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 |
---|---|---|
vs | Versus | 551 |
pts | Points | 561 |
Stud | A highly skilled individual | 565 |
BF | Batters faced | 565 |
W | Win | 570 |
Clutch | Ability to perform under pressure | 573 |
GOAT | Greatest of all time | 574 |
PB | Personal best | 574 |
Skol | Good health | 579 |
Throw the game | Lose the game on purpose | 579 |
FF | Fantasy football | 581 |
Ace | Hole in one | 582 |
MLB | Major League Baseball | 583 |
GF | Games finished | 583 |
ownage | Completely owned | 584 |
Beast mode | Dominating gameplay | 584 |
DQ | Disqualify | 585 |
WWE | World Wrestling Entertainment | 585 |
Ceiling | Upside of a player | 585 |
HR | Home run | 586 |
RBI | Runs batted in | 586 |
SB | Super Bowl | 586 |
Tater | Home run | 586 |
DFS | Daily Fantasy Sports | 586 |
ROY | Rookie of the Year | 587 |
Mulligan | Redo | 587 |
March Madness | NCAA Basketball Tournament | 587 |
Basebrawl | Baseball brawl | 587 |
WR | Wide receiver | 587 |
LeBroning | Flopping | 588 |
DL | Disabled list | 588 |
Closer | A relief pitcher that finishes a baseball game | 588 |
Set the table | To get on base so other hitters can score the baserunners | 588 |
Handcuff | A fantasy football backup player | 588 |
LFG | Let's freaking go | 588 |
MVP | Most valuable player | 589 |
avg | Batting average | 589 |
Mendoza line | .200 batting average | 589 |
Rundown | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 589 |
Bush league | Amateur play | 589 |
FFL | Fantasy football league | 589 |
Snake draft | Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next | 589 |
NHL | National Hockey League | 590 |
L | Losses | 590 |
2B | Second base | 590 |
Chin music | Pitch that nearly hits the batter's head | 590 |
Can of corn | An easy catch by a fielder | 590 |
YPG | Yards per game | 590 |
BOAT | Best of all time | 590 |
ref | Referee | 591 |
NBA | National Basketball Association | 591 |
SB | Stolen bases | 591 |
Bracket buster | A team that upsets a highly ranked team | 591 |
Victory lap | Golf ball that spins around the hole then falls in | 591 |
PPR | Points per reception | 591 |
TE | Tight end | 591 |
Ghostship | A fantasy football team with no owner | 591 |
Trade bait | A good player that entices other teams to trade for him | 591 |
PF | Points for | 591 |
Kayfabe | Pretending something fake is real | 591 |
Washed | No longer good | 591 |
Fanboy | A dedicated male fan | 592 |
stats | Statistics | 592 |
WCW | World Championship Wrestling | 592 |
Mash | To hit a baseball well | 592 |
Wheels | Fast legs | 592 |
DP | Double play | 592 |
TP | Triple play | 592 |
Sleeper | A player drafted late but exceeds expectations | 592 |
Honors | Hit first from the tee in golf | 592 |
rec | Receptions | 592 |
Half-PPR | Half-point per reception league | 592 |
WC | World Cup | 593 |
FIFA | Fédération Internationale de Football Association | 593 |
NLDS | National League Division Series | 593 |
Homer | Home run | 593 |
Single | Hit that results in the batter getting to first base | 593 |
ship | Championship | 593 |
IR | Injured reserve | 593 |
Cinderella | Underdog sports team | 593 |
One and done | A single elimination tournament | 593 |
JAG | Just a guy | 593 |
DER | Defensive Efficiency Rating | 593 |
Steeze | Style and ease | 593 |
WR | World record | 593 |
Saddam Hussein | Golf shot from one bunker into another bunker | 593 |
Texas wedge | Putt from off the green | 593 |
ADP | Average draft position | 593 |
Draft dasher | A fantasy football owner who drafts a team and abandons it | 593 |
