foot-fault

A tennis player commits a foot-fault during a serve.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A tennis violation: "foot-fault" refers to an infraction in tennis where the server steps on or over the baseline (the back boundary line) before making contact with the ball during a serve. This results in a fault, meaning the serve is invalid.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The umpire called a foot-fault when the server's foot touched the baseline. (A violation occurred because the server's foot was on the line.)
  • She lost the point due to a foot-fault on her second serve. (The serve was invalid because of the foot placement error.)

Advanced Usage

• "to commit a foot-fault": to perform the action of stepping on or over the baseline while serving.
  • He committed a foot-fault during the crucial match point. (He made an illegal serve at a key moment.)

Variants and Related Words

• Foot-fault judge (n): an official in tennis who specifically watches for foot-faults.
  • The foot-fault judge raised a flag to signal the violation. (The official indicated the infraction.)

Synonyms

• Serve violation: a general term for any illegal action during a serve.
• Line infringement: a broader term for stepping on or over a boundary line in sports.

Related Idioms

• "to step over the line": a metaphorical expression meaning to exceed acceptable limits, derived from the literal foot-fault rule.
  • His comments during the meeting really stepped over the line. (He went too far and broke social boundaries.)