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Glite Dictionary
leg before wicket

leg before wicket

9.9
A cricket dismissal when a batsman's leg blocks the ball from hitting the stumps and the umpire signals out
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : pierna delante del wicket
  • The bowler appealed for leg before wicket when the batsman missed the ball and it struck his leg.

Examples

  • This means you can't be out bowled, leg before wicket, caught, or stumped by the wicket-keeper even.

    Global Heresy (2002)

  • Leg before wicket!

    The Grand Seduction (2014)

  • - Leg before wicket.

    The Grand Seduction (2014)

  • In cricket, a batsman can be dismissed for leg before wicket if he blocks the ball with his body instead of the bat.

  • The umpire raised his finger to signal leg before wicket after determining that the hitting ball would have hit the stumps.

Synonyms

LBW
vsleg before wicket
  • Jargon
9.9

A dismissal when the ball hits a batsman's leg in front of the wicket and would hit the stumps

is broader, covers any body part blocking the ball from the wicket

Surface Forms

leg before wicket singular
leg before wickets plural

Morphology

leg + before + wicket

The phrase literally combines 'leg' + 'before' + 'wicket', so a learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer 'a leg in front of the wicket'. However, the specific meaning — a formal cricket dismissal governed by particular rules — is sport-specific and not fully predictable from the words alone, requiring extra domain knowledge.

Etymology

Leg before wicket comes from cricket: when a player's leg stands in front of the wicket and blocks the ball, it can stop the ball from hitting the stumps. Because of this rule, being 'leg before wicket' means the batsman is given 'out'.