Waiver hawk | A fantasy sports owner who patrols the waiver wire | 593 |
RB | Running back | 593 |
RB1 | Starting fantasy running back | 593 |
WR1 | First starting fantasy wide receiver | 593 |
Vulture back | A running back who takes scoring chances from the starter | 593 |
Undroppable | A player who cannot be dropped from a fantasy team | 593 |
Stream | Rotating players in and out of a lineup | 593 |
Bullish | Positive outlook | 593 |
Degen | A gambler who makes foolish bets | 593 |
Mark | A fan who believes pro wrestling is real | 593 |
OT | Overtime | 594 |
Final Four | Last four competitors | 594 |
Leather | Defense ability | 594 |
Paint the corner | To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate | 594 |
GSH | Grand Slams | 594 |
Grand Slam | Winning the four major golf tournaments | 594 |
Steezy | Style and ease | 594 |
Put him on skates | To make a person stumble over himself | 594 |
MBFA | Make baseball fun again | 594 |
DNF | Did not finish | 594 |
Busted bracket | A ruined tournament prediction | 594 |
QB | Quarterback | 594 |
Sweeper | A breaking ball that sweeps horizontally | 594 |
Fish | Casual fantasy sports player | 594 |
Shark | An experienced fantasy sports player | 594 |
Reach | To draft a player too soon | 594 |
Bearish | Negative outlook | 594 |
Ups | Jumping ability | 595 |
MMA | Mixed martial arts | 595 |
Siv | Bad goaltender | 595 |
ERA | Earned run average | 595 |
AB | At bat | 595 |
FOMOF | Fear of missing out on football | 595 |
ALCS | American League Championship Series | 595 |
Dinger | Home run | 595 |
LCS | League Championship Series | 595 |
Ruthian | Powerful | 595 |
Meatball | Easy pitch to hit | 595 |
Grounder | A baseball hit on the ground | 595 |
Double | Hit that results in the batter getting to second base | 595 |
Triple | Hit that results in the batter getting to third base | 595 |
OPS | On-base Plus Slugging Percentage | 595 |
SLG | Slugging percentage | 595 |
ACL | Anterior cruciate ligament | 595 |
ppd | Postponed | 595 |
On deck | Batting second | 595 |
On the screws | Hard hit | 595 |
R | Runs | 595 |
Maddux | Complete game shutout with less than 100 pitches | 595 |
TC | Total chances | 595 |
Bag | A base | 595 |
Bases juiced | Baserunners on all three bases | 595 |
Ball don't lie | You get what you deserve | 595 |
Yakker | Curve ball | 595 |
Bruh | Friend | 595 |
And one | A play where a player is fouled while making a basket | 595 |
Snowman | Golf score of 8 | 595 |
Hangman | Golf score of 9 | 595 |
Auction draft | A fantasy sports draft where owners bid on players | 595 |
Talking smack | Saying disrespectful things | 595 |
Flier | Gamble on a risky player | 595 |
Flyer | Gamble on a risky player | 595 |
Fleecing | Taking advantage of a person through a trade | 595 |
att | Attempts | 595 |
tar | Receiving targets | 595 |
Floor | Downside of a player | 595 |
Millennial baseball | A baseball strategy of swinging for home runs instead of base hits | 595 |
Put over | Make someone look good | 595 |
Unforced error | An easily-avoidable mistake | 595 |
Posterize | To dunk on an opponent | 595 |
Pull | To hit a ball to the same side of the field in which you bat | 595 |
CR7 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 595 |
BPA | Best player available | 596 |
def | Defense | 596 |
Cooked | Defeated | 596 |
Lettuce | Thick, curly, beautiful hair | 596 |
Yard | Home run | 596 |
K | Strikeout | 596 |
SO | Strikeouts | 596 |
ALDS | American League Division Series | 596 |
