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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	550
pts	Points	559
Stud	A highly skilled individual	563
BF	Batters faced	565
W	Win	567
GOAT	Greatest of all time	568
Clutch	Ability to perform under pressure	570
PB	Personal best	574
Skol	Good health	577
FF	Fantasy football	579
Throw the game	Lose the game on purpose	579
MLB	Major League Baseball	582
Ace	Hole in one	582
DQ	Disqualify	583
ownage	Completely owned	583
Beast mode	Dominating gameplay	583
GF	Games finished	583
RBI	Runs batted in	584
Ceiling	Upside of a player	584
WWE	World Wrestling Entertainment	585
HR	Home run	585
Tater	Home run	585
Basebrawl	Baseball brawl	585
MVP	Most valuable player	586
ROY	Rookie of the Year	586
Mulligan	Redo	586
March Madness	NCAA Basketball Tournament	586
WR	Wide receiver	586
DFS	Daily Fantasy Sports	586
NBA	National Basketball Association	587
SB	Super Bowl	587
Closer	A relief pitcher that finishes a baseball game	587
NHL	National Hockey League	588
avg	Batting average	588
L	Losses	588
Mendoza line	.200 batting average	588
Rundown	Baserunner stranded between two bases	588
Set the table	To get on base so other hitters can score the baserunners	588
Bush league	Amateur play	588
FFL	Fantasy football league	588
YPG	Yards per game	588
LFG	Let's freaking go	588
2B	Second base	589
DL	Disabled list	589
Chin music	Pitch that nearly hits the batter's head	589
Can of corn	An easy catch by a fielder	589
Handcuff	A fantasy football backup player	589
ref	Referee	590
SB	Stolen bases	590
IR	Injured reserve	590
Bracket buster	A team that upsets a highly ranked team	590
Victory lap	Golf ball that spins around the hole then falls in	590
TE	Tight end	590
Trade bait	A good player that entices other teams to trade for him	590
PF	Points for	590
Kayfabe	Pretending something fake is real	590
Washed	No longer good	590
stats	Statistics	591
WCW	World Championship Wrestling	591
LeBroning	Flopping	591
One and done	A single elimination tournament	591
Leather	Defense ability	591
DP	Double play	591
TP	Triple play	591
Sweeper	A breaking ball that sweeps horizontally	591
Snake draft	Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next	591
Honors	Hit first from the tee in golf	591
RB	Running back	591
Ghostship	A fantasy football team with no owner	591
rec	Receptions	591
BOAT	Best of all time	591
WC	World Cup	592
FIFA	Fédération Internationale de Football Association	592
NLDS	National League Division Series	592
Homer	Home run	592
Wheels	Fast legs	592
Single	Hit that results in the batter getting to first base	592
SLG	Slugging percentage	592
Cinderella	Underdog sports team	592
Paint the corner	To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate	592
WR	World record	592
Saddam Hussein	Golf shot from one bunker into another bunker	592
Texas wedge	Putt from off the green	592
Waiver hawk	A fantasy sports owner who patrols the waiver wire	592
PPR	Points per reception	592
Sleeper	A player drafted late but exceeds expectations	592
Bullish	Positive outlook	592
Mark	A fan who believes pro wrestling is real	592
Pull	To hit a ball to the same side of the field in which you bat	592
Fanboy	A dedicated male fan	593
OPS	On-base Plus Slugging Percentage	593
Final Four	Last four competitors	593
A	Assists	593
Bases juiced	Baserunners on all three bases	593
Grand Slam	Winning the four major golf tournaments	593
DNF	Did not finish	593
Draft dasher	A fantasy football owner who drafts a team and abandons it	593
Busted bracket	A ruined tournament prediction	593
Fleecing	Taking advantage of a person through a trade	593
Half-PPR	Half-point per reception league	593
Bearish	Negative outlook	593
MMA	Mixed martial arts	594
FOMOF	Fear of missing out on football	594
ALCS	American League Championship Series	594
Dinger	Home run	594
Mash	To hit a baseball well	594
LCS	League Championship Series	594
Ruthian	Powerful	594
Grounder	A baseball hit on the ground	594
Double	Hit that results in the batter getting to second base	594
Triple	Hit that results in the batter getting to third base	594
ship	Championship	594
ppd	Postponed	594
On the screws	Hard hit	594
R	Runs	594
JAG	Just a guy	594
Bag	A base	594
SV	Saves	594
Steeze	Style and ease	594
And one	A play where a player is fouled while making a basket	594
Snowman	Golf score of 8	594
Cooked	Defeated	594
Talking smack	Saying disrespectful things	594
QB	Quarterback	594
