Bunt

[Morbius]

Back in 2016, bunt was reclassified from common to rare.  The reasoning was that it was a baseball term unlikely to be widely known outside the USA.  It appeared in the recent BLUNTNESS game and was found by no less than 423 players!  It was easily the most commonly played rare word and had more hits than 10 of the common words.  These numbers tend to indicate that it's more widely known than first thought.  I think it should be common.

[cmh]

 I have learnt a lot of rare words whilst playing Chi. I am not the best player but have a knack of weirdly remembering rare words which often means I reach "Best" whilst still needing a shed load of common words. As my main goal when playing Chi is to attain "Best" this gives me satisfaction. If I get the big word I am positively ecstatic!.I still, however, don't think that a word like bunt is common especially as it comes from what is a mostly American sport. Christine

[TRex]

The OED has a boatload of definitions for bunt — nine nouns and three verbs with a wide range of meanings. But (IMO) most are pretty rare, examples include:

✺ (aeronautics) A manœuvre in aerobatics involving half an outside loop followed by a half roll.
✺ The tail of a hare or rabbit.
✺ (nautical) Of a sail: To swell, to belly. /  ‘To haul up the middle part of (a sail) in furling’

As a baseball fan, it is only that usage which comes to mind when I encounter bunt (but sometimes I also think of bunting). The game, although originating in the USA, has spread to many other lands, but most of those lands, methinks, are non-English speaking (much of Latin America, Japan, Korea). The only exception is Canada (and not even in French-speaking areas of Canada!). Personally, I'd be happy to see bunt made common, but am dubious as to how common it is in the English-speaking world.

There is another word with a very specific (and nearly exclusive) meaning in an even more USA-centred sport (punt in American football). Like bunt, It has a boatload of meanings which are not used in American English. But some of those meanings are sufficiently common outside the USA to allow it to be regarded as common throughout the English-speaking world, even though those meanings are very different.

[pat]

Bunt is not a word I'm familiar with.

[Ozzyjack]

Punt would be very familiar to Rugby league fans in Britain and Australasia.  Also to anyone who has to cross a river. Or enjoy the river in Oxford. or to gamble.

That  was my half asleep response.  ET is a bit smoother

"Punt" is a word with a surprising number of meanings! Here are some of the most common ones:

Sports:

In American and Canadian football, a punt is a kick where the ball is dropped and then kicked before it hits the ground.

In rugby, a punt is a kick made by dropping the ball from the hands and kicking it before it touches the ground.

Boating:

A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water.

Betting:

In British slang, to "punt" means to place a bet or gamble on something.

Business or Decisions:

To "punt" on something can mean to make a decision to delay or avoid dealing with an issue, sometimes used informally in the context of business or meetings.

Money (Historical):

The term "punt" was also used for the Irish pound before the adoption of the euro.

General Use:

Informally, "punt" can mean to abandon or give up on an idea or plan.

My view would be that if it is not already so, it should be common, which is what, when I read it fully awake is what TRex was suggesting.

[Jacki]

I’m pretty sure this topic is about bunt not punt, becoming common. Punt is already common, I just checked by making a bodgy word in My Puzzles, so don’t bother playing it!

[TRex]

I’m pretty sure this topic is about bunt not punt, becoming common.

My fault. I apologise.