BOXING THE COMPASS 



875 



BOYCOTT 



getting hit." Boxing is excellent for mental 

 discipline, and it also has a part in the devel- 

 opment of character, for under right condi- 

 tions it brings out the finest qualities of 

 sportsmanship courage, honesty and the abil- 

 ity to be a "good loser," and to control the 

 temper in all situations. 



Some Technical Terms. Below is a list of 

 some special terms used by boxers and not 

 already mentioned. 



Break Away. Usually the call of the referee 

 when the two are in a clinch. 



Breaking Ground. To retreat diagonally from 

 right to left. 



Clinching. To catch hold of an opponent in 

 such a way that he cannot swing his arms. 

 This is a common device when a boxer is 

 slightly dazed from a blow and wants a mo- 

 ment's rest without danger. 



Corners. The corners of the ring. Each 

 boxer has his own corner, diagonally opposite 

 that of his opponent, to which he retires be- 

 tween rounds. 



Cross-Counter. A blow in which the arm 

 crosses the opponent's lead. 



Drawing. Apparently leaving an opening for 

 the opponent, but really preparing a counter- 

 attack. 



Fiddling. The preliminary motions at the 

 beginning of a round, each boxer maneuvering 

 for an opening. 



Foul. Hitting below the belt, or with the 

 palm or back of the hand. Kicking, tripping, 

 wrestling and unnecessary roughness also con- 

 stitute fouls. If the foul is a serious one the 

 referee usually awards the match to the boxer 

 against whom the foul was committed. 



Hook. A sharp blow from the side, with the 

 arm bent. 



In-Fighting. Close quarters, so that full-body 

 blows or blows straight from the shoulder are 

 prevented. The boxers are also too close to 

 swing. 



Lead-Off. The first blow ; or sometimes a 

 straight lead. 



Return. A blow after the opponent's blow 

 has been blocked or avoided. 



Second. Each boxer may have one or two 

 assistants, who wrap him in blankets, fan him 

 with towels, or otherwise help him between 

 rouhds. ' 



Solar Plexus. The pit of the stomach. A 

 powerful blow landed here almost always means 

 a knock-out. 



Swing. A swinging blow from the side. Usu- 

 ally the boxer jerks his body in the same direc- 

 tion, to give the blow greater force. 



Throw Up the Sponge. When a boxer or his 

 second tosses his sponge into the ring it is an 

 acknowledgment of defeat. The boxer gives up 

 the fight. 



Upper-Cut. A short, sharp blow from below 

 aimed at the opponent's chin. If successfully 

 delivered it knocks him off his balance and may 

 even knock him out. w.c. 



BOXING THE COMPASS. See subhead, 

 under COMPASS. 



BOX TORTOISE, tor' tis, or BOX TURTLE, 



a species of tortoise or turtle found in North 

 America from Long. Island to New Mexico. 

 It has a hard shell above and below, into 

 which it can completely shut itself, locking 

 itself in by means of hinged joints in the 

 lower shell. The animal lives chiefly on mush- 

 rooms and berries, sometimes eating earth- 

 worms, slugs and eggs of insects. It lives to 

 a great age, sometimes as long as 300 years, 

 but its exact span of life has not yet been 

 determined. The tortoise shell used for orna- 

 ments is not obtained from the box tortoise, 

 but comes from the sea tortoise, especially the 

 hawksbill. 



BOX TREE, or BOXWOOD, a shrubby ever- 

 green tree twelve or fifteen feet high. The 

 leaves are small, oval, leathery and deep green. 

 The flowers are inconspicuous, male and female 

 on the same tree. It is a native of England, 

 Southern Europe and parts of Asia. Formerly 

 very common in England, it has given its 

 name to several places Boxhill, in Surrey, 

 for instance, and Boxley, in Kent. The wood 

 is of a yellowish color, close-grained, very hard 

 and heavy, and it takes a beautiful polish. It 

 is therefore much used by wood turners and 

 carvers, engravers on wood and makers of 

 mathematical instruments. As far back as the 

 times of Pliny it was used to make flutes and 

 other wind instruments. 



The boxwood of commerce comes mostly 

 from the regions adjoining the Black and Cas- 

 pian seas, and is said to be diminishing in 

 quantity. In gardens and shrubberies box 

 trees may often be seen clipped into various 

 formal shapes. There is also a dwarf variety 

 reared as a hedge for garden walks and lawn 

 borders. 



BOY'COTT, the name given to an organized 

 movement to injure or ruin the business of 

 a person by refusing to deal or associate with 

 him. The name is taken from that of an 

 English land agent, Captain Charles Boycott, 

 whose harsh measures against the Irish ten- 

 ants of his employer, Lord Erne, caused the 

 people for miles around to refuse to have any- 

 thing to do with himself or family. In trade 

 disputes the boycott is a favorite weapon of 

 combinations of trade-unionists or working- 

 men, who seek thereby to injure an employer's 

 business so he will accede to his employees' 

 demands, or suffer punishment for refusing to 

 do so. 



Such a form of boycott is generally regarded 

 lawful by English courts if it is employed to 



