third string player
- noun
:
jugador de tercera reserva
- After two injuries, the coach was forced to use the third string player in the final quarter.
Examples
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As the third string player, he rarely got to play.
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She worked hard all season to move up from third string player to the main lineup.
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The third string player scored a goal!
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My brother is a third string player on the basketball team.
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Due to several key players being injured, the coach had no choice but to rely on the third string player to fill in during the championship game.
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The third string player seldom participated in games, as he was often overlooked for starting positions.
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Although he started as a third string player, his dedication and skill eventually helped him earn a spot in the regular lineup.
How Likely
Surface Forms
Morphology
The senses of 'third' and 'player' are transparent, but 'string' in the sports collocation 'first/second/third-string' is a specialized, idiomatic use meaning 'rank in the lineup' or 'choice order' that a B1 learner who only knows the basic noun 'string' is unlikely to infer reliably. Because part of the meaning is recoverable from the constituents (third + player) but the role of 'string' is a conventionalized sports term, the overall expression is only partially predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Third string player comes from sports teams that put players into groups called 'strings.' The first 'string' are the starters, the second are the main backups, so the third string player sits further back on the bench and is 'less likely to play' unless others can't play.