Word of the Day

: June 13, 2013

sandbag

verb SAND-bag

What It Means

1 : to bank, stop up, or weight with sandbags

2 a : to hit or stun with or as if with a sandbag

b : to treat unfairly or harshly

c : to coerce by crude means

d : to conceal or misrepresent one's true position, potential, or intent especially in order to take advantage of : to hide the truth about oneself so as to gain an advantage over another

sandbag in Context

Several employees indicated that they felt they had been sandbagged and were considering filing complaints.

"Central Florida Top Recruits coach Keiwan Ratliff acknowledged that a few teams were likely sandbagging during Saturday's pool play in the IMG Regional 7-on-7 tournament." - From an article by Corey Long in the Orlando Sentinel, April 21, 2013

Did You Know?

In the 19th century, the verb "sandbag" began to be used to describe the act of bludgeoning someone with a small, sand-filled bag-a tactic employed by ruffians, usually as a prelude to robbing their victims. The verb went on to develop metaphorical extensions, such as "to coerce by crude means." By the 1940s, it was being used of a strategy in which a poker player with a good hand bets weakly, in order to draw other players into holding on to their hands and raising the bet. The use of "sandbag" has since evolved to refer to a general strategy of playing down one's position in order to gain some sort of advantage.