spin ball rotation producing a curved flight path and an unpredictable bounce.
spin it in to serve a ball with spin.
stop volley a soft volley that barely drops over the net, used when the opponent is in the backcourt.
straight sets consecutive wins.
sudden death a tie-breaker game.
sweet spot the middle of the racket face; the optimum hitting surface.
tennis elbow painful condition characterized by inflammation of the tendons around the elbow, caused by twisting and general overuse of elbow in tennis.
throat the neck of the racket handle, just below the head.
topspin forward rotation imparted on a ball by brushing the racket face up and over the ball.
touch player a finesse or control player, as distinguished from a power player.
umpire the official seated in a high chair at one end of the net; he keeps the score and makes rulings.
underspin backward rotation imparted on a ball by brushing the racket face down and under the ball.
volley to hit the ball in the air, before it bounces on the ground.
Wimbledon the tennis championships held in Wimbledon, England.
thoroughbred racing
(Also see horses in animals and insects)
acey deucey a riding style to facilitate balance during turns in which the right stirrup is shorter than the left.
across the board betting on one horse for win, place, and show.
aged a horse seven years of age or older.
airing an exercise run. Also, a race in which the horse runs only at exercise speed.
also-ran a horse that did not finish in the money.
alter to castrate.
ankle boot a protective leather or rubber bootie for the fetlock.
ankle cutter a horse that strikes and cuts a fetlock with the opposite hoof while running.
apprentice a student jockey.
armchair ride a victory won without having to prod the horse.
baby a two-year-old.
baby race a 2- to 4-furlong race for two-year-olds. back to slow down.
backstretch the straightaway at the far side of the track.
bangtail a bobbed or shortened tail.
barrel the torso of a horse.
barrier the starting gate.
bear in to move toward the inside rail.
bear out to move to the outside of the track, especially during a turn.
bend a turn in the track.
bit the mouth bar to which the reins are secured.
blanket finish a very close finish.
blind switch the position of being blocked by other horses in front and the decision to either drop back and go around them or wait for an opening.
blinkers the eye pieces that partially block a horse's vision, used to keep concentration focused on the track to the front.
blowout a brief workout to warm up a horse before a race.
boat race a fixed race. bobble to stumble.
bolt to run off in a panic, as when some horses see the starting gate.
boot to kick the horse to make it run faster.
Boots and Saddles the bugle call accompanying the horses entering the track for post parade.
bottom the horse assigned to the outside post position.
break in the air to leap upward instead of out at the starting bell.
break maiden to win the first race of one's career, pertaining to either jockey or horse.
brittle feet hooves that chip easily.
bucked shins inflamed shins, due to stress.
bull ring a small track.
buzzer an illegal, battery-powered, vibrating device used to scare a horse into running faster.
calculator the clerk who calculates pari-mutuel odds.
cannon the foreleg between the ankle and the knee. canter a slow gallop. card a racing program.
carry the target to run last from start to finish.
chalk horse the favorite to bet on.
chalk player one who bets on favorites.
choppy abnormally short strides, due to lameness.
chute an extension of a stretch to provide a long, straight run from starting gate to first turn.
claiming race a race in which a horse is subject to purchase.
clerk of the scales the official who weighs riders and tack before and after a race.
clocker one who times workout runs, used as information for betting.
clothes horse blanket.
clubhouse turn a bend or turn in the track closest to the clubhouse. In races that begin on the homestretch, the first turn.
colors riders' colorful, identifying costumes.
croup the uppermost hindquarters of a horse.
cuppy of a track, broken into clods and hoofprints.
daily double winning a bet by correctly picking both winners of two races.
dark referring to a track's nonracing day or night.
dark horse an underrated horse; a sleeper.
dead heat when at least two horses vie for the finish line nose-to-nose.
dead weight weights added to a saddle to raise the overall weight of rider and tack.
deep of a track, freshly harrowed.
derby race for three-year-olds.
disqualify officially to drop back a horse's finishing position due to interference or illegal weight.
dope sheet horseracing information sheet.
drench to give medicinal liquid to a horse.
dwell to break slowly at the gate.
eighth a furlong.
eighth pole a colored post marking V8 mile, or 1 furlong, from the finish line.
exacta picking the winner and place horses.
fade to tire and fall behind at the homestretch or before.
farrier a horseshoer.
fast track a dry, hard track.
fetlock the ankle of a horse.
field collective term for all the entrants in a race.
film patrol the crew that films the race to monitor for interference or other fouls.
five-eighths pole a post marking 5 furlongs from the finish line.
flash a change of odds shown on the tote board.
flatten out position of an exhausted horse, specifically with its head hung low and even with its body.
footing a track's surface condition.
freelance a jockey who works independently and is not contracted by any one stable.
freshener time allotted for rest to restore a horse's energy.
frog the fleshy cushion on the sole of the hoof. furlong V8 of a mile.
futurity a race in which horses are entered before they are born.
gad a jockey's whip.
gallop a horse's fastest gait, in which all four feet are intermittently off the ground at the same time.