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Sports terms glossary page 5

Sports terms explained in plain English. 1,062 words and meanings, most familiar first.

Word	Meaning
scramble verb	To partake in motocross.
wedge noun	A type of iron club used for short, high trajectories.
simulation noun	The act of falling over in order to be awarded a foul, when no foul has been committed.
stump noun	One of three small wooden posts which together with the bails make the wicket and that the fielding team attempt to hit with the ball.
stacked adjective	Having many skilled players.
ultra noun	An especially devoted football fan, typically associated with the intimidating use of extremist slogans, pyrotechnics and sometimes hooligan violence.
catcher noun	The player that squats behind home plate and receives the pitches from the pitcher
overthrow noun	A throw that goes too far.
lumber noun	A baseball bat.
strand verb	To cause the third out of an inning to be made, leaving a runner on base.
rebound noun	The strike of the ball after it has bounced off a defending player or the crossbar or goalpost.
fielding noun	The role of a fielder.
mound noun	Elevated area of dirt upon which the pitcher stands to pitch.
fringe noun	The area around the green
gunner noun	A fan of the Arsenal Football Club.
plateau noun	A notable level of attainment or achievement.
potty adjective	Easy to pot the ball on.
utility noun	The ability to play multiple positions.
meatball noun	An easy pitch to hit, especially thrown right down the middle of the plate.
mow noun	A shot played with a sweeping or scythe-like motion.
heavyweight noun	The professional boxing weight class for boxers weighing more than 190 pounds; a boxer in that division.
fireball verb	To pitch the ball very fast.
salami noun	A grand slam.
cleanup noun	Fourth in the batting order; a cleanup hitter.
snowman noun	A score of eight, especially within one inning (in baseball) or on one hole (in golf, where it is also known as dogballs).
deuce noun	A tied game where either player can win by scoring two consecutive points.
smoker noun	A fastball.
fore interjection	An exclamation yelled to inform players a ball is moving in their direction.
pavilion noun	The building where the players change clothes, wait to bat, and eat their meals.
skid noun	A losing streak.
dismissal noun	The event of a batsman getting out; a wicket.
skateboard noun	A narrow, wooden or plastic platform mounted on pairs of wheels, on which one stands and propels oneself by pushing along the ground with one foot.
bouncer noun	A short-pitched ball that bounces up towards, or above the height of the batsman’s head.
ostrich noun	The hypothetical completion of a hole five strokes under par (a quintuple birdie, quadruple eagle, triple albatross, or double condor).
clubhouse noun	A building at a golf course that houses various activities associated with golf.
bridesmaid noun	A person or team that perennially finishes well, but never first.
biff noun	A wipeout.
caddy verb	Chiefly followed by for: alternative spelling of caddie (“to serve as a caddy (noun sense) for a golfer”)
gobble noun	A rapid straight putt so strongly played that, if the ball had not gone into the hole, it would have gone a long way past.
silverware noun	Trophies, success in a competition.
outright verb	To release a player outright, without conditions.
coordinator noun	An assistant coach responsible for a particular facet of the game, such as defense.
pinball noun	A situation where a ball is frantically kicked between many players.
concede verb	To have a goal or point scored against
crucify verb	To thoroughly beat at a sport or game.
supporter noun	Someone who is a fan of a certain sports team or sportsperson.
dodo noun	A hole in one.
podium noun	A steepled platform upon which the three competitors with the best results may stand when being handed their medals or prize.
yorker noun	A ball bowled so as to bounce at or near the batsman's popping crease
cordon noun	The arc of fielders on the off side, behind the batsman - the slips and gully. 1
unmarked adjective	Not marked, not closely followed by a defensive player.
knuckle noun	The curved part of the cushion at the entrance to the pockets on a cue sports table.
goalie noun	A goalkeeper or goaltender.
wayward adjective	Not on target.
bowler noun	The player currently bowling.
varsity noun	The principal sports team representing an institution (usually a high school, college, or university.)
duff noun	An error.
windmill noun	A pitch where the pitcher swings his arm in a circular motion before throwing the ball.
nightcap noun	The final match of a sporting contest, especially the second game of a baseball doubleheader.
bloodbath noun	An aggressive or very violent contest or confrontation.
mulligan noun	An unpenalized chance to re-take a stroke that went awry.
chinaman noun	A spin bowler who uses such an action
lacrosse noun	A sport played on a field between two opposing teams using sticks (crosses) and a ball, whereby one team defeats the other by scoring more goals within the allotted time.
cannonball noun	A served ball that travels with great speed and describes little or no arc in flight.
sidelines noun	The area or areas next to but outside a playing area.
liner noun	A line drive.
width noun	The horizontal distance between a batsman and the ball as it passes him.
shootout noun	A match in which both teams score highly.
minefield noun	A pitch that has dried out and crumbled and on which the ball is bouncing and spinning unpredictably.
rundown noun	A defensive play in which the runner is caught between two fielders, who steadily converge to tag the runner out.
nil noun	A score of zero
blob noun	A score of zero.
interval noun	Half time, a scheduled intermission between the periods of play
quickie noun	A fast bowler.
blaster noun	A sand wedge.

