yips

2 definitions • 6 examples

in sports, especially golf, a condition in which a player is suddenly not able to hit, throw, or kick the ball well, usually because of nervousness:

He gave up competitive golf after developing a serious case of the yips on his putting.

He fell prey to the bowling yips at the beginning of last season.

Footballers are as vulnerable to the yips as anyone.

a state of nervousness:

"People have the yips about a conservative owning a newspaper in a liberal town," she said.

She's got the yips and can't go onstage.

Boy do rollercoasters give me a big case of the yips!