varsity letter
2
4.4
- noun
- /ˈvɑːrsɪti ˈlɛtər/
- US
:
insignia
- She didn't want a letterman's (letterperson's?) jacket, so we put her varsity letter in a shadow box.
- earn a varsity letter
- get a varsity letter
- three varsity letters
But I preferred the uniform with long hair and beads to no hair and a varsity letter sweater.
- But I preferred the uniform with long hair and beads to no hair and a varsity letter sweater.
Examples
-
Cadets at the Air Force Academy have average SAT scores of 1230; 73% were in the top 10% of their graduating high school class; and 80% earned one or more varsity letters in athletics.
Academic text (1990) -
On the team, I won several inter-school matches, along the way winning my varsity letter.
Academic text (1991) -
The first thing I remember about high school is that I got varsity letters for the math team, chess team, and marching band.
Blog text (24) -
This is true: my school (Danbury High, from the mean streets of rural Connecticut) awarded varsity letters to any club that competed against other schools.
Blog text (24) -
Scott M. Burnstein grew up in Bloomfield Hills and attended school at Birmingham Roeper, where he earned multiple varsity letters in both basketball and baseball, and has been following the local preps scene since the 1980s.
Blog text (8) -
After years of hard work and dedication, I finally received my first varsity letter for participating in the basketball team.
-
He proudly displayed his varsity letter on his jacket, celebrating his achievements in school sports.
-
Winning a varsity letter was a significant milestone for her, reflecting her commitment to the swim team.
Synonyms
12
6.7
A cloth patch with a school's initial given to students for sports achievement
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'varsity' specifies the team/context and 'letter' denotes an athletic emblem/award, so 'varsity letter' straightforwardly means an award given for varsity participation. While the specific cultural practice (US school awards) might be unfamiliar, the noun-noun combination follows regular English patterns and is predictable for a learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Varsity letter comes from a school tradition: members of the main sports team, the varsity, were given a big cloth letter with the school's initial to sew on a jacket or sweater. Because the cloth letter showed a student's place on the team, the phrase now means an 'award' for strong participation in a school's sport or activity.