scrum-downn.
/ˈskrʌmdaʊn/, U.S. /ˈskrəmˌdaʊn/ Rugby.
A scrum (scrum n. 1a).In quot. 1930 it is not clear whether down is a detached adverb or the second element of this compound.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > rugby football > [noun] > scrum
scrimmage1848
squash1857
loose scrummage1874
scrum1876
tight1904
loose ruck1906
set scrum1925
scrum-down1943
1930 Aeroplane 29 Jan. 184/1 Cambridge kicked off and shortly afterwards the Air Force forced a scrum down in front of the Cambridge goal.]
1943 ‘M. G. Llewelyn’ Sand in Glass viii. 152 The Welsh forwards pressed on the New Zealand line. There was a scrum down.
1967 W. Reyburn Lions i. 148 It was a scrum-down in the Lions 25, with the Springboks pressing for the match-winner.
1998 G. Phinn Other Side of Dale (1999) xi. 126 At the sound of the whistle they formed themselves into a steaming, panting heap for the scrum-down.
2007 Times 20 Oct. 100/1 Relive those crucial cup final scrum-downs in your own garden.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1943