Sports Slang
There is no shortage of acronyms and abbreviations used in sports. Each sport has its own shorthand, so it can be difficult to remember what all the different abbreviations mean. The following list is a good reference to help you understand the meaning of all the slang terms used during sporting events and in the post-game analysis. You can also view specific baseball slang, golf slang, and fantasy football slang.
Slang Term | Meaning | Votes |
---|---|---|
BF | Batters faced | 564 |
vs | Versus | 573 |
pts | Points | 573 |
PB | Personal best | 581 |
Stud | A highly skilled individual | 582 |
FF | Fantasy football | 585 |
Clutch | Ability to perform under pressure | 585 |
GOAT | Greatest of all time | 585 |
W | Wins | 586 |
Ace | Hole in one | 587 |
DQ | Disqualify | 589 |
ownage | Completely owned | 590 |
MLB | Major League Baseball | 590 |
HR | Home run | 590 |
Beast mode | Dominating gameplay | 590 |
Throw the game | Lose the game on purpose | 590 |
LeBroning | Flopping | 591 |
SB | Super Bowl | 591 |
NHL | National Hockey League | 592 |
Skol | Good health | 592 |
LFG | Let's freaking go | 592 |
WWE | World Wrestling Entertainment | 593 |
ROY | Rookie of the Year | 593 |
GF | Games finished | 593 |
PPR | Points per reception | 593 |
ref | Referee | 594 |
RBI | Runs batted in | 594 |
2B | Second base | 594 |
DL | Disabled list | 594 |
Mulligan | Redo | 594 |
Basebrawl | Baseball brawl | 594 |
FFL | Fantasy football league | 594 |
Snake draft | Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next | 594 |
PF | Points for | 594 |
DFS | Daily Fantasy Sports | 594 |
Ceiling | Upside of a player | 594 |
FIFA | Fédération Internationale de Football Association | 595 |
SO | Strikeouts | 595 |
IR | Injured reserve | 595 |
One and done | Single elimination tournament | 595 |
Closer | A relief pitcher that finishes a baseball game | 595 |
TP | Triple play | 595 |
Rundown | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 595 |
Set the table | To get on base so other hitters can score the baserunners | 595 |
Bush league | Amateur play | 595 |
WR | World record | 595 |
DNF | Did not finish | 595 |
Handcuff | A fantasy football backup player | 595 |
WR | Wide receiver | 595 |
WR1 | First starting fantasy wide receiver | 595 |
YPG | Yards per game | 595 |
Half-PPR | Half-point per reception league | 595 |
Fanboy | A dedicated male fan | 596 |
ups | Jumping ability | 596 |
WCW | World Championship Wrestling | 596 |
AFC | American Football Conference | 596 |
WC | World Cup | 596 |
avg | Batting average | 596 |
SB | Stolen bases | 596 |
Tater | Home run | 596 |
Triple | Hit that results in the batter getting to third base | 596 |
SLG | Slugging percentage | 596 |
ACL | Anterior cruciate ligament | 596 |
ship | Championship | 596 |
ppd | Postponed | 596 |
March Madness | NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | 596 |
Bracket buster | A team that upsets a highly ranked team | 596 |
Chin music | Pitch that nearly hits the batter's head | 596 |
Can of corn | An easy catch by a fielder | 596 |
Mendoza line | .200 batting average | 596 |
On deck | Batting second | 596 |
Cellar dweller | A team constantly in last place | 596 |
Bases juiced | Baserunners on all three bases | 596 |
Steeze | Style and ease | 596 |
Steezy | Style and ease | 596 |
Put him on skates | To make a person stumble over himself | 596 |
Victory lap | Golf ball that spins around the hole then falls in | 596 |
Texas wedge | Putt from off the green | 596 |
Honors | Hit first from the tee in golf | 596 |
RB | Running back | 596 |
RB1 | Starting fantasy running back | 596 |
TE | Tight end | 596 |
rec | Receptions | 596 |
Bearish | Negative outlook | 596 |
Bullish | Positive outlook | 596 |
Kayfabe | Pretending something fake is real | 596 |
Mark | A fan who believes pro wrestling is real | 596 |
Jock | Athlete | 597 |
