What is "uppercut"

in pugilism, a close-in strike upward with the fist, 1831, from upper + cut (n.). Perhaps the image is of chopping a tree by making cuts up (as well as down) in the trunk.\n\nIt was on a side hill, and I observed a boy, who appeared to be about fifteen years of age, opposite the house felling a large tree; he had cut a few chips from the under side, and was then making the principal incision on the upper. ... I said to the boy, "Well Sir, I see that you make the upper cut." "That is the true cut," said the boy; "for if you will take the axe and try below, you will find that the tree will crowd down upon your chips, and you can't get it down in double the time."

[Theodore Sedgwick, "Hints to My Countrymen," 1826]

n. 1 (context boxing English) a swinging blow aimed upwards at the opponent's chin 2 (context cricket English) a cut shot that sends the ball over the wicket-keeper's head vb. To strike with an uppercut

1. n. a swinging blow directed upward (especially at an opponent's chin)

2. [also: uppercutting]

In contract bridge, an uppercut is a defensive play that involves one of the defenders ruffing high in the knowledge that an overruff by the declarer will result in the promotion of a trump card in his/her partner's hand into a winner. Thus, the technique presents a type of trump promotion.

It is best illustrated with an example: Here declarer is South, spades are trump and the declarer can cash his two top spades, drawing all the defender's trumps, and claim the rest of the tricks. But if West, on the lead, plays a heart, covered by dummy's ace, East should ruff high with his jack of spades. Now, if South overruffs with the ace or king, West's queen will be promoted into a winner and the defense is assured of an otherwise unavailable trick.

An uppercut is a punch used in boxing.

Uppercut may also refer to:

• Uppercut (bridge), a defensive play in contract bridge
• The Upper Cuts, a 2005 compilation album by Alan Braxe
• "Uppercut", a song by Stereophonics from Keep Calm and Carry On
• Upper cut, in cricket terminology, a type of batsman's stroke
• Uppercut (EP), an EP by Canadian singer and songwriter Morgan Finlay

The uppercut (formerly known as the undercut; sometimes also referred to as the upper) is a punch used in boxing that travels along a vertical line at the opponent's chin or solar plexus. It is, along with the cross, one of the two main punches that count in the statistics as power punches.

Uppercuts are useful when thrown at close range, because they are considered to cause more damage when at close range. Additionally, it is likely that a boxer would miss if the uppercut is thrown when the opponents are apart. Uppercuts usually do more damage when landed to the chin, but they can also cause damage when thrown to the body (particularly the solar plexus) or when landing on the nose or eyes.

The punch moves as its name implies: it usually initiates from the attacker's belly, making an upward motion that resembles a pirate's hook in shape, before landing on the opponent's face or body. In a conventional boxing combination, it is the second punch thrown, after the jab, but it can either initiate or finish a combination.

When performing an uppercut, the attacker should stay close to the target, so as to prevent the opponent from detecting that the punch is coming, and countering with a straight punch. An uppercut from the outside also loses some of its power because the arm is no longer bent at the elbow and cannot effectively transfer the total body's force in the upward movement.

Samuel Elias, also known as " Dutch Sam", is credited with creating this punch originally called an "undercut". It was reported that "Dutch Sam created havoc with the new blow until a new way was found to block it". Boxers famous for their uppercuts include Lennox Lewis, Joe Louis, Wilfredo Gómez, Julio César Chávez, Sonny Liston, George Foreman, Mike Tyson, Rubén Olivares, and Sandy Saddler.

Uppercut is an EP by Canadian singer and songwriter Morgan Finlay. It was released in 2002.