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 | 549 |
pts | Points | 561 |
BF | Batters faced | 566 |
Stud | A highly skilled individual | 567 |
W | Win | 570 |
Clutch | Ability to perform under pressure | 574 |
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 | 580 |
Ace | Hole in one | 582 |
ownage | Completely owned | 584 |
Beast mode | Dominating gameplay | 584 |
GF | Games finished | 584 |
DQ | Disqualify | 585 |
WWE | World Wrestling Entertainment | 585 |
MLB | Major League Baseball | 585 |
Ceiling | Upside of a player | 586 |
HR | Home run | 587 |
Mulligan | Redo | 587 |
WR | Wide receiver | 587 |
DFS | Daily Fantasy Sports | 587 |
RBI | Runs batted in | 588 |
SB | Super Bowl | 588 |
Basebrawl | Baseball brawl | 588 |
Handcuff | A fantasy football backup player | 588 |
LeBroning | Flopping | 589 |
Tater | Home run | 589 |
DL | Disabled list | 589 |
ROY | Rookie of the Year | 589 |
Closer | A relief pitcher that finishes a baseball game | 589 |
Set the table | To get on base so other hitters can score the baserunners | 589 |
FFL | Fantasy football league | 589 |
Snake draft | Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next | 589 |
LFG | Let's freaking go | 589 |
NHL | National Hockey League | 590 |
avg | Batting average | 590 |
Rundown | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 590 |
Bush league | Amateur play | 590 |
YPG | Yards per game | 590 |
ref | Referee | 591 |
2B | Second base | 591 |
March Madness | NCAA Basketball Tournament | 591 |
Chin music | Pitch that nearly hits the batter's head | 591 |
Can of corn | An easy catch by a fielder | 591 |
Mendoza line | .200 batting average | 591 |
TP | Triple play | 591 |
PPR | Points per reception | 591 |
TE | Tight end | 591 |
Ghostship | A fantasy football team with no owner | 591 |
PF | Points for | 591 |
BOAT | Best of all time | 591 |
stats | Statistics | 592 |
MVP | Most valuable player | 592 |
WCW | World Championship Wrestling | 592 |
SB | Stolen bases | 592 |
L | Losses | 592 |
Victory lap | Golf ball that spins around the hole then falls in | 592 |
Sleeper | A player drafted late but exceeds expectations | 592 |
Honors | Hit first from the tee in golf | 592 |
RB | Running back | 592 |
Trade bait | A good player that entices other teams to trade for him | 592 |
Half-PPR | Half-point per reception league | 592 |
Kayfabe | Pretending something fake is real | 592 |
Washed | No longer good | 592 |
Fanboy | A dedicated male fan | 593 |
NBA | National Basketball Association | 593 |
WC | World Cup | 593 |
FIFA | Fédération Internationale de Football Association | 593 |
Mash | To hit a baseball well | 593 |
Wheels | Fast legs | 593 |
ship | Championship | 593 |
IR | Injured reserve | 593 |
DP | Double play | 593 |
JAG | Just a guy | 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 |
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 |
rec | Receptions | 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 |
Mark | A fan who believes pro wrestling is real | 593 |
FOMOF | Fear of missing out on football | 594 |
NLDS | National League Division Series | 594 |
Homer | Home run | 594 |
Single | Hit that results in the batter getting to first base | 594 |
Cinderella | Underdog sports team | 594 |
One and done | Single elimination tournament | 594 |
On deck | Batting second | 594 |
Paint the corner | To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate | 594 |
DER | Defensive Efficiency Rating | 594 |
Bag | A base | 594 |
GSH | Grand Slams | 594 |
Put him on skates | To make a person stumble over himself | 594 |
MBFA | Make baseball fun again | 594 |
DNF | Did not finish | 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 |
OT | Overtime | 595 |
Ups | Jumping ability | 595 |
ERA | Earned run average | 595 |
AB | At bat | 595 |
ALCS | American League Championship Series | 595 |
Dinger | Home run | 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 |
Ball don't lie | You get what you deserve | 595 |
ppd | Postponed | 595 |
Final Four | Last four competitors | 595 |
Bracket buster | A team that upsets a highly ranked team | 595 |
On the screws | Hard hit | 595 |
R | Runs | 595 |
Maddux | Complete game shutout with less than 100 pitches | 595 |
TC | Total chances | 595 |
Bases juiced | Baserunners on all three bases | 595 |
Grand Slam | Winning the four major golf tournaments | 595 |
Steezy | Style and ease | 595 |
Snowman | Golf score of 8 | 595 |
