heart-attack attrib. in sports, connoting an animal, person, or group known for come-from-behind or very slight victories. Editorial Note: Especially common in phrases such as “the heart attack kids,” which has been a nickname for a variety of sports teams. Etymological Note: Directly related to the non-medical use of “heart attack” defined by Encarta as a “sudden shock.” (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski insists that the names of modern Olympic sports resulted from changing one letter in the original names for each activity. For example, he says, the pole vault must have originated from an earlier sport in which participants...