RB1	Starting fantasy running back	594
WR1	First starting fantasy wide receiver	594
Vulture back	A running back who takes scoring chances from the starter	594
att	Attempts	594
Undroppable	A player who cannot be dropped from a fantasy team	594
Stream	Rotating players in and out of a lineup	594
Unforced error	An easily-avoidable mistake	594
Triple-double	Achieving double digits in three categories in a basketball game	594
OT	Overtime	595
def	Defense	595
Goon	An unintelligent, often muscular person	595
Maddux	Complete game shutout with less than 100 pitches	595
DER	Defensive Efficiency Rating	595
Yakker	Curve ball	595
Togger	Soccer	595
Bruh	Friend	595
Put him on skates	To make a person stumble over himself	595
ADP	Average draft position	595
tar	Receiving targets	595
Fish	Casual fantasy sports player	595
Shark	An experienced fantasy sports player	595
Reach	To draft a player too soon	595
Floor	Downside of a player	595
Ball don't lie	You get what you deserve	595
Degen	A gambler who makes foolish bets	595
Posterize	To dunk on an opponent	595
Ups	Jumping ability	596
Siv	Bad goaltender	596
NFC	National Football Conference	596
Lettuce	Thick, curly, beautiful hair	596
ERA	Earned run average	596
AB	At bat	596
K	Strikeout	596
SO	Strikeouts	596
ALDS	American League Division Series	596
Bomb	A home run	596
SP	Starting pitcher	596
C	Catcher	596
Meatball	Easy pitch to hit	596
Baltimore chop	Baseball hit that takes a large hop over an infielder	596
1B	First base	596
WAR	Wins Above Replacement	596
ACL	Anterior cruciate ligament	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
E7	Error made by the left fielder	596
Rubber	Pitcher's plate	596
On deck	Batting second	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
Bubble team	A team on the edge of qualifying for a tournament	596
Hooper	A skilled basketball player	596
Sweet spot	The part of the bat that provides the best contact	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
TC	Total chances	596
Two bagger	Double	596
GSH	Grand Slams	596
1Q	First quarter	596
Cheddar	Good fastball	596
Shelled	Beaten badly	596
Round-tripper	Home run	596
Steezy	Style and ease	596
MBFA	Make baseball fun again	596
OR	Olympic record	596
IOC	International Olympic Committee	596
Tunneling	Throwing different pitches with a similar trajectory to fool hitters	596
Rainmaker	High trajectory golf shot	596
Hangman	Golf score of 9	596
Buzzer beater	A score made as the buzzer sounds	596
Auction draft	A fantasy sports draft where owners bid on players	596
Slept	To hit someone hard	596
Foul bait	Acting to get a foul called	596
Drop	A ball dropped from a golfer's outstretched arm	596
BPA	Best player available	596
Albatross	Three strokes under par	596
Flier	Gamble on a risky player	596
d	Defense	596
Flyer	Gamble on a risky player	596
QBBC	Quarterback by committee	596
int	Interception	596
Damaged goods	A person who has one or more major flaws	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
Millennial baseball	A baseball strategy of swinging for home runs instead of base hits	596
Zebra	A game official	596
MLBPA	Major League Baseball Players Association	596
LOOGY	Left-handed One Out Guy	596
Cut a promo	Stage a promotional interview	596
Put over	Make someone look good	596
Ethical hooper	A basketball player who relies on pure skill to dominate	596
On fire	Performing very well	596
Fade	To purposely disregard a player	596
CR7	Cristiano Ronaldo	596
Cannon	An impressive throwing arm	596
FTMFW	For the mother f***ing win	597
HOF	Hall of fame	597
Pick	An interception	597
Foul merchant	A player known for drawing fouls	597
tourney	Tournament	597
Jock	Athlete	597
HGH	Human growth hormone	597
WWF	World Wrestling Federation	597
Clamp	Defensive domination	597
AFC	American Football Conference	597
USMNT	United States Men's National Team	597
USWNT	United States Women's National Team	597
BB	Bases on balls	597
Unethical hooper	A skilled basketball player who uses annoying tactics	597
Rock	A basketball	597
Yard	Home run	597
CS	Caught stealing	597
NLCS	National League Championship Series	597
Ace	Best starting pitcher	597
RP	Relief pitcher	597
Ride the pine	Sit on the bench	597
Hot corner	Third base	597
P	Pitcher	597
Heat check	Taking a difficult shot after making several in a row	597
Cycle	Single, double, triple, and home run	597
Bloop	Weakly hit fly ball	597
3B	Third base	597
