spoor collective term for the droppings, tracks, shed hair, or other signs of game on a trail.
spread the width of a set of deer antlers.
stool a bunch of decoys grouped together.
mountaineering
(Also see mountains in environment)
arrest to slow and stop the fall of a climber by gripping and squeezing the belaying rope.
avalanche cord a long, brightly colored length of cord allowed to trail behind a climber in an avalanche zone; the rope facilitates the location of a climber if buried under an avalanche.
belay any object, such as a rock, a climber uses to tie himself to for security. Also, holding or securing a rope for a fellow climber. Also, playing out a rope to a climber ahead.
bergschrund a crevasse located where a glacier has broken away from a mountain.
bivouac to make a temporary, makeshift shelter on a mountainside. Also, the shelter itself.
brake bar a short bar that attaches to a carabiner to slow or stop a rope during rappeling.
buttress a projection, usually flanked by a gully on either side, on a mountainside.
carabiner a ring having a spring catch, used to connect ropes to pitons.
chimney a narrow, vertical passageway through which a climber may pass.
chockstone a stone wedged in a crack and used as a handhold.
cliff hanger a hook attached to any small projection or crack and hung with a foot stirrup.
cornice a wavelike overhang of ice and snow, notorious for starting avalanches.
couloir a ravine or gorge up the side of a mountain; it provides an easy ascent route, but it is dangerous because it serves as a channel for falling rocks.
crampon toothed, metal boot attachments to increase traction on ice.
crevasse a crack or fissure in a glacier.
descendeur a waist line device for gripping rope and slowing descent when rappeling.
etrier a short rope ladder.
exposure the state of being dangerously exposed on a precipitous cliff or steep flank with open space below the climber's feet.
freeclimbing climbing without the aid of pitons and bolts or any kind of mechanical assistance.
glacis a rock slope up to 30 degrees.
glissade to slide down a slope by the soles of one's feet.
ice ax a spiked, adzelike tool used for cutting steps in ice or used as a belay anchor.
ice hammer a tool with one end having a hammer and the other a long spike.
ice screw a threaded spike screwed into the ice.
mantel to climb up onto a shelf or ledge by holding onto its edge and swinging one leg up and over, as in climbing out of a pool.
mountain sickness sickness encountered at above 10,000 feet where air is thin; symptoms include headaches and nausea, which disappear during the descent.
pendulum traversing a steep face by swinging sideways on a rope; a horizontal rappel.
piton a metal spike, wedge, or peg driven into rock or ice to secure a climber.
rappel to descend a cliff face by the use of ropes.
serac a high wall or tower of ice, hazardous to climb.
slab to move diagonally up a steep slope to make climbing easier.
stance a rest spot on a cliff climb.
summit pack a small backpack for carrying climbing gear and clothing.
switchback to zigzag to counter steep slopes. Also, a trail that zigzags to facilitate climbing.
traverse to move sideways across a slope or cliff.
racquetball
ace a serve that scores a point without a return from the opponent.
around-the-wall ball a ball played off high on the sidewall that then strikes the front wall, the opposite sidewall, then the floor.
avoidable hinder interference from an opponent that could have been avoided; a violation resulting in a side-out or a point to the player interfered with.
back court court area between the back wall and the short line.
backhand same as a backhand in tennis, with the racquet hand sweeping forward from the opposite side of the body.
backhand corner the court area on each player's backhand side.
backspin rotation or bottom spin imparted on a ball by angling the sweep of the racket.
back wall shot a ball played after it bounces off the rear wall.
block one player getting in front of the other after a shot.
ceiling ball a ball shot into the ceiling and rebounding off the front wall, then bouncing high off the floor toward the back wall, a common defensive shot.
ceiling serve any serve that strikes the ceiling before or after contact with the front wall.
crotch any of the junctures where floor and walls meet or where ceiling and walls meet.
crotch shot a shot played into any juncture between floor and wall or ceiling and wall.
cutthroat a game in which three players compete against each other.
dead ball any ball no longer in play, due to interference or being shot out of the court. Also, any old ball that has lost its bounce.
donut a score of zero.
doubles a game in which two teams, of two players each, compete against one another.
down-the-line pass a shot hit straight along a side- wall that returns straight and close to that sidewall, making it difficult to return.
drive serve a low drive into the front wall that rebounds low and fast into the rear court.
English spin imparted on the ball.
face the hitting surface of a racquet.
fault an illegal serve.
fly ball a ball played directly off a wall without a first bounce on the floor.
forehand a stroke in which the ball is hit on the same side as the racquet hand.
forehand corner the court area where each player hits forehand shots.
front court the part of the court near the front wall.
gun hand the hand that is used to grip the racquet.
half-volley hitting a ball on the short hop or the instant it bounces up from the floor.
hypotenuse shot a low shot played from a rear corner to the opposite front corner.
inning one round of play, in which both players have served.
isolation strategy in doubles play, playing the majority of shots to the weaker or less skilled of the two opponents.
kill shot an extremely low shot off the front wall, which barely bounces and is difficult for an opponent to retrieve.
lob a soft, high-arching serve that drops into one of the rear corners.
long an illegal serve that bounces off the front wall and flies all the way to the back wall without touching the floor.
mercy ball a dangerous situation in which a player attempting to hit a ball might accidentally strike the opponent by swinging the racquet, so consequently he or she chooses not to and lets the ball go by. In most cases the play is taken over.
offhand the hand that does not grip the racquet.