strike zone
11
4.4
- noun
- /straɪk zoʊn/
- Specialized
:
zona de strike
- The umpire called it a strike because the pitch landed in the strike zone above the batter's knees.
- umpires determine the strike zone
- pitch for the strike zone
- Big strike zone
And so, but it also sounds like Bill, that if you're small, then that shrinks the strike zone.
- And so, but it also sounds like Bill, that if you're small, then that shrinks the strike zone.
- Because this is the the strike zone halfway between the shoulder and the waist.
Examples
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In order for it to count as a strike, it has to pass through the... strike zone.
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Don't swing if it's not in the strike zone.
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Right in the strike zone.
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Low strike zone today, boys.
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You mean, like a baseball strike zone?
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How do you pitch to a guy with a strike zone smaller than the ball?
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It looked like it was in the heart of the strike zone.
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You'll have time to hold up if it's out of the strike zone.
Fiction book (1996) -
Each subject was then instructed to throw a fastball at maximum velocity to the strike zone.
Academic text (2004) -
Width, depth, and height of each particular strike zone depend on each hitter, as hitters come in many sizes.
Blog text (30)
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun combines 'strike' (a pitch counted against a batter) with 'zone' (a region), so the meaning — the area in which pitches are called strikes — is directly and compositionally derivable from the parts. This compound follows a common language pattern (X + zone = area associated with X) and has obvious cross-linguistic parallels, making it immediately understandable to learners who know both constituents.
Etymology
Strike zone is a baseball picture: the word strike means a pitch the umpire calls a 'strike' and zone means an area, so together they name the box over home plate between the batter's knees and shoulders where a pitch must pass. That's why the phrase means the exact area a pitcher must hit to get a 'strike'.