Squash Glossary

Squash Glossary [back home]

The glossary contains definition from many sources, including the rules of squash.

ACE: A shot with which the receiver cannot even make contact with the racquet; used especially with reference to service.
ALLEY: The area along the sidewalls. See Rail.
APPEAL: A player's request to the Referee to consider an on or off court situation. "Appeal" is used throughout the rules in two contexts:
ANGLE: Any shot which hits a sidewall before hitting the front wall.
AROUND: See Coming Around.
ATTEMPT: The Referee shall decide what is an attempt to play the ball. An attempt is made, when in the opinion of the Referee, the striker has moved his racket towards the ball from the backswing position.
BACKING ON THE BALL: Backing up from the sidewall, especially on service, to take a ball that is coming out far from the side and/or backwall.
BACKSPIN: See Spin.
BACKSWING: (REASONABLE) The initial action used by a player in moving his racket away from his body as preparation prior to racket movement towards the ball for contact. A backswing is reasonable if it is not excessive. An excessive backswing is one in which the plauer's racket arm is extended towards a straight arm position and/or the racket is extended with the shaft approximately horizontal. The Referee's decision on what constitutes a reasonable as distinct from excessive backswing is final.
BACKWALL SHOT: A shot that hits the backwall and a sidewall (in either order) before reaching the front wall.
BOARD: The lowest horizontal marking on the front wall, with the tin beneath it covering the full width of the court.
BOAST: Any shot that hits three walls before bouncing.
BOAST FOR NICK: A boast that lands in th nick and dies.
BOX: (SERVICE) A square area in each quarter court bounded by part of the short line, part of the side wall and by two other lines, and from within which the server serves.
COME OUT: Used in reference to a ball that is mishit and instead of dying, dropping, or rolling from the nick, comes out again toward the center court for an easy retrieve.
COMING AROUND: (also called Turning on the Ball) Making a 180-degree turn from one's forehand to backhand (or vice versa) to take a ball that is rebounding out from a sidewall or a backwall. The player alerts his opponent of his intent by saying "around" or "coming around."
CORNER: Any shot that hits a sidewall close to the front wall and then hits the front wall. See Reverse Corner.
CROSS COURT: A front wall shot that makes a "V" shape and lands in the opposite side of the court from which it was played, in mid-court or deeper.
CUT: See Spin.
CUTLINE: A line upon the front wall, 50 millimeters (2 inches) in width, the top edge of which is 1.83 meters (6 feet) above the floor and extending the full width of the court.
DIE: When a ball fails to bounce or come out because it has been hot with great touch, underspin, or has hit the nick.
DOUBLE BOAST: A shot that hits the two sidewalls before hitting the front wall.
DOWN: The expression used to indicate that an otherwise good service or return has struck the board or tin or has failed to reach the front wall; or that a player has been struck by the ball before it has bounced more than once upon the floor. ("Down" is also used as a Marker's call).
DOWN THE LINE: Played along the alley or rail.
DRIVE: A front wall shot hit for power; a rail or cross court.
DROP: A shot hit with great touch so that it dies close to the front wall; literally, any shot that drops after hitting the front wall.
FAULT: A missed or unacceptable serve.
FOLLOW-THROUGH: (REASONABLE) The action used by a player in continuing the movement of his racket after it has contacted the ball. A follow-through is reasonable if it is not excessive. An excessive follow-through is one in which the player's racket arm is extended towards a straight arm position with the racket also extended with the shaft horizontal - particularly when the extended position is maintained for other than a momentary period of time. And excessive follow-through is also one in which the arm extended towards a straight position takes a wider arc than the continued line of flight of the ball, even though the racket is on the correct vertical position. The Referee's decision on what constitutes a reasonable as distinct from excessive follow-through is final.
FOOT FAULT: A serve that is unacceptable because the server's foot was not totally inside the service box up to the point at which contact was made with the ball.
GAME: Part of a match, commencing with a service and concluding when one player has scored or been awarded nine or ten points (in accordance with the rules).
GAME BALL: The state of the score when the server requires one point to win the game in progress. ("Game ball" is also used as a Marker's call).
GET: A difficult but successful return.
HALF-COURT: LINE A line set upon the floor parallel to the side walls, dividing the back of the court into two equal parts, meeting the short line at its midpoint to form the "T".
HALF TIME: The midpoint of the warmup ("Half time" is also used as a Referee's call).
HALF VOLLEY: A shot played immediately after the ball bounces, just inches above floor level.
HAND: The period from the time a player becomes server until he becomes receiver.
HAND OUT: Condition when a change of server occurs. ("Hand out" is also used as a Marker's call to indicate that a change of hand has occurred).
LENGTH: Used to describe a ball hit down the line or cross court that makes its second bounce and dies near the bottom of the back wall.