Bomb | A home run | 596 |
Ace | Best starting pitcher | 596 |
SP | Starting pitcher | 596 |
C | Catcher | 596 |
Baltimore chop | Baseball hit that takes a large hop over an infielder | 596 |
1B | First base | 596 |
WAR | Wins Above Replacement | 596 |
Sweet Sixteen | Last 16 teams in a tournament | 596 |
Elite Eight | Last eight teams of March Madness | 596 |
Bracket | Diagram of tournament games | 596 |
Rubber | Pitcher's plate | 596 |
Cellar dweller | A team constantly in last place | 596 |
Shoestring catch | Catch made just above a player's shoes | 596 |
Cellar | Last place | 596 |
A | Assists | 596 |
Four bagger | Home run | 596 |
Twin killing | Two outs on the same play | 596 |
Turn two | To record a double play | 596 |
Leadoff | First batter in the lineup | 596 |
Cleanup | Player batting fourth in the lineup | 596 |
fpct | Fielding percentage | 596 |
Two bagger | Double | 596 |
SV | Saves | 596 |
Cheddar | Good fastball | 596 |
Round-tripper | Home run | 596 |
Rainmaker | High trajectory golf shot | 596 |
Buzzer beater | A score made as the buzzer sounds | 596 |
Slept | To hit someone hard | 596 |
Drop | A ball dropped from a golfer's outstretched arm | 596 |
Bubble team | A team on the edge of qualifying for a tournament | 596 |
Albatross | Three strokes under par | 596 |
d | Defense | 596 |
QBBC | Quarterback by committee | 596 |
int | Interception | 596 |
FR | Fumble recovery | 596 |
oprk | Opponent ranking | 596 |
fum | Total fumbles | 596 |
sck | Sacks | 596 |
sfty | Safety | 596 |
Truthiness | Truth based on feelings | 596 |
Minnow | Weak fantasy sports player | 596 |
Woj bomb | A breaking report by Adrian Wojnarowski | 596 |
Get buckets | To dominate | 596 |
Zebra | A game official | 596 |
Cut a promo | Stage a promotional interview | 596 |
On fire | Performing very well | 596 |
Fade | To purposely disregard a player | 596 |
Triple-double | Achieving double digits in three categories in a basketball game | 596 |
1Q | First quarter | 596 |
FTMFW | For the mother f***ing win | 597 |
tourney | Tournament | 597 |
Jock | Athlete | 597 |
Goon | An unintelligent, often muscular person | 597 |
NFC | National Football Conference | 597 |
AFC | American Football Conference | 597 |
USWNT | United States Women's National Team | 597 |
Rock | A basketball | 597 |
Foul bait | Acting to get a foul called | 597 |
BB | Bases on balls | 597 |
NLCS | National League Championship Series | 597 |
P | Pitcher | 597 |
Bloop | Weakly hit fly ball | 597 |
3B | Third base | 597 |
RF | Right field | 597 |
SS | Shortstop | 597 |
Bracketology | Predicting who will win a tournament | 597 |
Breakfast ball | A redo shot from the first tee | 597 |
natty | National championship | 597 |
E3 | Error made by the first baseman | 597 |
E4 | Error made by the second baseman | 597 |
Double play | Two outs on the same play | 597 |
Bronx cheer | Noise that signals mockery | 597 |
High and tight | High and inside pitch | 597 |
Dish | Home plate | 597 |
Cheese | Good fastball | 597 |
Uncle Charlie | Curve ball | 597 |
WS | World Series | 597 |
XBH | Extra base hits | 597 |
Grand Slam | A four-run home run | 597 |
Paint the black | To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate | 597 |
Sweet spot | The part of the bat that provides the best contact | 597 |
Circus catch | Acrobatic catch | 597 |
G | Games played | 597 |
Three bagger | Triple | 597 |
Annie Oakley | Free pass | 597 |
HB | Hit batsmen | 597 |
Supersub | A player who often scores as a substitute | 597 |
