noun / adjective
southpaw
SOUTH-paw/ˈsaʊθpɔː/
A left-handed person or left-handed sporting technique or stance.
The coach brings in a southpaw to face their best hitter.
Etymology
With paw standing for a hand, south paw first appears for a left-handed blow before its baseball use for a left-hander. The explanation connecting south to baseball-field orientation is only a reported account.
In context
Menon stepping over to his left trying to get lead foot positioning against the southpaw. Immediately straight left hand by Opaya.
More examples
- As a southpaw, I prefer scissors made for my left hand.
- She fights from a southpaw stance, with her right foot forward.
- Two southpaws pitch for our team this season.
Forms
southpaw · southpaws
Similar words
- lefty
- An informal name for a left-handed person, not a stance.
- left-handed
- Describes left-hand preference or technique rather than naming a person.