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box score
noun
a record of the play of a game, especially a baseball or basketball game, in which, on separate sides of the record, the players on each team are listed in a column by name and position, with additional rows of columns, each headed by the abbreviation of the type of information to be given for each player.
Word History and Origins
Origin of box score1
Idioms and Phrases
A detailed summary of actions or an event, as in The President wanted to base his reelection campaign on his box score . The term comes from baseball, where since about 1910 it has signified a statistical summary in table form of the essential details of a game. About 1930 it began to be used figuratively, especially by politicians referring to their own record while in office.
In military slang, the number of dead, wounded, or missing in action. For example, Never mind the details of the battle; just give the lieutenant the box score . [c. 1950]
Example Sentences
Look at any box score or listen to almost any broadcast, and even the most casual observer will notice references to what was essentially Hill’s invention — the plus-minus.
Gonsolin displayed his uncanny ability to finish with a W next to his name in the box score, the victory improving his lifetime record to a sparkling 35-11.
“But he did a lot of really good things. … There were a few plays that he made just getting deflections and disrupting plays … some plays at the rim that don’t show up in the box score, but he was awesome.”
The concerns for the Lakers moving forward can be found all over the final box score, the 19-point edge in fast-break points showing how much faster Minnesota played.
After expending so much blood, sweat and tears to reach the majors, their reward was a single yellowed newspaper box score with their name in it.
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