Auction draft | A fantasy sports draft where owners bid on players | 595 |
QB | Quarterback | 595 |
Flier | Gamble on a risky player | 595 |
Flyer | Gamble on a risky player | 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 |
Pull | To hit a ball to the same side of the field in which you bat | 595 |
CR7 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 595 |
def | Defense | 596 |
MMA | Mixed martial arts | 596 |
Yard | Home run | 596 |
K | Strikeout | 596 |
SO | Strikeouts | 596 |
ALDS | American League Division Series | 596 |
Ace | Best starting pitcher | 596 |
SP | Starting pitcher | 596 |
C | Catcher | 596 |
LCS | League Championship Series | 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 |
Leather | Defense ability | 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 |
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 |
G | Games played | 596 |
Two bagger | Double | 596 |
SV | Saves | 596 |
Round-tripper | Home run | 596 |
Bruh | Friend | 596 |
And one | A play where a player is fouled while making a basket | 596 |
Rainmaker | High trajectory golf shot | 596 |
Hangman | Golf score of 9 | 596 |
Slept | To hit someone hard | 596 |
Drop | A ball dropped from a golfer's outstretched arm | 596 |
Albatross | Three strokes under par | 596 |
d | Defense | 596 |
QBBC | Quarterback by committee | 596 |
FR | Fumble recovery | 596 |
Fleecing | Taking advantage of a person through a trade | 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 |
Degen | A gambler who makes foolish bets | 596 |
On fire | Performing very well | 596 |
Posterize | To dunk on an opponent | 596 |
Fade | To purposely disregard a player | 596 |
1Q | First quarter | 596 |
FTMFW | For the mother f***ing win | 597 |
tourney | Tournament | 597 |
Jock | Athlete | 597 |
Siv | Bad goaltender | 597 |
NFC | National Football Conference | 597 |
AFC | American Football Conference | 597 |
USWNT | United States Women's National Team | 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 |
Bracket | Diagram of tournament games | 597 |
LANK | Let a naysayer know | 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 |
Breakfast ball | A redo shot from the first tee | 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 |
Four bagger | 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 |
Three bagger | Triple | 597 |
Annie Oakley | Free pass | 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 |
Yakker | Curve ball | 597 |
Cheddar | Good fastball | 597 |
Shelled | Beaten badly | 597 |
Togger | Soccer | 597 |
OR | Olympic record | 597 |
IOC | International Olympic Committee | 597 |
Worm burner | Very low golf shot | 597 |
Go deep | Hit a home run | 597 |
Buzzer beater | A score made as the buzzer sounds | 597 |
natty | National championship | 597 |
Die in the hole | Golf shot that makes it to the hole and falls in | 597 |
Lumber | Baseball bat | 597 |
RBBC | Running back by committee | 597 |
Fire sale | When an owner trades players away | 597 |
Foul bait | Acting to get a foul called | 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 |
ST | Special teams | 597 |
int | Interception | 597 |
Garbage time | Time during a blowout game where strategies change | 597 |
Damaged goods | A person who has one or more major flaws | 597 |
oprk | Opponent ranking | 597 |
Rock | A basketball | 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 |
Triple-double | Achieving double digits in three categories in a basketball game | 597 |
Cannon | An impressive throwing arm | 597 |
DB | Defensive back | 597 |
Breaking ankles | Causing a player to stumble | 597 |
HOF | Hall of fame | 598 |
Locked in | Doing well | 598 |
WWF | World Wrestling Federation | 598 |
Own goal | A counterproductive decision | 598 |
USMNT | United States Men's National Team | 598 |
Three-peat | Winning a championship three times in a row | 598 |
CS | Caught stealing | 598 |
Bomb | Home run | 598 |
RP | Relief pitcher | 598 |
Ride the pine | Sit on the bench | 598 |
Cycle | Single, double, triple, and home run | 598 |
LF | Left field | 598 |
CF | Center field | 598 |
OF | Outfield | 598 |
Lettuce | Thick, curly, beautiful hair | 598 |
CFP | College Football Playoff | 598 |
TNF | Thursday Night Football | 598 |
Cutting down the nets | Won a basketball tournament | 598 |
Bracketology | Predicting who will win a tournament | 598 |
E3 | Error made by the first baseman | 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 |
