Etymology From Old English punt, from Latin pontō (“Gaulish flat-bottomed boat, pontoon”), from pons (“bridge”); readopted from Middle Low German punte (“ferry boat”) or Middle Dutch ponte (“ferry boat”) of the same origin.
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Nautical, Transport A narrow shallow boat, square at both ends, traditionally propelled by a pole.
Etymology From Old English punt, from Latin pontō (“Gaulish flat-bottomed boat, pontoon”), from pons (“bridge”); readopted from Middle Low German punte (“ferry boat”) or Middle Dutch ponte (“ferry boat”) of the same origin.
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Nautical, Transport To propel a punt or similar craft by means of a pole.
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Of a fish, to walk along the seafloor using its fins as limbs.
To dropkick; to kick something a considerable distance.
At the dump he emptied the station wagon quickly and only once punted a bag of refuse, exploding it like a pinata at a Mexican Christmas.1975, Barry Targan, Harry Belten and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, page 133:
He even hated pets—I once saw him punt a cat.2019, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, We Cast a Shadow, One World, →ISBN, page 100:
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American football, Ball games, Football, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Rugby, Soccer, Sports To kick a ball dropped from the hands before it hits the ground. (This puts the ball farther from the goal across which the opposing team is attempting to score, so improves the chances of the team punting.)
Australian rules football; Gaelic football; Australian rules football; Gaelic football
With five minutes remaining Hennessey was down well to block another Vukcevic shot, while Gunter was smartly in to punt away the dangerous loose ball.2011 September 2, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC:
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Colloquial To equivocate and delay or put off (answering a question, addressing an issue, etc).
The briefer reported it had been terminated on orders from Secretary Schlesinger, but attributed this to a sense Shamrock produced little, not to the fact it had been discovered. The NSA briefer punted on whether Fort Meade had been reading Americans' private messages, ...2014, John Prados, The Family Jewels: The CIA, Secrecy, and Presidential Power, University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 91:
The federal government has punted bringing forward extraordinary immigration powers that just weeks ago it was saying were so urgent they needed to be rushed through the parliament.2024 May 16, Brett Worthington, “Labor delays bid for extraordinary immigration powers despite claims of urgency”, in ABC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
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To retreat from one's objective; to abandon an effort one still notionally supports.
Punting: Using svn revert¶ If you decide that you want to throw out your changes and start your edits again (whether this occurs after a conflict or anytime), just revert your changesca. 2002, Ben Collins-Sussman, Brian W. Fitzpatrick, C. Michael Pilato, “Basic Work Cycle”, in Version Control with Subversion:
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Colloquial To make the best choice from a set of non-ideal alternatives.
The user is punted from the channel, and must rejoin to gain access.2001, Roger A. Grimes, Malicious Mobile Code: Virus Protection for Windows, page 236:
If you want to join this riot, we urge you to! You wont have to worry about being TOSed or reported because there will be no Guides online! So do whatever you want—punt, scroll, tos, just turn AOL into a war zone!2003, Michael Newton, The Encyclopedia of High-tech Crime and Crime-fighting, AOL Riot on June 1, 1998, page 21:
Obsolete The act of playing basset, baccarat, faro, etc.
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A bet or wager.
Anyone up for a punt on Randwick?
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Australia Gambling, as a pastime, especially betting on horseraces or the dogs.
Did I actually back a winner and finish in front on the punt?1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 123:
Wishing you all happy new year and a prosperous one on the punt.2001 December 31, The Riverine Herald, Echua, Victoria, page 12, column 3:
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A highly speculative investment or other commitment.
“Months ago, copper traders worldwide took a punt that Trump's tariff pitch for their market was real, not bluster.[…]”2025 July 12, Leslie Hook, quoting Tom Price, “Copper traders’ bet on tariffs pays off to the tune of $300mn”, in FT Weekend (Companies & Markets section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 10:
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A wild guess.
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The indentation in the base of a wine bottle.
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Arts, Crafts, Glassblowing, Hobbies, Lifestyle A thin glass rod which is temporarily attached to a larger piece in order to better manipulate the larger piece.
Etymology Borrowed from French pointe or Spanish punto (“point”). Doublet of point, pointe, ponto, puncto, punctum, and punto.
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To play basset, baccara, faro, etc.
Here it was that, guarded by double doors, Sir Francis smoked cigars, and read Bell’s Life in London, and went to sleep after dinner, when he was not smoking over the billiard-table at his clubs, or punting at the gambling-houses in Saint James’s.1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 38, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
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Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK To stake against the bank, to back a horse, to gamble or take a chance more generally
She heard […] of his punting at gaming tables.1854, Arthur Pendennis [pseudonym; William Makepeace Thackeray], The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], →OCLC:
Whether you want to gamble on a horse race, bet on which player will score first in a game of football, have a punt on a particular tennis player winning a grand slam event, you are buying a chance, a chance which is measured in terms of probability, ‘the odds’.2004, John Buglear, “Is it worth the risk? – introducing probability”, in Quantitative methods for business: the A-Z of QM, →ISBN, page 339:
2 more examples
Eriksson's men still worth a punt2006 June 23, Dan Roebuck, “Eriksson's men still worth a punt”, in The Guardian:
Australians have a reputation for being keen to bet on two flies climbing up a wall and today young ones often take a casual classroom punt2009 November 3, Sarah Collerton, “Cup punt not child's play”, in ABC News:
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Figuratively To make a highly speculative investment or other commitment, or take a wild guess.