southpaw

[south-paw] /ˈsaʊθˌpɔ/

noun

a person who is left-handed.

Sports.

a player who throws with the left hand, especially a pitcher.
Boxing. a boxer who leads with the right hand and stands with the right foot forward, using the left hand for the most powerful blows.

adjective

left-handed.

Origin

1880-85, Americanism; south + paw¹

Examples from the web for southpaw

Many have credited the southpaw's success to his new cutter, a pitch that's grown in popularity in the major leagues as of late.
The southpaw stance, conversely, is vulnerable to a straight right hand.

British Dictionary definitions for southpaw

southpaw

/ˈsaʊθˌpɔː/

noun

a boxer who leads with his right hand and off his right foot as opposed to the orthodox style of leading with the left

any left-handed person

adjective

of or relating to a southpaw

Word Origin

C20: from paw (in the sense: hand): originally a term applied to a left-handed baseball player: perhaps so called because baseball pitchers traditionally face west, so that a left-handed pitcher would throw with the hand on the south side of his body

Word Origin and History for southpaw

"lefthander," 1885, originally baseball slang, of pitchers, often said to have been coined by Finley Peter Dunne ("Mr. Dooley"), Chicago sports journalist and humorist, in the days when, it is said, baseball diamonds regularly were laid out with home plate to the west. But south paw "a person's left hand" is attested from 1848 in the slang of pugilism.

Slang definitions & phrases for southpaw

southpaw

modifier

: switched to a southpaw stance for his 11th round

noun

A left-handed player, esp a pitcher; forkhander: Southpaw Warren Spahn pitched his 17th victory (Baseball)
Any left-handed person: Many brilliant persons are southpaws, although perhaps only coincidentally (1940s+)

[apparently coined by the humorist Finley Peter Dunne, ''Mr Dooley,'' when he was a Chicago sports journalist and baseball diamonds were regularly oriented with home plate to the west]