 #2 (permalink) Wed Jul 09, 2008 4:05 am "clutch play" vs "clutch lever" |
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I think the term originates in sports. In baseball we often talk about a clutch hitter, somebody who can make a key hit at a critical stage in the game, and I suspect that's where it originates. However, there can be clutch plays in any sporting game.
Here, they're comparing the court battle to a big sporting event. So the clutch play is the play that saves the game (or in this case proves the defendant's innocence), thus winning the "game" or court battle.
The idea behind a clutch play is a 'make or break' concept. Make the play, win the game. Fail to make the play, and the whole game is lost.
Since the verb clutch means to grasp or hold with the hand, usually tightly, in a sudden manner, then it's not too hard to see how it could have evolved into usage regarding sports, since at a very exciting moment in the game, you might clutch something. But that's just wild guess at the etymology of the term in regards to sports.
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 Skrej
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 03 Jul 2008
Posts: 863
Location: Not-quite exact central USA
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