Grand Slam | Winning the four major tennis tournaments | 597 |
LIPS | Late inning pressured situations | 597 |
RW | Relief wins | 597 |
Put out fires | Get out of difficult situations | 597 |
Shelled | Beaten badly | 597 |
Togger | Soccer | 597 |
OR | Olympic record | 597 |
IOC | International Olympic Committee | 597 |
Breaking ankles | Causing a player to stumble | 597 |
Worm burner | Very low golf shot | 597 |
Lumber | Baseball bat | 597 |
LANK | Let a naysayer know | 597 |
Die in the hole | Golf shot that makes it to the hole and falls in | 597 |
RBBC | Running back by committee | 597 |
Fire sale | When an owner trades players away | 597 |
KO | Knockout | 597 |
Go deep | Hit a home run | 597 |
Tunneling | Throwing different pitches with a similar trajectory to fool hitters | 597 |
IDP | Individual defensive player | 597 |
proj | Projected | 597 |
Flex | Fantasy football position that can be a RB, WR, or TE | 597 |
QB1 | First starting fantasy quarterback | 597 |
Garbage time | Time during a blowout game where strategies change | 597 |
Damaged goods | A person who has one or more major flaws | 597 |
Honnolding | Standing up straight on a narrow ledge with your back to the wall | 597 |
MLBPA | Major League Baseball Players Association | 597 |
LOOGY | Left-handed One Out Guy | 597 |
Heel | Villain | 597 |
PR | Personal record | 597 |
chip | Championship | 597 |
Hops | Jumping ability | 597 |
Putting on a clinic | Performing exceptionally well | 597 |
Cannon | An impressive throwing arm | 597 |
DB | Defensive back | 597 |
HOF | Hall of fame | 598 |
PED | Performance enhancing drug | 598 |
HGH | Human growth hormone | 598 |
WWF | World Wrestling Federation | 598 |
USMNT | United States Men's National Team | 598 |
Brotherly shove | A play where the quarterback is shoved to gain yards | 598 |
CS | Caught stealing | 598 |
RP | Relief pitcher | 598 |
Ride the pine | Sit on the bench | 598 |
Cycle | Single, double, triple, and home run | 598 |
Bomb | A massive wave | 598 |
LF | Left field | 598 |
CF | Center field | 598 |
OF | Outfield | 598 |
Hockey hair | Long, flowing hair with flipped wings | 598 |
CFP | College Football Playoff | 598 |
De-cleated | Hit very hard | 598 |
TNF | Thursday Night Football | 598 |
Cutting down the nets | Won a basketball tournament | 598 |
E5 | Error made by the third baseman | 598 |
E6 | Error made by the shortstop | 598 |
E7 | Error made by the left fielder | 598 |
E8 | Error made by the center fielder | 598 |
E9 | Error made by the right fielder | 598 |
Around the horn | Double play from third to second to first base | 598 |
Triple play | Three outs on the same play | 598 |
Brushback | Pitch that almost hits the hitter | 598 |
Pickle | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 598 |
Hotbox | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 598 |
Hill | Pitcher's mound | 598 |
Wheelhouse | Hitter's power zone | 598 |
On the button | Hard hit ball | 598 |
LOB | Left on base | 598 |
SF | Sacrifice Flies | 598 |
Heat check | Taking a difficult shot after making several in a row | 598 |
GS | Games started | 598 |
inn | Innings played | 598 |
Charity stripe | Free throw line | 598 |
Bases loaded | Baserunners on all three bases | 598 |
hld | Hold | 598 |
IP | Innings pitched | 598 |
IRA | Inherited runs allowed | 598 |
Lift the silverware | Win a trophy | 598 |
He's him | He is impressive | 598 |
Fireman | Late-inning relief pitcher | 598 |
Pea | A ball traveling at a high speed | 598 |
Punchout | Strikeout | 598 |
Cutter | A breaking fastball | 598 |
