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Glite Dictionary
early bath

early bath

1 7.4
Being sent out of a game or activity before it ends as punishment
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : salida anticipada
  • The coach expressed disappointment after one of his star players got an early bath due to a careless foul.

Examples

  • Go and get yourself an early bath.

    Goal! (2005)

  • Didn't bargain on an early bath?

    Saving the Titanic (2012)

  • Well, it's an early bath for Raj... which is really gonna put pressure on the Mean Machine.

    Mean Machine (2001)

  • After receiving a red card, the player had to take an early bath before the match ended.

  • Getting an early bath from the game was frustrating for the player, but he understood the referee's decision.

Synonyms

to send to the showers
vsearly bath
  • Jargon
1 8.5

Make a player leave the game because they broke the rules

applies more widely to removal before normal end not only players
to get an early bath
vsearly bath
  • Slang
9.4

To have to leave a job early because of a mistake or failure

refers specifically to sports removals before the normal end

Surface Forms

early bath singular
early baths plural

Morphology

early + bath

Although 'early' is transparent, the literal meaning of 'bath' (washing) gives no clear cue to the sports-specific sense of being sent off or removed from a game. This is a culture- and register-specific sports idiom whose meaning cannot be reliably derived by a B1 learner from the constituent words alone, so prior exposure is needed.

Etymology

Early bath comes from the image of a player who gets a bath (or shower) early because they are sent off before the match ends; they go to clean up while others keep playing. So it means 'being sent off or made to leave early', often as a punishment.