“String tight for control, loose for power” (racket adage)
"Tight for control, loose for power" is an adage for stringing a tennis racket or racquetball racquet, cited in print since at least 1983. The theory is that looser strings result in…
“Study long, study wrong” (dominoes adage)
"Study long, study wrong" has been used in many sports and games, such as dominoes, cards, checkers, golf, billiards and horse racing. "If you study long, you study wrong" has…
“Styles make fights” (boxing adage)
"Styles make fights" is a boxing adage that dates to at least a March 1938 newspaper story by syndicated sportswriter Grantland Rice, describing the styles of heavyweights Joe Louis and…
“Succeed and proceed”
"One and done" means that a star high school basketball player plays one year in college, and then announces that he is turning professional. There often is little incentive to do well at…
“Summer league can’t tell you who can play, only who can’t” (basketball adage)
The NBA holds summer leagues for rookies and free agents who are trying to prove themselves and get a spot on a professional basketball roster. The saying about summer league is that it…
“Summer nights and ballpark lights”
"Summer nights and ballpark lights" is a summer saying that has been printed on many images. "Summer nights and ballpark lights" was posted on Twitter by nīck® on May 14,…
“Summer wrestlers make winter champions” (wrestling adage)
"Summer wrestlers make winter champions" (or "Summer wrestling makes winter champions") is a popular wrestling adage. "Summer wrestling makes winter champions" was…
“Super Bowl implies the existence of a Super Plate”
The Super Bowl (NFL football's championship game) has nothing to do with a bowl for consuming food, but there are jokes. "They have a Super Bowl but why dont they have a Super…
“Super Bowl implies the existence of a Super Spoon”
The Super Bowl (NFL football's championship game) has nothing to do with a bowl for consuming food, but there are jokes. "Yo mama so stupid when she went to the Super Bowl she brought a…
“Surely, not everybody was kung-fu fighting”
"Surely, not everybody was kung-fu fighting" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. The joke is on the song "Kung Fu Fighting" (1974) by Carl Douglas, which…
“Survive and advance” (in a single elimination tournament)
North Carolina State won the NCAA Division 1 Basketball Tournament (a single elimination tournament) in 1983 with a memorable upset victory on a last-second shot. Queens, New York-born N.C. State…
“Swallow the whistle” (not call a penalty)
Sports referees do, on occasion, swallow their whistles, but the term "swallowed his/her whistle" is an idiom that means a referee is not going to blow the whistle to call infractions.…
“Swimming is basically having fun trying not to drown”
"Swimming is basically having fun trying not to drown" is a saying that was posted on Reddit -- Shower Thoughts on December 5, 2016. The saying was posted again on Reddit -- Shower…
“Swimming isn’t a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning”
"Swimming isn't a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning" is a joke that has been credited -- correctly -- to both American comedian George Carlin (1937-2008) and American…
“Swimming: The only sport in which the coach yells at you for breathing”
"Swimming: The only sport in which the coach yells at you for breathing" is a swimming saying that has been printed on many images. "Swimming, The only time you get punished for…
“Swing hard, in case you hit it”
"Swing hard in case you hit it" is the advice a baseball batter sometimes gets, especially against a hard-throwing pitcher. "Just swing, that's my philosophy," Baltimore…
“Swing with ease into the breeze” (golf adage)
"Swing with ease into the breeze" is a popular golfing adage. There is a tendency to swing too hard to compensate for the wind, but experts caution against this. The original saying --…
“Swing. Swear. Look for ball. Repeat” (golf saying)
"Swing. Swear. Look for ball. Repeat" is a golf saying that has been printed on many images. "@Jeremy_Roenick sounds like you watched my how to golf video...swear swing drink and…
“Swish!” (basketball term)
Marty Glickman (1917-2001) was the first radio announcer for basketball's New York Knickerbockers in 1946. Glickman heard the Knicks players say "Swish!" as a basketball went…
“Take one for the team”
To "take one for the team" means a personal sacrifice a player makes for the benefit of the team. The expression began in baseball and has been cited in print since at least 1969. A…