to drag a bunt
- phrasal verb
- Jargon
:
buntear
- The speedy player often drags a bunt when he needs to get on base quickly.
Examples
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She dragged a bunt and managed to beat the throw to first.
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He decided to drag a bunt to get on base.
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He tried to drag a bunt down the first-base line to surprise the infielders.
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During the game, she dragged a bunt successfully.
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In the final inning, the player decided to drag a bunt to surprise the opposing team and reach first base safely.
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To advance the runner, she skillfully dragged a bunt down the first base line, giving herself a chance to make it to first.
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During practice, the coach emphasized the importance of learning how to drag a bunt to help players get on base.
Synonyms
8
6.3
To hit the ball softly while holding the bat still to move a runner
Surface Forms
Morphology
The headword 'bunt' clearly signals that this is a kind of bunt (soft tap of the ball), so a learner will likely infer it is a specific type of bunt; however the verb 'drag' here uses a specialized baseball sense (bunting while moving toward first base or producing a slowly rolling ball) that is not the core meaning of 'drag' for most learners. Because the expression is sport-specific and requires knowledge of a particular technique, the exact procedural meaning is not fully predictable from the constituents alone.
Etymology
The phrase drag a bunt comes from baseball. The batter drags the bat forward while bunting, letting the ball roll slowly down the first-base line as the batter runs to first, so it means 'to bunt the ball so it rolls slowly to reach base safely'.