figure-eight

English

Noun

figure-eight (plural figure-eights)

1. Alternative form of figure eight
   • 2007, William D. Bandy, Barbara Sanders, Therapeutic Exercise for Physical Therapist Assistants, →ISBN, page 366:

     For example, the figure-eight would now be performed on only half of a basketball court (Fig. 15-1).

   • 2009, Kevin Lane, Fail-Safe for Fallacy, →ISBN, page 19:

     One cloudy day the instructors set me up to ride through a very, very tight figure-eight.

   • 2012, William Steinkraus, Reflections on Riding and Jumping: Winning Techniques for Serious Riders, →ISBN:

     The figure-eight is really no more than two circles in different directions.

Verb

figure-eight (third-person singular simple present figure-eights, present participle figure-eighting, simple past and past participle figure-eighted)

1. To move or cause to move in a figure eight pattern.
   • 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 61:

     For two minutes we figure-eighted back and forth across the face of the mountain and then popped out right beside the sidewalk café.

   • 1974, Harold Black, Manual of Horsemanship:

     When he has been circled or figure-eighted enough times, he will become convinced that he is not to be asked to take the fence.

   • 1980, Naval Education and Training Program Development Center, Seaman, page 87:

     To prevent the hook from tumbling and coming out of the hoisting eye, a short lanyard on the pea of the counterbalance is figure-eighted around the shank and tip.

   • 2002, Prudence Mackintosh, Retreads, →ISBN, page 59:

     Back and forth across the dim street he gracefully figure-eighted, using only his narrow hips and occasionally one hand to direct the bicycle.