Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun plural Nervousness or tension that causes an athlete to fail to perform effectively, especially in missing short putts in golf.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun informal A nervous condition which prevents a sportsman from playing properly; especially a condition which causes a golfer to miss an easy putt, or a tennis player to serve a double fault.
  • noun Plural form of yip.
  • verb Third-person singular simple present indicative form of yip.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun nervous tension that causes an athlete to fail (especially causes golfers to miss short putts)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably imitative of jerky motions caused by tension.]

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Examples

  • Most of us have heard the term yips in sports before, but what are they exactly?

    Choke Ph.D. Sian Beilock 2010

  • Most of us have heard the term yips in sports before, but what are they exactly?

    Choke Ph.D. Sian Beilock 2010

  • Most of us have heard the term yips in sports before, but what are they exactly?

    Choke Ph.D. Sian Beilock 2010

  • Paddock is a craven Hyena to frightened to approach the Leonine beast except by cowardly yips from a safe distance.

    Dirty Paddick Newmania 2008

  • Paddock is a craven Hyena to frightened to approach the Leonine beast except by cowardly yips from a safe distance.

    Archive 2008-01-01 Newmania 2008

  • Paddock is a craven Hyena to frightened to approach the Leonine beast except by cowardly yips from a safe distance.

    Archive 2007-12-30 Newmania 2007

  • "Historically, most of the people who use long putters or belly putters are golfers who have mental demons—I hate to use the 'Y' word for that dreaded affliction known as the yips—or maybe have trouble bending over because of some physical ailment," said Mike Davis, the USGA's executive director, in an interview.

    Long Putters Shake Off the Stigma John Paul Newport 2011

  • Unfortunately this left with him with what golfers call the yips, or perhaps the tweeps.

    Guardian Online 2010

  • What wondrous words would we hear in place of little "yips" and "grrrs"?

    fifille - French Word-A-Day 2009

  • What wondrous words would we hear in place of little "yips" and "grrrs"?

    fifille - French Word-A-Day 2009

  • The precise movements characterising the muscle actions of archers (target panic), tap dancers, runners, hairdressers, golfers (the yips), musicians, and computer programmers are found among people living with dystonia.

    Dystonia plagues musicians and has no easy remedies | Aeon Essays 2023

Comments

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  • "Target panic is akin to the “yips�? in baseball and golf, when accomplished athletes can no longer make a simple throw to first base or stroke an easy putt."

    The New York Times, The Secret Curse of Expert Archers, by Katie Thomas, August 1, 2008

    August 1, 2008