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 | 560 |
Stud | A highly skilled individual | 564 |
BF | Batters faced | 564 |
W | Win | 568 |
GOAT | Greatest of all time | 569 |
Clutch | Ability to perform under pressure | 571 |
PB | Personal best | 573 |
FF | Fantasy football | 578 |
Skol | Good health | 578 |
Throw the game | Lose the game on purpose | 580 |
ownage | Completely owned | 582 |
GF | Games finished | 582 |
MLB | Major League Baseball | 583 |
Ace | Hole in one | 583 |
DQ | Disqualify | 584 |
Beast mode | Dominating gameplay | 584 |
RBI | Runs batted in | 585 |
DFS | Daily Fantasy Sports | 585 |
Ceiling | Upside of a player | 585 |
WWE | World Wrestling Entertainment | 586 |
HR | Home run | 586 |
SB | Super Bowl | 586 |
Tater | Home run | 586 |
Basebrawl | Baseball brawl | 586 |
MVP | Most valuable player | 587 |
ROY | Rookie of the Year | 587 |
Mulligan | Redo | 587 |
March Madness | NCAA Basketball Tournament | 587 |
WR | Wide receiver | 587 |
LFG | Let's freaking go | 587 |
NBA | National Basketball Association | 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 |
NHL | National Hockey League | 589 |
avg | Batting average | 589 |
L | Losses | 589 |
Mendoza line | .200 batting average | 589 |
Rundown | Baserunner stranded between two bases | 589 |
Bush league | Amateur play | 589 |
FFL | Fantasy football league | 589 |
YPG | Yards per game | 589 |
LeBroning | Flopping | 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 |
Snake draft | Draft where the last pick in one round is the first in the next | 590 |
Kayfabe | Pretending something fake is real | 590 |
BOAT | Best of all time | 590 |
ref | Referee | 591 |
SB | Stolen bases | 591 |
IR | Injured reserve | 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 |
Texas wedge | Putt from off the green | 591 |
Waiver hawk | A fantasy sports owner who patrols the waiver wire | 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 |
Washed | No longer good | 591 |
Fanboy | A dedicated male fan | 592 |
stats | Statistics | 592 |
WCW | World Championship Wrestling | 592 |
Wheels | Fast legs | 592 |
One and done | A single elimination tournament | 592 |
Leather | Defense ability | 592 |
DP | Double play | 592 |
TP | Triple play | 592 |
Sweeper | A breaking ball that sweeps horizontally | 592 |
Draft dasher | A fantasy football owner who drafts a team and abandons it | 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 |
FOMOF | Fear of missing out on football | 593 |
NLDS | National League Division Series | 593 |
Mash | To hit a baseball well | 593 |
Homer | Home run | 593 |
Single | Hit that results in the batter getting to first base | 593 |
SLG | Slugging percentage | 593 |
ship | Championship | 593 |
Cinderella | Underdog sports team | 593 |
JAG | Just a guy | 593 |
Paint the corner | To pitch the ball over the edge of home plate | 593 |
Steeze | Style and ease | 593 |
WR | World record | 593 |
Saddam Hussein | Golf shot from one bunker into another bunker | 593 |
Sleeper | A player drafted late but exceeds expectations | 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 |
Mark | A fan who believes pro wrestling is real | 593 |
Pull | To hit a ball to the same side of the field in which you bat | 593 |
OPS | On-base Plus Slugging Percentage | 594 |
Final Four | Last four competitors | 594 |
A | Assists | 594 |
Maddux | Complete game shutout with less than 100 pitches | 594 |
DER | Defensive Efficiency Rating | 594 |
Bases juiced | Baserunners on all three bases | 594 |
Grand Slam | Winning the four major golf tournaments | 594 |
SV | Saves | 594 |
Yakker | Curve ball | 594 |
Togger | Soccer | 594 |
Bruh | Friend | 594 |
Put him on skates | To make a person stumble over himself | 594 |
DNF | Did not finish | 594 |
ADP | Average draft position | 594 |
Busted bracket | A ruined tournament prediction | 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 |
Ball don't lie | You get what you deserve | 594 |
Degen | A gambler who makes foolish bets | 594 |
OT | Overtime | 595 |
Ups | Jumping ability | 595 |
MMA | Mixed martial arts | 595 |
Siv | Bad goaltender | 595 |
ALCS | American League Championship Series | 595 |
Dinger | Home run | 595 |
LCS | League Championship Series | 595 |
Ruthian | Powerful | 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 |
ppd | Postponed | 595 |
On the screws | Hard hit | 595 |
R | Runs | 595 |
TC | Total chances | 595 |
Bag | A base | 595 |
GSH | Grand Slams | 595 |
Steezy | Style and ease | 595 |
And one | A play where a player is fouled while making a basket | 595 |
MBFA | Make baseball fun again | 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 |
Cooked | Defeated | 595 |
Talking smack | Saying disrespectful things | 595 |
QB | Quarterback | 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 |
oprk | Opponent ranking | 595 |
tar | Receiving targets | 595 |
Floor | Downside of a player | 595 |
Put over | Make someone look good | 595 |
Unforced error | An easily-avoidable mistake | 595 |
Posterize | To dunk on an opponent | 595 |
Triple-double | Achieving double digits in three categories in a basketball game | 595 |
def | Defense | 596 |
Goon | An unintelligent, often muscular person | 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 |
Two bagger | Double | 596 |
1Q | First quarter | 596 |
Cheddar | Good fastball | 596 |
Shelled | Beaten badly | 596 |
Round-tripper | Home run | 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 |
Buzzer beater | A score made as the buzzer sounds | 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 |
d | Defense | 596 |
QBBC | Quarterback by committee | 596 |
int | Interception | 596 |
FR | Fumble recovery | 596 |
Damaged goods | A person who has one or more major flaws | 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 |
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 |
Hockey hair | Long, flowing hair with flipped wings | 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 |
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 |
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 |
Coast to coast | The entire length of a playing field | 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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