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yips

[yips]

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.



yips

/ jɪps /

plural noun

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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of yips1

First recorded in 1960–65; origin obscure
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Word History and Origins

Origin of yips1

C20: of unknown origin
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

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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.

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“I’ve had the yips on four different occasions. It seems like every seven years for some reason, just not lately, thank goodness.”

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Brooklyn Moors battled a classic case of the yips.

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A case of the “twisties” has been compared to the so-called “yips,” which can happen in baseball and golf and was famously depicted in the Apple TV+ show "Ted Lasso."

Read more on Salon

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