47 squash terms explained, including boast, length, nick, telltale and the T, each with a one-line definition.
Squash terminology is mostly a set of names for angles: where the ball met the wall, and how little the opponent could do about it. The words related to squash below cover the shots and the calls, and the squash glossary after them adds the words associated with squash that a club night takes for granted, the telltale, the T, the length, and the difference between a let and a stroke.
Must-Know Squash Terms, Phrases and Slang:
- Boast
- Crosscourt
- Drive
- Drop shot
- Game ball
- Ghosting
- Let
- Lob
- Nick
- No let
- Rally
- Serve
- Stroke
- Tin
- Volley
- Back wall
- Ball mark
- Clinch
- Corner kill
- Cutthroat
- Down
- Fault
- Grip
- Hand out
- Kill shot
- Match ball
- The T
- Side wall
- Stroke play
- Tiebreak
Squash Glossary: Every Term A to Z
| Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Back wall | The rear wall of the court. Balls that come off it give the easiest attacking chances in the game. |
| Backhand | The stroke played across the body on the non-dominant side, and the side most rallies are aimed at. |
| Ball Mark | The smudge the ball leaves on a wall or floor, used to settle whether a shot was in or out. |
| Boast | A shot played into a side wall or the back wall first, so it reaches the front wall at an angle. |
| Clinch | To settle a game or match by winning the decisive points. |
| Corner Kill | An attacking shot hit low into a front corner so the ball bounces twice before it can be reached. |
| Crosscourt | A shot sent to the front wall on an angle so it travels diagonally into the opposite back corner. |
| Cutthroat | A three player variation in which one player serves against the other two, rotating the server. |
| Double yellow dot | The slowest ball, marked with two yellow dots, used in competition. Faster balls with a single yellow, red or blue dot suit colder courts and newer players. |
| Down | The call when the ball hits the tin or the floor before the front wall. The rally is lost. |
| Drive | A straight shot hit parallel to a side wall towards the back of the court, the backbone of the game. |
| Drop shot | A soft shot played just above the tin so it dies in a front corner. |
| Fault | A serve that breaks the rules, for instance one that misses the correct service box or fails to reach past the short line. |
| Forehand | The stroke played on the dominant hand side. |
| Front wall | The wall every shot must reach, bounded below by the tin and above by the out line. |
| Game ball | The point that would win the current game. |
| Get | A retrieval nobody expected, dug out of a corner. The word is used as a compliment on its own. |
| Ghosting | Practising court movement without a ball, running the patterns to the corners to train footwork and recovery to the T. |
| Grip | How the racket is held. A slightly open face is standard, because most squash shots need cut rather than flat power. |
| Hand Out | The change of server. The incoming server takes over after winning the rally. |
| Kill Shot | A hard, low shot into the front wall intended to end the rally outright. |
| Length | A drive hit deep enough that the ball dies in a back corner. Good length is what keeps the opponent behind you. |
| Let | A replayed rally, given when interference stopped a fair chance at the ball without costing a clear winner. |
| Lob | A high, soft shot to the front wall that drops into a back corner over the opponent's reach. |
| Match Ball | The point that would win the whole match. |
| Nick | A shot that lands exactly in the join between side wall and floor and rolls out dead. The most satisfying shot in squash. |
| No let | The referee's ruling that no interference occurred, or that the player could not have made the ball anyway. The rally stands as played. |
| PAR scoring | Point-a-rally scoring, in which every rally scores whoever served it. Games are played to 11. |
| Rail | Another name for a straight drive hugging the side wall, more common in North America than in Britain. |
| Rally | The exchange of shots from the serve until one player cannot return the ball legally. |
| Referee | The official who rules on lets, strokes and no lets. At professional level three referees share the decision. |
| Reverse boast | A boast hit into the far side wall rather than the near one, sending the ball across the court the long way. |
| Serve | The stroke that starts the rally, hit to the front wall above the service line so it lands in the opposite quarter. |
| Service box | The marked square the server must keep one foot inside while serving. |
| Setting | The procedure at 10-10, where play continues until one player leads by two points. Tiebreak is the everyday word for it. |
| Short line | The line across the court that a serve must land behind, marking the boundary of the front half of the floor. |
| Side wall | The walls left and right of the court, used for boasts, nicks and tight length. |
| Straight drop | A drop shot played into the same side of the court as the player is standing, rather than across it. |
| Stroke | A point awarded because interference stopped a player from hitting what would clearly have been a winner. |
| Stroke play | The same ruling described the other way round: an obstruction denies a winning shot, so the point goes to the player who was blocked. |
| T | The junction of the short line and the half court line, in the middle of the court. Holding the T means reaching everything sooner. |
| Telltale | The other name for the tin, the metal strip along the bottom of the front wall. It is called a telltale because it announces the shot that hit it. |
| Tiebreak | Play continuing past 10-10 until one player is two points clear. The official term for the procedure is setting. |
| Tin | The out of bounds strip at the base of the front wall. Hitting it loses the rally. |
| Trickle boast | A short boast played from near the front wall into the side wall, dropping the ball into the opposite front corner. |
| Volley | Hitting the ball before it bounces, which takes time away from the opponent. |
| Winner | A shot the opponent cannot reach at all. |
#1 Boast
A shot where the player hits the ball against the side wall or back wall before it reaches the front wall, creating an angle that can catch the opponent off guard. It is often used as a strategic deception.
