alley-oop

American  

[al-ee-oop] / ˈæl iˈup /

interjection

1. (used as a shout of encouragement, exhortation, or the like, especially when coordinating efforts to lift a heavy object.)

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noun

1. Basketball. a quick-score play in which a high, arching pass is made to a teammate close to the basket, who leaps to catch the ball and in midair drops or stuffs it through the basket.

Etymology

Origin of alley-oop

First recorded in 1915–20; from French allez-hop; allez, imperative of aller “to go” + hop, variant of houp, an interjection of expressive origin; alley ¹ ( def. ), hoopla ( def. )

Example Sentences

The Trojans slammed home one alley-oop, then another, then another in the second half.

From Los Angeles Times

Paul brought “Lob City” to L.A., throwing alley-oop passes to star forward Blake Griffin, who soared through the air to dunk them down.

From The Wall Street Journal

To say there could be lots of alley-oop passes this season for St. Francis might be an understatement.

From Los Angeles Times

He shoots 3-pointers and swats them away; he slams home alley-oops and hauls in rebounds.

From The Wall Street Journal

And the kind of two-on-one fast break with Austin Reaves and LeBron James that usually would be an alley-oop became an alley-oops when Reaves threw the ball too high and James missed the layup.

From Los Angeles Times