English, baby!

southpaw

Date: Aug 14 2008

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“I can figure out southpaws. There are ways of beating these guys.”

- Boxer Oscar de la Hoya on who he will fight next. (latinboxing.com)

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

a left-handed person

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

There’s a very good chance that as you view this lesson, the computer mouse is in your right hand. In fact, 87% of the world is right handed. But 11% of people are southpaws.

Southpaw is a sports term for a left-handed person. No one’s really sure where the term comes from, but it might have something to do with the fact that most baseball fields face east, so a southpaw is more likely to hit the ball south, to left field.

Southpaw pitchers and hitters are dangerous in baseball, but southpaw boxers are even scarier. Since most boxers train against a right-handed person, when they fight southpaws there are a lot of surprises.

But Olympic gold medalist and world famous boxer Oscar de la Hoya says he can handle southpaws. That’s why his next fight might be against Winky Wright, who is left-handed.

In Britain, left-handed people are called mollydookers. This term comes from an old assumption that left-handed people are strange or that there’s something wrong with them. With the use of Molly, a woman’s name, this term implies that left-handed sportsmen are feminine. Try telling that to Winky Wright.

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

“Be ready for a wild pitch. The pitcher’s a southpaw.”

“We thought our child had terrible handwriting, but it turns out he’s just a southpaw!”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

	(Slang) lefty, left-handed person; person who throws or punches with the left hand (Sports) by majid_jjs
	specifically, "southpaw" is a boxer who leads with his right hand and off his right foot (opposing to the usual style with the left) normally - it's just a left-handed person :D by Pavlionka
	punches with the left hand , it is not very strong but it is very effictive. by senior electronics engineer
	southpaw is a boxer who use his left hand when boxing by purplex
	hook with left hand by sabz
	A left-handed person by laurawr
	any left-handed person by @rehanna@
	lefty, left-handed person; person who throws or punches with the left hand (Sports) by Eydo
	hiting someone with your left hand by r8y8d
	being good at using left hand;to guess the next fist.. by birsencan
	southpaws mean "left hands" or "left-handed people". by Juliny

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Comments

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whitetutu

China

left hand is southpaw, right hand is right hand, not special word for it. I understand now. It is new for me. However when we find someone who is left hand, I don't think it is proper to say " Hi, you are southpaw person." I would rather to say " Hi, you are left hand person" But when we talk someone behind him, it is ok to say southpaw. It is my understanding. I don't know if i am right.

lovengage

China

a method

mishal khan

Saudi Arabia

hi this is the best program ever

marah0506

Mexico

hello,someone??

vipanpaul2006

India

hello

how r y today i am busy

sultanahmed

Saudi Arabia

Hi Iam Fine Thankyou

How Are You?

Iam Sultan Ahmed Iam From SaoudI Arabia

sultanahmed

Saudi Arabia

Hi Iam Fine Thankyou

How Are You?

Iam Sultan Ahmed Iam From SaoudI Arabia

Werbőczy

Hungary

I have a good program / Akadémiai MoBimouse Plus/so I can translate it easilyThis word is means balkezes játékos in Hungary.

英兰

China

I don't know the mean!

英兰

China

so so!

steven_yang

China

if we call someone a southpaw,we mean that he or she is used to doing things with the left hand.That means they use their left hands so skilledly as we normal people use our right hands.!

movitch

Morocco

hallo

movitch

Morocco

hallo

sarsminhtutaung

Myanmar

if a left-handed person is called southpaw,What can be for right-handed person?northpaw?:)

I'm not making problem to you.just wanna know

sultanahmed

Saudi Arabia

hello Girls

egyptophile

Egypt

As moslems we should eat with the right hand, and also we do almost every thing with it except in the powder room, but of course " southpaws " are exempted.