grayshirt v. to not participate in a college sport (for a season) while still retaining elibigility. Editorial Note: A similar—but not identical—term is redshirt. The differences depend on the sport and the league, but this article (scroll about halfway down the page) and this one offer more detail. (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...