body English

American  

noun

Sports.

1. 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.

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body English Idioms  

1. 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.”)

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Etymology

Origin of body English

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Santana used some body English in hopes the ball stayed fair.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2020

For now, he remains a body English quarterback, which is to say that every time he rolls out, or is trapped in that pocket, you find yourself grimacing, leaning left and twisting right, and praying.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2014

It accounts for just 0.25% of total wine sales in the UK, according to industry body English Wine Producers.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2013

Last year's apple harvest was down 25%, largely because of the bad summer, says Adrian Barlow, chief executive of the trade body English Apples & Pears.

From The Guardian • Jun. 22, 2013

Lady Sophia has been ill with a cold; her head is to be dressed French, and her body English, for which I am sorry, her figure is so fine in a robe.

From The Wits and Beaux of Society Volume 2 by Wharton, Philip

Related Words

• act
• gesture
• passage