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Redshirt vs Redshift - What's the difference?

redshirt | redshift |

As nouns the difference between redshirt and redshift

is that redshirt is an athlete who spends a year not participating in official athletic activities, but does not lose his or her eligibility to participate in following years while redshift is a change in the wavelength of light, in which the wavelength is longer than when it was emitted at the source.

As a verb redshirt

is to place an athlete in a status wherein the athlete will spend a year not participating in official athletic activities, but will not lose his or her eligibility to participate in following years.

redshirt

English

Etymology 1

. Derived from the red jersey commonly worn by a player meeting this definition in practice scrimmages against the regulars.

Noun

(en noun)
  • an athlete who spends a year not participating in official athletic activities, but does not lose his or her eligibility to participate in following years
  • Verb

    (en verb)
  • to place an athlete in a status wherein the athlete will spend a year not participating in official athletic activities, but will not lose his or her eligibility to participate in following years.
  • The university decided to redshirt the freshman linebacker to give him an extra year to build up his bulk.
  • (US) To hold a child out of kindergarten for one year in the hope that the child will do better academically and socially.
  • Parents who redshirt' their 5-year-olds instead of enrolling them in kindergarten are a concern to some Nebraska educators who are trying to reverse the trend of holding children back until age 6 to start school. —"Some Educators Oppose ' Redshirting 5-Year-Olds," The Omaha World-Herald, March 1, 1985

    Etymology 2

    . From the tendency of red-shirted ensigns in the original television series to die prematurely.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (fiction, science fiction) An unimportant character introduced only to be killed in order to underscore the peril to the important characters; an expendable character.
  • Sensing danger, Captain Kirk decided to beam down to the surface with Spock, McCoy, and a couple of redshirts .

    See also

    * redskirt * (stock character) English terms derived from Star Trek

    Etymology 3

    . From the red shirts worn by such people when on duty

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person responsible for loading and unloading weapons, artillery, and equipment from aircraft.
  • redshift

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (physics) A change in the wavelength of light, in which the wavelength is longer than when it was emitted at the source.
  • (politics) The statistical bias towards Republican (or Blue Dog) candidates of US federal elections whose reported results vary considerably from those indicated by voter exit polls.
  • Antonyms

    * blueshift

    See also

    * Doppler effect