Deadly | Excellent | 598 |
Pick | An interception | 598 |
Pin-seeker | Golf shot hit straight at the flagstick | 598 |
Walk-off | A score that instantly wins a game | 598 |
Alec Guinness | Out-of-bounds | 598 |
Tuddy | Touchdown | 598 |
Juiced | Muscular from steroids | 598 |
Locked in | Doing well | 598 |
Revenge arc | Quest to get revenge | 598 |
Keeper league | Fantasy sports league where you keep your players | 598 |
Serpentine draft | Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next | 598 |
Bust | A player who does not perform well | 598 |
Foul merchant | A player known for drawing fouls | 598 |
Front nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 598 |
Gimme | Easy golf putt | 598 |
Scratch golfer | A golfer with a handicap of zero | 598 |
Shove | To pitch well | 598 |
Web gem | An amazing defensive play | 598 |
Clamp | Defensive domination | 598 |
BABIP | Batting average on balls in play | 598 |
hesi | Hesitation | 598 |
yds | Yards | 598 |
YPA | Yards per attempt | 598 |
Own goal | A counterproductive decision | 598 |
PA | Points against | 598 |
Three-peat | Winning a championship three times in a row | 598 |
Oppo boppo | Opposite field home run | 598 |
Face | Hero | 598 |
celly | Celebration | 598 |
OG | Olympic grandma | 598 |
Yard sale | A bad crash | 598 |
Brick | A shot that squarely clangs off the rim or backboard | 598 |
Dropping dimes | Making difficult passes for assists in basketball | 598 |
Dime | Assist | 598 |
FKT | Fastest known time | 598 |
Jumper | Jump shot | 598 |
oppo | Opposite field | 598 |
Trey | 3-point shot attempt | 598 |
Rinsed | Defeated | 598 |
Juicing | Taking performance-enhancing drugs | 598 |
Got that dog in him | Driven to succeed | 598 |
CB | Cornerback | 598 |
Handles | The ability to handle a basketball | 598 |
3Q | Third quarter | 598 |
pl8 | Plate | 599 |
Gentleman's sweep | Winning all the games in a series except one | 599 |
HMP | Half marathon pace | 599 |
Circle button | Spin move | 599 |
Heater | Fastball | 599 |
Pick-six | An interception returned for a touchdown | 599 |
Hot corner | Third base | 599 |
Sweep | Winning all the games in a series | 599 |
Southpaw | Left-handed pitcher | 599 |
Homer | Hometown sports fan | 599 |
Jam | To pitch near a batter's hands | 599 |
MNF | Monday Night Football | 599 |
OROY | Offensive Rookie of the Year | 599 |
RPI | Ratings Percentage Index | 599 |
E1 | Error made by the pitcher | 599 |
Alley oop | A pass to a teammate who puts the ball in the basket | 599 |
Blowing a raspberry | Making a jeering noise | 599 |
Red zone | Area between the 20-yard line and the goal line | 599 |
In the hole | Batting third | 599 |
Touch em all | Home run | 599 |
GIDP | Ground into double play | 599 |
NP | Number of pitches | 599 |
TPA | Total plate appearances | 599 |
dub | Win | 599 |
GRSL | Grand Slams | 599 |
Table setter | A player who gets on base so other hitters can hit him in | 599 |
Frozen rope | Line drive baseball hit | 599 |
IBB | Intentional bases on balls | 599 |
OFA | Outfield assists | 599 |
RF | Range factor | 599 |
PB | Passed balls | 599 |
AO | Fly outs | 599 |
Tush push | A play where the quarterback is pushed to gain yards | 599 |
4Q | Fourth quarter | 599 |
Golden Slam | Tennis Grand Slam and the Olympics gold medal | 599 |
Super Slam | Tennis Grand Slam and Year-End Championship | 599 |
2Q | Second quarter | 599 |
PA | Plate appearances | 599 |
Backdoor slider | A pitch that breaks over the plate | 599 |
Whiff | Swinging strikeout | 599 |