Bomb	A massive wave	597
LF	Left field	597
CF	Center field	597
RF	Right field	597
OF	Outfield	597
SS	Shortstop	597
De-cleated	Hit very hard	597
CFP	College Football Playoff	597
TNF	Thursday Night Football	597
Cutting down the nets	Won a basketball tournament	597
Bracketology	Predicting who will win a tournament	597
E3	Error made by the first baseman	597
E4	Error made by the second baseman	597
E5	Error made by the third baseman	597
E6	Error made by the shortstop	597
E8	Error made by the center fielder	597
E9	Error made by the right fielder	597
Around the horn	Double play from third to second to first base	597
Double play	Two outs on the same play	597
Triple play	Three outs on the same play	597
Bronx cheer	Noise that signals mockery	597
Brushback	Pitch that almost hits the hitter	597
Breakfast ball	A redo shot from the first tee	597
High and tight	High and inside pitch	597
Pickle	Baserunner stranded between two bases	597
Hotbox	Baserunner stranded between two bases	597
Dish	Home plate	597
Hill	Pitcher's mound	597
In the hole	Batting third	597
Cheese	Good fastball	597
Wheelhouse	Hitter's power zone	597
On the button	Hard hit ball	597
Uncle Charlie	Curve ball	597
Touch em all	Home run	597
WS	World Series	597
LOB	Left on base	597
SF	Sacrifice Flies	597
hesi	Hesitation	597
XBH	Extra base hits	597
GS	Games started	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
Circus catch	Acrobatic catch	597
Web gem	An amazing defensive play	597
G	Games played	597
inn	Innings played	597
Three bagger	Triple	597
Annie Oakley	Free pass	597
Charity stripe	Free throw line	597
Handles	The ability to handle a basketball	597
Bases loaded	Baserunners on all three bases	597
HB	Hit batsmen	597
hld	Hold	597
IP	Innings pitched	597
IRA	Inherited runs allowed	597
He's him	He is impressive	597
Lift the silverware	Win a trophy	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
Fireman	Late-inning relief pitcher	597
Put out fires	Get out of difficult situations	597
Pea	A ball traveling at a high speed	597
Punchout	Strikeout	597
Cutter	A breaking fastball	597
Revenge arc	Quest to get revenge	597
Lumber	Baseball bat	597
Pin-seeker	Golf shot hit straight at the flagstick	597
Tuddy	Touchdown	597
Worm burner	Very low golf shot	597
Nuked	Hit a golf ball a great distance	597
Alec Guinness	Out-of-bounds	597
Walk-off	A score that instantly wins a game	597
LANK	Let a naysayer know	597
Die in the hole	Golf shot that makes it to the hole and falls in	597
natty	National championship	597
Go deep	Hit a home run	597
Juiced	Muscular from steroids	597
Keeper league	Fantasy sports league where you keep your players	597
RBBC	Running back by committee	597
Serpentine draft	Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next	597
Fire sale	When an owner trades players away	597
Locked in	Doing well	597
KO	Knockout	597
Front nine	First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course	597
BABIP	Batting average on balls in play	597
Gimme	Easy golf putt	597
Scratch golfer	A golfer with a handicap of zero	597
Shove	To pitch well	597
Oppo boppo	Opposite field home run	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
Hockey hair	Long, flowing hair with flipped wings	597
FR	Fumble recovery	597
Garbage time	Time during a blowout game where strategies change	597
Own goal	A counterproductive decision	597
PA	Points against	597
Honnolding	Standing up straight on a narrow ledge with your back to the wall	597
IL	Injured list	597
Heel	Villain	597
PR	Personal record	597
chip	Championship	597
Hops	Jumping ability	597
Putting on a clinic	Performing exceptionally well	597
oppo	Opposite field	597
Mebound	A rebound by a player from their own missed shot	597
Double-double	Achieving double digits in two categories in a basketball game	597
Juicing	Taking performance-enhancing drugs	597
Got that dog in him	Driven to succeed	597
DB	Defensive back	597
Breaking ankles	Causing a player to stumble	597
PUP	Physically unable to perform	598
Hoops	Basketball	598
HMP	Half marathon pace	598
Middy	Mid-range jump shot	598
PED	Performance enhancing drug	598
Circle button	Spin move	598
Gentleman's sweep	Winning all the games in a series except one	598
Coast to coast	The entire length of a playing field	598
roids	Steroids	598
Heater	Fastball	598
Tater trot	Home run trot	598
Southpaw	Left-handed pitcher	598
Homer	Hometown sports fan	598
Jam	To pitch near a batter's hands	598
