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opener

opener

7 7.4
In baseball, a pitcher who starts the game but only pitches the first one or two innings
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊpənər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : opener (béisbol, préstamo)
  • In the first inning, the opener struck out three batters, setting the tone for the game.
  • season opener
  • home opener
  • won the opener

Examples

  • He had four hits in the series opener.

  • The coach prepared the opener to face the opposing team's strongest hitters right away.

  • And Green Bay met a similar fate in its playoff opener against the New York Giants.

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  • Last season, the Dash claimed their home opener over the Muddies 1-0.

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  • Locker injured the same shoulder in Tennessee's season opener against New England.

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  • More than 650,000 gun hunters were expected to be in the woods for the opener.

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  • The football season opener was Friday, with Boise beating Borah.

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  • Jacksonville kept two safeties back for much of the season opener.

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  • The victory marked Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero's third home opener victory in four years.

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  • Graham hauled in four passes for 38 yards in this year's opener against Youngstown State, but has only caught two for 14 since.

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Compounds

18 1.0

A tool that opens metal cans by cutting the lid

16 4.4

An experience that makes you see something in a new way

11 2.1

A small tool with a thin blade for cutting envelopes

A tool for taking off caps or corks from bottles

1 3.9

A surprising event or fact that teaches you something new

eye opener
  • Informal
1 7.2

An alcoholic drink taken early in the morning to wake you up

1 1.3

A tool for opening metal cans

A small tool for removing metal caps from bottles

An action or remark that starts a conversation

How Late

nightcap
  • Jargon
1 6.9
main event
37 3.0
opener
  • Jargon
7 7.4

Surface Forms

opener singular
openers plural

Morphology

opener = open (semi-transparent) = open + er

The baseball sense is an extended, domain-specific use meaning 'the pitcher who opens the game'; the relation to 'open' is clear but the specific role is jargon and may not be inferable by an average learner.

Etymology

In baseball the word opener uses the same idea: it comes from open 'to begin' and -er 'one who', so an opener is the pitcher who starts the game and 'opens' the first innings.