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handicap

Pronunciation: /ˈhændikæp/

The English word “handicap” has 9 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.
  2. 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.
  3. An individual's physical or mental disadvantage or disability.
  4. 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.
  5. An old card game, similar to lanterloo.
  6. Synonym of hand-in-cap (“old English trading game”).

verb

  1. To encumber with a handicap in any contest.
  2. To place at disadvantage.
  3. To estimate betting odds.

Etymology

From hand-in-cap, in reference to holding the game stakes in a cap.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.