WWF | World Wrestling Federation | 597 |
NBA | National Basketball Association | 597 |
NFC | National Football Conference | 597 |
USWNT | United States Women's National Team | 597 |
NLDS | National League Division Series | 597 |
Dinger | Home run | 597 |
LCS | League Championship Series | 597 |
Homer | Home run | 597 |
Meatball | Easy pitch to hit | 597 |
Wheels | Fast legs | 597 |
Bloop | Weakly hit fly ball | 597 |
Single | Hit that results in the batter getting to first base | 597 |
1B | First base | 597 |
3B | Third base | 597 |
OPS | On-base Plus Slugging Percentage | 597 |
Final Four | Last four teams | 597 |
Elite Eight | Last 8 teams | 597 |
On the screws | Hard hit | 597 |
DP | Double play | 597 |
JAG | Just a guy | 597 |
DER | Defensive Efficiency Rating | 597 |
G | Games played | 597 |
Annie Oakley | Free pass | 597 |
Grand Slam | Four major golf tournaments | 597 |
IOC | International Olympic Committee | 597 |
Snowman | Golf score of 8 | 597 |
Saddam Hussein | Golf shot from one bunker into another bunker | 597 |
ADP | Average draft position | 597 |
Draft dasher | A fantasy football owner who drafts a team and abandons it | 597 |
Slept | To hit someone hard | 597 |
Albatross | Three strokes under par | 597 |
QB1 | First starting fantasy quarterback | 597 |
Flier | Gamble on a risky player | 597 |
Ghostship | A fantasy football team with no owner | 597 |
Trade bait | A good player that entices other teams to trade for him | 597 |
Truthiness | Truth based on feelings | 597 |
Fish | Casual fantasy sports player | 597 |
Undroppable | A player who cannot be dropped from a fantasy team | 597 |
Stream | Rotating players in and out of a lineup | 597 |
Reach | To draft a player too soon | 597 |
Woj bomb | A breaking report by Adrian Wojnarowski | 597 |
Millennial baseball | A baseball strategy of swinging for home runs instead of base hits | 597 |
Honnolding | Standing up straight on a narrow ledge with your back to the wall | 597 |
Cut a promo | Stage a promotional interview | 597 |
Put over | Make someone look good | 597 |
OT | Overtime | 598 |
stats | Statistics | 598 |
USMNT | United States Men's National Team | 598 |
ERA | Earned run average | 598 |
Yard | Home run | 598 |
ALCS | American League Championship Series | 598 |
Ace | Best starting pitcher | 598 |
Mash | To hit a baseball well | 598 |
SP | Starting pitcher | 598 |
Ruthian | Powerful | 598 |
Grounder | Baseball hit on the ground | 598 |
Double | Hit that results in the batter getting to second base | 598 |
WAR | Wins Above Replacement | 598 |
RF | Right field | 598 |
Cinderella | Underdog sports team | 598 |
Cutting down the nets | Won a basketball tournament | 598 |
Sweet Sixteen | Last 16 teams in a tournament | 598 |
Bracket | Layout of tournament games | 598 |
E1 | Error made by the pitcher | 598 |
E3 | Error made by the first baseman | 598 |
E4 | Error made by the second baseman | 598 |
E5 | Error made by the third baseman | 598 |
E6 | Error made by the shortstop | 598 |
Double play | Two outs on the same play | 598 |
Rubber | Pitcher's plate | 598 |
Shoestring catch | Catch made just above a player's shoes | 598 |
Cellar | Last place | 598 |
XBH | Extra base hits | 598 |
A | Assists | 598 |
R | Runs | 598 |
Paint the corner | To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate | 598 |
Twin killing | Double play | 598 |
Turn two | To record a double play | 598 |
Leadoff | First batter in the lineup | 598 |
Cleanup | Player batting fourth in the lineup | 598 |
Circus catch | Acrobatic catch | 598 |
fpct | Fielding percentage | 598 |
TC | Total chances | 598 |
Two bagger | Double | 598 |
Bag | Base | 598 |
Charity stripe | Free throw line | 598 |
GSH | Grand Slams | 598 |
Lift the silverware | Win a trophy | 598 |
Supersub | A player who often scores as a substitute | 598 |
Grand Slam | Four major tennis tournaments | 598 |
SV | Saves | 598 |
