handicapn.
/ˈhandᵻkap/, U.S. /ˈhændiˌkæp/ 1. † b. Cards. A game similar to loo, in which the amounts paid into the pool by each person are in relation to the number of tricks won in the previous round (see quot. 1870). Obsolete. rare.
a. A game in which one person claims an article belonging to another and offers something in exchange, an umpire being chosen to decide the difference of value between the two articles, to be made up in money by the owner of the less valuable one. Now historical and rare.figurative in quot. ?a1653.When the articles for exchange are decided, both parties, and the umpire, deposit equal stakes in a hat or cap, the two parties then placing a hand in the cap. The umpire then declares the amount of money to be given with the less valuable article, on hearing which the two other parties pull out their hands full or empty to show their acceptance or non-acceptance of the valuation. If the two agree, the whole of the stake money is taken by the umpire; but if not, it goes to the person who agrees to the valuation.Formerly called new fair (see Piers Plowman A. v. 171, B. v. 328, C. vii. 377).
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > other specific games > [noun] > others
sitisota1400
papsea1450
half-bowl1477
pluck at the crow1523
white and black1555
running game1581
blow-pointa1586
hot cocklesa1586
one penny1585
cockelty bread1595
pouch1600
venter-point1600
hinch-pinch1603
hardhead1606
poor and rich1621
rowland-hoe1622
hubbub1634
handicap?a1653
owl1653
ostomachy1656
prelledsa1660
quarter-spellsa1660
yert-point1659
bob-her1702
score1710
parson has lost his cloak1712
drop (also throw) (the) handkerchief1754
French Fox1759
goal1765
warpling o' the green1768
start1788
kiss-in-the-ring1801
steal-clothes1809
steal-coat1816
petits paquets1821
bocce1828
graces1831
Jack-in-the-box1836
hot hand1849
sparrow-mumbling1852
Aunt Sally1858
gossip1880
Tambaroora1882
spoof1884
fishpond1892
nim1901
diabolo1906
Kim's game1908
beaver1910
treasure-hunt1913
roll-down1915
rock scissors paper1927
scissors cut paper1927
scissors game1927
the dozens1928
toad in the hole1930
game1932
scissors paper stone1932
Roshambo1936
Marco Polo1938
scavenger hunt1940
skish1940
rock paper scissors1947
to play chicken1949
sounding1962
joning1970
arcade game1978
?a1653 G. Daniel Idyllia ii. 120 Ev'n those who now command, The inexorable Roman, were but what One step had given: Handy-Capps in Fate.
1660 S. Pepys Diary 19 Sept. (1970) I. 248 Some of us fell to Handycapp, a sport that I never knew before, which was very good.
1665 R. Head Eng. Rogue I. xiv. 148 I demanded what difference he would take between my Hat and his, his Cloak and mine; there being small matter of advantage in the exchange, we agreed to go to handicap.
1731 A. Dobbs Ess. Trade Ireland II. 58 A great incouragement is given to the practice of stealing Horses, by allowing of Private Bargains, Sales or Handy-caps made clandestinely by persons in their Cups.
1832 Sir J. Campbell Mem. I. xi. 300 Buying horses by what is called handy-cap; a kind of lottery, which everybody knows.
1852 R. S. Surtees Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour viii. xlv. 253 I just wanted to..have half-a-dozen words with you about our last night's..handicap.
