left-centreleft-centern.adj.
/lɛftˈsɛntə/, U.S. /ˌlɛftˈsɛn(t)ər/ A. n.
1.
a. Military. A body of troops positioned between the centre and the left wing; the left-centre part of an array of troops. Now chiefly historical.
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1735 tr. A. de Pas Mem. Hist. & Mil. II. 196 The Enemy easily extended themselves towards our left Center [Fr. centre gauche].
1803 Morning Chron. 25 Oct. 2/4 The troops will be drawn up in lines..; the left centre parallel with the East Wall of the Park.
1880 J. B. McClure Life Gen. Hancock 39 On the second day Hancock commanded the left-center of our army.
1916 H. Belloc Gen. Sketch European War II. ii. iv. 254 There remain only the 4th Army and the 5th, which may be called the left centre and the right centre of the battle on either side of Foch.
1998 D. F. Marley Wars of Americas 548/1 The left wing of the Confederate army therefore collides with the left-center of the Army of the Potomac shortly after daybreak.
2013 P. Crawford War of Three Gods vii. 126 A more concerted attack was launched by the Roman left centre.
b. Originally Military. A position, orientation, or area between the centre and the left, or near the centre on the left-hand side.
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1796 Oracle & Public Advertiser 12 July The Infantry Camp..consists of..the Bedford and East York on the right and left centre.
1832 J. Mongan Rep. Trial W. Kilfoyle 57 The Enniscorthy corps was to the right; the Farmley to the right centre; the Myshal to the left centre; the Newtownbarry, to the extreme left.
1876 Sat. Evening Post 18 Mar. 2/6 In the latter [flag] there are two [stripes] of blue, with one of white between, and the sun on the white in left centre.
1926 H. Bosworth Technique in Dramatic Art (1928) ii. 20 When three persons play in this manner, the middle one is at the exact centre, while the other two are at right centre and left centre respectively.
1987 C. K. Piehl in P. Browne Heroines Pop. Culture 139 Sitting on a chair behind the porch railing in the left center of the painting is a woman sewing.
2004 J. Wilcockson 23 Days in July (2005) vi. 116 The first rider moves at great speed along the left center of the road.
c. Baseball. The part of a baseball field located between centre field and left field.
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1867 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Daily Sentinel 22 Aug. Ray followed on a fly to the left center.
1904 Daily Democrat (Greenville, Mississippi) 24 Aug. 1/1 In the fifth King hit safe to left center.
1988 R. Angell Season Ticket (1989) xii. 301 A home run..that sailed five or six rows beyond the ivy at left-center.
2008 N.Y. Mag. 22 Sept. 18/1 Gone was the old playing field, with its vast skew to ‘Death Valley’ in left-center.
d. Sport. A player occupying a position on the left of the centre of a field of play (cf. centre n.1 17b); the position occupied by such a player.In Rugby: the leftmost of the centre three-quarters; in Australian Rules Football: a left wing.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1877 Manch. Guardian 12 Nov. 7/4 The following players, with their relative positions, composed the Brighton [lacrosse] team:..C. Dyson, left centre; W. P. Fürst, right centre.
1936 Scotsman 3 Feb. 6/2 The North and Midland forward..made a serviceable debut at left centre.
1975 Irish Times 14 Apr. 4/7 [The team]..might well have had a try on their own account had their left centre..not had to depart with a leg injury.
2012 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 20 Feb. (Sport section) 21 (photo caption) Gerrick Weedon (left centre) celebrates one of his goals.
2. Politics. Also with capital initials. Chiefly in French contexts: a section of a government, political party, or other group holding moderate left-of-centre views. Frequently with the. Cf. right-centre n. 2 and also centre-left n. and adj. (a) at centre n.1 and adj. Compounds 3.The use originates with the seating positions of the 1789 French National Assembly: see centre n.1 15, left n. 6.
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1820 Times 8 Mar. The whole of the right, the right centre, and the first section of the left centre, forming a majority in support of the order of the day upon the petitions in general.
1872 Scotsman 29 Jan. 5/4 The Left Centre has decided that the question of the return of the Assembly to Paris should be adjourned.
1940 D. W. Brogan France under Republic 113 Buffet..neglected to conciliate the Left Centre whose alliance with the Right Centre had made possible the new Constitution.
1991 German Hist. 9 300 Hansemann attempted to solidify his parliamentary support and shift his government to the left by including Rodbertus, a leader of the left-centre, in his cabinet.
2004 J. E. S. Hayward Fragmented France 2007 ii. viii. 279 Poincaré was able to reunite the Right-Centre and Left-Centre to ‘save the franc’.
B. adj.
1. Originally Military. Occupying a position between the centre and the left; situated near the centre on the left-hand side.
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1756 S. Bever Cadet vii. 79 Fire as follows; Four Grenadiers. Four Right Platoons. Four Left Platoons. Four Right Center ditto. Four Left Center ditto.
1799 T. Cockell Instr. Pontefract Battalion Volunteers 63 Left centre division will wheel to the left by its officers word of command.
1825 Infantry Tactics 11 They [sc. the drummers] will be placed..opposite the left of the left centre company.
1875 J. S. Keltie Hist. Sc. Highlands II. 651/2 The 78th, previously the left centre battalion of the brigade, was now brought to the front.
1929 Pop. Mech. Mag. Mar. 521/2 The right side partition..extends back to the left center partition.
1989 Visual Arts Res. 15 74/2 The left center area plays a significant role in establishing an overall impression of the arrangement of visual information in a picture.
2013 D. C. Paul Charles Ives in Mirror Introd. 4 They granted legitimacy to any interpretation of a work, whether its source was the composer..or whomever happened to be sitting in the left-center aisle seat of the third row.
2. Politics. Also with capital initials. Of or relating to the left-centre; moderately left-of-centre. Also: involving parties or politicians of both the left and the centre. Cf. right-centre adj. 2 and also centre-left n. and adj. (b) at centre n.1 and adj. Compounds 3.Originally in French contexts: see sense A. 2.
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1839 Times 3 Apr. 5/4 The soirée of M. Laffitte last night..was very numerously attended by the members of the ‘Left’ and ‘Left Centre’ parties.
1880 Pall Mall Budget 1 Oct. 10/1 Gambetta..allowed M. Grévy..to empower M. Waddington to form a Left Centre Administration.
1936 Daily Independent (Murphysboro, Illinois) 5 Nov. 1/8 An avalanche of votes has forced the New Deal from what Mr. Roosevelt has termed its ‘left center’ policies.
1986 P. Lowe Origins Korean War ii. 26 A coalition of left–centre groups embracing moderate leftists and communists.
2013 Business Day (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 15 Feb. (Opinion & Editorial section) This reader..is happy to escape..the stale staple of left-centre political analysis, to find columnists who are prepared to challenge these narratives.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1735