Tennis Slang Terms
- Midwesterners are more likely to utter a simple 'jeez' instead of a string of curse words when.
- As with any sport, tennis makes use of specific terminology or vocabulary. If you’re just getting into tennis, the terms on this page will help you become more fluent in the words that players use. From scoring and match play to the court and slang, we have you covered.
Intense sport with extremely hot athletes. Also the basis of a lot of sexually oriented jokes. Involves a lot of time and travelling but is well worth the effort because of all the crazy-ass people you meet.:o.
Tennis, part 2 continues for tennis players and fans who dream of Aces.
Tennis Players Terms: D
- Daisy Cutter: jargon for a low shot with backspin resulting in a low bounce.
- Dead Net: the accidental shot that hits the net and falls into the opponent's side of the court. Betcha, can't do that again!
- Default: the loss of a match by disqualification after four code violations have been awarded.
- Defensive Lob: term for a high shot at or close to the net.
- Defensive Volley: return tennis shot generally from below the top of the net.
- Deuce: occurs when both players have accumulated a count of 40 or three points each. Either player must attain 2 points in a row to win the match after Deuce.
- Deuce Court: location to the receiver's right service court where a serve is received following a deuce score.
- Dink: lingo for a shot hit with very little velocity.
- Dirtballer: slang for someone who is a clay court player.
- Double Fault: player action that has failed to produce a valid serve twice.
- Double Hit: occurs when the ball is struck twice during a single hit resulting in the loss of a point.
- Doubles: a game played with two players on each side and using the full court.
- Doubles Court: term for the playing area for a doubles match.
- Down the Line: jargon for tennis shot from near the sideline.
- Drag Volley: tennis shot with backspin.
- Draw: term for system of player selection and schedule of a tournament.
- Drop Shot: a shot hit easily and placed close to the net, typically when an opponent is caught far from the net near the baseline.
- Drop Volley: jargon for a ball hit before it has bounced.
- Error: a failed shot that results in a lost point.
- Fault: a serve that falls out of bounds.
- Fifteen: count for the first point of a game going to a player or side.
- First Flight: movement of tennis ball from the racket hit until just before it bounces.
- First Service: the first of two attempts by a player to serve the ball in bounds.
- Flat: lingo for a rapid, straight shot without spin. It's a whizzer!
- Follow Through: movement of arm with racket after the ball has been hit.
- Foot Fault: occurs when a player steps on the end line before making contact with the ball during a serve.
- Foot Fault Judge: game official who monitors and calls foot faults.
- Forced Error: a shot that is placed in such a way that it is missed by the opposition.
- Forehand: the act of hitting the ball with the front hand of the racket.
- Forcing Shot: tactic where a player's shot places the opponent on the defensive.
- Forecourt: specific location between the net and service line.
- Forty: count for the third point of a game going to a player or side.
- Frame: term for oval part of the racket that houses the strings.
- Gallery: jargon for game watchers located at the ends and sides of a court.
- Game: tennis match where the winning player or side must accumulate 4 points and lead their opponent by 2 points.
- Game Point: a serve that can decide the outcome of the match with the scoring of one point.
- Game-set-match: statement that a winner has been decided and the match has ended.
- Golden Set: the win of a set without losing a single point. Congrats are in order!
- Grand Slam: four tournaments: Australian, French, U.S. Open and Wimbledon make up the premium championship known as the Grand Slam of tennis.
- Grinding: taking your opponents best shots and running down every one, typically in a frenzied manner while refusing to give up.
- Groundstroke: the act of hitting the ball after it has bounced once in your court.
- Hacker: lingo for a series of swings or shots by a player that appear to be luck more than skill.
- Half Court: term for court area near the service line.
- Half Volley: action occurs when the tennis ball is struck as it hits the court.
- Head: the top portion of the racquet where the strings are found.
- Heavy Ball: jargon for tennis shot hit with topspin.
- Hit on the Rise: term for ball played before reaching the bounce high point.
- Hopper: tennis balls holder.
- In: valid tennis shot landing in the opponent's court.
- Jam: ball hit near the opposing player's body resulting in a weak return.
- Jump Smash: jargon for a player's vigorous hit while jumping into the air. A smooth move!
- Kick Serve: term for robust spinning hit resulting in a change of direction when it lands.
- Kill: lingo for a heavy hit that leaves the opponent unable to reach and play it.
- Lawn Tennis: name for the original tennis game location, played on grass.
- Let: a ball touching the net on the serve but landing in bounds.
