drop shot

American  

noun

1. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) a ball or shuttlecock so softly hit that it falls to the playing surface just after clearing the net.

2. (in squash, handball, etc.) a ball so softly hit that it falls suddenly to the ground just after striking the front wall.

3. shot made in a shot tower.

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drop shot British  

noun

1. 1. tennis a softly-played return that drops abruptly after clearing the net, intended to give an opponent no chance of reaching the ball and usually achieved by imparting backspin

   2. squash a similar shot that stops abruptly after hitting the front wall of the court

2. a type of shot made by permitting molten metal to percolate through a sieve and then dropping it into a tank of water

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Etymology

Origin of drop shot

First recorded in 1630–40