Calcutta Cup

British

noun

rugby Union a trophy competed for annually by England and Scotland since 1879

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Calcutta Cup

after the _Calcutta Rugby and Cricket Club, who donated the trophy to the Rugby Football Union in 1878

Example Sentences

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Calcutta Cup

At one point, Russell, who has had plenty of Calcutta Cup run-ins with Farrell, aimed a gesture at the visitors suggesting they continue 'crying' over a penalty decision.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

Lacklustre and outgunned in Rome in week one, Scotland are now France's biggest challengers after following up the Calcutta Cup demolition of England with a nailbiting, nerve-wrenching win in Wales.

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026

It is almost a rite of passage for a successful England team to first suffer a chastening Calcutta Cup loss at Murrayfield.

From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026

Scotland ended England's 12-match unbeaten run with a stunning 31-20 Calcutta Cup win at Murrayfield on Saturday that revived their Six Nations campaign.

From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026

Took nine to four on Cleopatra for the Calcutta Cup.

From The Mystery of Cloomber by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023