- Line Judge: a person with the responsibility of ruling the ball in or out of bounds.
- Lob: a ball hit high in the air into the opponent's court.
- Long: hit that is called out of bounds as it lands beyond the opposing baseline.
- Love: tennis game where the losing player scores no points. It's lost love!
- Love set: a game set where the losing player won no games.
- Match: tennis game that includes games and sets where the winner is declared based on greater number of sets won.
- Match Point: the point in a game where a player can win the entire match by winning the final set with the next point.
- Mini-break: term for a loss of a point on service during a tiebreaker.
- Mixed Doubles: typical doubles tennis played with a male and female on each team.
- Net: suspended from a steel cable, equipment divides a tennis court into halves. Also, the verb, 'to net', refers to hitting the ball into the net.
- Net Cord: cable support for the net.
- Net Judge: game official who monitors and calls lets on service.
- Net Point: a point won by charging and playing close to the net. Usually followed by a definite Yes! with hands into fists motion.
- No-man's land: lingo for the area located between the baseline and service line where it is a challenge to hit groundstrokes or slams.
- Not Up: term for tennis ball hit at a second bound resulting in a point loss.
- Offensive Lob: tennis ball hit deep into opponent's court while this player is at the net.
- Open Stance: facing the opponent and hitting parallel to the baseline.
- Offensive Volley: shot taken from above the net.
- Open Tournament: both amateurs and professional tennis players are welcome.
- Open Grip: occurs when racket faces upward and away from the court.
- Open Racket: occurs when racket is held with an open grip.
- Out: term for tennis shot that ends up outside the designated playing area.
- Overhead Smash: the act of hitting down on the ball, typically on a lob with great velocity.
- Overspin: lingo for topspin.
- Over Wrap: a spongy material wrapped around a racquets grip to improve comfort and grip on the racquet.
- Pace: refers to the speed that the ball is hit. Do I hear a 'pick up the pace to very high?'
- Pair: doubles tennis team.
- Partner: refers to one of the two players on a doubles team.
- Pass: tennis shot that is hit past the opposing player.
- Pickup Shot: see half volley.
- Placement: strategic tennis hit that the opponent cannot play or reach.
- Poach: jargon for play by one double player that was intended for the partner of the team.
- Point: term for tennis scoring referred to as fifteen, thirty, forty, and game.
- Point Penalty: results in a point loss as determined by the umpire.
- Puddler: lingo for inexperienced player who hits plenty of chip and drop shots.
- Punch Volley: quick hit stroke.
- Pusher: a competitor who plays defensively as opposed to trying to score.
- Putaway: a perfectly placed unreturnable shot.
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Monday through Friday, we pour blood, sweat, and tears into our jobs. Winners and losers emerge from everyday interactions. You have to keep your eye on the ball, step up to the plate, and be ready to perform when your number is called.
Oh, boy. When did sports clichés become such a widespread form of communication in corporate America?
Nobody knows the exact answer, but there’s no arguing that sports culture and its terminology are prevalent in offices across the country. Explaining twenty-five of the most frequently used phrases will help you stay one step ahead of the competition.
1 “Knocked it out of the park”
Two of the greatest feelings in the world are walking out of a meeting room after nailing a presentation and trotting around the bases after hitting a home run. The phrase “knocked it out of the park” refers to more than just the home run. It implies that it was such a success that you have time to make a slow, satisfying victory lap around the bases.
2 “Game of inches”
Attributed to legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and then immortalized by Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday, a game of inches justifies why the littlest detail matters. In football and business, the difference between raising a championship banner and being considered a failure is often the smallest margin.
3 “Lost a step”
Popularized by boxing scribes in the early twentieth century, “losing a step” is associated with a high-level employee’s deteriorating skill set in the corporate world. Depending on who the person is, this could be a damaging blow to the individual or the entire company. A boxer who has lost a step is more likely to end up on their back than win a prize fight.
4 “The ball is in their court”
In your business-to-business dealings, it’s quite common for one company to be lagging behind in the decision-making process. When you’ve done everything on your end to make a decision, the ball is now in their court—which stems from a stalling tactic in both tennis and basketball. This means it’s up to them to take the next step.
5 “Slam dunk”
Slam dunking was popularized in the mid-1970s NBA as an electrifying way to score points. It has arguably evolved into sports’ most celebrated play. At the office, slam dunks can refer to just about any guaranteed success: ideas, execution or a new hire.
