Uncorked

From the analogies section of the AP/Standardized Cliche test:

Wild pitch is to uncorked as bus is to __________.

A. Accident

B. Incident

C. Plunge

D. Wreck

 

Oh, I'm not saying it SHOULD be. I was just questioning the blanket statement that it didn't have a sporting context.

 

Some interesting responses. And some silly ones, too. But I appreciate the help and I'm sorry I started a thread that upset so many people. I simply found it a bit difficult to explain the use of the word uncorked, only when describing a wild pitch. I never hear it with anything else, other than someone opening a wine bottle. And that's another kettle of fish.

Now I'll go back to sleep before any more people get mad at me.

 

Not your fault, casty. Perfectly fine and dandy thread infested with the usual suspects.

 

The AP gamer from Friday's Indians-Yankees game did:
http://www.charlotte.com/472/story/307439.html

 

Ejaculated?

I do agree with the general sentiment though. This is one of those words -- much like scattered -- that you should probably try to avoid, mostly because it has become verbal shorthand and no longer conjures a picture. This is a bigger problem in baseball than anywhere else, I think.

But if you could use the term -- "scattered 8 hits," "uncorked a wild pitch," -- while writing up the game from a box score, it's too generic to use. Just describe what happened instead -- tell the reader if it bounced in front of home or hit the tip of the catcher's glove or whatever.

All that said, that's why you probably see it so much in wire copy: It's a kind of shorthand, and time is of the essence.

 

Game-ending: 11 characters.
Walkoff: 7 characters.

Both are well-understood by readers and walkoff is shorter. I see no reason not to use walkoff other than the fact that TV people use it (god forbid!).

Back to the thread.

PS -- at least you argued for "game-ending" and not "game-winning" which is both longer and not as specific.

 

Write walkoff when I'm editing, and it won't get in. Jargon. And not as many people know what it means as you think. I know my parents don't, and it's not as if they don't watch (and read about) sports.

 

It makes sense to me, tho it is a trite term. Uncorked, I tend to think, means wild and uncontrollable -- like the popping of a champagne bottle.
Sorry, but not surprised, you had trouble with this thread.

 

I'm going with "decorked", myself.

 

I'll be using "decanted" next season.