son stroke
n.— «Even before summer has arrived, Hyderabad cricket is suffering from a peculiar “son stroke.” Certainly, it’s not a crime to see one’s son play cricket at any level. But, what happens is when it comes to picking the team on sheer merit; some of the more deserving get the kick.…None of these “sons” had any stand-out performance this season to merit special treatment to make their selection a mere formality as Hyderabad cricket has hit a new low this season.» —“This son rise’ eclipses merit; Son stroke’ hits Hyderabad cricket” by V.V. Subrahmanyam in Hyderabad The Hindu (India) Feb. 16, 2006. (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...