fair groundn.2
/ˌfɛː ˈɡraʊnd/, U.S. /ˌfɛr ˈɡraʊnd/ Baseball and Softball.
The part of the playing surface within and including the foul lines (foul line n. 1). Cf. fair territory n.
ΚΠ
1877 Chicago Tribune 22 Apr. 7/4 If a ball struck from the bat..strikes fair ground and bounces or rolls into foul ground, is it a fair or foul ball..? It is a fair ball.
1979 J. Baum Umpiring Baseball ii. 18 At the time of the pitch, all fielders shall be on fair ground except the catcher who shall be in the catcher's box.
2019 St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch (Nexis) 6 Sept. (Final ed.) (Sports section) c1 One infield single..started at least 10 feet foul before spinning onto fair ground.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, January 1894; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.21877