Definition of "gridiron" in English

noun

1. An instrument of torture on which people were secured before being burned by fire.

2. An iron rack or grate used for broiling meat and fish over coals.

noun

1. Any object resembling the rack or grate.

2. (nautical) An openwork frame on which vessels are placed for examination, cleaning, and repairs.

3. (theater) A raised framework from which lighting is suspended.

4. (American football) The field on which American football is played.

5. (uncountable, Australia and New Zealand) American and Canadian football, particularly when used to distinguish from other codes of football.

   • 1995 October 3, Peter O′Shea, Sports: Out on the field, The Advocate, page 54, He represented Australia in this year′s rugby tour of England and is as well-known in Australia as any top gridiron player is in the United States.
   • 2009, Deborah Healey, Sport and the Law, reference note, UNSW Press, page 271, 119 Yasser (1985) cites the famous US example of gridiron player Dick Butkus of the Chicago Bears.

verb

1. To mark or cover with lines; to crisscross.

2. (New Zealand, historical) To purchase land so that the remaining adjacent sections are smaller than the minimum area purchasable as freehold, thus excluding potential freeholders.