dogfall

Etymology

From dog + fall.

dogfall means A fall in which both wrestlers touch the ground at the same time; hence, in extended use, any tie or stalemate. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.

Why this word is great

DOGFALL — [Noun] A fall in wrestling in which both contestants touch the ground simultaneously, resulting in a tie or stalemate. From dog (the animal) + fall (a descent or dropping), likely alluding to the undignified or inconclusive nature of such a fall. Unlike stalemate (which suggests a cerebral, strategic impasse) or draw (a broad, often administrative equality), dogfall captures the kinetic, grunting anti-climax of mutual collapse. It is the heavy thud of two bodies hitting the mat as one, the tangled knot of limbs with no superior angle, the referee’s hands signaling a conclusion that is no conclusion at all—a brief, physical parable of all contests that end not with victory, but with a shared descent into parity.

noun

A fall in which both wrestlers touch the ground at the same time; hence, in extended use, any tie or stalemate.“Lucky Ned Pepper said, “What is your intention? Do you think one on four is a dogfall?””