twelfth man
Britishnoun
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a reserve player in a cricket team
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anything that is regarded as a contributory factor to the success of a football team, esp a large and vocal home support
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.
"Mistress Delia," I said hurriedly, "the twelfth man has enter'd the house, and unless we consider our plans at once, all's up with us."
From The Splendid Spur by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir
When he came to the last he paid him well, saying, "Here is the twelfth man."
From Children's Literature A Textbook of Sources for Teachers and Teacher-Training Classes by Clippinger, Erle Elsworth
"Well," said the courtier, "what will you give me, and I will find the twelfth man?"
From The Book of Noodles Stories of Simpletons; or, Fools and Their Follies by Clouston, William Alexander
I am going to be the twelfth man.
From The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers by Labelle, Claude A.
Netherton was always the twelfth man to arrive, and nothing could be done till he was safely settled.
From Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush by Maclaren, Ian
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