Par | Number of strokes to complete a golf course hole | 599 |
Birdie | One stroke under par | 599 |
Coast to coast | The entire length of a playing field | 599 |
CGSO | Complete game shutout | 599 |
Nineteenth hole | Golf clubhouse bar | 599 |
Reload | To take another shot after a bad shot | 599 |
Nuked | Hit a golf ball a great distance | 599 |
OB | Out-of-bounds | 599 |
Nip it | Hit a golf ball cleanly | 599 |
Amelia Earhart | Golf shot that looks good but you can't find | 599 |
Back-door putt | Putt that spins around a hole and drops in | 599 |
roids | Steroids | 599 |
Throwing | Losing a winnable game on purpose | 599 |
Danny DeVito | Five foot putt | 599 |
Squirrel | Tee shot into the rough | 599 |
Nutmeg | Kicking the ball between an opponent's legs | 599 |
Breakout | A player who performs surprisingly well | 599 |
Mock draft | Simulated draft | 599 |
Bare lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 599 |
Tight lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 599 |
Four-peat | Winning a championship four times in a row | 599 |
Double eagle | Three strokes under par | 599 |
Fore | Watch out | 599 |
Go deep | Run a route far downfield | 599 |
Handicap | Numerical score that represents a golfer's ability | 599 |
Ready golf | Golfers hit when ready | 599 |
Inward nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 599 |
RB2 | Second starting fantasy running back | 599 |
QB2 | Second starting fantasy quarterback | 599 |
WR2 | Second starting fantasy wide receiver | 599 |
WR3 | Third starting fantasy wide receiver | 599 |
K | Kicker | 599 |
FPG | Fantasy points per game | 599 |
YAC | Yards after catch | 599 |
prk | Position rank | 599 |
i | Interception | 599 |
Mossed | Catching a football over another player | 599 |
VAR | Video assistant referee | 599 |
IL | Injured list | 599 |
WOAT | Worst of all time | 599 |
Work | A scripted event | 599 |
Worked shoot | A scripted event that contains unscripted elements | 599 |
Olympic grandma | An old female Olympian | 599 |
Smark | A fan who knows pro wrestling is scripted | 599 |
Tweener | A wrestler who is neither hero nor villain | 599 |
Ballin | Playing sports well | 599 |
Take the L | Take the loss | 599 |
Bricklayer | A basketball player who is shooting a lot of bricks | 599 |
FMVP | Finals Most Valuable Player | 599 |
R2R | Rim-to-rim | 599 |
AEW | All Elite Wrestling | 599 |
Swish | A made shot in basketball that hits only the net | 599 |
Downtown | Beyond the 3-point line | 599 |
Splash | A made shot that only touches the basketball net | 599 |
Making it rain | Hitting 3-point shots | 599 |
Flop | An exaggerated fall | 599 |
Air ball | A missed shot that doesn't hit the rim or backboard | 599 |
Bucket | A made basketball shot | 599 |
Ice cold | Shooting poorly | 599 |
Double-double | Achieving double digits in two categories in a basketball game | 599 |
pred | Predator | 599 |
Clean sheet | Shutout | 599 |
DST | Defense and Special Teams | 599 |
EPO | Erythropoietin | 600 |
Owned | Dominated | 600 |
NWO | New World Order | 600 |
Ribby | Run batted in | 600 |
CG | Complete games | 600 |
Texas Leaguer | Weak fly ball hit to the outfield | 600 |
OBP | On-base Percentage | 600 |
DROY | Defensive Rookie of the Year | 600 |
Rope | Line drive baseball hit | 600 |
sac | Sacrifice bunts | 600 |
GO | Ground outs | 600 |
bk | Balks | 600 |
Sham bomb | A breaking report by Shams Charania | 600 |
Shoot | An unscripted event | 600 |
Stee | Style | 600 |
Results limited to 500. View complete list.