Southpaws

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who is left-handed, particularly when writing or performing tasks
2. an individual whose dominant hand is the left, often noted in sports and other activities
3. someone characterized by a preference for using the left hand over the right in daily functions

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "southpaws" is that nobody is certain why a left-handed person would be called a south paw at all. The earliest attestation of "southpaw" dates to 1813, well before baseball existed, and the term seems to have been tied to boxing in the 1840s, when it described a left-handed blow. An 1848 political cartoon used "south paw" in exactly that sense, which suggests the sporting usage came first and the baseball use followed later. The baseball explanation is the one most often repeated. Early nineteenth-century ballparks commonly placed home plate on the west side and the pitcher's mound on the east, so the batter would not face the sun. A left-handed pitcher therefore threw with his arm toward the southern side of the diamond. The term was first applied to left-handed position players rather than pitchers, so this account fits imperfectly. "Southpaws" is simply the plural of "southpaw," a compound of "south" and "paw," the informal word for a hand or arm. The plural adds nothing to the history beyond the countable form.

Synonyms: left-handed people

Antonyms: right-handed people