Buzzer Beater

(top to bottom) Arike Ogunbowale takes the inbound, one bounce, puts it up, total swish at the buzzer, jubilation! 

It happened again.  This time is was a for the national college women’s basketball championship – a last minute shot when Arike Ogunbowale lofted a high, arcing jumper over Mississippi State’s Victoria Vivians. Basketball experts might call it an off-balance, half-shot leaner, (Notre Dame fans would surely call it a “prayer”), but nonetheless, the shot was perfect, this time with a tenth of a second remaining. It completed another come-from-behind run for Notre Dame that seemed unlikely, culminating with a trophy presentation at Nationwide Arena.  Last minute heroics are sprinkled throughout sports history, along with fun terms like “buzzer beater” that make up the jargon-laced pastime.  Around here at KHT, we have our own terms, like when a job is “hot” (needs to get out the door), a “batch”, (when we fill our ovens with work), and the ultimate PIA ones!  (Yes, we have our saves too!). Fortunately, my team is fantastic and we often “crush it”!  I could go on for a while but won’t. For our blog this week, I found some fun slang (see how well you know your stuff) and exciting links to You Tube game and match-ending footage.  Enjoy!

See the amazing Arike Ogunbowale shot HERE.
See two minutes of the game then the amazing Arike Ogunbowale shot HERE.

Test Your Sports Slang Knowledge

  1. Nutmeg
  2. Frozen Rope
  3. 5 Hole
  4. Sparkplug
  5. Catch a Crab
  6. Lettuce
  7. Stinger
  8. Ace
  9. Pepper
  10. Juiced
  11. Kayo
  12. Facial
  13. Pine rider
  14. Bean-ball
  15. Haymaker
  16. Six Pack
  17. Chunk
  18. Dirty Air
  19. Irons
  20. Gong Show

How many did you get?
Scroll down to see the definitions.
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KHT Sports Slang/Trivia Answers

  1. Nutmeg- A nutmeg (or tunnel, nut, megs, megnuts, panna, brooksy), is a playing technique used chiefly in association football (soccer), but also in field hockey, ice hockey, and basketball. The aim is to kick, roll, dribble, throw, or push the ball (or puck) between an opponent’s legs (feet). A nutmeg cannot be called (or counted) if the ball touches an opponent’s legs on the way through
  2. Frozen Rope- A baseball line drive, or basketball free throw, or shot from the floor with little/no arc.
  3. 5 Hole- The “five-hole” is a nickname for the space between a goaltender’s legs in ice hockey. If a player scores by shooting the puck into the goal between the goaltender’s legs, he is said to have scored “through the five-hole,” or to have “gone five-hole.” The nickname can also be used in basketball, when a player throws a bounce pass that goes through a defender’s legs. This expression comes from Canadian five pin bowling.
  4. Sparkplug- There are many things coaches and managers look for when picking the players for their respective teams. One thing often overlooked is the high energy guy – the sparkplug of the team. “Spark plugs” are people who help their team stay energized game after game, night after night.
  5. Catch a Crab- A crab is the term rowers use when the oar blade gets “caught” in the water. It is caused by a momentary flaw in oar technique – and it has happened to anyone who has ever rowed. A crab may be minor, allowing the rower to quickly recover, or it may be so forceful that the rower is ejected from the boat
  6. Lettuce – I don’t have this problem!!- Lettuce is the term used by hockey and lacrosse players to describe the look of their helmut hair, just after a game.  Debates abound between lettuce, and “flow”, the natural outcome of long hair, heavy sweat and of course, a good mullet cut.
  7. Stinger- stingeralso called a burner or nerve pinch injury, is a neurological injury suffered by athletes, mostly in high-contact sports such as ice hockey, rugby, American football, and wrestling. The spine injury is characterized by a shooting or stinging pain that travels down one arm, followed by numbness and weakness. Many athletes in contact sports have suffered stingers, but they are often unreported to medical professionals.
  8. Ace  – My team is full of these.- A clean first serve in tennis that is not touched.  Also, a nickname for a very good player.
  9. Pepper- To pepper, two players face each other separated by a distance of 5–20 feet (2–6 meters). Distances vary based upon the players’ preference. Player 2 starts by hitting or tossing a volleyball to player 1. Player 1 then passes the ball back to player 2 starting the drill.
  10. Juiced- Often the term used to describe an athlete that has used strength or performance enhancing drugs.  Also, a slang word for when a baseball bat has been altered, to initiate more power, as in a “juiced bat”.
  11. Kayo- In Boxing: To put out of commission. From the boxing phrase “knockout” (knock unconscious), abbreviated “K.O.” and pronounced and often written as “kayo” or “kayod”.
  12. Facial- In basketball, when you slam dunk the ball so hard that the defensive player standing beneath the goal gets a ball hard in the face. Often this happens to the unfortunate 12th man that is playing during mop-up time in a blowout game.
  13. Pine rider- In most any sport, a nickname for a player who never gets to see action in a game and is sitting on the “pine” bench.
  14. Bean-ball- Beanball is a colloquialism used in baseball, for a ball thrown at an opposing player with the intention of striking him such as to cause harm, often connoting a throw at the player’s head (or “bean” in old-fashioned slang). A pitcher who throws beanballs often is known as a “headhunter”
  15. Haymaker- A powerful forceful punch. The word usually used in boxing, or when fighting breaks out in a match/game. It is often referenced when a person/player swings with full force, twisting his waist and shoulders round before turning back unleashing a mighty blow! (it comes from how hay used to be harvested by swinging a scythe, since the punch resembles the same motion and level of power).
  16. Six Pack – Nope!- Often called “six-pack abs” (abdominal muscles). Someone who has a flat, muscular stomach is said to have a “six pack” or “six pack abs”. The next time you see a person with a flat, in shape stomach, count the firm muscles just above the belly button. You will see three muscles on one side and three on the other, thus referred to as a “six pack”
  17. Chunk – Yup!- Most often used in golf, it is when a player catches more of the ground than the ball, and “chucks” the earth, reducing distance and spin.  Players who did not hit their intended target and come up short will say, “I chunked it”.
  18. Dirty Air  – Yup!- A car racing term, clean air is the undisturbed air that flows over a car, allowing for the wings and body to get the maximum amount of downforce. Dirty air, on the other hand, is disturbed air from a car in front. This means that the amount of air coming into contact with the car following behind another car is less, which reduces downforce and impacts performance.
  19. Irons- While you might thing golf, it is also a horse racing slang term for the stirrups.
  20. Gong Show- A hockey slang term, started in Canada and in recognition of the popular TV show, when a game gets out of hand, and becomes unpredictable, as in “this game’s become a Gong Show”.