blocking and tackling

noun

Basic tasks or skills in an undertaking or occupation.

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Meanings

nounblocking and tackling (uncountable)
  1. USidiomaticuncountableBasic tasks or skills in an undertaking or occupation.

    Cummings has been instrumental in the design of a computer simulation that he says will teach "the basic blocking and tackling of urban warfare.

    2002 November 16, Ron Martz, “U.S. soldiers train for urban warfare; 'A knife fight in a phone booth,' is what troops liken it to. U.S. forces are preparing.”, in Atlanta Journal Constitution
    2 more examples

    Some are caught up in the vision. Others are turned off and say he's a self-promoter who doesn't know anything about the blocking and tackling of the brokerage business.

    1999 March 16, Saul Hansell, “THE MARKETS: Market Place -- Trading on E*Trade's Success; Chief Has Aggressive Plans to Expand Internet Broker”, in New York Times

    This is admittedly the bare basics of journalism, and one would hope it took more than simple journalistic blocking and tackling to become our most trusted practitioner.

    2009 December, anonymous author, “Letters to the Editor”, in Atlantic Monthly, volume 304, number 5, page 10

Origin

From US football.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

blocking and tackling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blocking%20and%20tackling

MLA

“blocking and tackling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blocking%20and%20tackling. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blocking and tackling,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blocking%20and%20tackling.

Source: blocking and tackling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.