nutmeg
n. countablen. a skill in sports like soccer where you kick the ball through an opponent's legs. It is often used to show off your control and embarrass the other player.
n. a technique in association football or similar sports in which a player kicks the ball between an opponent's legs. Often used as a verb in informal sports commentary.
The crowd cheered when the winger pulled off a perfect nutmeg.
He managed to escape the defender by using a clever nutmeg and sprinting toward the goal.
While technically impressive, the midfielder's frequent attempts at a nutmeg were criticized by the coach as being unnecessarily risky during high-stakes defensive transitions.
From Middle English notemege, notemuge, a partial translation of Medieval Latin nux muga, a variant of Medieval Latin nux muscata (“musky nut”). Compare also Old French nois mugede. For the term used in various ball sports, see Wikipedia.
Commonly used as a verb ('to nutmeg someone') in informal contexts.