Panenka

[ puh-nen-kuh ]

noun

, Soccer.

1. a method for taking a penalty kick in which the player takes a slow, gently arching shot to the center of goal because the goalie is likely to have lunged to one side in anticipation of a faster ball targeting one of the goal’s edges.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Panenka¹

First recorded in 2000–05; named after Czech soccer player Antonín Panenka (born 1948)