Isthmian Games
Preserved but no longer current.
Games consisting of chariet races, running, wrestling, boxing, etc., held by the ancient Greeks in the Isthmus of Cormth every alternate spring, the first and third of each Olympiad. Epsom races, and other big sporting events, have been called our "Isthmian games" in allusion to these.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Isthmian Games” mean?
Games consisting of chariet races, running, wrestling, boxing, etc., held by the ancient Greeks in the Isthmus of Cormth every alternate spring, the first and third of each Olympiad. Epsom races, and other big sporting events, have been called our "Isthmian games" in allusion to these.
Is “Isthmian Games” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.