Why is cricket's target called a wicket? Swipe for the explanation. #words #vocabulary
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WORD STORY: wicket.
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WORD STORY: wicket. Meaning: Cricket equipment consisting of a set of three stumps topped by crosspieces; used in playing cricket.
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WHERE IT BEGAN: Go back to the source. Middle English wicket came from Anglo-French and Old North French wiket, a small door or gate, especially one set into or beside a larger gate. Its deeper Germanic origin is probable rather than certain.
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THE CONNECTION: How we got here. Cricket reused the familiar gate word for the defended target of stumps and bails.
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THE CONNECTION: How we got here. From that target, wicket spread to the prepared strip, a batter's dismissal or innings, and expressions such as a sticky wicket.
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