body English

noun

, Sports.

1. a twisting of the body by a player as if to help a ball already hit, rolled, or kicked to travel in the desired direction.

Word History and Origins

Origin of body English¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Idioms and Phrases

Movements of the body that express a person's feelings, as in His body English tells us just how tired he is . This expression originated about 1900 in such sports as bowling and ice hockey, where a player tries to influence the path of a ball or puck by moving his body in a particular direction. (It was based on the earlier use of English to mean “spin imparted to a ball.”)

Example Sentences

Santana used some body English in hopes the ball stayed fair.

From Seattle Times

And he is a living embodiment of "body English."

From Golf Digest

And how about this body English on the greens?!

From Golf Digest

No need for body English when you know where the ball's going, when you're in control.

From Golf Digest

Schaefer’s foot stamps could be heard all over the arena, and his body English on the sideline was that of a spinning top.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• act
• gesture
• passage