Popping crease is never heard nowadays.

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no. you have missed the point ! or i have made it badly !

my point is that there are a number of words which one here's in regards to cricket, which are not cricket specific terms, but which - whilst being words of general applicability - no longer seem to be used in any context other than a cricketing one. examples given above are :

waft
lackadasical
imperious
dolly
lumbering
innocuous
jubilant
effortless
dashing
shepherded
tempo

hears

I'm afraid I cannot agree with you on any of those words you listed. I think they are all in common usage.

I'm afraid I cannot agree with you on any of those words you listed. I think they are all in common usage.

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fair comment. would you do me this though ? would you give a considered estimate, for each of the words i have listed above, when you last heard the word in a circketing context, and when you last heard the word in a non-cricketing context.

i'll answer the question myself then. word first, then when i last heard it in a cricketing context, then when i last heard it in another contect :

waft = yesteray= years ago (apart from smell meaning)

lackadasical = couple of weeks back = never

imperious = last week = a few years ago

dolly = last week = never

lumbering = last week = couple of years ago

innocuous = last week = last month

jubilant = this year = last year

effortless = last week = few months ago

dashing = this year = before the millenium

shepherded = this year = before the millenium

tempo = this week = last year

waft
lackadasical
imperious
dolly
lumbering
innocuous
jubilant
effortless
dashing
shepherded
tempo

Agree that these words are part of the canned stock phrases that cricket commentators on Sky TV (and cricket writers) repeat ad nauseum. The current crop of cricket commentators and journalists, largely made up of ex-cricket players, are forced to make do with a limited set of stock words and phrases; they simply have never had a chance to acquire the linguistic ability or expressive power that a Nevile Cardus, NS Ramaswami or John Arlott had.

I agree that these are not words that you often 'hear'; they are not very much used in normal conversation. But these are not rare words in themselves; I would have read every one of these words (except dolly) somewhere or the other - used in a non-cricketing context - at least once during the last few months.

I agree that these are not words that you often 'hear'; they are not very much used in normal conversation.
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personally, i wouldnt want to have to get by without 'innocuous' in my vocabulary, and maybe even 'tempo'. but i would be prepared to give them up, for all of those words listed above to become exclusive circket terms which noone else understood

Waft - Generally used for the aroma of perfume and curry. It’s also what rip-snorting farts do.
Lackadaisical - Commonly used to describe Civil/Public Servants.
Imperious - Mints that you suck on a long journey.
Dolly - Never played “Aunt Sally”?
Lumbering - Often, but incorrectly, used to describe the LOGGING industry in Canada. Regularly used to describe any Liverpool player.
Innocuous - What some people ask the doctor before going on a foreign holiday. “Can you innocu us”?
Jubilant - A small insect celebrating his 25th birthday.
Effortless - Winning the Premier League for Manchester United.
Dashing - Never found yourself dashing to the loo or to the shops before they close?
Shepherded - “He shepherded the ball out of play” is a common phrase amongst football commentators.
Tempo - “They/he/she needs to up the tempo” is very common.

"it's a dott." never heard that outside of cricket

The bowlers second job - Nightwatchman.

The term - Squared him up.

No one mentioned nurdle or nurdling - as in a batsman nudging and nurdling his way through the innings - i dont think Ive ever heard it anywhere else

Good one Lydneyian. I think we can add that to the list.

I think we could add 'agricultural' in as well. especially since they stopped the royal show. If it wasn't for cooking we could have had 'conjure' too. How about 'skyed' ? or is that a term which has a purely cricketing origin ? 'collosal' ? i think that qualifies.

maybe we should have the following criteria :

1. the word was not invented purely to be used in cricket
2. the average cricket fan has to have heard the word at least 10 times on different occasions in a cricketing contest, since the last time he heard the word in any other context.

would that be fair ? if so, are there any other words which can be included ?

A SIX!!

no, saying a number is often used outside to suggest how oblectively attractive a woman is, on a scale of 1 to 10.