Short versions of some of the terms defined and discussed in the dictionary:

• Avocado—An inviting pitch for a home run.

• Bugs Bunny changeup—A slow changeup disguised as a fastball which appears to stop in front of the plate. The term was inspired by a classic 1946 cartoon in which Bugs Bunny single-handedly defeats the opposition with a pitch that is so slow that he is able to strike out the side with one pitch.

• Cheated—Said of a batter who is retired without taking a good swing at the pitch.

• Cowboy Up—Rodeo term adopted by the 2003 Red Sox as a rallying cry.

• Doryoku—Japanese for unflagging effort, a prime virtue in Japanese baseball. It is one of dozens of terms which have been adopted by American baseball from Spanish, Japanese and other languages.

• Downhill—Style of pitching in which the ball is thrown from the highest release point possible, thereby applying a steeper angle to the pitch, and giving the impression of extra downward motion.

• FDR pitch—A wild pitch; it stands for fire, duck, and run.

• Junkballer—A pitcher who relies on off-speed pitches and trickery.

• Kentucky wonder—A pitch thrown close to a batter.

• Linda Ronstadt Fastball—Nickname for a fastball that “Blue Bayou.” Not be confused with the “Peggy Lee Fastball” (“Is that all there is?”)

• Nintendo slider—A pitch that breaks unexpectedly over the plate, as if remotely controlled.

• Rider of the lonesome pine—a benchwarmer, one who seldom gets in the game.

• Six-o’clock hitter—A player who hits well in batting practice and poorly during the game.

• Small Ball—The meticulous and careful advancing of a runner around the bases.

• Uecker seats—The highest, nosebleed seats in the ballpark. Refers to a beer commercial featuring Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker.

• Wallburner—A ball hit off the outfield wall or fence.

• Zurdo—Spanish for “lefty” and “southpaw” used as a nickname for Latin lefthanded pitchers, also the last definition in the dictionary.