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side pocket

side pocket

6 3.2
A pocket on the side of a pool table where you sink balls
  • noun
  • /saɪd ˈpɑːkɪt/
translation icon : bolsillo lateral
  • The game was tied, and he knew he needed to sink the eight ball in the side pocket to win.
  • tucked into a side pocket
  • bag's side pocket
  • side pocket of her purse

Examples

  • With a flick of the wrist, she sent the ball effortlessly into the side pocket of the pool table.

  • The player skillfully aimed the cue ball to land in the side pocket for an easy point.

  • Left ball in the side pocket.

  • So we play billiard combination and put the 12 in the right side pocket.

  • Eight ball, side pocket.

  • 8 ball, side pocket.

  • 2 ball, side pocket.

  • I crouch by my overnight bag and dig with sudden inspiration into its side pocket.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Betsy, I think there's a touring map in the side pocket.

  • As Molly lifts one of Sam's jackets, something falls from a side pocket.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

pocket
vsside pocket
54 4.8

An opening on a game table where balls can fall in

is located at the table's side and used for sinking balls

How Big

side pocket
6 3.2
hip pocket
2 2.0

Surface Forms

side pocket singular
side pockets plural

Morphology

side + pocket

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'side' (edge or lateral position) with 'pocket' (an opening/hole used in games); it literally denotes a pocket located on the side of the table. This compositional noun‑noun pattern is common and cross‑linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun side pocket comes from the clear image of a small opening at the side of a billiard or pool table called a pocket, where players try to put balls. So it now means the specific pocket on the table's side where you aim to send a ball.