| 词汇 | backhand |
| 词源 | backhand. One of the oldest technical sports terms, backhand for a tennis stroke can be traced to the early 18th century, when Sir John Van Brugh recorded it in his play The Mistake (1706). The English playwright used the term figuratively, but there seems no doubt that he borrowed it from the tennis court. One hopes that Van Brugh, also the architect of massive Blenheim Palace, wasn’t criticized for his backhand as he was for his buildings. A contemporary mock epitaph of him went: Lie heavy on him, O Earth!, for he Laid many heavy loads on thee! |
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