handicap
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English
Etymology
From hand-in-cap, in reference to holding the game stakes in a cap.
Pronunciation
Noun
handicap (countable and uncountable, plural handicaps)
- Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.
- Age is often a handicap.
- 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
- Captain Edward Carlisle […] felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, […]; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.
- (sports) An allowance of a certain amount of time or distance in starting, granted in a race (or other contest of skill) to the competitor possessing disadvantages; or an additional weight or other hindrance imposed upon the one possessing advantages, in order to equalize, as much as possible, the chances of success.
- The older boy won, even though his opponent had been granted a handicap of five meters.
- A handicap in chess often involves removal of the queen's rook.
- 1901, “Gleanings”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record, volume 4, number 1, page 31:
- Eventually the elephant and camel were depatched by themselves with two laps start of the bicyclist and horse, the motor car being scratch. It was a sensational race owing to the conduct of the field, but on the handicap the elephant won, bicycle second, motor car third.
- (sometimes considered offensive) The disadvantage itself, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people.
- A race or similar contest in which there is an allowance of time, distance, weight, or other advantage, to equalize the chances of the competitors.
- (obsolete, uncountable, card games) An old card game, similar to lanterloo.
- 1660, Samuel Pepys, Diary of Samuel Pepys, page 95:
- Here some of us fell to handicap, a sport that I never knew before, which was very good.
- (obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of hand-in-cap (“old English trading game”)
Derived terms
Translations
something that prevents, hampers, or hinders
in a competition, allowance granted or hindrance imposed
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disadvantage, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people
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race
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card game
Verb
handicap (third-person singular simple present handicaps, present participle handicapping, simple past and past participle handicapped)
- (transitive) To encumber with a handicap in any contest.
- (transitive, figurative, by extension) To place at disadvantage.
- The candidate was handicapped by her lack of experience.
- To estimate betting odds.
- Grandpa Andy would buy the racing form the day ahead of time so he could handicap the race before he even arrived at the track.
Translations
to encumber
to place at disadvantage
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from English handicap.
Pronunciation
Noun
handicap m (plural handicaps, diminutive handicapje n)
- disability
- handicap, disadvantage
- (sports, golf) handicap, measure of ability
Finnish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English handicap.
Pronunciation
Noun
handicap
- (anglicism) handicap (allowance)
Declension
| Inflection of handicap (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | handicap | handicapit | ||
| genitive | handicapin | handicapien | ||
| partitive | handicapia | handicapeja | ||
| illative | handicapiin | handicapeihin | ||
| singular | plural | |||
| nominative | handicap | handicapit | ||
| accusative | nom. | handicap | handicapit | |
| gen. | handicapin | |||
| genitive | handicapin | handicapien | ||
| partitive | handicapia | handicapeja | ||
| inessive | handicapissa | handicapeissa | ||
| elative | handicapista | handicapeista | ||
| illative | handicapiin | handicapeihin | ||
| adessive | handicapilla | handicapeilla | ||
| ablative | handicapilta | handicapeilta | ||
| allative | handicapille | handicapeille | ||
| essive | handicapina | handicapeina | ||
| translative | handicapiksi | handicapeiksi | ||
| abessive | handicapitta | handicapeitta | ||
| instructive | — | handicapein | ||
| comitative | See the possessive forms below. | |||
| Inflection of handicap (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | handicap | handicapit | ||
| genitive | handicapin | handicapien | ||
| partitive | handicapiä | handicapejä | ||
| illative | handicapiin | handicapeihin | ||
| singular | plural | |||
| nominative | handicap | handicapit | ||
| accusative | nom. | handicap | handicapit | |
| gen. | handicapin | |||
| genitive | handicapin | handicapien | ||
| partitive | handicapiä | handicapejä | ||
| inessive | handicapissä | handicapeissä | ||
| elative | handicapistä | handicapeistä | ||
| illative | handicapiin | handicapeihin | ||
| adessive | handicapillä | handicapeillä | ||
| ablative | handicapiltä | handicapeiltä | ||
| allative | handicapille | handicapeille | ||
| essive | handicapinä | handicapeinä | ||
| translative | handicapiksi | handicapeiksi | ||
| abessive | handicapittä | handicapeittä | ||
| instructive | — | handicapein | ||
| comitative | See the possessive forms below. | |||
| Possessive forms of handicap (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Synonyms
Further reading
- “handicap”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02
French
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (aspirated h) IPA(key): /ɑ̃.di.kap/
Audio (file)
Noun
handicap m (plural handicaps)
Derived terms
Further reading
- “handicap”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from English handicap.
Pronunciation
Noun
handicap m (invariable)
- handicap (disability; horserace)
References
- ^ handicap in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
Portuguese
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English handicap.
Noun
handicap m (uncountable)
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from English handicap or French handicap.
Noun
handicap n (plural handicapuri)
Declension
Declension of handicap
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) handicap | handicapul | (niște) handicapuri | handicapurile |
| genitive/dative | (unui) handicap | handicapului | (unor) handicapuri | handicapurilor |
| vocative | handicapule | handicapurilor | ||
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from English handicap.
Pronunciation
Noun
handicap m (plural handicaps)