GS | Games started | 598 |
inn | Innings played | 598 |
Charity stripe | Free throw line | 598 |
Brotherly shove | A play where the quarterback is shoved to gain yards | 598 |
Bases loaded | Baserunners on all three bases | 598 |
HB | Hit batsmen | 598 |
hld | Hold | 598 |
IP | Innings pitched | 598 |
IRA | Inherited runs allowed | 598 |
Hockey hair | Long, flowing hair with flipped wings | 598 |
Lift the silverware | Win a trophy | 598 |
De-cleated | Hit very hard | 598 |
Fireman | Late-inning relief pitcher | 598 |
Pea | A ball traveling at a high speed | 598 |
Punchout | Strikeout | 598 |
Cutter | A breaking fastball | 598 |
Tuddy | Touchdown | 598 |
Revenge arc | Quest to get revenge | 598 |
Deadly | Excellent | 598 |
Juiced | Muscular from steroids | 598 |
Pin-seeker | Golf shot hit straight at the flagstick | 598 |
OB | Out-of-bounds | 598 |
Alec Guinness | Out-of-bounds | 598 |
Walk-off | A score that instantly wins a game | 598 |
Handles | The ability to handle a basketball | 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 |
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 |
BABIP | Batting average on balls in play | 598 |
Shove | To pitch well | 598 |
yds | Yards | 598 |
YPA | Yards per attempt | 598 |
PA | Points against | 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 |
3Q | Third quarter | 598 |
pl8 | Plate | 599 |
HMP | Half marathon pace | 599 |
PED | Performance enhancing drug | 599 |
HGH | Human growth hormone | 599 |
Circle button | Spin move | 599 |
Tush push | A play where the quarterback is pushed to gain yards | 599 |
Heater | Fastball | 599 |
Pick-six | An interception returned for a touchdown | 599 |
Hot corner | Third base | 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 |
Pick | An interception | 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 |
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 |
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 |
Golden Slam | Tennis Grand Slam and the Olympics gold medal | 599 |
Super Slam | Tennis Grand Slam and Year-End Championship | 599 |
4Q | Fourth quarter | 599 |
PA | Plate appearances | 599 |
He's him | He is impressive | 599 |
Whiff | Swinging strikeout | 599 |
Par | Number of strokes to complete a golf course hole | 599 |
Red zone | Area between the 20-yard line and the goal line | 599 |
Birdie | One stroke under par | 599 |
Coast to coast | The entire length of a playing field | 599 |
Nineteenth hole | Golf clubhouse bar | 599 |
roids | Steroids | 599 |
Reload | To take another shot after a bad shot | 599 |
Nuked | Hit a golf ball a great distance | 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 |
Danny DeVito | Five foot putt | 599 |
Facial | Slam dunk on a player's face | 599 |
dub | Win | 599 |
Squirrel | Tee shot into the rough | 599 |
CGSO | Complete game shutout | 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 |
Ready golf | Golfers hit when ready | 599 |
Go deep | Run a route far downfield | 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 |
Throwing | Losing a winnable game on purpose | 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 |
Stee | Style | 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 |
2Q | Second quarter | 599 |
CB | Cornerback | 599 |
DST | Defense and Special Teams | 599 |
OTB | Off the board | 600 |
Baller | A cool person | 600 |
EPO | Erythropoietin | 600 |
Owned | Dominated | 600 |
NWO | New World Order | 600 |
j | Jump shot | 600 |
Ribby | Run batted in | 600 |
CG | Complete games | 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 |
DROY | Defensive Rookie of the Year | 600 |
Putout | Out | 600 |
PO | Putouts | 600 |
Rope | Line drive baseball hit | 600 |
sac | Sacrifice bunts | 600 |
GO | Ground outs | 600 |
bk | Balks | 600 |
Chunk | A golf shot that makes a divot | 600 |
Fat shot | A golf shot that takes a chunk out of the ground | 600 |
Handicap | Numerical score that represents a golfer's ability | 600 |
The turn | Halfway point of a round of golf | 600 |
Outward nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 600 |
Dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that bends | 600 |
Dogleg left | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the left | 600 |
ffb | Fantasy football | 600 |
Sham bomb | A breaking report by Shams Charania | 600 |
Shoot | An unscripted event | 600 |
Results limited to 500. View complete list.