chinaman
chinaman Lexical Profile
chinaman Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British In cricket, a ball bowled by a left-handed wrist-spin bowler that spins from the off side to the leg side for a right-handed batter, or a bowler who delivers such balls.
"The batter misjudged the flight and turn of the chinaman and was bowled out."
(Usually capitalized, dated, offensive) A native or inhabitant of China, or a person of Chinese descent.
"nineteenth-century newspapers frequently used the now-offensive term Chinaman when reporting on immigrant laborers."
(Historical) A manufacturer of or dealer in porcelain or fine china.
"The eighteenth-century inventory listed payments to a local chinaman for two dozen porcelain plates."
Word Nuance & Usage
When capitalized as 'Chinaman' to refer to a person of Chinese origin, this term is dated and widely considered offensive in modern English; neutral phrases such as 'Chinese person' or 'Chinese man' are used instead. In cricket, the lowercase term historically refers to a left-arm unorthodox spin bowler or delivery, though many commentators now prefer 'left-arm wrist-spin' to avoid the racial connotation.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
As a term for a person from China, it was formed in the mid-19th century as a compound of 'China' and 'man', possibly modeled on Dutch or French equivalents. The cricketing sense originated in the 1930s in reference to Ellis 'Puss' Achong, a West Indian test cricketer of Chinese descent who famously dismissed English batsman Walter Robins with a left-arm wrist-spin delivery.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.