box score

noun

Sports.

1. a record of the play of a game, especially a baseball or basketball game, in which, on separate sides of the record, the players on each team are listed in a column by name and position, with additional rows of columns, each headed by the abbreviation of the type of information to be given for each player.

Word History and Origins

Origin of box score¹

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Idioms and Phrases

A detailed summary of actions or an event, as in The President wanted to base his reelection campaign on his box score . The term comes from baseball, where since about 1910 it has signified a statistical summary in table form of the essential details of a game. About 1930 it began to be used figuratively, especially by politicians referring to their own record while in office.

In military slang, the number of dead, wounded, or missing in action. For example, Never mind the details of the battle; just give the lieutenant the box score . [c. 1950]