cadillac v. in baseball, to run in an unhurried, showy way; generally, to perform or operate lackadaisically, carelessly, or without worry. Editorial Note: An older meaning of “cadillac” is “to drive a car; to drive someone around in a car.” Etymological Note: From the Cadillac automobile, seen by some as an ostentatious symbol of luxury or “taking it easy.” In The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary, an entry for “cadillac trot” suggests that “the term certainly can be traced to a famous line uttered by slugger Ralph Kiner in the 1950s: ‘Hitters of home runs drive Cadillacs, single hitters jalopies.’ On another occasion Kiner told a reporter that he never choked up on the bat because the Cadillacs were down at the end of the bat.” However, in 1956 Kiner himself credited the saying to Fritz Ostermueller, a pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to a the Oakland Tribune of Mar. 15. Also, syndicated sports columnist Oscar Fraley wrote something similar in 1953 in a column mentioning Kiner, but it was not credited to him: “Guys with good averages eat with gratifying frequency—but guys who hit home runs ride in Cadillacs.” (May 4, 1953, Coshocton (Ohio) Tribune, p. 8). (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Jim in Columbia, South Carolina, has noticed sportscasters’ use of the phrase on the season with reference to a period of time. This construction shows up in the sports pages as early as the 1880s, first referring to a team’s revenue and...
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...