skittle out
C1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
In cricket, to get all the batters out very quickly, like knocking over bowling pins.
Literal meaning: To knock over like skittles (bowling pins) — the batsmen fall one after another like pins.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
neutral
To dismiss an entire cricket batting side in quick succession, often for a very low total score.
"England's fast bowlers skittled out the opposition for just 68 runs before lunch."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Specific to cricket. Used primarily in British and Commonwealth English (UK, Australia, India, South Africa). The metaphor comes from skittles (a bowling game). Often appears in sports journalism and commentary.
Commonly used with
side team cheaply quickly batting lineup for a low score
Forms
Base
skittle out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
skittles out
he/she/it
Past simple
skittled out
yesterday
Past participle
skittled out
have + pp
-ing form
skittling out
continuous
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