We’re sure you know that a bat is a heavy stick or club used in sports, such as baseball or cricket, and the related verb means ‘to strike with a bat’ or ‘to take your turn as a batter.’ In UK slang, a bat is speed or pace, although this sense is now dated. Unrelatedly, a bat is a nocturnal mammal that you also probably know. There are also a lot of idioms associated with bat;…
In rugby and American football, a punt is a kick in which the ball is dropped and kicked before it touches the ground. To punt therefore means ‘to kick a ball before it touches the ground.’ In soccer, goalies also punt when they send the ball back into play. Informally, in US English, punt means ‘to delay or stall for time’ while thinking of an answer to a question or problem and, in UK English, ‘to sell or promote something in an insistent manner.’ Unrelatedly, a punt is a small boat propelled…
