Plural of fouling; instances of making something foul, dirty, or contaminated, or violations of rules in games.
From 'foul' plus the gerund suffix '-ing' plus the plural '-s'. The noun form emerged from the verb 'to foul,' which developed meanings in both general contamination and sports rule-breaking by the 19th century.
In sports like basketball and soccer, foulings are tracked differently for each player—once you reach a certain number, you're out of the game, making rule violations actually quantifiable mistakes rather than just judgement calls.
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