1979 Logophile 3 17/1 This Handicap..soon migrated from the tavern to the racecourse.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > other card games > [noun] > others
laugh and lie down1522
mack1548
decoyc1555
pinionc1557
to beat the knave out of doors1570
imperial1577
prima vista1587
loadum1591
flush1598
prime1598
thirty-perforce1599
gresco1605
hole1621
my sow's pigged1621
slam1621
fox-mine-host1622
whipperginnie1622
crimpa1637
hundred1636
pinache1641
sequence1653
lady's hole1658
quebas1668
art of memory1674
costly colours1674
penneech1674
plain dealing1674
wit and reason1680
comet1685
lansquenet1687
incertain1689
macham1689
uptails1694
quinze1714
hoc1730
commerce1732
matrimonya1743
tredrille1764
Tom come tickle me1769
tresette1785
snitch'ems1798
tontine1798
blind hazard1816
all fives1838
short cards1845
blind hookey1852
sixty-six1857
skin the lamb1864
brisque1870
handicap1870
manille1874
forty-five1875
slobberhannes1877
fifteen1884
Black Maria1885
slapjack1887
seven-and-a-half1895
pit1904
Russian Bank1915
red dog1919
fan-tan1923
Pelmanism1923
Slippery Sam1923
go fish1933
Russian Banker1937
racing demon1938
pit-a-pat1947
scopa1965
1870 E. C. Brewer Dict. Phrase & Fable 384/1 Handicap, a game at cards not unlike Loo, but with this difference—the winner of one trick has to put in a double stake, the winner of two tricks a triple stake, and so on. Thus: if six persons are playing, and the general stake is 1s., and A gains three tricks, he gains 6s., and has to ‘hand i' the cap’ or pool, 3s. for the next deal. Suppose A gains two tricks and B one, then A gains 4s. and B 2s., and A has to stake 3s. and B 2s. for the next deal.
2.
a. Horse Racing. A race in which a designated umpire or official determines, according to the horses' known or assumed ability, what weight has to be carried by each in order to equalize their chances.Originally, the owners of the horses would show their acceptance or non-acceptance of the weights imposed in a similar way to the participants in the game described at sense 1, with the stakes being forfeit under similar rules. N.E.D. (1898) states: ‘Such matches are recorded as early as 1680, but the term ‘handicap’ does not appear’.Recorded earliest in handicap match (see Compounds 1).
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun] > types of racing > types of race
wild-goose race1594
wild goose chase1597
bell-course1607
Palio1673
stake1696
paddock course1705
handicap1751
by-match1759
pony race1765
give and take plate1769
sweepstake1773
steeplechase1793
mile-heat1802
steeple race1809
welter1820
trotting-race1822
scurry1824
walkover1829
steeple hunt1831
set-to1840
sky race1840
flat race1848
trot1856
grind1857
feeler1858
nursery1860
waiting race1868
horse-trot1882
selling plate1888
flying milea1893
chase1894
flying handicap1894
prep1894
selling race1898
point-to-point1902
seller1922
shoo-in1928
daily double1930
bumper1946
selling chase1965
tiercé1981
1751 J. Pond Sporting Kalendar p. xxi A Handy-Cap Match, is for A. B. and C. to put an equal Sum into a Hat, C, which is the Handy-Capper, makes a Match for A. and B. which when perused by them, they put their Hands into their Pockets and draw them out closed, then they open them together, and if both have Money in their Hands, the Match is confirmed.
1789 Tour of Royal Highnesses to York 12 in Diary of Royal Tour His Royal Highness gave a Plate of 50l. to be run for, and Lord Fitzwilliam another of the same value. They were both Handicaps.
1797 Evening Mail 23 June Seven Horses started for the Handy Cap.
1812 Sporting Mag. 39 99 Four or five of the greatest Handicaps, to be run for at Newmarket next Spring.
1856 ‘The Druid’ Post & Paddock iv. 75 The luckiest of handicaps was the Chester Cup of 1853, when 131 out of 216 horses accepted.
1862 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 7 Jan. 3/5 There is no beast so miserable, but that he may possibly succeed in a handicap.
1907 A. Wright Keane of Kalgoorlie 66 Although he had gone up in the weights considerably, his owner decreed that he should win the Rosehill handicap.
1966 Times 8 June 5/3 The Pavilion Handicap, with £1,500 added money, is the most valuable race on the card.
2005 Times 21 Feb. 60/2 Wiltshire..beating Spence Appeal by a neck in a 12-runner handicap over course and distance.
b. Sport. Any race or competition in which an attempt is made to equalize the chances of the competitors by giving an advantage (such as a head start) to the weaker ones or imposing a disadvantage on the stronger ones.
