Corinthian spirit

Noun

Corinthian spirit (countable and uncountable, plural Corinthian spirits)

1. An especially high standard of sportsmanship.
   • Another thing the Association fostered, he thought, was the Old Boy spirit -- the Corinthian spirit -- and one way in which that was done was through sport.1924 May 30, “St. Mary's Old Boys At Dinner”, in Dover Express, page 5
   • It would be an injustice, however, to regard Pegasus as simply a late flowering of the Corinthian spirit, a throwback to an era of elite amateurism2000, Adrian Smith with Dilwyn Porter, Amateurs and Professionals in Post-war British Sport, page 2
2. (dated) Amateurism, originally in yachting.
   • [A] farmer living on Lake Ontario ... was seized with the Corinthian spirit after reading some articles on boating. The farmer wrote: A neighbor and myself built a boat for instruction and amusement ...1879 February, “Sporting News”, in Buffalo Commercial, Buffalo (NY), page 3
   • An enthusiastic yachtsman, he, in true Corinthian spirit, worked his little craft himself ...1886 June 19, “A Trick At The Helm”, in Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Arts, London: Chambers, page 399