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Glite Dictionary
line single

line single

6.1
A hard straight hit that lets the batter reach first base
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : hit de línea
  • He hit a line single to left field.

Examples

  • He hit a line single to center field in the third inning.

  • The batter's line single drove in two runs to tie the game.

  • With two outs, she delivered a sharp line single past the shortstop.

  • Did you see his line single in the last game?

  • He hit a line single to left field, allowing the runner to score.

  • After a difficult at-bat, she connected with a powerful line single that cruised past the infield.

  • The pitcher watched as the batter launched a sharp line single into the outfield, earning him a place on first base.

Synonyms

single
vsline single
  • Jargon
85 4.2

A hit that allows the batter to reach first base

is limited to hits achieved by a line drive
line-drive single
vsline single
  • Jargon
1 6.6

A base hit made by hitting the ball hard so the batter reaches first base

is identical in meaning but uses a different nonhyphenated wording

Surface Forms

line single singular
line singles plural

Morphology

line + single

The head noun 'single' (a batted ball allowing the batter to reach first) is clear, but the modifier 'line' requires the specialized baseball sense of 'line drive' (a sharply hit, low trajectory). A B1 learner who knows general senses of 'line' and 'single' might not infer the sports-specific trajectory meaning, so the composition is partially transparent but depends on domain knowledge.

Etymology

Line single comes from baseball: line means a hard, straight, low hit and single means 'a one-base hit' that gets the batter to first base. So a line single is 'a single' made by a straight line drive past the fielders.