southpaw

English

WOTD – 30 September 2006

Alternative forms

• south paw

Etymology

From south +‎ paw. The original derivation is unclear: although now best known from the sport of baseball, the term is first attested in 1813, before baseball was founded. Suggested theories include:

For Boxing:

• Evidence suggests the term existed before baseball, being used in the 1840s to describe a left-handed punch or "paw" in boxing. A 1848 political cartoon described a "south paw" blow in this context.

For Baseball:

• Early 19th-century ballparks were often built with home plate on the west side and the pitcher's mound on the east to prevent the sun from being in the batter's eyes. Consequently, a left-handed pitcher's arm would be facing the southern side of the diamond. However, the term was originally used to refer to position players rather than pitchers.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊθˌpɔː/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊθˌpɑ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (Australia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊθpɔː, -aʊθpɑ

Noun

southpaw (plural southpaws)

1. (informal) One who is left-handed, especially in sports.
   • 1943, United States Army, A short guide to Syria:

     Never touch the food until your host has said grace ("Bismillah") and then not till he has told you to. Eat only with your right hand—it is considered very rude to use the left, even if you are a southpaw.

   Synonyms: left-hander, lefty

   Antonyms: northpaw, right-hander

   1. (baseball) A left-handed pitcher.

      Since home plate is generally in the southwest corner to avoid glare in the batter's eyes, a southpaw's pitching hand is to the south.

      • 1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise/Book Two/Chapter 5, Book Two/Chapter 5:

        Eleanor would pitch, probably southpaw. Rosalind was outfield, wonderful hitter, Clara first base, maybe.

   2. A boxer who leads with the right hand and guards with the left.

Translations

informal: one who is left-handed

• Bashkir: һулаҡай (hulaqay)
• Basque: ezkerti (eu)
• Finnish: vasuri (fi)
• French: gaucher (fr) m, gauchère (fr) f
• German: Linkshänder (de) m, Linkshänderin (de) f
• Japanese: 左利き (ja) (ひだりきき, hidarikiki)
• Polish: mańkut (pl) m, leworęczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: canhoteiro m
• Romansh: tschanchin m (Rumantsch Grischun)
• Russian: левша́ (ru) m or f (levšá)
• Spanish: zurdo (es) m, zurda (es) f
• Tagalog: kaliwete (tl)
• Volapük: (♂♀) nedetaskilan, (♂) nedetahiskilan, (♀) nedetajiskilan

baseball: left-handed pitcher

• Finnish: vasuri (fi)
• Japanese: サウスポー (ja) (さうすぽー, sausupō)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} linkshandig (nl)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} destçep (ku)

Further reading

• “southpaw”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.