yips
yips Lexical Profile
yips Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A state of nervous tension or focal dystonia affecting an athlete (especially in golf, baseball, or darts), causing involuntary muscle twitches and a sudden loss of fine motor skills during crucial plays.
"The veteran golfer developed a severe case of the yips and struggled to sink even short putts during the tournament."
Plural form of yip: short, high-pitched barks or cries, especially as made by a small dog, puppy, or fox.
"We could hear the excited yips of the terrier puppies coming from the backyard."
• verb
To utter a short, sharp, high-pitched bark or cry (third-person singular simple present of yip).
"The miniature poodle yips excitedly whenever the doorbell rings."
Word Nuance & Usage
In the sporting sense of nervous twitches or performance anxiety, "yips" is a plural-form noun nearly always preceded by the definite article ("the yips") and treated as either singular or plural in agreement.
• Rhymes for yips
Word Origin & Etymology
Popularized in the mid-20th century by Scottish-American golfer Tommy Armour to describe sudden nervous twitches during putting, likely derived from the imitative word "yip" (a sharp, sudden cry or bark).