bails

Atop the stumps

Bails has two distinct sources.

In cricket, bails are the small crosspieces that rest atop the stumps; dislodging them dismisses the batter.

The other bail comes from a word meaning bucket or container, giving us the curved handle of a pail and the act of scooping water out of a boat: We had to bail furiously to keep from sinking.

By extension, to bail is to rescue from difficulty, and to bail out is to abandon ship—literally or figuratively: I'm bailing on this party.

cricket

wickets

Cricket's wooden targets

stumpsCut tree bases
dislodgeForce from position
bowledThrew at pins

runout · wicketkeeper · crease · delivery · innings · stumping · zing · dismiss · appeal · umpire

legal

bond

Binding tie or connection

suretyBacker of obligation
releaseTo let go
arraignmentCharge-reading court session

defendant · custody · pretrial · hearing · judge · court · detention · conditions · revocation · forfeit

water

scoop

First-reported story

bucketOpen-top carrying vessel
bilgeShip's water-collecting depths
boatWatercraft for travel

pump · ladle · empty · swamp · flooding · sinking · canoe · dinghy · hull · leaking

escape

abandons

Ceases to support

ditchesNarrow drainage channels
fleesDeparts to escape danger
retreatsBacks off or sanctuaries

ejects · parachutes · evacuates · absconds · leaves · deserts · quits · bolts · skips · exits

bails

wickets

bond

scoop

abandons

bails

Opposites

Phrases

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