Dictionary

play-by-play en · ADJ

Etymology

From play + by + play.

Meanings

1. (US, not-comparable) Describing a sports commentary in which a commentator describes every action in some detail as it occurs, often assisted by a second commentator who provides background information and other comments.
2. (figuratively, not-comparable) Providing a detailed stepwise description (of how certain events unfolded).
   • A stripper who works at the New York gentlemen’s club where the Cardi B brawl reportedly popped off gave a play-by-play account of the fracas in a recent radio interview. 2018 September 6, Terry Shropshire, “Stripper tells what happened in Cardi B fight with Offset’s alleged mistress”, in Rolling Out:

Synonyms

ball-by-ball

play-by-play en · NOUN

Etymology

From play + by + play.

Meanings

1. (US) A detailed description or analysis of sporting events as they occur in succession, one play at a time.
   • So I collected a cross section of play-by-plays, definitely not as many as I'd like to collect but enough to feel pretty comfortable with what I was seeing. 2004, Dean Oliver, Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis:

Forms