# Your favorite official sports terminology **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933 "2001-07-18T15:04:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/1 "2001-07-18T15:04:16Z")
Watching some baseball the other day I was introduced to a term that I hadn’t heard in all my years of watching the sport. A runner stole second and smarmy chip caray said, “well, dave, they’re going to call Defensive Indifference on that one” I guess instead of awarding the stolen base. Anyway, Defensive Indifference conjures up images of the whole team standing around whistling, looking at the sky, shrugging when the guy steals second and then saying “I don’t care. So what?” I’ve also always loved Encroachment. That’s just a great word. jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/2 "2001-07-18T15:11:06Z")
I like “Prevent defense” - like the standard defensive set isn’t supposed to prevent anything… ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/3 "2001-07-18T15:25:27Z")
“Giving someone a brake test” and “closing the door”, from racing. Very descriptive. ---
**Author:** ![Winnowill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@Winnowill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnowill)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/4 "2001-07-18T15:44:31Z")
I’ve always liked Defensive Indifference a lot. My favorite, though, is the “Strike Him Out, Throw Him Out” double play. I like Suicide Squeezes, too. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/5 "2001-07-18T15:46:17Z")
Strike 'em out, Throw 'em out WAAAYYYYYYYY out. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/6 "2001-07-18T15:49:54Z")
I like “balk”. I just like to say it. Balk, balk, balk. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/7 "2001-07-18T16:14:41Z")
Chin Music. I wish I knew who first used that in baseball. ---
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/8 "2001-07-18T16:16:55Z")
I have always loved exclaiming **The nail in the coffin** when I do something good in a sport, whether it is the nail or not. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/9 "2001-07-18T16:35:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by romansperson \* > **Chin Music.** I wish I knew who first used that in baseball. The term is used in cricket (where it is _legal_ to hit the batsman in the head). It is mainly used by West Indians, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it came from there for baseball as well. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/10 "2001-07-18T18:22:48Z")
Instead of being an expression, it’s more of a term, but here ya go: Rugby - where else can you play with 2 hookers for 80 minutes? Gotta love it! Snicks ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/11 "2001-07-18T21:22:47Z")
Ice Hockey term for a player the coach decided not to play in a game: “Healthy Scratch” Of course, in American football…“Tight End”. Badmitton: “Shuttlecock” Golf: “Birdie” ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/12 "2001-07-18T22:21:09Z")
The term _ **"Rough"** _ as it applies to two sports… American Football: _ **"Unnecessary Roughness"** _. I still don’t get that. If roughness is unnecessary, why are they wearing pads? Hockey: A guy plants his elbow halfway through his opponent’s skull and he gets a penalty for _ **"Roughing"** _. Roughing? The guy is bleeding from his ears and the best you can come up with is rough? It should be a penalty for _ **"Assault and Battery"** _. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/13 "2001-07-18T22:30:16Z")
American football. _ **Illegal touching.** _ (An ineligible A player bats, muffs, or catches a forward pass while in or behind the neutral zone prior to the pass being touched by B, 5 yards and loss of down.) It’s rare to see, but it’s great to hear an official call it. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2001, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/14 "2001-07-18T23:05:52Z")
In football, it is illegal to jump and pish off of the back of one of your teammates to get higher to block a field goal. It’s really rare that it ever gets called, and I have no idea what the official penalty is, and I don’t think the refs do either cause they always call it something different, which is funny as hell. So far I have seen the refs give the call as “Running and Jumping” -gave me visions of my mom out reffing a game ‘if you don’t stop all that running and jumping we’re going home’. “Illegally aiding a jumper”- sounds like something involving funneled money and a suicide. “jumping with assistance”- a new feel-good government program. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/15 "2001-07-19T02:57:58Z")
Loose ball foul. Something about that just amuses me to no end. Also the term dribbling in basketball. Yuuuuck:) ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/16 "2001-07-19T03:37:04Z")
Rugby - Try -appears to be the wrong tense to me, they have already succeeded(hate spelling that word). Tennis - Love -find it interesting because, quite honestly, I don’t know where it came from Golf - worm burner - duck hook -just neat is all. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/17 "2001-07-19T03:39:52Z")
I remember a college football game broadcast a few years ago, wherein the ref described unneccessary roughness as “Giving him the business.” I don’t recall if it was in the endzone or not… ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/18 "2001-07-19T04:06:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LNO \* > \*\*American football. > > _ **Illegal touching.** _\*\* This was gonna be mine. I always get images of the ref standing in the center of the field, doing the sign language they use to convey which penalty was called, pointing at his crotch and then rubbing his index fingers as if to say, “no, no, no.” ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/19 "2001-07-19T04:20:27Z")
When a kick returner drops the ball, that’s called a “muff.” What term could be cooler than that? ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933/20 "2001-07-19T04:33:14Z")
What I think is fun is watching a baseball game on TV and hearing the announcer say something along the lines of, “That pitch goes high and away. The batter now has 3 balls on him.” Three?! No wonder he doesn’t steal many bases. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-official-sports-terminology/72933.md?page=2)