Punt

A Punt is a flat bottomed boat pushed along with a long pole. You see them on the rivers on Cambridge and Oxford. The punts are available for hire. The user stands on a wooden platform at the back and tries not to fall into the water while holding the (rather heavy) wooden pole. A naive attempt at propulsion by pushing with the pole against the mud at the bottom of the river is likely to result in the punt moving in a circle, or heading constantly into one of the banks. Usually numerous spectators will be present on bridges and banks and will find it greatly amusing. The correct technique is actually to use the pole as a rudder, letting it drag in the water behind the punt and moving it left or right to steer. Steering and propulsion are alternated. Alternatively a student? can be employeed to do the punting.

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The term Punt also refers to an action in American football

If a team has the ball beyond the 50 yard line (on the other team's half of the field), and is facing afourth down, they may choose to punt the ball. If fourth down occurs in a team's own half of the field, they must punt.A team must annouce its intention to catch it. A player may drop a punt, pick it UP AND RUN WITH IT!!!