Handicap

Handicap, for "hand i' cap, i.e." hand in the cap," was the name given to an ancient method of drawing lots; but the term is now applied to games and sports when means of one kind or another are employed to place the competitors as far as possible on "the same level. Thus in horse racing a horse which has been successful in previous contests has to carry a greater weight, and in billiards the inferior player is given a certain number of points "start."