old cat

English

Noun

old cat (uncountable)

1. A traditional game resembling baseball.
   • 1907, Mind and Body: A Monthly Journal Devoted to Physical Education, page 319:

     Boys had played "old cat" all over the country for forty years before the Knickerbockers ever thought of forming themselves into a club and making rules for the government of the sport.

   • 2017, Martin C. Babicz, Thomas W. Zeiler, National Pastime: U.S. History Through Baseball, page 4:

     The game of old cat could be modified to fit almost any number of players: from one-old-cat, which had two bases and one striker, to four-old-cat, which had four bases and four strikers.

Usage notes

• A number may be prepended to the name to indicate the number of batters, e.g. "three old cat".