grand slam

[ grand slam ]

noun

1. Bridge. the winning of all thirteen tricks of a deal. Compare little slam.
2. Also grand-slammer. Baseball. a home run with three runners on base.
3. Sports. the winning by a single player of several designated major championship contests in one season, as in golf or tennis.
4. any sweeping success or total victory.

grand slam

noun

1. bridge the winning of 13 tricks by one player or side or the contract to do so
2. tennis golf
   1. the winning of all major competitions in a season, esp in tennis and golf
   2. one of the 4 major competitions in a season in tennis
3. See triple crown
   often capital rugby Union the winning of all five games in the annual Six Nations Championship involving England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy Compare triple crown

Word History and Origins

Origin of grand slam¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Idioms and Phrases

A sweeping success or total victory, as in This presentation gave us a grand slam—every buyer placed an order . This term originated in the early 1800s in the card game of whist (forerunner of contract bridge), where it refers to the taking of all thirteen tricks. It later was extended to bridge and various sports, where it has different meanings: in baseball, a home run hit with runners on all the bases, resulting in four runs for the team; in tennis, winning all four national championships in a single calendar year; in golf, winning all four major championships. In the 1990s the term was used for four related proposals presented on a ballot at once.

Example Sentences

Though he didn’t hit a grand slam, he did lift the ball to right field near the warning track, deep enough for Justin Upton to tag and score the tying run from third, which contributed to the Angels’ eventual 6-5 win.

From FiveThirtyEight

For the Atlanta Braves, that meant burying the Washington Nationals with a grand slam that stood against a late offensive push Wednesday.

From Washington Post

Achieving a grand slam — catching a bonefish, permit and tarpon on the same day — is also possible in season.

From Washington Post

In his career, he's walked home many runs, but in more than thirty-eight hundred innings, Palmer has never given up a grand slam.

From The Daily Beast

Maria Sharapova Why You Might Know Her: The five-time Grand Slam champion has been a corporate glamour girl since 2004.

From The Daily Beast

Why You Might Know Her: The 18 Grand Slam titles help, as does being one-half of the most famous sister pair in sporting history.

From The Daily Beast

Andy Murray, two-time Grand Slam champion, just happened to hire a woman.

From The Daily Beast

Cuomo is touting his on-time budgets over the last four years as a “grand slam.”

From The Daily Beast

A Grand Slam, winning all thirteen tricks, adds 40 points to the honour score.

From Project Gutenberg

That grand slam had wrecked the bridge, pinning the commander under the wreckage.

From Project Gutenberg

All four played well, and when at last Miss Carrington made a grand slam her joy was effervescent.

From Project Gutenberg

I had to partner him at bridge, and brought off a grand slam.

From Project Gutenberg

If he had showed his ace, the villain, I should have declared a grand slam in no trumps!

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accomplishment
• achievement
• advance
• benefit
• boom
• fame
• gain
• happiness
• profit
• progress
• prosperity
• realization
• triumph
• victory
• win