on the Excel icon to download the word list to your PC or mobile device, which you can thereafter import into your Personal Dictionary. They are also listed below.
Scroll down to the bottom for links to a crossword and word search using words from this post, as well a YouTube video.
Golden duck (n) – Same as duck, but in this case, by first ball delivered
Duck (n) – Batsman/woman out, without scoring a run
Beamer (n) – A delivery aimed at waist height, without bouncing by the same bowler
Bouncer (n) – A fast, short-pitched bowl, aimed at the batsman/woman’s head
Daisy cutter (n) – When a delivery rolls along the ground or bounces twice
Dibbly dobbly (n) – A delivery that’s easy to hit, but difficult to score from
Jaffa (n) – An extremely well bowled delivery
Yorker (n) – A usually fast delivery pitched at the batsman/woman’s feet
Slogger (n) – A batsman promoted up the batting order in order to score quick runs
Gun (n) – A highly skilled batsman
Dolly (n) – A very easy catch
Sticky dog (n) – A drying wicket, which is difficult to bat on
Plumb (adj) – Directly at the wicket
Bunny (n) – A batsman that is frequently dismissed by the same bowler
Cow corner (n) – An area of the pitch, the ball rarely goes to
Tailender (n) – Player towards the end of the batting order, normally bowlers
Why did you want me to come today Ed? You know I don’t know everything about the rules of cricket.
Really? Didn’t you play it at school?
No girls didn’t play it then, but Jenny does now of course.
Just imagine: maybe our daughter will play for England one day.
Her teacher told me that she’s a good all-rounder. She even got a golden duck last week.
That’s not a good thing Judy. It means she was out after one delivery. If she had faced more than one, it would have been just a duck.
Oh, I see. I feel a bit foolish now.
Well, you shouldn’t. There are lots of funny slang expressions used in cricket. For example, the bowler just bowled a beamer.
So, when he aims at waist height?
Yes. If it’s short-pitched and bounces over the batsman’s head, then it’s a bouncer.
What about if the bowler delivers the ball along the wicket?
That’s a daisy cutter. It’s considered unsporting, so you won’t see one very often.
Are there any other slang expressions for bowling?
Yes, there is a dibbly dobbly, which is a delivery that is easy to hit, but difficult to score from. Then there is a jaffa, which is a very well-bowled delivery. Finally, there is a toe crusher which is also known as a yorker when the bowler deliberately aims at the batsman’s feet.
Or batswoman.
Yes of course! Maybe I should have used batsperson.
Are there any more expressions I should know?
Yes, a few. The referees in cricket are umpires or umps for short. When a batsman…
Batsperson.
Ahh yes. A batsperson scores 100 runs it’s a century. Batters who hit the ball all over the pitch are known as sloggers. A gun is a highly skilled batsperson, who scores a lot of runs and takes a bowler downtown.
For a drink after the match?
No! It means he or she will hit the ball for 4s and 6s.
Oh, I see. I heard Jenny talking about a dolly. What’s that?
It’s a presumed easy catch, which is dropped. Then you have a sticky dog, which is a drying wicket that is difficult to bat on. LBW, which is being out, legs before wicket, and plumb is when the delivery is a clear LBW. A bunny is a batsperson, who is often dismissed by the same bowler. The cow’s corner is a part of the pitch the ball rarely goes to and the silly point is a dangerous fielding position close to the batsperson.
I wouldn’t want to be there. Give me the cow’s corner any day.
Finally, you have the tailenders, who are the final batters. They are often not very good at batting and are bowled out easily.
I can’t believe how many expressions there are. I hope I can remember them all.
Shall I repeat them?
Another time Ed. I think it’s tea-time now.
To test your knowledge, why not do a crossword puzzle, using words from this text?
Click here for instructions on how to play.
To test your knowledge, why not do a word search puzzle, using words from this text?
Click here for instructions on how to play.
Click on the image to watch a video about Cricket Slang
Beamer (n) – A delivery aimed at waist height, without bouncing
The bowler is bowling beamers at the inexperienced batsman. He will be out soon.
Bouncer (n) – A fast, short-pitched bowl, aimed at the batsman/woman’s head
It’s good job she’s wearing a helmet with those bouncers coming down the wicket.
Bunny (n) – A batsman that is frequently dismissed by the same bowler
Unfortunately for Mark, he has become Paul’s bunny. Paul has bowled him out yet again.
Century (n) – A score of at least 100 runs by a single batsman/woman
That is the first time he has scored a century. Well done to him.
Cow corner (n) – An area of the pitch, the ball rarely goes to
The ball has gone down to cows corner. It will take a few seconds before a fielder gets there.
Daisy cutter (n) – When a delivery rolls along the ground or bounces twice
The batsmen had no chance of hitting that daisy cutter.
Dibbly dobbly (n) – A delivery that’s easy to hit, but difficult to score from
The batsmen wasn’t expecting that dibbly dobbly. He completely missed it
Dolly (n) – A very easy catch
I can’t believe he dropped that dolly. It was such an easy catch.
Duck (n) – Batsman/woman out, without scoring a run
She’s out for a duck. That’s the third time this season.
Golden duck (n) – Same as duck, but in this case, by first ball delivered
They bowled the top batsman out for a golden duck. They should win the match easily now.
Gun (n) – A highly skilled batsman.
Tom is considered the gun in our team. He scores the most runs, almost every time.
Jaffa (n) – An extremely well bowled delivery
That was an incredible jaffa. Probably the best delivery you will see all day.
LBW (noun) – Leg Before Wicket
The ball was going to hit the wicket, so the umpire had to give LBW
Plumb (adj) – Directly at the wicket
That was plumb. The LBW couldn’t have been more clearer.
Silly point (n) – A fielding position very close to batsman/woman
The silly point is a very dangerous position to play in, for the fielders.
Slogger (n) – A batsman promoted up the batting order in order to score quick runs
Grahame is a great slogger. He has added 47 runs in just 3 overs.
Sticky dog (n) – A drying wicket, which is difficult to bat on
After the rain last night, the batsmen are really struggling on this sticky dog.
Tailenders (n) – Players towards the end of the batting order, normally bowlers
It shouldn’t take them long to get rid of these tailenders.
Take a bowler downtown (exp) – When the batsman/woman hits the ball over the bowler’s head
It was a good delivery, but the bowler saw the ball fly over his head and reach the boundary for 4 runs.
Toe crushers (n) – A ball aimed directly at the batsman/woman’s feet
Those toecrushers are really difficult to defend.
Ump (n) – Umpire
Come on ump, that was definitely out.
Yorker (n) – A usually fast delivery pitched at the batsman/woman’s feet
Yorkers are his speciality. He gets a lot of wickets pulling this way.
To avoid spam, all comments will be held for moderation and posted once checked. All comments whether positive or negative will be published.
