Leisure & Nightlife, RUG-SWI
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
Rugby Union World Cup
Rugby Union World Cup, quadrennial union-rules rugby competition that is the sportâs premier international contest.......
rummy
rummy, any of a family of card games whose many variants make it one of the best-known and most widely played card......
running
running, footracing over a variety of distances and courses and numbering among the most popular sports in nearly......
Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup, biennial professional team golf event first held in 1927. It was played between teams of golfers from......
Sabermetrics
Sabermetrics, the statistical analysis of baseball data. Sabermetrics aims to quantify baseball playersâ performances......
saddle
saddle, seat for a rider on the back of an animal, most commonly a horse or pony. Horses were long ridden bareback......
saddle bronc-riding
saddle bronc-riding, rodeo event in which the contestant attempts to ride a bucking horse (bronco) for eight seconds.......
Saint Leger
Saint Leger, one of the English Triple Crown races and, with the Derby, the Two Thousand Guineas, the One Thousand......
samba
samba, card game, variant of canasta, in which three 52-card decks plus 6 jokers are used. Unlike canasta, in which......
sambo
sambo, (Russian: âself-defense without weaponsâ), form of wrestling developed in the Soviet Union in the 1930s......
Samuelsson, Marcus
Marcus Samuelsson is an Ethiopian-born chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality. In 1995, as executive......
Sanders, Harland
Harland Sanders was an American business executive, a self-styled Southern gentleman whose white hair, white goatee,......
savate
savate, French sport of fighting by kicking, practiced from the early 19th century. It occurred mainly among the......
Schwingen
Schwingen, (German: âswingingâ), form of wrestling native to Switzerland and the Tirolese valleys. Wrestlers wear......
Scrabble
Scrabble, board-and-tile game in which two to four players compete in forming words with lettered tiles on a 225-square......
scuba diving
scuba diving, swimming done underwater with a self-contained underwater-breathing apparatus. See underwater...
sculling
sculling, in small-craft racing, the use of two oars, one in each handâin single, double, and quadruple events.......
Secular Games
Secular Games, celebrations held in ancient Rome to mark the commencement of a new saeculum, or generation. The......
shell collecting
shell collecting, practice of finding and usually identifying the shells of mollusks, a popular avocation, or hobby,......
shinty
shinty, game played outdoors with sticks and a small, hard ball in which two opposing teams attempt to hit the......
shogi
shogi, Japanese form of chess, the history of which is obscure. Traditionally it is thought to have originated......
shooting
shooting, the sport of firing at targets of various kinds with rifles, handguns (pistols and revolvers), and shotguns......
short-track speed skating
short-track speed skating, sport that tests the speed, technical skating ability, and aggressiveness of its competitors.......
shot put
shot put, sport in athletics (track and field) in which a spherical weight is thrown, or put, from the shoulder......
show jumping
show jumping, competitive equestrian event in which horse and rider are required to jump, usually within a time......
shuffleboard
shuffleboard, game in which disks are shoved by hand or with an implement so that they come to a stop on or within......
sic bo
sic bo, gambling game played with dice that is widely popular in Asia. During the 1980s and â90s, it spread to......
Siegel, Bugsy
Bugsy Siegel was an American gangster who played an instrumental role in the initial development of Las Vegas gambling.......
singlestick
singlestick, a slender, round stick of wood about 34 inches (slightly less than 1 m) long, thicker at one end than......
Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship, annual rugby competition between the national teams of the six most prominent European......
six-day race
six-day race, form of indoor bicycle racing in which riders race continuously for six days with only brief stops......
sixty-six
sixty-six, two-player card game, ancestral to bezique and pinochle, that was first recorded in 1718 under the name......
skat
skat, card game for three players, but usually four participate, with each player sitting out a turn as dealer.......
skate sailing
skate sailing, the sport of moving over ice on skates by carrying a small sail for propulsion by the wind. It probably......
skateboarding
skateboarding, form of recreation and sport, popular among youths, in which a person rides standing balanced on......
skating
skating, sport in which bladelike runners or sets of wheels attached to shoes are used for gliding on ice or other......
skeet shooting
skeet shooting, sport in which marksmen use shotguns to shoot at clay targets thrown into the air by spring devices......
skeleton sledding
skeleton sledding, winter sport in which the skeleton sled, consisting of steel runners fastened to a platform......
ski jumping
ski jumping, competitive skiing event in which contestants ski down a steep ramp that curves upward at the end,......
ski mountaineering
ski mountaineering, winter recreation and sport that involves ascending and descending mountain slopes using a......
ski patrol
ski patrol, group of paid or volunteer workers at ski resorts whose primary function is to promote skiing safety......
skibobbing
skibobbing, a winter sport using a guidable, single-track vehicle that has features of the bicycle, the bobsled,......
skiing
skiing, recreation, sport, and mode of transportation that involves moving over snow by the use of a pair of long,......
skin diving
skin diving, swimming done underwater, usually with a face mask and flippers but without portable oxygen equipment.......
skittles
skittles, game of bowling at pins, played primarily in Great Britain. Skittles was played for centuries in public......
skydiving
skydiving, use of a parachuteâfor either recreational or competitive purposesâto slow a diverâs descent to the......
slalom
slalom, ski race that follows a winding course between gates (pairs of poles, sometimes topped with flags), testing......
slap jack
slap jack, childrenâs action card game for up to eight players. A 52-card deck is dealt in facedown stacks (which......
sledding
sledding, winter recreation and sport involving the riding of sleds over ice or snow. For various forms of sled......
slot machine
slot machine, gambling device operated by dropping one or more coins or tokens into a slot and pulling a handle......