Pea | A ball traveling at a high speed | 598 |
Punchout | Strikeout | 598 |
Backdoor slider | A pitch that breaks over the plate | 598 |
Yakker | Curve ball | 598 |
Round-tripper | Home run | 598 |
And one | A play where a player is fouled while making a basket | 598 |
Rainmaker | High trajectory golf shot | 598 |
Hangman | Golf score of 9 | 598 |
Die in the hole | Golf shot that makes it to the hole and falls in | 598 |
Squirrel | Tee shot into the rough | 598 |
Waiver hawk | A fantasy sports owner who patrols the waiver wire | 598 |
RBBC | Running back by committee | 598 |
Bust | A player who does not perform well | 598 |
Fire sale | When an owner trades players away | 598 |
Drop | A ball dropped from a golfer's outstretched arm | 598 |
Scratch golfer | A golfer with a handicap of zero | 598 |
QB | Quarterback | 598 |
Flyer | Gamble on a risky player | 598 |
oprk | Opponent ranking | 598 |
Floor | Downside of a player | 598 |
WOAT | Worst of all time | 598 |
Heel | Villain | 598 |
Take the L | Take the loss | 598 |
def | Defense | 599 |
tourney | Tournament | 599 |
HGH | Human growth hormone | 599 |
Circle button | Spin move | 599 |
Siv | Bad goaltender | 599 |
BB | Bases on balls | 599 |
Ribby | Run batted in | 599 |
AB | At bat | 599 |
CS | Caught stealing | 599 |
K | Strikeouts | 599 |
FOMOF | Fear of missing out on football | 599 |
ALDS | American League Division Series | 599 |
RP | Relief pitcher | 599 |
C | Catcher | 599 |
Ride the pine | Sit on the bench | 599 |
Hot corner | Third base | 599 |
Southpaw | Left-handed pitcher | 599 |
Homer | Hometown sports fan | 599 |
Cycle | Single, double, triple, and home run | 599 |
Baltimore chop | Baseball hit that takes a large hop over an infielder | 599 |
LF | Left field | 599 |
SS | Shortstop | 599 |
MNF | Monday Night Football | 599 |
TNF | Thursday Night Football | 599 |
OROY | Offensive Rookie of the Year | 599 |
Bracketology | Predicting the NCAA Basketball Tournament | 599 |
E7 | Error made by the left fielder | 599 |
Alley oop | A pass to a teammate who puts the ball in the basket | 599 |
Bronx cheer | Noise that signals mockery | 599 |
Dish | Home plate | 599 |
In the hole | Batting third | 599 |
Uncle Charlie | Curve ball | 599 |
WS | World Series | 599 |
LOB | Left on base | 599 |
GIDP | Ground into double play | 599 |
SF | Sacrifice Flies | 599 |
TPA | Total plate appearances | 599 |
GS | Games started | 599 |
Four bagger | Home run | 599 |
Sweet spot | The part of the bat that provides the best contact | 599 |
Maddux | Complete game shutout with less than 100 pitches | 599 |
IBB | Intentional bases on balls | 599 |
PB | Passed balls | 599 |
Three bagger | Triple | 599 |
Golden Slam | Tennis Grand Slam and the Olympics gold medal | 599 |
LIPS | Late inning pressured situations | 599 |
Put out fires | Get out of difficult situations | 599 |
Togger | Soccer | 599 |
MBFA | Make baseball fun again | 599 |
OR | Olympic record | 599 |
Pin-seeker | Golf shot hit straight at the flagstick | 599 |
Worm burner | Very low golf shot | 599 |
Back-door putt | Putt that spins around a hole and drops in | 599 |
Breakout | A player who performs surprisingly well | 599 |
Sleeper | A player drafted late but exceeds expectations | 599 |
Gimme | Easy golf putt | 599 |
Inward nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 599 |
proj | Projected | 599 |
Flex | Fantasy football position that can be a RB, WR, or TE | 599 |
d | Defense | 599 |
FR | Fumble recovery | 599 |
Vulture back | A running back who takes scoring chances from the starter | 599 |
Damaged goods | A person who has one or more major flaws | 599 |
Fleecing | Taking advantage of a person through a trade | 599 |
fum | Total fumbles | 599 |
sck | Sacks | 599 |
Shark | An experienced fantasy sports player | 599 |
Minnow | Weak fantasy sports player | 599 |
Sham bomb | A breaking report by Shams Charania | 599 |
