to collar the bowling

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

In cricket, to hit the bowlers all over the field so that they become more easy to score off through losing their length.

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 “to collar the bowling” mean?

In cricket, to hit the bowlers all over the field so that they become more easy to score off through losing their length.

Is “to collar the bowling” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.