Snooker
Snooker, popular billiards game of British origin, played on a table similar in size and markings to that used......
snowboarding
snowboarding, winter sport with roots in skiing, surfing, and skateboarding where the primary activity is riding......
Soccer Slang 101: Glossary of Football Terminology
Football (soccer) is celebrated as a global activity that transcends racial, cultural, and national barriers. During......
Softball
Softball, a variant of baseball and a popular participant sport, particularly in the United States. It is generally......
solitaire
solitaire, family of card games played by one person. Solitaire was originally called (in various spellings) either......
Soma Cube
Soma Cube, irregular shape formed by combining three or four similar cubes along several faces. There are seven......
space tourism
space tourism, recreational space travel, either on established government-owned vehicles such as the Russian Soyuz......
spades
spades, trick-taking card game of the whist family that became very popular in the United States in the 1990s,......
speakeasy
speakeasy, place where alcoholic beverages are illegally sold, especially such establishments in the United States......
spearfishing
spearfishing, sport of underwater hunting that became popular in the early 1930s and after World War II spread......
Special Olympics
Special Olympics, international program to provide individuals with intellectual disabilities who are eight years......
Special Olympics World Games
In 1962 Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy, started a summer camp for kids with intellectual......
speed skating
speed skating, the sport of racing on ice skates that originated in the Netherlands, possibly as early as the 13th......
speed skiing
speed skiing, competitive skiing event in which racers equipped with special short skis, skintight suits, and aerodynamic......
speedway racing
speedway racing, automobile or motorcycle racing on a racecourse or track, usually oval and flat. Both speedway......
spelling bee
spelling bee, contest or game in which players attempt to spell correctly and aloud words assigned them by an impartial......
sport climbing
sport climbing, a type of rock climbing in which climbers ascend a route that is equipped with preplaced permanent......
sports
sports, physical contests pursued for the goals and challenges they entail. Sports are part of every culture past......
sports betting
sports betting, form of gambling that involves wagering on sports. Sports betting is one of the most popular forms......
sports-car racing
sports-car racing, form of motor racing involving cars built to combine aspects of racing and touring cars. Although......
Sprague, Kate Chase
Kate Chase Sprague was the daughter of Abraham Lincolnâs secretary of the treasury, Salmon Chase. While continually......
sprint
sprint, in bicycle racing, a competition over a 1,000-metre (1,094-yard) course (500-metre for women) with time......
sprint
sprint, in athletics (track and field), a footrace over a short distance with an all-out or nearly all-out burst......
squash rackets
squash rackets, singles or doubles game played in a four-walled court with a long-handled strung racket and a small......
squash tennis
squash tennis, racket game resembling squash rackets played by two people only in a four-walled court using a lively......
Stadium
Stadium, enclosure that combines broad space for athletic games and other exhibitions with large seating capacity......
Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup, trophy awarded to the winner of the worldâs professional ice hockey championship, an annual play-off......
steeplechase
steeplechase, in athletics (track-and-field), a footrace over an obstacle course that includes such obstacles as......
steeplechase
steeplechase, in horse racing, a race over jumps or obstacles. Although dating back to Xenophon (4th century bc),......
steer roping
steer roping, rodeo event in which a mounted cowboy pursues a full-grown steer with reinforced horns; lassos it......
steer wrestling
steer wrestling, rodeo event in which a mounted cowboy (or bulldogger) races alongside and then tackles a full-grown......
Stickball
Stickball, game played on a street or other restricted area, with a stick, such as a mop handle or broomstick,......
stirrup
stirrup, either of a pair of light frames hung from the saddle attached to the back of an animalâusually a horse......
stock-car racing
stock-car racing, form of automobile racing, popular in the United States, in which cars that conform externally......
Stonewall Inn
Stonewall Inn, gay bar on Christopher Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, where in June......
Straight-rail billiards
Straight-rail billiards, billiard game played with three balls (one red and two white) on a table without pockets.......
Studio 54
Studio 54, discotheque in New York City that was one of the most popular nightclubs in the late 1970s and a mecca......
Stunt flying
Stunt flying, the performance of aerial feats requiring great skill or daring. (Read Orville Wrightâs 1929 biography......
Subway
Subway is a restaurant chain specializing in made-to-order âsubmarineâ sandwichesâsplit Italian rolls filled with......
sudoku
sudoku, popular form of number game. In its simplest and most common configuration, sudoku consists of a 9 Ă 9......
Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl, postseason American collegiate football game played on New Yearâs Eve or New Yearâs Day in New Orleans.......
sulky
sulky, originally a light, open, one-horse, four-wheeled vehicle with its single seat for only one person fixed......
summer camp
summer camp, any combined recreational and educational facility designed to acquaint urban children with outdoor......
Summer Olympic Games
Occurring every four yearsâprovided there is no global war or pandemicâthe Summer Olympic Games bring together......
sumo
sumo, style of Japanese wrestling in which weight, size, and strength are of the greatest importance, though speed......
Super Bowl
Super Bowl, in U.S. professional football, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), played......
Super Bowl Sunday: An Unofficial Holiday
On Sunday, February 7, 2016, the Carolina Panthers will meet the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl to determine......
surfing
surfing, sport of riding breaking waves toward the shore, especially by means of a surfboard. Surfingâs roots lie......
swimming
swimming, in recreation and sports, the propulsion of the body through water by combined arm and leg motions and......
T20 World Cup
The ICC T20 World Cup is a biennial Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket competition organized by the International......