Meanings
plural southpaws · alternative south paw
- informalOne who is left-handed, especially in sports.
Never touch the food until your host has said grace ("Bismillah") and then not till he has told you to. Eat only with your right hand—it is considered very rude to use the left, even if you are a southpaw.
1943, United States Army, A short guide to SyriaSynonyms: left-hander, lefty · Antonyms: northpaw, right-hander
- informalball gamesA left-handed pitcher.
Since home plate is generally in the southwest corner to avoid glare in the batter's eyes, a southpaw's pitching hand is to the south.
1 more example
Eleanor would pitch, probably southpaw. Rosalind was outfield, wonderful hitter, Clara first base, maybe.
1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise/Book Two/Chapter 5, Book Two/Chapter 5Synonyms: left-hander, lefty · Antonyms: northpaw, right-hander
- informalA boxer who leads with the right hand and guards with the left.
Synonyms: left-hander, lefty · Antonyms: northpaw, right-hander
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who is left-handed, especially in sports.
nounA boxer who leads with the right hand and guards with the left.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna baseball pitcher who throws the ball with the left hand
nouna person who uses the left hand with greater skill than the right
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From south + paw. The original derivation is unclear: although now best known from the sport of baseball, the term is first attested in 1813, before baseball was founded. Suggested theories include: For boxing: * Evidence suggests the term existed before baseball, being used in the 1840s to describe a left-handed punch or "paw" in boxing. A 1848 political cartoon described a "south paw" blow in this context. For baseball: * Early 19th-century ballparks were often built with home plate on the west side and the pitcher's mound on the east to prevent the sun from being in the batter's eyes. Consequently, a left-handed pitcher's arm would be facing the southern side of the diamond. However, the term was originally used to refer to position players rather than pitchers.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque ezkerti
- ezkertiinformal: one who is left-handed
Finnish vasuri, vasuri
- vasuribaseball: left-handed pitcher
- vasuriinformal: one who is left-handed
French gaucher, gauchère
- gaucherinformal: one who is left-handed
- gauchèreinformal: one who is left-handed
German Linkshänder, Linkshänderin
- Linkshänderinformal: one who is left-handed
- Linkshänderininformal: one who is left-handed
Japanese サウスポー, 左利き
- サウスポー (sausupō)baseball: left-handed pitcher
- 左利き (hidarikiki)informal: one who is left-handed
Polish mańkut, leworęczny
- mańkutinformal: one who is left-handed
- leworęcznyinformal: one who is left-handed
Portuguese canhoteiro
- canhoteiroinformal: one who is left-handed
Russian левша́
- левша́ (levšá)informal: one who is left-handed
Spanish zurdo, zurda
- zurdoinformal: one who is left-handed
- zurdainformal: one who is left-handed
Tagalog kaliwete
- kaliweteinformal: one who is left-handed
Cite this entry
southpaw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/southpaw
“southpaw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/southpaw. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “southpaw,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/southpaw.
Source: southpaw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.