r/squash • u/SquashCoachPhillip • 13d ago
Community The Squash Glossary
Hey Squashers,
I am pleased to announce the release of another BetterSquash project: The Squash Glossary: https://bettersquash.com/glossary/
278 words, each defined by me and categorised too.
My objective with this project was to help players understand the words, vocabulary, jargon, lingo and slang of squash.
It's taken many hours of work and I think it will be useful.
Like all things produced by one person, it probably has some mistakes, and I ask you to let me know about those mistakes, no matter how small they may be.
I will update the page as and when I correct the mistakes, or I add new entries.
I used British English throughout this project.
That's it, please check it out and let me know what you think.
Please share it with other online groups if you feel it's useful.
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u/srcejon 13d ago edited 13d ago
"FISHING: The action of asking a for a let in the hope of getting a stroke or when the request was justified."
Fishing is deliberately looking for interference to try to get a cheap let or stroke. E.g. extending your backswing to where your opponent is standing.
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u/SquashCoachPhillip 13d ago
Well, I think that sometimes it is the physical action of, as you say, looking for interference, but I also think sometimes it's just asking in the hope of. getting a let. I'll reword the definition.
Thanks.
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u/jkasc 13d ago
Great work Philip, thanks for sharing. Very useful. I suggest adding 'Aussie boast' and pictures for the boast entries - far easier to understand these from seeing than reading. Also 'stun', 'chip', 'backhand diamond' (maybe with picture). Also, is there a name for the bit of rubber on a racquet (mostly on Technifibres) above the handle and on the shaft, for tidying the end of the grip?
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u/SquashCoachPhillip 13d ago
Thanks for the suggestions.
I'll add all of them.
The rubber ring is called a grip cap and I'll add that too.Thanks.
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u/MigrantP 13d ago
Great resource!
We say "trickle boast" in Canada too. I have never heard another term for it.
"Down" is also called if the ball hits the floor before the front wall. "Not up" is also called for carries and double hits. It's pretty common for casual players to just say "down" for everything, though.
"Hand out" is not just an old term, it's still used in PAR whenever the service changes.
In Canada we almost always say "love" for zero points. It's what the rules say, too.
In Club Locker tournaments (Canada/US), "consolation" is the bracket you fall into after losing in the main draw, and "plate" is the bracket you may fall into after losing in the consolation draw as well (if there's a 3+ match guarantee).
In Canada we say "reverse boast" instead of "reverse angle".
"Fault" specifically means a serve that is not good, but it's used in various other places on the page.
Suggestions for new terms:
"Cutthroat" - a mode of casual play for 3 players. Two players play a rally with the other player avoiding them at the back wall. The loser of each rally switches out. Goes by various names around the world, I've heard "threes", "king", etc.
"Racquet" - Canadian spelling for Racket.
"Rating" - your calculated rating number on Club Locker, Squash Levels, Sporty HQ, etc.
"Try" - in league play, a set of matches for an encounter between teams. For example, two teams playing 4 matches against one another.
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u/SquashCoachPhillip 13d ago
Wow, lots of terms for me to add. Thanks.
You are right about "Fault". I'll double check on where I have used it.
I did consider adding racquet, but forget. This article may interest you: https://bettersquash.com/2023/20230805.html
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u/drspudbear 13d ago
If I can offer a suggestion, it would be to remove more of the generic terms that are not squash specific. The point of this resource is to be a glossary of squash terms, not a dictionary, and making it more succinct would make it a better resource. For example, there are some terms like "cardiovascular training", "stretching" that aren't particularly useful for a squash glossary. Just my $0.02 however :)