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Glite Dictionary
chop shot

chop shot

6.9
A tennis stroke where you hit the ball downwards so it spins backwards
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : golpe cortado
  • Her impressive chop shot sent the ball skidding low over the net.

Examples

  • It's difficult to return a well-executed chop shot in a fast-paced match.

  • He executed a perfect chop shot during the match.

  • He used a chop shot to keep his opponent on the defensive.

  • Did you see that amazing chop shot?

  • The player executed a perfect chop shot that sent the ball spinning back over the net.

  • With a swift motion, she hit a chop shot that surprised her opponent by bouncing low.

  • During the match, he used a chop shot to gain an advantage by making the ball difficult to return.

Synonyms

chop
vschop shot
  • Jargon
26 5.1

A stroke that hits the ball with a sharp downward motion to make it spin

is the downward tennis stroke that specifically produces backspin
cut
vschop shot
11 5.1

A hit or swing used to strike a ball

is a specific tennis downward stroke creating backspin not just general spin

How Much Backspin

chop shot
  • Jargon
6.9

Surface Forms

chop shot singular
chop shots plural

Morphology

chop + shot

The noun is transparently compositional: 'chop' evokes a downward cutting motion and 'shot' denotes a sporting strike, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a shot produced by a chopping/downward stroke (which in tennis yields backspin). This follows common English naming patterns for sports techniques and has clear cross-linguistic analogues, so the meaning is immediately derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Chop shot comes from the idea of chop as a short downward cut and shot as a hit. One popular image is cutting down on the ball so it gets a backward spin and skids low over the net, so the phrase means 'a stroke that makes the ball spin backwards and stay low', making it hard for the opponent to return.