point-shaving
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.61 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The process of making fine distinctions, especially in regard to behavior that is considered unacceptable versus behavior that is almost but not quite objectionable.
Uncountable
verb
present participle and gerund of point-shave
Example Sentences
- "Between unequivocal perverty behavior and, say, the light fevered brush-up against somebody's arm on a divan lay a multitude of point-shaving."
- "In point-shaving, the classic form of corruption in college basketball, a player or team controls by how many points it wins so gamblers can collect on bets."
- "By making it possible to manipulate game scores while preserving the thrills of victory, point-shaving deliberately severed links between the game itself and any broader moral meanings it might have offered, suggesting that the implicated athletes had already abandoned their belief in such connections."
- "In athletics, this may take the form of point-shaving, college recruiting scandals, performance drugs — all of which are quickly becoming as commonplace as sixand seven-figure salaries for sports stars."