VOLLEYBALL SLANG summary
Jerry Dunn
Thanks very much to everyone who sent volleyball slang for my book, to be
called "Idiom Savant: Slang As It Is Slung" (Fall 1995, Simon &
Schuster). Here's the summary I said I'd post.
No doubt I've made errors, especially in usage. Maybe you can add example
sentences to some definitions, to show how the terms are properly used.
Please send any corrections, additions, or examples to me by e-mail:
jer...@rain.org.
Thanks so much again! You're a very helpful, fun group of people.
Cheers,
Jerry Dunn
The summary:
bump n. ??? (CAN ANYBODY SUPPLY A DEFINITION AND SAMPLE SENTENCE? THANKS!)
butter n. a great set. "That set was butter!" Syn. nectar.
campfire n. when the ball drops to the middle of the floor with all the
defensive players looking at it.
Charlie Tuna n. a novice player constantly running into the net Rel.
tuna surprise: hitting the net. Syn. big fish.
cheesecake n. a ball that was easy to dig.
chester n. a spike that hits an opposing player in the chest.
chickenwing n. a last-ditch way to dig a ball using your elbow and a bent arm.
clamp v. to block a shot. Syn. jed; so-called because the blocker would
"clamp it," an allusion to Jed Clampett of "The Beverly Hillbillies."
dig v. to pass a very hard-hit spike. Syn. up. Also, n. "That was a
great up!"
dink n. a very softly hit spike.
dish v. to set the ball well. "Chuck really dishes."
floater n. a serve that "floats" through the air because it has no spin;
much like a knuckleball in baseball.
golden stack n. when three hitters are in the air at the same time in a
combination play.
hammer n. a good hitter. "That John is a hammer." Rel. nail: a good
pass-off of a serve. "I passed a nail, and John hammered it down."
hit the tape v. to hit the ball into the net, but still have the ball go
onto the other side. A ribbon of tape runs across the top of the net.
hops n. used to describe a player's vertical leap. "That guy really has
hops."
husband and wife n. when a serve drops untouched between two receivers
who fail to move, each thinking the other is going to get it.
joust v. when two players on opposing sides attempt to block the ball by
vying to push it onto each other's side of the net.
juice me expression means "set the ball to me."
Kong n. a one-handed block.
pancake n. when a ball is played off the back of the hand, with the palm
on the floor; usually preceeded by a dive.
pipe n. a ball set in the middle of the court, on the ten-foot line, for
a back-row player to hit.
roof n. a great stuff block. Rel. roofing company: a group on the same
team who do a great job of blocking the ball.
roto-rooter n. a killer spike.
shake-and-bake n. when a player dives for a ball and gets coated with sand.
shank v. to pass the ball badly. "Debbie shanked it into the wall." Also n.
shank you expression used when an opposing player shanks a pass. Also:
shanks a lot, shanks for the memories.
six-pack n. a spike that hits someone the face, usually in the course of
trying to block a shot. Possible response: "Would you pass me a towel to
rub the logo off my forehead?" Also v. Syn. facial. Rel. Spalding
tattoo: getting hit with the ball on any other body part.
sizzling the pits n. a hard-hit ball that barely clears the net,
immediately beside the blocker's outstretched arms.
sky ball n. a serve that is hit very high into the air; often done to
confuse the opponent, especially if conditions are sunny or windy. Also
v.
spank n. a great spike. Syn. crush.
stuff n. a block in which the ball goes straight down to the floor with
no hope of being picked up by an opposing player.
tomahawk n. an overhead bump.
tool n. when a ball is intentionally spiked off a blocker's hands to make
it go out of bounds. Also, v. Rel. used: when a hitter uses the blocker
as a tool. "Used like a dirty towel!"
toss a salad v. to make a bad set, or have bad hands during the setting
motion. "Geez, Tom, did you ever toss a salad! Do you eat with those
hands, too??"
waffle n. missing a spike completely or just off the tips of your fingers.
wipe v. to tool an opponent by pushing (rather than hitting) the ball off
of his/her hands.
--
Jerry Dunn
jer...@rain.org