yips

American  

[yips] / yɪps /

plural noun

Sports.

1. the sudden and unexplained loss of a motor skill used in a sport, as with a smooth golf swing reduced to a stuttering one, experienced by athletes who had previously mastered the required movements.

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yips British  

/ jɪps /

plural noun

1. informal (in sport, originally esp golf) nervous twitching or tension that destroys concentration and spoils performance

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Etymology

Origin of yips

First recorded in 1960–65; origin obscure

Example Sentences

I’m particularly fond of how the Na’vi express themselves in hisses and coyote yips and exhale the foreign name Jake Sully like a sneeze.

From Los Angeles Times

“Here we are,” she said, although the children were already on their feet and letting out excited yips and barks.

From Literature

The yips got so bad that she would occasionally miss putts by 20 feet on purpose because she knew she had no chance if she left them too close to the hole.

From The Wall Street Journal

“God, it’s been so much fun,” she says as her French bulldog, Banksy, yips at her feet.

From Los Angeles Times

Bernhard Langer, playing in his final Masters this week, overcame battles with the yips and became one of the greatest senior golfers of all-time.

From Los Angeles Times