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society > leisure > sport > match or competition > [noun] > types of
all comersc1450
after-gamea1500
fore-game1594
revenge1616
plate1639
set-to1743
return match1753
bye1754
scrub-race1791
anybody's game (also race, match)1826
return1834
barney1843
bonspiel1858
handicap1861
pennant1865
home-and-home1868
benefit match1871
run-off1873
international1877
American tournament1878
Grand Prix1879
single1884
friendly1885
all-comers1889
pair1890
championship1893
round robin1894
replay1895
Olympiad1896
junior varsity1902
lightning tournament1903
rematch1903
road trip1903
pickup1905
freestyle1906
marathon1908
test1908
Derby1909
scrimmage1910
eliminator1911
twosome1911
triala1914
quadrangular1916
slug-fest1916
varsity match1921
needle contest1922
curtain jerker1923
needle match1923
open1926
needle fight1927
knock-out1928
shirt1930
masters1933
pro-amateur1934
tune-up1934
World Cup1934
pro-am1937
state1941
sizzler1942
runathon1943
mismatch1954
run-out1955
match-up1959
squeaker1961
triple-header1961
Super Bowl1967
invitational1968
needle game1970
major1976
slobberknocker1986
1842 Minutes Bruntsfield Links Golf Club 17 Dec. in R. Clark Golf (1875) 101 The secretary, Mr. Donaldson, intimated that he intended presenting the Club with a Silver Quaigh to be competed for annually by handicap.]
1861 Athenæum 19 Oct. 512/2 Rarely a Saturday passes..without one or more [bowling] matches or handicaps being contested.
1896 W. J. Ford in W. Broadfoot et al. Billiards (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) xiv. 439 No two men should play in the same handicap when one can give the other much more than a third of the game.
1904 Sail & Sweep 3 70/1 The 50 yards handicap had so many starters that it necessitated the swimming of heats.
1943 T. Harrisson et al. Pub & People viii. 263 The agent also has a great deal to do with arranging domino sweeps, bowling handicaps, picnics, etc.
2011 Wharfedale Observer (Nexis) 26 May The final of the billiards handicap at Hawkhill.
3.
a. Sport (originally Horse Racing). The extra weight or other condition imposed on a stronger competitor in favour of weaker ones in a race or other contest.
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society > leisure > sport > judging or umpiring > [noun] > allowance or handicap
odds1591
handicap1849
penalty1885
1849 Era 14 Jan. 3/1 The propriety of light Handicaps, for the early Spring events, is self-evident; all animals are..better able to carry weight later in the year.
1855 Bell's Life in London 22 Apr. 6/6 John Fairburn's..Jessie and Samuel Hadaker's dog Catch are matched to run 200 yards.., the heaviest dog to give the handicap two and a half yards to the lb. outside.
1858 Yale Lit. Mag. May 240 The unfair placing wherries, four-oared row-boats, and eight oared race-boats on the same footing, no handicap being allowed.
1870 Yale Courant 28 May 358/2 The University will give a handicap to all the crews.
1920 Aviation & Aeronaut. Engin. 6 Dec. 392/2 Both these planes..carried a handicap of 2 minutes 37 seconds over the Oriole.
1965 S. Kishikawa Stepping Stones to Go ii. 16 Usually four, or sometimes three, wins cause a decrease of one stone in the handicap allowed.
2009 J. Struthers Red Sky at Night 24 Handicap races—daily races in which horses are given handicaps (weights to carry) according to their abilities.
b. Golf. An advantage given to a weaker player so that competition is more equal when he or she plays against a stronger player; this expressed as the number of strokes by which he or she normally exceeds par for a course, and used as a measure of a golfer's ability (the figure decreasing as the player improves).Earliest in attributive use: see Compounds 2.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > [noun] > odds or handicaps
handicap1871
odd1881
scratch1897
mulligan1936
1871 Scotsman 21 Aug. 7/5 The discrepancies in the relative scores are chiefly amongst the handicap players.
1878 Scotsman 19 Apr. 7/2 Mr Clark and Mr Dudgeon, the former taking the two rounds in 101 and having a handicap of 14, the latter having an actual score of 91 and a handicap of 4.
