leg-break
C2technical
Definition
Meaning
In cricket, a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm wrist-spin bowler where the ball turns from the leg side (off the batter's pads) to the off side after pitching.
A specialist cricket term exclusively referring to a specific spinning delivery. It has no extended metaphorical meanings outside cricket terminology.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Specifically denotes the action of the ball after pitching. The term is a compound noun, always hyphenated. The bowler who bowls it is called a 'leg-break bowler' or a 'leg-spinner'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the UK and Commonwealth cricket-playing nations, this is a standard technical term. In the US, it is virtually unknown outside expatriate communities or cricket enthusiasts.
Connotations
In cricket contexts, it connotes skill, deception, and classical spin bowling. In general American English, it likely suggests a literal breaking of a leg.
Frequency
Very high frequency in UK/Australian/Indian sports media during cricket season; extremely low to zero in general American English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
bowl + [a/the] + leg-break[Adjective] + leg-break + [Noun]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “turn one like a leg-break (rare, metaphorical for an unexpected change)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used.
Academic
Only in papers on sports science or cricket history.
Everyday
Only in everyday conversation in cricket-playing nations during relevant sports discussion.
Technical
Core technical term in cricket coaching, commentary, and analysis.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- He is a leg-break bowler.
- It was a leg-break delivery.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The young bowler is learning to bowl a leg-break.
- Shane Warne was famous for his incredible leg-break.
- The pitch, offering considerable turn, was perfectly suited to his repertoire of flippers, googlies, and sharply turning leg-breaks.
- He deceived the batsman in the flight, drawing him forward before the leg-break ripped past the outside edge.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a LEG being BROKEN by a cricket ball spinning from the leg side. The ball 'breaks' its expected path towards the leg stump.
Conceptual Metaphor
PATH IS A TWISTING/BREAKING LINE. The expected straight trajectory of the ball is conceptualised as something that can 'break' or change direction.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Прямой перевод 'перелом ноги' (perelom nogi) будет полностью неверным. Это ложный друг. Нужно использовать описание: 'вид крученой подачи в крикете' или заимствование 'лег-брейк'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a verb (e.g., 'He leg-breaked the batsman' is wrong). The correct verb is 'bowl a leg-break'.
- Confusing it with 'googly', which is the leg-spinner's disguised delivery that turns the opposite way.
Practice
Quiz
In cricket, what is a 'leg-break'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a purely technical cricket term with no established metaphorical use in general English.
No. A left-arm bowler's equivalent delivery, which turns from off to leg, is called an 'orthodox left-arm spinner' or simply a 'left-arm spinner'. The term 'leg-break' is specific to right-arm wrist spin.
A leg-break turns from leg to off (for a right-handed batter). A googly (or 'wrong'un') is a disguised delivery bowled with a leg-break action but which spins in the opposite direction (off to leg).
The term originates from the earlier description of the ball's deviation off the pitch. It 'breaks' its expected straight path, with 'leg-break' meaning it breaks towards the leg side from the bowler's perspective (though it actually spins to the off for the batter).