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   Hand·i·cap

   /ˈhandēˌkap/

   

   noun

   • 1. a circumstance that makes progress or success difficult: "a criminal conviction is a handicap and a label that may stick forever" Similar impedimenthindranceobstaclebarrierbarencumbrancedisadvantagedrawbackstumbling blockdifficultyshortcomingobstructionlimitationconstraintstraitjacketrestrictioncheckblockcurbball and chainalbatrossmillstone around someone's neckliterary:trammelOpposite benefitadvantage
   • 2. a condition that markedly restricts a person's ability to function physically, mentally, or socially: dated, offensive "he was born with a significant visual handicap" Similar disabilityafflictionoffensive:physical abnormalitymental abnormalitydefectimpairment
   • 3. a disadvantage imposed on a superior competitor in sports such as golf, horse racing, and competitive sailing in order to make the chances more equal.
   • ▪ a race or contest in which a disadvantage is imposed on a superior competitor: "the trophy for the $75,000 Ak-Sar-Ben Handicap"
   • ▪ the extra weight to be carried in a race by a racehorse on the basis of its previous performance to make its chances of winning the same as those of the other horses.
   • ▪ the number of strokes by which a golfer normally exceeds par for a course (used as a method of enabling players of unequal ability to compete with each other): "his game struggles along in the 20-handicap range"

   verb

   • 1. act as an impediment to: "lack of funding has handicapped the development of research"
   • ▪ place (someone) at a disadvantage: "without a good set of notes you will handicap yourself when it comes to exams"

   Word Origin mid 17th century: from the phrase hand in cap; originally a pastime in which one person claimed an article belonging to another and offered something in exchange, any difference in value being decided by an umpire. All three deposited forfeit money in a cap; the two opponents showed their agreement or disagreement with the valuation by bringing out their hands either full or empty. If both were the same, the umpire took the forfeit money; if not it went to the person who accepted the valuation. The term handicap race was applied (late 18th century) to a horse race in which an umpire decided the weight to be carried by each horse, the owners showing acceptance or dissent in a similar way: hence in the late 19th century handicap came to mean the extra weight given to the superior horse.

   Scrabble Points: 16

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