1899 H. G. Hutchinson Bk. of Golf & Golfers vii. 240 Shall I..disclose to you that at a club in the South of England one member is in possession of a ninety-nine handicap?
1912 A. Haultain Myst. Golf (rev. ed.) xvii. 55 Few things better reveal a man to himself than zealous and persistent efforts to decrease his handicap.
1954 Billboard 23 Oct. 91/3 Under American Bowling Congress rules, Buddy Cohen has the lowest individual handicap of 23.
1993 Woodworker June 12/2 The long handicap golfer or beginner is often referred to as a rabbit, never quite knowing where his ball has gone.
2005 J. Martyn Ringfort to Runway ii. iii. 131 The Golf Club lounge wasn't the place for dirty talk or ribaldry unless you had the right swing, a fresh tan,..and a handicap under ten.
4.
a. Any thing or circumstance which makes progress or success difficult; an encumbrance, a hindrance.
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the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > [noun] > a disadvantage
damage1398
disadvantagec1425
afterdeal1481
disprofit?1555
where the shoe pinches?a1580
drawbacka1640
negative1702
take-off1797
letdown1840
disamenity1864
handicap1872
back-draw1883
disbenefit1968
1872 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 2 270/1 An excess of 17,..when dealing with numbers so small, is a serious handicap in the race for priority on the health-lists of England.
1890 Pall Mall Gaz. 25 June 1/3 The president..will not be called upon for an address, as this is felt to be a severe tax upon the person and a handicap on the post.
1919 P. G. Wodehouse Damsel in Distress xv. 180 She..realized what a handicap an adhesive family can be to a young girl.
1936 G. Greene This Gun for Hire i. 1 A harelip was a serious handicap in his profession.
1972 Standard Encycl. Southern Afr. XI. 545/1 The veld-shoe industry..declined because antiquated machinery..proved too much of a handicap.
2008 Independent 9 June 6/6 Low numeracy can be a real handicap in the workplace.
b. Originally U.S. A physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities. Also as a mass noun. Cf. mental handicap n. at mental adj.1 and n. Compounds.Handicap was for much of the 20th cent. the standard form of reference to mental or physical disability in Britain, North America, and other English-speaking regions; disability is the term now generally preferred (see disability n. 2).
ΚΠ
1888 Amer. Ann. Deaf Oct. 273 The handicap of deafness is a perpetual one.
1918 Ann. Amer. Acad. Polit. & Social Sci. 77 28 If we are to work intelligently with the blind we must first find the man behind the handicap.
1945 Times 19 Apr. 8/5 The partially sighted, the partially deaf, the educationally sub-normal, and those suffering from other physical handicaps.
1971 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 25 Dec. 798/2 For an infant with a myelomeningocele where some degree of handicap is inevitable.
1992 M. M. Boumil & S. C. Hicks Women & Law 129 The child had..less than twenty percent chance of entering life with a serious handicap such as cerebral palsy or mental retardation.
2002 Jrnl. Pediatric Psychol. 27 635/1 During my postdoctoral work, I had developed some serious reservations about normalization as the ultimate goal for people with developmental handicaps.
Compounds
C1. Sport (originally Horse Racing). attributive. Designating a race or other handicapped competition (see sense 2); of or relating to a handicap.
ΚΠ
1751Handy-Cap Match [see sense 2a].
1787 W. Pick Sportsman & Breeder's Vade-mecum I. 102 Handicap Plate of 83 gs. for all ages, two middle miles.
1794 J. Weatherby Racing Cal. 1793 288 The day after the Races, a Handicap Sweepstakes of 5 gs. each, for horses, &c., of all ages, two miles. The horses to be named to the Clerk of the Course by eight o'clock the evening before running, and the Stakes to be then paid.
