different between backboard vs airball

English

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: back?board

Etymology 1

back +? board

Noun

backboard (plural backboards)

1. (basketball) The flat vertical surface to which the basket is attached.
2. (tennis) A flat vertical wall with the image of a tennis net drawn or painted on it. Designed to practice hitting against such that the ball bounces back.
3. (medicine, first aid) A spine board.
4. A board placed at the back of a cart, boat, etc.

Translations

Etymology 2

Likely a borrowing from Dutch bakboord (“portside”) or from Middle Low German backbort, bakb?rt (“portside”). Compare also Old Norse bakborði (“portside”), Old English bæcbord (“larboard, portside”). Cognate with Scots backburd, backber, babord (“portside”), West Frisian bakboard (“portside”), French bâbord (“portside”), German Backbord (“portside”).

Noun

backboard (usually uncountable, plural backboards)

1. (nautical) The port or larboard side of a ship

   Synonyms: larboard, port

English

Etymology

• air +? ball
• The first recorded use of the "airball" chant was on February 24, 1979, during a college basketball game between the Duke University Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels after the Tar Heels' Rich Yonakor took a shot which missed the rim.

Noun

airball (plural airballs)

1. (basketball) A shot that misses the backboard, rim and net entirely.

   As soon as the shot left his hands, the spectators could see it was going to be an airball.

Verb

airball (third-person singular simple present airballs, present participle airballing, simple past and past participle airballed)

1. (basketball) To throw an airball

Further reading

• Charlotte Observer - 26th anniversary of the airball chant

Anagrams

• Barilla, barilla