In baseball, hitting a batter with a pitch, often intentionally; or the present participle of 'to bean' meaning to strike with or as if with a bean.
From 'bean' as a verb (to hit on the head, from the noun 'bean' slang for head), plus gerund suffix '-ing'. The baseball usage emerged in American sports slang in the 20th century.
The slang term 'bean' for 'head' led to 'beaning' as a baseball term, but beaning was so controversial and dangerous that Major League Baseball increasingly penalized pitchers for it, showing how slang can capture dangerous behaviors.
In baseball, 'beaning' (hitting a batter with a pitch) carries masculine aggression coding. Historically used in narratives celebrating male physicality and dominance; women baseball players are rarely described this way despite participation in the sport.
In sports contexts, use neutrally: 'bean pitch', 'hit by pitch', or 'throwing at opponent' without gendered aggression framing.
["hit by pitch","bean pitch","throwing inside","targeted pitch"]
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