Word	Meaning
smother verb	To get in the way of a kick of the ball.
hanger noun	A hanging pitch; a pitch (typically a breaking ball or slider) that is poorly executed, hence easy to hit.
dink noun	A soft drop shot.
turnover noun	A loss of possession of the ball without scoring.
kicker noun	One who takes kicks.
lolly noun	An easy catch.
berth noun	Position or seed in a tournament bracket.
hitter noun	One who comes up to bat.
twos noun	A reserves team.
pusher noun	A defensive player who does not attempt to hit winners, instead playing slower shots into the opponent's court.
putty noun	A golf ball made of composition and not gutta-percha.
condor noun	The completion of a hole four strokes under par (a quadruple birdie, triple eagle, or double albatross).
chipper noun	A player who chips the ball.
twirl verb	To pitch.
dub verb	To execute a shot poorly.
repel verb	To save (a shot).
stringer noun	A person who plays on a particular string.
shank noun	A poorly played golf shot in which the ball is struck by the part of the club head that connects to the shaft.
umpire noun	The official who presides over a tennis match sat on a high chair.
bogey noun	A score of one over par on a hole.
striker noun	One of the players on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals.
plumb adjective	Describing an LBW where the batsman is hit on the pads directly in front of their wicket and should be given out.
albatross noun	A double eagle, or three under par on any one hole, except a par 3 hole.
tosh noun	Easy bowling
dribble verb	In various ball games, to move (with) the ball, controlling its path by kicking or bouncing it repeatedly.
thunderbolt noun	A very powerful shot.
vee noun	The arc of the field, forward of the batsman, from cover to midwicket, in which drives are played.
corkscrew noun	A type of sharp, twisting punch, often one thrown close and from the side.
clout noun	A home run.
spoiler noun	An individual (or organisation etc.), unable to win themselves, who spoils the chances of another's victory.
kayo noun	A knockout.
stumped adjective	Out as a result of the wicket-keeper breaking the wicket with the ball while the batsman is out of his crease.
bowled adverb	(Dismissed) by the bowled ball hitting and breaking the batsman's wicket.
shielding noun	Action done by the person with the ball to protect the ball from the defender; the person concerned keeps his body between the ball and the defender.
seam noun	The stitched equatorial seam of a cricket ball; the sideways movement of a ball when it bounces on the seam.
snapshot noun	A quick, unplanned or unexpected shot.
centurion noun	A player who scores a century.
nomad noun	A player who changes teams frequently.
duster noun	A high pitch toward the batter.
freestyle noun	A sports event where competitors can choose their own method of participation.
hummer noun	A fastball.
putt noun	The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.
poacher noun	An attacker with good movement inside the penalty box, see Goal poacher.
bracket noun	A printed diagram of games in a tournament.
header noun	The act of hitting the ball with the head.
flipper noun	A type of ball bowled by a leg spin bowler, which spins backwards and skids off the pitch with a low bounce.
mallet noun	The stick used to strike the ball in the sport of polo.
footballer noun	One who plays association football.
innings noun	One side's (from when the first player begins to bat, until the last player is out) or individual player's turn to bat or the runs scored during those durations.
marksman noun	Goalscorer.
crease noun	One of the white lines drawn on the pitch to show different areas of play; especially the popping crease, but also the bowling crease and the return crease.
sweeper noun	A batsman who plays sweep shots.
gully noun	A fielding position on the off side about 30 degrees behind square, between the slips and point; a fielder in such a position
takeaway noun	The preliminary part of a golfer′s swing when the club is brought back away from the ball.
athletics noun	A group of sporting activities including track and field, road running, cross country and racewalking.
baseline noun	The line at the farthest ends of the court indicating the boundary of the area of play.
sideline noun	A line defining the side boundary of a playing field. Used in Canadian football, field lacrosse and basketball.
creeper noun	A ball that travels low, near ground level.
nutmeg verb	To play the ball between the legs of (an opponent).
tater noun	A home run
winger noun	An offensive player who plays on either side of the center.
cheaply adverb	For a low score.
fastball noun	Any of the variations of high speed pitches thrown in baseball
slugger noun	A boxer who tends to deliver hard punches.
wicket noun	One of the two wooden structures at each end of the pitch, consisting of three vertical stumps and two bails; the target for the bowler, defended by the batsman.
goalkeeper noun	A designated player that attempts to prevent the opposing team from scoring by protecting a goal.
sieve verb	To concede; let in
bullpen noun	An enclosed area for pitchers to warm up in during a game.
spinner noun	A spin bowler.
dissent noun	A violation that arises when disagreement with an official call is expressed in an inappropriate manner such as foul language, rude gestures, or failure to comply.
fumble verb	To drop a ball or a baton etc. by accident.
scoreboard noun	A similar board that also displays each batsman's score, and many statistics and pieces of information.
steroid noun	Any anabolic hormone used to promote muscle growth or athletic performance.
stumps noun	Close of play (when the stumps are pulled out of the ground by the umpires)
hardwood noun	The sport of basketball, in particular, an indoor basketball court; so named because the floor of an indoor basketball court is normally made of hardwood.

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources