tap-tackle

plural tap-tackles · alternative tap tackle

1. American footballA tackle made from behind the running ball-carrier, where the tackler dives to touch the player's ankle and trips him up.

   France's own stand-in stand-off Trinh-Duc missed with a drop-goal when well set but then set off on a curving run through a scattered defensive line which carried him deep into enemy territory until Weepu's desperate tap-tackle finally brought him down.

   2011 October 23, Tom Fordyce, “2011 Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand 8-7 France”, in BBC Sport

   Synonyms: ankle tap

present singular third person tap-tackles · participle present tap-tackling · participle past tap-tackled · past tap-tackled · alternative tap tackle

1. American footballto tackle with a tap-tackle

   Farrell drilled home a 46-metre penalty and should have had another when Pollard, attempting to jink his way out of defence, was tap-tackled by Anthony Watson and penalised for not releasing.

   2019 November 2, Robert Kitson, “Rugby World Cup: South Africa surge to glory as England fall short”, in The Observer