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Glite Dictionary
fair catch

fair catch

1 7.0
A player signals and catches a punt without running and cannot be tackled
  • noun
  • /fɛr kætʃ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : recepción señalada
  • Too many fair catches and running toward the sideline.
  • fair catch on a punt
  • call a fair catch
  • signaled for a fair catch

Examples

  • Brandon Tate successfully made a fair catch at the 8-yard line to avoid a hit.

  • Short kicks should have a runup for a fair catch, no matter where it is on the field.

    Blog text (11)

  • Obscure rules like one-point safeties and fair catch kicks really ought to go first.

    Blog text (10)

  • Ryan's punt sails to the Miami 18, where Bess calls a fair catch.

    Blog text (28)

  • The receiver signaled for a fair catch and stood still as the ball approached.

  • After the punt, the player called for a fair catch to stop the play.

Surface Forms

fair catch singular
fair catches plural

Morphology

fair + catch

This is a sport-specific, conventionalized term: while 'catch' is transparent, 'fair' here has a specialized sense (a protected, signaled catch with procedural consequences) that is not evident from the ordinary meanings of the words. The rule-bound meaning (signal in advance, no attempt to advance, cannot be tackled) cannot be reliably inferred by a B1 learner who simply knows 'fair' and 'catch', so the expression is not compositional for learners.

Etymology

Fair catch comes from older forms of football where a player would signal they had a clean chance to catch the ball. The word fair meant 'free from challenge', so after a fair catch the catcher was protected and would 'not be tackled', which is why today it means catching a punt without being attacked.