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bonus baby

American  

noun

  1. an athlete who is paid a substantial bonus to sign their first professional contract.


Etymology

Origin of bonus baby

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Why did Posh have that bonus baby at age 45, despite already having three kids?

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2018

Under the bonus baby system in place from after the war through 1965, players who signed for more than a certain amount had to be kept on the major league roster for two years.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2016

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sandy Koufax didn’t spend an inning in the minor leagues, joining his home-town Brooklyn Dodgers as a bonus baby at the start of the 1955 season.

From The Guardian • Oct. 7, 2015

They described Mr. Bond as “a kind of political bonus baby of great potential who never has quite fulfilled the promise as a national leader that many of his admirers once envisioned.”

From Washington Post • Aug. 16, 2015

I was not a big bonus baby, I was not a big prospect.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 16, 2010