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pop fly

pop fly

3 5.8
A high ball hit in baseball or softball that is easy to catch
  • noun
  • /pɑp flaɪ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : bola elevada
  • She caught the pop fly without any trouble, demonstrating her skill in the outfield.
  • hit a pop fly
  • catch pop flies
  • drop the pop fly

Examples

  • I hit a pop fly.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • A pop fly is caught by the center fielder.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • One Sunday afternoon, someone on the other team hit a little pop fly that at least three of us were close enough to catch.

    Blog text (9)
  • Finally, I caught one and sent a pop fly spinning overhead.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I reached second, but our next batter hit a pop fly straight to first base for the third out.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The third hit a pop fly that was caught by the Red Sox's second baseman.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The batter clipped the pitch for a high pop fly.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • What I saw was a pop-fly where the left fielder and shortstop were both planning on catching the ball.

    Blog text (27)
  • The batter struck the ball high, sending a pop fly into the air that the outfielder easily caught.

  • During the game, he misjudged a simple pop fly and let it drop behind him.

Synonyms

fly
vspop fly
  • Jargon
50 5.4

A ball hit high into the air in baseball

is focused on short, easy to catch high hits rather than any high hit
fly ball
vspop fly
  • Specialized
16 3.1

A ball hit high into the air in baseball

is specifically a short high hit that is easy to catch
pop-up
vspop fly
  • Jargon
1 3.6

A high fly ball that is easy for fielders to catch

is the same meaning but presented in plain two words
popup
vspop fly
  • Jargon
1 4.2

A short high ball hit into the air that a fielder can easily catch

is the same meaning but written as two separate words
pop-fly
vspop fly
  • Jargon
5.7

A ball hit high into the air near home plate that is easy to catch

is the same meaning but written without a hyphen

How High

fly ball
  • Specialized
16 3.1
pop fly
  • Jargon
3 5.8
line drive
  • US
12 4.2
ground ball
  • Jargon
12 3.4

Surface Forms

pop fly singular
pop flies plural

Morphology

pop + fly

The noun 'pop fly' is transparently built from 'pop' (to loft the ball high) + 'fly' (a ball struck high into the air); the combined sense — a short, high fly ball usually easy to catch — follows directly from those constituent meanings and standard sports compounding. A B1 learner who knows the given senses of both words can infer this MWE without prior exposure.

Etymology

Pop fly comes from the image of a ball that 'pops' off the bat and becomes a fly — a high, short hit that hangs in the air. So pop fly means 'a high fly ball that does not go far and is easy to catch'.