southpaw

the term 'southpaw' originated in the world of baseball in the late 19th century. it is attributed to the practice of building baseball diamonds with home plate to the west so the batter wouldn't face the afternoon sun. a left-handed pitcher's throwing arm would therefore be on the southern side of his body from the perspective of home plate. the word 'paw' is an informal term for hand, making the compound literally mean "southern hand." this directional metaphor was then adopted into boxing to describe a specific left-handed stance, solidifying its meaning as a general term for a left-handed athlete.

Structure: south + paw - south: from old english 'sūþ', of germanic origin; used here in a directional sense. - paw: from middle english 'pawe', of uncertain origin, perhaps from old french 'poe' or a germanic source; used here to mean 'hand', in an informal or slang sense.