Dictionary Definition
run-down adj
1 worn and broken down by hard use; "a creaky
shack"; "a decrepit bus...its seats held together with friction
tape"; "a flea-bitten sofa"; "a run-down neighborhood"; "a
woebegone old shack" [syn: creaky, decrepit, flea-bitten,
woebegone]
2 having the spring unwound; "a run-down
watch"rundown n : a concluding summary (as in presenting a case
before a law court) [syn: summation, summing
up]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
rundown- A rough outline. Generally used in the definite, as the
rundown.
- Could you give me the rundown on the new rules?
- A defensive play in which the runner is caught between two
fielders, who steadily converge to tag the runner out.
- Smith is caught in a rundown, but Jones will come around to score.
Adjective
rundown, also run down- Old and in bad repair.
Translations
old and in bad repair
- German: abgewirtschaftet
Extensive Definition
A rundown, also called a pickle, is a situation
in the game of baseball
that occurs when the baserunner is stranded
between two bases and is in jeopardy. When
the base runner attempts to advance to the next base, he is cut off
by the defensive player who has a live
ball and attempts to return to his previous base before being
tagged
out. As he is doing this, the defenseman throws the ball past
the base runner to the previous base, forcing him to reverse
directions again. This is repeated until the runner is put out or
reaches a base safely. If the runner safely returns to his original
base, the defense is not charged with an error.
However, if the defense allows the runner to advance to the next
base in order (i.e. second base to third base), then the defense is
charged with an error.
The pickle is demonstrated twice in the 1993 film
The
Sandlot, as well as employed as a metaphor for getting stuck in
troubling situations, such as avoiding parental discipline and the
gnashing teeth of a neighborhood dog, "The Beast."
rundown in Portuguese: Rundown
(beisebol)