1806 Sporting Mag. 28 184 Six horses entered for a Handicap-plate of £50.
1856 ‘The Druid’ Post & Paddock x. 175 At York about 10,000 [cards] are sold on the Handicap day.
1897 Whitaker's Almanack 633/2 The A.A.A. rules fixed a limit of ten guineas for handicap prizes [in foot races].
1897 Whitaker's Almanack 649/2 The Hester..was more successful in handicap matches, winning 5 firsts and 4 seconds.
1929 Star 21 Aug. 16/2 Marvellous handicap horses that may fluke the City and Suburban.
1964 D. Francis Nerve iii. 35 Geranium in the handicap chase at Hereford on Saturday, then.
1977 Custom Car Nov. 5/4 As for handicap racing in the Roadster and Production classes, the spectators seem to enjoy watching it.
2001 Sun 27 Jan. (Racing section) 8/3 Mary Reveley's Shrivar went off at a skinny 1–3 in a handicap hurdle at Catterick last Saturday.
C2. Originally Golf. attributive. Designating a player whose ability is measured by a handicap; frequently with modifying word or number. Cf. handicapped adj. 2.
ΚΠ
1871Handicap player [see sense 3b].
1897 N.Y. Times 3 Nov. 8/3 Mr. Hill won, five up and four to play. He is, accordingly, champion handicap golfer of the season.
1947 Life 8 Dec. 124/2 He had played football at Oxford, was a six-handicap golfer and a crack rifle shot.
1977 Boys' Life Dec. 44/2 He recently became the top U.S. handicap bowler at the All-America Youth Bowling Championships.
1989 Cruise Trav. July 33/2 The best advice is to stay away from those blue tees unless you are a very low handicap player.
2005 G. K. Baulch Gone now are Forty Thieves Pref. p. xii Average handicap golfers want to play with average handicap golfers and high handicap golfers want to play with their own kind.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
handicapv.
/ˈhandᵻkap/, U.S. /ˈhændiˌkæp/ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > gamble at a game [verb (transitive)] > draw or gain
handicapa1657
a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry V xcviii, in Poems (1878) IV. 125 The Treasurer..for a price Mercates his Maister to extend his purse: And handy-capps some Crownes.
2.
a. transitive. Horse Racing. To adjudge the weights (racehorses) should carry, depending on their known or assumed ability, in order to equalize their chances in a race; (also) to use handicaps in (a race) to equalize the horses' chances.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > ride horse in race [verb (transitive)] > weigh rider > assign handicap or weight
handicap1789
weight1846
1789 World 24 Aug. A Subscription Plate of 50l. was given for the beaten horses, handicapped.
1843 W. Youatt Horse (new ed.) iv. 73 Four horses were handicapped by Dr. Bellyse at Newcastle-under-Lyne.
1863 M. E. Braddon Aurora Floyd II. ii. 23 I believe that John thought she could have handicapped the horses for the Chester Cup as well as Mr. Topham himself.
1949 Pop. Mech. Apr. 174/1 The Grand National really started in 1837 over a course at Maghull but it was not until 1843 that the race was handicapped.
1981 D. Francis Twice Shy I. ii. 18 The letter asked if I would like to help someone who was working out a computer program for handicapping horses.
2010 S. Field Career Opportunities in Sports Industry (ed. 4) 217/1 In some situations, the Racing Secretary may handicap horses for races using criteria such as the animal's age and sex.
b. transitive. To equalize the chances of (competitors) in any race or competition by means of handicaps; (also) to use handicaps in (a race or competition) for this purpose. Also figurative.
ΚΠ
1845 Sporting Mag. Oct. 271 The noble donor had for many days watched the sailing qualities of the yachts that had been entered, for the purpose of handicapping them.
1865 Daily Tel. 17 Oct. 5/3 You can't handicap Paris and London as to vice..Paris can still give two stone of iniquity.
1894 Selangor Govt. Gaz. 8 June 341 One of the events was..an arithmetic race. The boys were handicapped by age and size.
