advantage pointn.
/ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ ˌpɔɪnt/, /ədˈvantɪdʒ ˌpɔɪnt/, U.S. /ədˈvæn(t)ɪdʒ ˌpɔɪnt/ (in sense 2 also)Brit. /ədˌvɑːntɪdʒ ˈpɔɪnt/, /ədˌvantɪdʒ ˈpɔɪnt/, U.S. /ədˌvæn(t)ɪdʒ ˈpɔɪnt/ 1. A superior or higher position; (in later use chiefly) spec. a place affording a good view or prospect; = vantage-point at vantage n. Compounds.
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1799 Morning Chron. 18 Jan. 3/3 They [sc. the French army] temporized until they had gained the advantage point.
1860 Derby Mercury 18 Apr. 2/4 Outside the walls numerous crowds took up every ‘advantage point’.
1878 St. Louis (Missouri) Globe-Democrat 1 Dec. 4/3 Diabolical yells were kept up by the victorious mob as it gained the advantage point.
1889 Chinese Times 22 June 391/2 Taking observations from the advantage point of the shafts, the eye ranged over an unbroken sweep of growing corn.
1911 C. Hawkes Nature's Children 176 One beaver..is a sentinel watching from some advantage point, that no enemy may approach unobserved.
1963 Amer. Motorcycling Aug. 31/2 Spectators are welcome and many advantage points are set up where they can see the riders.
2003 R. Wallis How Safe are our Skies? iv. 70 Gunmen were not to be given advantage points from where they could direct fire onto the public.
2. Real Tennis and Tennis. The first point scored after a deuce; = advantage n. 5.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > [noun] > score or stage of game
match ball1849
game ball1853
games all1853
game, set, and match1879
vantage1884
advantage point1889
game point1903
ad1915
match point1921
van1927
set point1928
ad point1939
break point1975
mini-break1981
1889 Boston Daily Advertiser 5 Oct. 6/1 Mitchell followed with a splendidly served ball which Tallant could not return, and gained the advantage point.
1919 F. A. Ballin Tennis for Girls 7 One player has to win two points in succession from the deuce point, the score going ‘deuce’, ‘advantage server’ (or ‘striker’), ‘deuce’, ‘advantage’, until the player who has the advantage point wins the next one, and the game.
1952 Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News 8 June 3 d/4 Texas Western..had several chances to go ahead in the first overtime game when they had advantage point three times.
1980 Times 5 June 13/6 Lloyd made a promising start, but after double faulting on advantage point for a 4–1 lead he was soon drained of confidence and ideas.
2011 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 8 Apr. Propst had the advantage point eight times, but only put away two games.
3. A point or feature which makes something better or gives an advantage.
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1898 San Antonio (Texas) Daily Light 4 Feb. It would be useless..for them to remain in the capital watching for advantage points so long as the matter continued in this case.
1907 Domest. Engin. 7 Dec. (Advertising section) p. xxxiv A better article, more advantage points, greater utility and a higher degree of efficiency in Fire Pots and Torches than you can obtain elsewhere.
1948 Boys' Life Apr. 2 (advt.) Advantage points of the All-Weather Tread.
2001 U. Smartt Grendon Tales iv. 101 One advantage point to him was the support by the German judiciary of the socio-therapeutic prison establishments at the sentencing stage.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1799