Line drive	Hard hit baseball in the air	598
Texas Leaguer	Weak fly ball hit to the outfield	598
MNF	Monday Night Football	598
4Q	Fourth quarter	598
OROY	Offensive Rookie of the Year	598
RPI	Ratings Percentage Index	598
E	Errors	598
E1	Error made by the pitcher	598
Red zone	Area between the 20-yard line and the goal line	598
Alley oop	A pass to a teammate who puts the ball in the basket	598
Blowing a raspberry	Making a jeering noise	598
GIDP	Ground into double play	598
NP	Number of pitches	598
dub	Win	598
Table setter	A player who gets on base so other hitters can hit him in	598
Rope	Line drive baseball hit	598
Frozen rope	Line drive baseball hit	598
IBB	Intentional bases on balls	598
OFA	Outfield assists	598
RF	Range factor	598
PB	Passed balls	598
AO	Fly outs	598
Golden Slam	Tennis Grand Slam and the Olympics gold medal	598
Super Slam	Tennis Grand Slam and Year-End Championship	598
PA	Plate appearances	598
CGSO	Complete game shutout	598
Backdoor slider	A pitch that breaks over the plate	598
Whiff	Swinging strikeout	598
Nutmeg	Kicking the ball between an opponent's legs	598
Par	Number of strokes to complete a golf course hole	598
Pick-six	An interception returned for a touchdown	598
Birdie	One stroke under par	598
Deadly	Excellent	598
Nineteenth hole	Golf clubhouse bar	598
Reload	To take another shot after a bad shot	598
OB	Out-of-bounds	598
Nip it	Hit a golf ball cleanly	598
Amelia Earhart	Golf shot that looks good but you can't find	598
Back-door putt	Putt that spins around a hole and drops in	598
Throwing	Losing a winnable game on purpose	598
Danny DeVito	Five foot putt	598
Go deep	Run a route far downfield	598
Squirrel	Tee shot into the rough	598
Bust	A player who does not perform well	598
Breakout	A player who performs surprisingly well	598
Mock draft	Simulated draft	598
Bare lie	A golf ball laying directly on the ground	598
Tight lie	A golf ball laying directly on the ground	598
Four-peat	Winning a championship four times in a row	598
Double eagle	Three strokes under par	598
Fore	Watch out	598
Handicap	Numerical score that represents a golfer's ability	598
Ready golf	Golfers hit when ready	598
Inward nine	Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course	598
Mossed	Catching a football over another player	598
Tush push	A play where the quarterback is pushed to gain yards	598
RB2	Second starting fantasy running back	598
QB2	Second starting fantasy quarterback	598
WR2	Second starting fantasy wide receiver	598
WR3	Third starting fantasy wide receiver	598
K	Kicker	598
FPG	Fantasy points per game	598
yds	Yards	598
YAC	Yards after catch	598
YPA	Yards per attempt	598
prk	Position rank	598
i	Interception	598
Three-peat	Winning a championship three times in a row	598
Sweep	Winning all the games in a series	598
Brotherly shove	A play where the quarterback is shoved to gain yards	598
VAR	Video assistant referee	598
WOAT	Worst of all time	598
Face	Hero	598
celly	Celebration	598
Work	A scripted event	598
Worked shoot	A scripted event that contains unscripted elements	598
Olympic grandma	An old female Olympian	598
OG	Olympic grandma	598
Smark	A fan who knows pro wrestling is scripted	598
Tweener	A wrestler who is neither hero nor villain	598
Ballin	Playing sports well	598
Take the L	Take the loss	598
Stee	Style	598
Yard sale	A bad crash	598
Brick	A shot that squarely clangs off the rim or backboard	598
Bricklayer	A basketball player who is shooting a lot of bricks	598
Dropping dimes	Making difficult passes for assists in basketball	598
Dime	Assist	598
FMVP	Finals Most Valuable Player	598
FKT	Fastest known time	598
R2R	Rim-to-rim	598
Swish	A made shot in basketball that hits only the net	598
Downtown	Beyond the 3-point line	598
Splash	A made shot that only touches the basketball net	598
Jumper	Jump shot	598
Making it rain	Hitting 3-point shots	598
Flop	An exaggerated fall	598
Air ball	A missed shot that doesn't hit the rim or backboard	598
Bucket	A made basketball shot	598
Trey	3-point shot attempt	598
Ice cold	Shooting poorly	598
pred	Predator	598
Clean sheet	Shutout	598
3Q	Third quarter	598
Rinsed	Defeated	598
CB	Cornerback	598
DST	Defense and Special Teams	598
EPO	Erythropoietin	599
CG	Complete games	599
DROY	Defensive Rookie of the Year	599
GO	Ground outs	599
2Q	Second quarter	599
bk	Balks	599
ffb	Fantasy football	599

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