LET: A situation in which a point is replayed. See Rule 7.
LOB: A shot hit upward and softly on the front wall that arcs high off the front wall and comes down deep in the backcourt.
MASKED ANGLE: An angle shot made in the forecourt in which the body covers the shot.
MATCH: The complete contest between two players, commencing with the warm up and concluding when both players have left the court at end of the final rally (covers broken ball rule).
MATCHBALL: The state of the score when the server requires one point to win the match. ("Match ball" is also used as a Marker's call).
NICK: A shot that hits the juncture of the floor and wall, and dies. Also, the juncture itself.
NO SET: See Set.
NOT UP: The expression used to indicate that the ball has not been struck in accordance with the rules. "Not up" applies when 1) the ball is not struck correctly by the server or striker, 2) the ball bounces more than once upon the floor before being struck by the striker, 3) the ball touches the striker or anything that he wears or carries other than his racket, 4) the server makes an attempt but fails to strike the ball. ("Not up" is also a Marker's call).
OAK TREE: The area in the center of the court which the average player can reach while standing with one foot on the T.
OUT: The expression used to indicate that 1) the ball has struck the out line, or a wall above the out line, or the ceiling, or any fitting attached to the ceiling and/or wall above the out line or 2) the ball has passed through any fitting attached to the ceiling and/or wall above the out line or 3) in addition to 1) and 2) on courts which are not fully enclosed the ball has passed over the out line and out of the court without touching any wall or, if no out line is provided, passed over any wall and out of the court. ("Out" is also used as a Marker's call).
OUT LINE: A continuous line comprising the front wall line, both sides wall lines and the back wall line and marking the top boundaries of the court. Note: When a court is constructed without provision of such a line, ie. the walls comprise only the area used for play, or without part of such a line (eg. a glass back wall) and the ball in play strikes part of the horizontal top surface of such a wall and deflects back into court, the ball is out. The decision should be made in the normal manner by the Marker, subject to appeal to the Referee.
PHILADELPHIA: (BOAST) A sort of boast in reverse, ususally played from the front of the court, in which the ball hits high on the front wall first, near the corner, hits the near sidewall, and then sails diagonally cross court near the back of the opposite sidewall, and hopefully dies soon thereafter.
POINT: A unit of the scoring system. One point is added to a player's score when he is the server and wins a stroke.
PUTAWAY: A winning shot. An irretrievable shot.
QUARTER COURT: One half of the back part of the court which has been divided into two equal parts by the half-court line.
RAIL: A shot hit close to and parallel to the sidewalls - that is, down the line or alley; a power drive hit for length.
RALLY: A service only or service and any number of returns of the ball, ending when the ball ceases to be in play.
REVERSE ANGLE: See Reverse Corner.
REVERSE CORNER: (also called reverse angle) A corner shot to the opposite sidewall from where the stiker is standing.
ROLL CORNER: A slow, exaggerated corner shot that hits the sidewall well back toward the center of the court.
SERVICE: The method by which the ball is put into play by the server to commence a rally.
SERVICE LINE: A line, 50 millimeters (2 inches) in width, set out upon the floor parallel to and 5.44 meters (18 feet) from the front wall and extending the full width of the court.
SET: When the score reaches 8 all, hand out must choose before the next service is delivered, either to continue the game to 10 points, which is termed 'Set Two', or declare 'No Set' in which case the first player to reach 9 points wins the game.
SIDESPIN: See Spin.
SLICE: See Spin.
SLOW ANGLE: An angle shot that strikes the sidewall in mid- to backcourt.
SPIN: The rotation of the ball in flight, which is imparted by the point on the ball contacted by the racquet, the angle of the racquet face at the time of contact, and the direction of the racquet during the swing.
STRIKER: The player whose turn it is to hit the ball after it has rebounded from the front wall, or who is in the process of hitting the ball, or who - up to the point of his return reaching the front wall - has just hit the ball.
STROKE: The gain achieved by the player who wins a rally, either in the course of play or on award by the Referee, and which results in either the scoring of a point or change of hand.
T: The T-shaped configuration formed by the juncture of the halfcourt line and the short line. Control of the area around the juncture of these lines is the key to advantageous court position.
TELLTALE: See Tin.
THREE-WALL NICK: See Boast for Nick.
THREE-WALL SHOT: See Boast.
TIN: Situated between the board and the floor covering the full width of the court and constructed in such a manner as to make a distinctive noise when struck by the ball.
TOPSPIN: See Spin.
TOUCH: Finesse or deftnes in controlling the speed and placement of the ball, used especially in reference to non-power shots.
TURNING: See Coming Around.
TURNING ON THE BALL: See Coming Around.
UNDERSPIN: See Spin.
VOLLEY: A shot in which the ball is hit before it bounces.
WINNER: See Putaway.