Get buckets | To dominate | 599 |
Zebra | A game official | 599 |
MLBPA | Major League Baseball Players Association | 599 |
LOOGY | Left-handed One Out Guy | 599 |
Face | Hero | 599 |
celly | Celebration | 599 |
Degen | A gambler who makes foolish bets | 599 |
Shoot | An unscripted event | 599 |
Work | A scripted event | 599 |
Worked shoot | A scripted event that contains unscripted elements | 599 |
Olympic grandma | An old female Olympian | 599 |
OG | Olympic grandma | 599 |
Unforced error | An easily-avoidable mistake | 599 |
Smark | A fan who knows pro wrestling is scripted | 599 |
Tweener | A wrestler who is neither hero nor villain | 599 |
PR | Personal record | 599 |
On fire | Performing very well | 599 |
Stee | Style | 599 |
Yard sale | A bad crash | 599 |
chip | Championship | 599 |
Brick | A shot that squarely clangs off the rim or backboard | 599 |
Dropping dimes | Making difficult passes for assists in basketball | 599 |
Dime | Assist | 599 |
Posterize | To dunk on an opponent | 599 |
EPO | Erythropoietin | 600 |
Owned | Dominated | 600 |
NWO | New World Order | 600 |
j | Jump shot | 600 |
Bomb | Home run | 600 |
P | Pitcher | 600 |
OF | Outfield | 600 |
CFP | College Football Playoff | 600 |
E | Errors | 600 |
Hotbox | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 600 |
Wheelhouse | Hitter's power zone | 600 |
Touch em all | Home run | 600 |
Grand Slam | Four-run home run | 600 |
inn | Innings played | 600 |
bk | Balks | 600 |
Shelled | Beaten badly | 600 |
Par | Number of strokes to complete a golf course hole | 600 |
Eagle | Two strokes under par | 600 |
Birdie | One stroke under par | 600 |
Nineteenth hole | Golf clubhouse bar | 600 |
Reload | To take another shot after a bad shot | 600 |
Nuked | Hit a golf ball a great distance | 600 |
Nip it | Hit a golf ball cleanly | 600 |
Danny DeVito | Five foot putt | 600 |
Serpentine draft | Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next | 600 |
Auction draft | Draft where owners bid on players | 600 |
Mock draft | Simulated draft | 600 |
Bare lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 600 |
Double eagle | Three strokes under par | 600 |
Fore | Watch out | 600 |
Front nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 600 |
Ready golf | Golfers hit when ready | 600 |
Outward nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 600 |
RB2 | Second starting fantasy running back | 600 |
K | Kicker | 600 |
FPG | Fantasy points per game | 600 |
QBBC | Quarterback by committee | 600 |
Garbage time | Time during a blowout game where strategies change | 600 |
att | Attempts | 600 |
tar | Receiving targets | 600 |
PPR | Possible points remaining | 600 |
L | Losses | 601 |
Jam | To pitch near a batter's hands | 601 |
DROY | Defensive Rookie of the Year | 601 |
E9 | Error made by the right fielder | 601 |
Blowing a raspberry | Making a jeering noise | 601 |
Cheese | Good fastball | 601 |
Frozen rope | Line drive baseball hit | 601 |
PA | Plate appearances | 601 |
Bush | Amateur play | 601 |
Cheddar | Good fastball | 601 |
Quail high | Very low golf shot | 601 |
OB | Out-of-bounds | 601 |
Abominable snowman | Golf score of 9 | 601 |
Alec Guinness | Out-of-bounds | 601 |
Amelia Earhart | Golf shot that looks good but you can't find | 601 |
Botox | Putt that lips out of the hole | 601 |
Afraid of the dark | Putt that doesn't go in the hole | 601 |
Joe Pesci | A difficult five foot putt | 601 |
Shank | To hit the ball poorly | 601 |
Tight lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 601 |
Bogey golf | Level of golf play that equals 1 shot over par | 601 |
Chunk | A golf shot that makes a divot | 601 |
Fat shot | A golf shot that takes a chunk out of the ground | 601 |
Back nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 601 |
Handicap | Numerical score that represents a golfer's ability | 601 |
Dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that bends | 601 |
Dogleg left | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the left | 601 |
ST | Special teams | 601 |
PVO | Position vs. opponent | 601 |
FOMOH | Fear of missing out on hockey | 602 |
Rib | Run batted in | 602 |
CG | Complete games | 602 |
RPI | Ratings Percentage Index | 602 |
HBP | Hit by pitch | 602 |
GRSL | Grand Slams | 602 |
Table setter | A player who gets on base so other hitters can hit him in | 602 |
Bogey | One stroke over par | 602 |
Double bogey | Two strokes over par | 602 |
Sunday ball | A do-over golf shot | 602 |
Tester | A putt that tests a golfer's skill | 602 |
Velcro | Slow green | 602 |
Divot | Chunk of grass and soil | 602 |
Shotgun start | Golfers are sent to each hole to start at the same time | 602 |
The turn | Halfway point of a round of golf | 602 |
Cup | Hole | 602 |
Double dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that has two bends | 602 |
Triple bogey | Three strokes over par | 603 |
Sandbagger | A golfer who plays better than he claims | 603 |
James Joyce | Putt that is hard to read | 603 |
Dogleg right | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the right | 603 |
i | Interception | 603 |
Mickelson | To hit a golf ball while it is still moving | 603 |
TTTHCS | Things that Tim Howard could save | 604 |
Donk | Donkey | 604 |
Hoops | Basketball | 600 |
PED | Performance enhancing drug | 600 |
Heater | Fastball | 600 |
NLCS | National League Championship Series | 600 |
Tater trot | Home run trot | 600 |
ER | Earned runs | 600 |
Line drive | Hard hit baseball in the air | 600 |
Texas Leaguer | Weak fly ball hit to the outfield | 600 |
OBP | On-base Percentage | 600 |
CF | Center field | 600 |
MCL | Medial collateral ligament | 600 |
SNF | Sunday Night Football | 600 |
E2 | Error made by the catcher | 600 |
E8 | Error made by the center fielder | 600 |
Around the horn | Double play from third to second to first base | 600 |
Triple play | Three outs on the same play | 600 |
Brushback | Pitch that almost hits the hitter | 600 |
High and tight | High and inside pitch | 600 |
Pickle | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 600 |
Leather | Defense ability | 600 |
Hill | Pitcher's mound | 600 |
On the button | Hard hit ball | 600 |
NP | Number of pitches | 600 |
Putout | Out | 600 |
PO | Putouts | 600 |
Paint the black | To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate | 600 |
Rope | Line drive baseball hit | 600 |
sac | Sacrifice bunts | 600 |
OFA | Outfield assists | 600 |
RF | Range factor | 600 |
AO | Fly outs | 600 |
CGL | Complete game losses | 600 |
GO | Ground outs | 600 |
Bases loaded | Baserunners on all three bases | 600 |
HB | Hit batsmen | 600 |
hld | Hold | 600 |
IP | Innings pitched | 600 |
IRA | Inherited runs allowed | 600 |
FIFAWWC | FIFA Women's World Cup | 600 |
The beautiful game | Soccer | 600 |
Super Slam | Tennis Grand Slam and Year-End Championship | 600 |
Boxed set | Singles, doubles, and mixed doubles Grand Slam | 600 |
RW | Relief wins | 600 |
Fireman | Late-inning relief pitcher | 600 |
Cutter | Cut fastball | 600 |
Whiff | Swinging strikeout | 600 |
UR | Unearned runs | 600 |
Keeper league | Fantasy sports league where you keep your players | 600 |
ffb | Fantasy football | 600 |
IDP | Individual defensive player | 600 |
QB2 | Second starting fantasy quarterback | 600 |
WR2 | Second starting fantasy wide receiver | 600 |
WR3 | Third starting fantasy wide receiver | 600 |
yds | Yards | 600 |
YAC | Yards after catch | 600 |
int | Interception | 600 |
YPA | Yards per attempt | 600 |
prk | Position rank | 600 |
PA | Points against | 600 |
sfty | Safety | 600 |
VAR | Video assistant referee | 600 |
IL | Injured list | 600 |
Ballin | Playing sports well | 600 |
Bricklayer | A basketball player who is shooting a lot of bricks | 600 |