Leisure & Nightlife, PAD-RUG
When it comes to free time, everyone has his or her own activity of choice. While some may like to repose with a nice game of bridge, poker, or chess, others may find bungee jumping or bullfighting to be more engaging, and still others would rather opt for hiking or archery. Luckily, there's no shortage of leisure activities available for those who have the time, resources, and inclination to pursue them.
Leisure & Nightlife Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Palindrome
Palindrome, word, number, sentence, or verse that reads the same backward or forward. The term derives from the......
Palio, the
the Palio, festival of medieval origin conducted annually in certain Italian cities and featuring bareback horse......
pall-mall
pall-mall, (from Italian pallamaglio: palla, āball,ā and maglio, āmalletā), obsolete game of French origin, resembling......
pan
pan, card game played only in the western United States, where it is popular as a gambling game in many clubs.......
Pan American Sports Games
Pan American Sports Games, quadrennial sports event for countries of the Western Hemisphere, patterned after the......
pankration
pankration, ancient Greek sports event that combined boxing and wrestling, introduced at the XXXIII Olympiad (648......
paragliding
paragliding, sport of flying parachutes with design modifications that enhance their gliding capabilities. Unlike......
parallel bars
parallel bars, gymnastics apparatus invented in the early 19th century by the German Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, often......
Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games, major international sports competition for athletes with disabilities. Comparable to the Olympic......
pari-mutuel
pari-mutuel, method of wagering introduced in France about 1870 by Parisian businessman Pierre Oller. It became......
Paris Olympics 2024: Athletes, Sports, and History
From July 26 to August 11, 2024, Paris hosted one of the worldās largest and most-watched sporting events: the......
park
park, large area of ground set aside for recreation. The earliest parks were those of the Persian kings, who dedicated......
parkour
parkour, the practice of traversing obstacles in a man-made or natural environment through the use of running,......
Parton, Dolly
Dolly Parton was an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress who pioneered the interface......
Peach Bowl
Peach Bowl, annual American college football postseason bowl game played in Atlanta. Along with the Cotton, Fiesta,......
pelota
pelota, any of a number of glove, racket, or bat court games requiring a rubber-cored ball. These games arose from......
pentathlon
pentathlon, athletic contest entailing five distinct types of competition. In the ancient Greek Olympics, the pentathlon......
Petit, Philippe
Philippe Petit is a French-born high-wire walker who attained worldwide celebrity on August 7, 1974, with his unauthorized......
PGA Championship
PGA Championship, one of the worldās four major golf tournaments (along with the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open,......
philately
philately, the study of postage stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postcards, and other materials relating to......
pick-up-sticks
pick-up-sticks, game of skill, played by both children and adults, with thin wooden sticks or with straws or matches.......
pickleball
pickleball, fast-paced sport that has many similarities to tennis, badminton, and table tennis (Ping-Pong). It......
pigeon racing
pigeon racing, racing for sport the homing pigeon, a specialized variety developed through selective crossbreeding......
Pilates
Pilates, exercise discipline created by German American gymnast, bodybuilder, and entrepreneur Joseph H. Pilates......
pinball machine
pinball machine, earliest of the coin-activated popular electromechanical games, usually found in candy stores,......
pinochle
pinochle, American card game typically played by three players acting alone (cutthroat) or four players in two......
piquet
piquet, card game, known since the 15th century in France. For centuries piquet has been regarded as one of the......
Placide, Alexander
Alexander Placide was a French-born U.S. dancer, mime, acrobat, and impresario who produced in the U.S. such diverse......
Plafond
Plafond, (French: Ceiling), French card game popular in Europe in the 1920s, a predecessor of Contract Bridge.......
plain stitch
plain stitch, basic knitting stitch in which each loop is drawn through other loops to the right side of the fabric.......
platform tennis
platform tennis, sport that is a combination of tennis and squash, devised in 1928 by American sports enthusiasts......
play
play, in zoology, behaviour performed in the absence of normal stimuli or behaviour elicited by normal stimuli......
PlayStation
PlayStation, video game console released in 1994 by Sony Computer Entertainment. The PlayStation, one of a new......
Pocket billiards
Pocket billiards, a billiards game, most popular in the United States and Canada, played with a white cue ball......
point-to-point
point-to-point, race run during the non-hunting season (February to May) by horses regularly ridden at fox hunts.......
poker
poker, card game, played in various forms throughout the world, in which a player must call (i.e., match) the bet,......
poker dice
poker dice, game involving five dice specially marked to simulate a playing-card deckās top six cards (ace, king,......
Poker Hands Ranked
Poker can be a fun game between friends or a professional competition. No matter where youāre playing, hereās a......
pole vault
pole vault, sport in athletics (track and field) in which an athlete jumps over an obstacle with the aid of a pole.......
policy
policy, form of lottery in which pellets usually numbered 1 to 78 are deposited in a drum-shaped wheel and players......
Polish checkers
Polish checkers, board game, a variety of checkers (draughts) most played in continental Europe. The game is played......
polo
polo, game played on horseback between two teams of four players each who use mallets with long, flexible handles......
polocrosse
polocrosse, equestrian team sport that combines the disparate sports of polo and lacrosse. Polocrosse riders use......
polyomino
polyomino, equal-sized squares, joined to at least one other along an edge, employed for recreational purposes.......
pommel horse
pommel horse, gymnastics apparatus, a leather-covered form 1.6 meters (63 inches) long, 34 to 36 cm (13.4 to 14.2......
pool
pool, method of gambling in which all money bet on the result of a particular event by a number of people is awarded......
