Tacklings

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Engaging in the act of confronting or addressing a problem or challenge
2. the physical act of seizing or bringing down an opponent in sports, particularly in football
3. a methodical approach to managing or dealing with various issues efficiently

Etymology: "Tacklings" is the plural of "tackling," so the story belongs mostly to the base word. "Tackling" traces back to a nautical sense: it names the ropes and blocks, the rigging, that hoist and control a ship's sails. Sailors used these gear-words long before the term took on any figurative meaning on land. The shift from rope to problem is the surprising part. Once a word for equipment, "tackling" came to mean the gear a person brings to a task, and from there the sense moved toward the way one handles a difficulty. The modern meaning of efficient problem-handling grew out of that tool-based image, as though a person were rigging up the right apparatus to deal with a situation.

Synonyms: tackles, engagements, grapplings, seizures