1922 Pacific Motor Boat Jan. 27/1 The race was handicapped under the same system that was used by the Seattle Yacht Club in the Rudder Cup race this fall.
1972 Amer. Motorcycle Jan. 83/3 At the discretion of the referee, heats may be handicapped; i.e., fastest time trial back 8 lengths, next 7 lengths,..etc.
2009 R. Liston & R. McAuliffe Art Flying Crooked iv. 33 The race..is run on grass over 120m, with competitors handicapped according to their form.
3. intransitive. Originally and chiefly Horse Racing. To organize or take part in a handicap race or competition; to set handicaps. Later also (U.S.): to act as a tipster.
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society > leisure > sport > match or competition > take part in match or competition [verb (intransitive)] > engage in match or competition > types of
handicap1839
to run a bye1848
to run off1866
to play off1901
1839 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 45 353 I need not explain..the art and mystery to give and take the long odds knowingly, to make a ‘book’, to ‘handicap’, and to ‘hedge’.
1856 C. J. Lever Martins of Cro' Martin iv. 36 He had mingled in turf experiences..and betted and handicapped with men of fortune.
1912 Outing Feb. 10/2 Do you know..how to handicap and figure time allowances?
2009 R. Temple Pilgrims would be Shocked xv. 84 Gerry Sullivan was known for his uncanny ability to pick..winners... He handicapped under the pseudonym ‘Chalk’.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > judging or umpiring > umpire or referee [verb (transitive)] > handicap
handicap1850
back-mark1890
1850 R. S. Surtees Soapey Sponge's Sporting Tour xliv, in New Monthly Mag. June 211 ‘I challenge your chestnut!’.. ‘I challenge your watch and chain, then.’.. ‘Who shall handicap us?’
5.
a. transitive. To place at a disadvantage; to hinder; (of a physical or mental condition) to limit the movements, senses, or activities of (a person).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > [verb (transitive)]
disvail14..
disavail1429
disadvantage?c1550
to weaken the hands of1560
disvantage1567
to take the wind out of the sails of1822
handicap1857
to stack the cards (etc.) against1941
disbenefit1978
1857 C. E. Pickett Oration 67 It is a clique which heavily handicaps the party.
1868 J. E. T. Rogers Man. Polit. Econ. (1876) xxii. 298 If the law handicaps one kind of labour and so hinders its employment.
1885 Times (Weekly ed.) 6 Nov. 7/3 A high expenditure and heavy taxation handicaps a country.
1901 Scotsman 4 Mar. 6/2 The want of herring bait is handicapping the steam liners who are working the cod and ling fishing.
1952 T. Armstrong Adam Brunskill iv. 110 Handicapped by slack, black cotton gloves, she was making heavy weather of the search.
1992 Independent 11 Aug. 10/2 She is now quite badly handicapped by arthritis.
2004 Daily Tel. 1 June 8/5 The French ‘souverainistes’ are splintered, limiting their chances in a system where the rules have just been changed to handicap small parties.
b. transitive. spec. To impose a disadvantage on (a stronger competitor) in any race or competition, so as to reduce his or her chances in favour of weaker competitors.
ΚΠ
1863 School Mag. (Uppingham) Dec. 329 I will presume that you want the best man to be your Champion, but if you handicap the best, he may be beaten by one who with a level start would be proved to be inferior.
1868 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 July 3 Our crack shots, our best billiard players, our fleetest runners, and our grandest racehorses [are] handicapped to let the worthless have a chance for the prizes.
1908 Domest. Engin. 12 Dec. 310/1 Drury's base running..was so far above the average that it was found necessary to handicap him by compelling him to run with the bat.
1986 I. N. Berlin in C. Schaefer & S. E. Reid Game Play x. 211 Once my playing clearly showed I had benefited from his..teaching, we began to play without handicapping him.
2012 E. Griffiths Room Full of Bones xiv. 155 We don't want him handicapped too heavily for Cheltenham. Do him good to lose a few races.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?a1653v.a1657