Pool
Pool, British billiards game in which each player uses a cue ball of a different colour and tries to pocket the......
powerlifting
powerlifting, an offshoot of Olympic weightlifting and weight training that emphasizes sheer strength more than......
Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes, a 1 3 16 -mile (about 1,900-meter) flat race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held at......
preference
preference, trick-taking card game for three players, widely played throughout eastern Europe, popular in Austria,......
president
president, card game of Chinese origin that suddenly appeared in the Western world during the 1980s. President......
Prigozhin, Yevgeny
Yevgeny Prigozhin was a Russian oligarch, best known as the leader of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit.......
prisonerās base
prisonerās base, childrenās game in which players of one team seek to tag and imprison players of the other team......
Prix de lāArc de Triomphe
Prix de lāArc de Triomphe, one of the worldās foremost horse races, originated in 1920, and run over a 2,400-metre......
Prix du Jockey Club
Prix du Jockey Club, one of the major French horse races, an event for three-year- old colts and fillies that originated......
Profaci, Joseph
Joseph Profaci was one of the most powerful bosses in U.S. organized crime from the 1940s to the early 1960s. Twice......
public house
public house, an establishment providing alcoholic beverages to be consumed on the premises. The traditional pub......
pun
pun, a humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest different meanings or applications, or a play on words,......
pursuit racing
pursuit racing, in bicycle racing, an event in which teams or individuals start on opposite sides of an oval track......
puzzle
puzzle, a problem that may take many forms, including games and toys, and is solved through knowledge, ingenuity,......
Pyramids
Pyramids, British pocket-billiards game in which 15 red balls are arranged in a pyramid formation to begin. Players......
Pythian Games
Pythian Games, in ancient Greece, various athletic and musical competitions held in honour of Apollo, chiefly those......
quarter-horse racing
quarter-horse racing, in the United States, the racing of horses at great speed for short distances on a straightaway......
quarterstaff
quarterstaff, a staff of wood from 6 to 9 feet (about 2 to 3 m) long, used for attack and defense. It is probably......
quilting
quilting, sewing technique in which two layers of fabric, usually with an insulating interior layer, are sewn together......
quiz
quiz, a contest in which participants test what they know by answering questions on one or more topics. The term......
quiz show
quiz show, broadcast show designed to test the memory, knowledge, agility, or luck of persons selected from a studio......
quoits
quoits, game in which players toss rings at a stake, called the hob. A ring that encircles the hob scores two points......
rackets
rackets, game played with a ball and a strung racket in an enclosed court, all four walls of which are used in......
racquetball
racquetball, game similar to handball but played with rackets. The game is played on a four-walled court with a......
rally
rally, automobile competition over a specified public route with a driver and navigator attempting to keep to a......
Ramsay, Gordon
Gordon Ramsay is a Scottish chef and restaurateur known for his highly acclaimed restaurants and cookbooks but......
Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy, Indiaās primary domestic first-class cricket tournament, played annually by state and regional teams.......
rating rule
rating rule, in yacht racing, rule used to classify sailing yachts of different designs to enable them to compete......
real tennis
real tennis, racket sport that is descended from and almost identical to the medieval tennis game jeu de paume......
red dog
red dog, name for two different simple gambling card games. In one version of red dogāalso known as yablon, acey-deucey,......
Redzepi, RenƩ
RenƩ Redzepi is a Danish chef recognized internationally for his unique reinterpretation of Scandinavian cuisine.......
rejoneo
rejoneo, a form of bullfighting in which the principal fighter, the rejoneador, is mounted on a highly trained......
relay race
relay race, a track-and-field sport consisting of a set number of stages (legs), usually four, each leg run by......
resistance training
resistance training, a form of exercise that is essential for overall health and fitness as well as for athletic......
restaurant
restaurant, establishment where refreshments or meals may be procured by the public. The public dining room that......
rhythmic gymnastics
rhythmic gymnastics, the performance of systematic physical exercise with the aid of such hand apparatuses as ropes,......
riddle
riddle, deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous question requiring a thoughtful and often witty answer. The riddle......
rings
rings, gymnastics apparatus consisting of two small circles that are suspended by straps from an overhead support......
Rio Recap
On August 21, 2016, the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ended in Rio de Janeiro, capping two weeks of drama, record-setting......
road race
road race, in bicycle racing, a contest run on a course marked out over open roads and highways. It may be several......
Roblox
Roblox, free electronic gaming platform that lets people from around the world create, share, and play games. Software......
rodeo
rodeo, sport involving a series of riding and roping contests derived from the working skills of the American cowboy......
roller coaster
roller coaster, elevated railway with steep inclines and descents that carries a train of passengers through sharp......
roller-skating
roller-skating, recreational and competitive sport in which the participants use special shoes fitted with small......
Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl, oldest American postseason college football contest, held annually in Pasadena, California. Each Rose......
roulette
roulette, (from French: āsmall wheelā), gambling game in which players bet on which red or black numbered compartment......
rounders
rounders, old English game that never became a seriously competitive sport, although it is probably an ancestor......
Roving
Roving, in archery, form of practice or competition dating from at least the 16th century, when it was practiced......
rowing
rowing, propulsion of a boat by means of oars. As a sport, it involves watercraft known as shells (usually propelled......
Rubikās Cube
Rubikās Cube, toy, popular in the 1980s, that was designed by Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik. Rubikās Cube consists......
Ruby, Jack
Jack Ruby was an American nightclub owner who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspected assassin of Pres. John F.......
rugby
rugby, football game played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players (in rugby union play) or 13 players (in......
Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup, international rugby event that is considered to be the foremost competition in the āleagueā......