Howzat

Part of speech: interjection

Definitions

1. A cricket exclamation shouted by fielders to ask the umpire whether the batter is out, as by lbw or caught
2. The loud appeal a bowler or fielder makes to the umpire when they believe a batsman should be given out
3. An interjection in cricket used to request an umpire's ruling on whether a batter has been dismissed

Etymology: "Howzat" is the cricketers' appeal to the umpire, shortened from "How is that?" The full question was asked of the fielding side when they believed a batsman was out, and the umpire's raised finger answers it. The shortened form is an interjection used at the moment of appeal, typically shouted in unison by the whole fielding team. The phrase itself is ordinary English, but in cricket it became a fixed ritual. Asking "How is that?" was a request for judgement, and the reduction to a single sound made it fast enough to shout across a pitch. Its use in the game is so entrenched that it is often used outside cricket as a joking challenge, though that wider use is a later extension of the cricket sense.