passing shot

1 4.6

A tennis hit that goes past an opponent at the net

noun

Specialized

: remate

During the match, his passing shot sailed past the opponent's outstretched racket, showcasing his skill.
a forehand passing shot
a backhand passing shot
passing shot down the line

Examples

That was an almost impossible passing shot.

Wimbledon (2004)
And some passing shots.

Blog text (22)
And Venus has to decide whether to try to hit a passing shot past Serena on Serena's left or on Serena's right.
Ryan is the leader, while Christian is the scrappy wildcard who deflects screaming passing shots with scissor-handed volleys.

Blog text (1)
In the final set, he executed a stunning passing shot that left his opponent scrambling at the net.
She won the point with a perfectly timed passing shot that went just beyond her rival's reach.

How Difficult

ace

Specialized

6 4.5

passing shot

Specialized

1 4.6

ground stroke

Jargon

1 3.5

Surface Forms

passing shot singular

passing shots plural

Morphology

passing + shot

The meaning is directly compositional: 'passing' (moving past) + 'shot' (a hit/attempt) yields a shot that passes an opponent at the net. This sports-specific collocation follows ordinary English composition and is likely inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

The noun passing shot comes from tennis: imagine an opponent standing at the net and you hit the ball so it goes past them and out of their reach. The word passing shows the ball going by the opponent and shot is the hit. So a passing shot means 'a shot that goes past an opponent at the net'.