6 “Next man up”
Whether a talented staffer leaves for a better job or a key team member suddenly has to go on jury duty, every business deals with the concept of the next man up. It means the show must go on, no matter who is assuming the void. The phrase has recently been ingrained in society by notably tough coaches like Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh. Star players sometimes come into their own using this philosophy. The same thing can happen in an office.
7 “Ice water in their veins”
The most successful athletes are cool under pressure—in other words, they have ice water in their veins. Superstar athletes like quarterback Tom Brady and legendary basketball player Michael Jordan were at their best in the fourth quarter with the outcome of the game on the line. Most companies have a handful of exceptional employees with these ice-water traits, who routinely defy odds to deliver a deal or close a sale.
8 “Hail Mary”
When a football team is out of options at the end of the half or game, their quarterback will throw a sixty-yard prayer to the end zone. The play has an extremely low success rate—less than five percent. Businesses have adopted “Hail Mary” as a term to define a last-resort tactic for salvaging a situation or project. The term entered modern lingo in 1975 after a Vikings-Cowboys game. Currently, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been dubbed the King of the Hail Mary for his success rate with the longshot pass.
9 “A win is a win”
Most teams must overcome errors and turnovers to secure a victory. Have you ever botched an assignment where everything seems to be going haywire—but the result still makes the customer happy? You know exactly what “a win is a win” feels like.
10 “Pass the baton”
Working on a difficult team project can feel like a relay race. To “pass the baton” refers to passing off your portion of the assignment, much like a 4×100 meter Olympic relay race. Think of yourself as a cross-functional project manager who needs to get approval from another vertical within the company. You’re surely going to “pass” your portion of the work to a different department to get this feedback.
Let’s go off to the races with 15 more sports-heavy terms in the workplace
11 “Cross the goal line”
Think of finishing a project the same way a football player crosses into the end zone to score a touchdown.
12 “Take one for the team”
If you did some boring or difficult work to make your teammates’ job easier, you “took one for the team.” In sports, this refers to taking a tackle or making a personal sacrifice so your team can score.
13 “Full-court press”
This basketball term that applies to pressing your defense to not allow the offense to have any space. It also mirrors the recruiting world when a company aggressively courts a candidate.
14 “G.O.A.T.”
This acronym stands for “Greatest of all time.” Some would consider it a career goal to reach this level of acclaim in business or sport.
15 “Monday morning quarterback”
This term refers to someone who’s always second-guessing a decision made in a football game or business meeting after it’s already happened.
Some phrases may seem harmless until you think about what message they’re really sending. Here are 10 words and phrases to stop using at work, and what you should say instead. https://t.co/aX8OncVcvF (via @Grammarly) pic.twitter.com/biqtmq7xgS
— Glassdoor (@Glassdoor) April 6, 2018
16 “Par for the course”
A simple outcome that was expected can equate to scoring a par on a hole of golf.
17 “Behind the eight ball”
When you’re in a bad situation at work, one could equate it to having the cue ball behind the eight ball in a game of pool or billiards. You have limited options.
18 “Curveball”
Thrown for a loop at work? Think of a baseball pitcher spinning a pitch to a batter so they’re unable to react accordingly.
19 “Punt”
This football term reflects a team kicking the ball back to their opponent. If you punt at work, you’re passing up something to be considered another day.
20 “Teed up”
Golfers give themselves an advantage by hitting off of a tee to begin every hole. So, when somebody does work ahead of time for you, they’ve teed you up for success.
HEDGING, n.Language that unnecessarily limits or qualifies an idea
Learn more: https://t.co/jEVRyqmHnp
— Grammarly (@Grammarly) April 17, 2018
21 “Marathon”
Work isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon of activity. You can treat long-term projects like you’re a runner who’s looking to pace over a long distance in favor of quick bursts.
22 “Utility player”
Baseball is a sport with versatile players who often handle multiple positions. Think of this term next time you handle cross-functional roles on a major project.
Tennis Jargon Words
23 “You have someone in your corner”
It’s always great to receive managerial support, like a boxer who needs to have someone in their corner giving advice during a prize fight.
24 “Get the ball rolling”
You can’t roll a strike in bowling or putt in golf without getting started. The same goes for any work-related project.
25 “Dropped the ball”
Common Tennis Terms
If you dropped the ball at work, chances are you missed a step in a project, forgot to email someone back, or made a huge error—just like an outfielder in baseball dropping a fly ball that was a can of corn. Wait, what? We can save that explanation for a food-phrase list.