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💃 A prostitute 🏉 Rugby position ⛳ Golfer with hook
hooker

hooker

1 7.9
The player in a rugby scrum front row who tries to win the ball with their foot
  • noun
  • /ˈhʊkər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : talonador
  • So we did meet once or twice in the scrum but they had a hooker called Phil at the time who was keeping Dylan a prop and then those lads went on to big things.

So we did meet once or twice in the scrum but they had a hooker called Phil at the time who was keeping Dylan a prop and then those lads went on to big things.

Examples

  • So I think in that England set up, I'd come through that, that youth system, I'd transitioned to hooker at that point.

  • This is Parag, he's a hooker.

    The Tiger Hunter (2017)

  • Maybe that came from her training as a hooker.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • No, Thump's a hooker, Skull's a hooker.

    The Manson Brothers: Midnight Zombie Massacre (2021)

  • I'm a hooker, too.

    Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

  • In rugby, the player in the hooker position is crucial for gaining control of the ball during a scrum.

  • During the match, the team's hooker expertly used his foot to win the ball at the set piece.

  • The coach praised his hooker for securing possession and providing a solid platform for the attack.

Surface Forms

hooker singular
hookers plural

Morphology

hooker = hook (semi-transparent) = hook + er

The form clearly means 'one who hooks the ball,' but the rugby-specific role is a specialized usage that many learners would not fully infer.

Etymology

Hooker in rugby gets its name from hook meaning 'to pull' or 'to catch' the ball with the foot in the scrum, because this player 'hooks' the ball back to his team.