scrimmage line
- noun
- /ˈskrɪmɪdʒ laɪn/
- Jargon
:
línea de golpeo
- One college player remained at the scrimmage line, a small sturdy fellow who tore off his helmet, faced the high school boys, cocked his fists, and said, grimly, "I'll fight you one at a time or I'll fight you all at once!"
Examples
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During the game, the players crouched low at the scrimmage line, waiting for the whistle.
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WRs were too afraid to line up at the scrimmage line, and we were called for a "5 men in the backfield" penalty.
Blog text (15) -
Montana did, behind the scrimmage line, so that he bought time, saw openings, and threw darts.
Blog text (2) -
The quarterback stood at the scrimmage line, ready to signal the start of the play.
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The defense was strong, making it difficult to advance past the scrimmage line.
Synonyms
16
6.2
An invisible line on a football field where teams stand before each play
Surface Forms
Morphology
scrimmage + line
The phrase is a straightforward noun+noun compound that literally means the 'line associated with a scrimmage', so part of the meaning is compositionally derivable. However, 'scrimmage' is a low-frequency, football-specific term and 'line' here has a specialized sense (an imaginary starting line), so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would likely need domain exposure to reach the precise meaning.
Etymology
The term scrimmage line comes from the word scrimmage, meaning a 'small fight' or 'clash', and line, meaning a place where players stand. Picture two teams facing each other at that line ready to begin the play — that's why it means the place on the field where the action starts.