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

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 always tough backing up an emotional performance like a Calcutta Cup game," said Tuipulotu, with Scotland yet to finish higher than third in the Six Nations era.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026

England's 12-game winning run was ended emphatically at Murrayfield on Saturday as Scotland regained the Calcutta Cup with an inspired 31-20 victory.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 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

Took nine to four on Cleopatra for the Calcutta Cup.

From The Mystery of Cloomber by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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