Other forms: tackles, tackled, tackling
To tackle someone is to go in and take the ball off them: the slide in football, the flying grab round the legs in rugby. Away from the pitch you tackle a problem, which means you stop walking round it and take it on.
As a noun the sporting sense holds: a clean tackle, a late tackle, a two-footed tackle. But tackle is also equipment, since fishing tackle is the rods, hooks and lines in the bag, and at sea tackle is the ropes and pulleys used to haul, which is where block and tackle comes from. You can also tackle a person about something, meaning you raise the awkward subject with them face to face. Note that the problem follows it directly, with no preposition: tackle the backlog, never "tackle with the backlog". In American football a tackle is a position on the line as well as an act.
1verbtackleTo stop an opponent and try to take the ball from them.
“He tackled the winger just outside the box.”
2verbaddressTo start dealing with a difficult problem or job.
“We tackled the kitchen first and left the garden for Sunday.”
3verbholdTo take hold of someone and bring them to the ground.
“A steward tackled him before he reached the stage.”
4verbspeakTo speak to someone directly about something difficult.
“She finally tackled her brother about the missing money.”
5nounattemptAn attempt to take the ball from an opponent.
“The referee gave a free kick for a late tackle.”
6nounequipmentThe equipment used for a sport, especially fishing.
“His fishing tackle filled the whole boot of the car.”
7nounropesRopes and pulleys used for lifting heavy things.
“They lifted the engine out with a block and tackle.”
From Middle English takel, meaning gear or apparatus, from Middle Low German takel, a ship's rigging, and perhaps related to Middle Dutch taken, to grasp or seize. The word began among ropes and equipment and kept the idea of getting hold of something, which is why a rugby player and a fisherman use the same word.
Middle Low German
takel — ship's rigging
Middle English
takel — gear, apparatus
English, today
tackle
From Middle English takel (“gear, apparatus”), from Middle Dutch - or Middle Low German takel (“ship's rigging”), perhaps related to Middle Dutch taken (“to grasp, seize”). Akin to Danish takkel (“tackle”), Swedish tackel (“tackle”). More at take.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Sports & Fitness, Sea & Sailing