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Glite Dictionary
💸 To sell cheaper 🪚 To cut underneath 🪓 To notch a tree 🎾 To give backspin ✂️ A lower cut 🌳 A tree notch ⛏️ Removed material 💇 A short hairstyle 🥩 A tender meat 🏓 A spin shot
undercut

undercut

7.4
A stroke that makes the ball spin backward so it drops quickly
  • noun
  • /ˈʌndərˌkʌt/
  • Jargon
translation icon : golpe cortado
  • The player executed a precise undercut that caused the ball to spin backward and drop just over the net.

Examples

  • You can control the pace of the game with a well-placed undercut in table tennis.

  • His backhand undercut made the ball drop sharply over the net.

  • The coach demonstrated how to execute an effective undercut during the match.

  • The player executed a perfect undercut during the match.

  • With a strong undercut, she sent the ball spinning back.

  • During the training session, the coach focused on teaching the players how to perform an effective undercut in tennis.

  • In table tennis, applying an undercut can significantly alter the ball's trajectory, making it harder for opponents to return.

Synonyms

cut
vsundercut
11 5.1

A hit or swing used to strike a ball

is a stroke that specifically makes the ball rotate backward not any spin
backspin
vsundercut
4 3.7

A backward turn of a ball that makes it slow or move back after it bounces

is the stroke that produces the backward spin rather than the spin itself
chop shot
vsundercut
  • Jargon
6.9

A tennis stroke where you hit the ball downwards so it spins backwards

is the general stroke that creates backward spin without requiring a downward motion

How Much

chop
  • Jargon
26 5.1
undercut
  • Jargon
7.4
to slice
  • Jargon
30 6.9
to stroke
9 3.5

Surface Forms

undercut singular
undercuts plural

Morphology

undercut = cut (transparent) = under + cut

The sports sense describes cutting under the ball to impart reverse spin; this is directly inferable from 'under' + 'cut'.

Etymology

Undercut comes from under 'below' and cut 'to cut'. In sports it describes striking under the ball so it gets reverse or backspin, as if you cut beneath it. So an undercut shot is one that comes from below the ball to change its spin.