Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Calcutta Cup

British  

noun

  1. 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

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

See Examples For:

On the road to this point, he has lost a few warriors - Jamie Ritchie and Jamie Dobie after the Calcutta Cup and now Scott Cummings and Gregor Brown, too.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

A bigger crowd is expected for the third-round visit of a Scotland side fresh from an impressive 31-20 Calcutta Cup win over England at Murrayfield.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 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

Took nine to four on Cleopatra for the Calcutta Cup.

From The Mystery of Cloomber by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training