boast nick a boast shot aimed in such a way as to strike the front wall and junction of the floor and sidewall in quick succession so that the ball rolls out and is impossible for the opposing player to hit back.
corner shot a ball played into the sidewall close to the front wall and striking the front just above the tell-tale, from which it drops short to the floor making for a difficult return.
crosscourt shot a shot that crosses the court and sometimes forces the opposing player to use his backhand.
die of the ball; to fail to bounce, and therefore declared dead.
doubles squash played by four players.
drive a slamming shot taken after the ball bounces.
drop nick a soft shot in which the ball hits the junction of the floor and sidewall and rolls out, making it impossible to return.
drop shot a low, soft shot that bounces only slightly, making it difficult to return.
fault an incorrect serve.
foot fault when the server's foot is in an illegal position when serving.
gallery the bleachers or seated area for spectators.
get getting to and returning a difficult shot.
half-volley a ball played after one bounce.
length a play that results in the ball dying before it reaches the back wall.
let the replaying of a point.
let point a point awarded to a player who has been deliberately interfered with by an opponent during play.
lob a high shot against the front wall.
nick any ball that strikes the juncture of floor and wall and rolls out for an impossible return.
Philadelphia boast a reverse boast.
putaway an irretrievable shot.
rally when two opponents return several shots back and forth before a point is finally scored.
service box the quarter circle in the corner of a service court in which a player must have at least one foot while serving.
tell-tale the line just above the floor on the front court, below which a shot is illegal.
volley a ball played in the air.
surfing
aerial a trick in which the board is pulled up by the rails to become airborne.
air referring to getting some air or getting airborne with one's board.
angling riding across a wave instead of directly toward shore.
axe a serious wipeout.
backhand surfing with one's back facing the wave.
bail out to leap off the surfboard just before wiping out.
barney a new surfer or one with poor skills.
barrel inside the hollow of a breaking wave. Also known as a tube.
blown out referring to waves that have been turned into unridable chop by the wind.
body surfing floating on or riding a wave without a board.
bomb an extremely large wave.
boogie board a small foam board that a rider kneels or lies on to surf waves.
choppy broken wave conditions that make it difficult or impossible to surf.
cutback a very sharp turn back toward the breaking part of a wave.
face the part of a wave that is ridden by surfers.
forehand surfing while facing the wave. Also known as front side.
goofy-footed riding with the right leg forward, most commonly used by left-handed surfers.
hang five to curl the toes of one foot over the nose of the board.
hang ten to curl the toes of both feet over the nose of the board.
jacking the sudden rise or steepening of a swell as it passes from deep water to shallow.
jake a beginner who causes problems for other surfers.
kick out to leave a wave by riding up over the top of it.
kiteboarding surfing on a small board while being towed by a kite. Also known as kite surfing.
leash a board tether attached to the surfer's ankle.
mushy any weak, low waves.
natural-footed a stance in which the left leg is forward, typical for a right-handed surfer.
nose the front of a surfboard.
nose ride riding on the front of a board.
overhead referring to waves taller than the surfer, with double overhead being twice the surfer's height, and triple overhead being three times the height.
over the falls one of the worst types of wipeout, when a surfer crashes down with the lip of a breaking wave and is driven into the seafloor.
pearl a wipeout caused by the front of the board dipping into the water, a hazard of riding on a steep wave.
pocket the steepest part of a wave, just in front of the breaking portion.
rail the sides of a board.
rip current a strong, reverse current that pulls.
roundhouse cutback a sharp, 180° turn back toward the broken part of a wave.
set a group of waves.
shortie a wetsuit with short arms and legs.
shoulder the edge of a breaking wave.
soup the whitewater portion of any breaking or broken wave.
switchfoot changing one's normal stance to the opposite stance.
tail the rear of a surfboard.
360 three-sixty; a trick in which the board is whipped around 360° on a breaking wave.
tube the inside of a breaking wave; the barrel. Also, as a verb, to ride inside a wave.
wet suit a neoprene outfit worn to keep surfers warm in cold conditions.
tennis
ace a perfectly placed serve that an opponent is unable to return.
ad in short for advantage in.
ad out short for advantage out.
advantage in in the server's advantage; the point won by the server after deuce.
advantage out the receiver's advantage; the point won by the receiver after deuce.
alley along either side of the court, the long, additional area used only in doubles play.
approach shot a shot that allows a player to move toward the net.
attack the net to move quickly toward the net for a volley or a kill shot.
Australian grip a grip halfway between the eastern and the continental.
backcourt the rear portion of the court, between the baseline and the service line.
backhand a stroke taken from the left side of a right-handed player's body (opposite for a lefty).
backspin reverse spin on a ball.
baseline the line marking the ends of the court.
baseline judge one of two linesmen who watch the baseline and call balls out of play.
blitz to bombard an opponent with a quick succession of fast, hard shots.
block volley to return a ball without swinging the racket; letting the ball bounce passively off the face of the racket.
break to win a game against the server.
break point the point that will win a game against the server.