#2 Crosscourt
A shot that sends the ball to the front wall, from which it travels diagonally, landing in the opponent’s back corner. This is typically used to move the opponent across the court and create openings.
#3 Drive
A straight shot that travels parallel along the side wall towards the back of the court. The drive is a fundamental shot, aiming to force the opponent to the back and limit their shot options.
#4 Drop shot
A delicate and precise shot that barely clears the top of the tin and lands softly in the front corner of the court, making it difficult for the opponent to reach. It’s often used to wrong-foot an opponent positioned deep in the court.
#5 Game ball
The term indicates the point at which a player has the opportunity to win the current game, having acquired the necessary lead. It adds psychological pressure as it is a high-stakes moment in the match.
#6 Ghosting
A training exercise in which players move around the court without a ball to simulate actual play. Ghosting helps improve footwork, court coverage, and anticipatory skills, enhancing overall movement efficiency.
#7 Let
A call in squash that results in a rally being replayed. This occurs when a player’s swing is impeded by their opponent, preventing a fair chance to hit the ball. No points are scored, and the rally is replayed from the serve.
#8 Lob
A high-arcing shot in squash that sends the ball towards the back of the court, typically over the opponent’s head. The aim is to make the ball bounce close to the back wall, making it difficult for the opponent to return.
#9 Nick
An ideal shot in squash where the ball hits the junction between the side wall and the floor, making it very difficult for the opponent to retrieve. The “nick” can quickly end a rally and is a highly skillful shot.
#10 No let
A decision by the referee when a player does not get a let (interference call), indicating no interference occurred or the player could not have reached the ball anyway. It often contributes to the intensity and competitiveness of the game.
#11 Rally
Continuous play where the ball is hit back and forth between the players until one cannot return it. Rallies are the essence of squash and the foundation of play, testing skill, endurance, and strategy.
#12 Serve
The action that starts each point in squash, where a player hits the ball against the front wall, and it must land in the opposite quarter court. A proper serve sets the tone for the rally and can give a strategic advantage.
#13 Stroke
A penalty awarded to a player if their opponent obstructs their play to an extent where they would have clearly hit the ball. It results in a point for the player who was obstructed, emphasizing the importance of fair play.
#14 Tin
The lower part of the front wall in squash that is out of bounds; hitting the tin means losing the rally. The tin effectively makes the target area for shots smaller, increasing challenge and precision in the game.
#15 Volley
Hitting the ball before it bounces on the ground. In squash, volleys are strategic shots used to maintain pressure by cutting down on the time the opponent has to respond.
#16 Back wall
The rear wall of the squash court. Players often aim to hit the ball towards the back wall to make it difficult for the opponent to return, especially with shots like lobs and drives.
#17 Ball Mark
The mark left on the squash court walls or floor after the ball hits them. These marks can sometimes help in determining whether a ball was in or out when there’s a dispute during a game.
#18 Clinch
To secure a win in a crucial point or game within a match. In squash, clinching typically refers to winning important points that decide the outcome of the match.
#19 Corner Kill
A shot in squash aimed low into the front corners of the court. The idea is to make the ball bounce twice quickly before the opponent can reach it, effectively winning the rally.
#20 Cutthroat
A variation of squash usually played with three players, where one player serves and the other two team up against them. Each player takes turns being the server against the other two.
#21 Down
When a player hits the ball into the tin or below the service line on the front wall, causing the shot to be out and a point to be lost. “Down” is a decisive call indicating a player’s unsuccessful attempt to keep the rally going.
#22 Fault
A service fault occurs when the server fails to meet specific requirements, such as hitting the ball into the wrong service box or failing to clear the short line. A fault gives the opponent a point or a chance to serve.
#23 Grip
The way a player holds the squash racket, which is crucial for control and power. A proper grip allows for a range of shots and can greatly impact a player’s overall performance.
#24 Hand Out
This term refers to the change of the server in the game; when the receiving player wins the rally, they earn the right to serve, and it’s called “hand out” for the outgoing server.
#25 Kill Shot
An aggressive and low shot aimed close to the front wall, intended to end the rally by putting the ball out of the opponent’s reach. A kill shot is a demonstration of precision and power.
#26 Match Ball
This signifies a situation where a player has the opportunity to win the match if they win the next rally. Match ball creates a critical, high-pressure moment in the game.
#27 The T
The T is the spot where the short line meets the half court line, in the middle of the court. Whoever holds the T reaches the next ball soonest, which is why so much of a squash rally is really a fight to get back to that spot after every shot.
#28 Side wall
The walls on either side of the squash court. Shots played off the side walls can create challenging angles for the opponent and are a key element of strategic play in squash.
#29 Stroke play
A situation in squash where an obstruction by a player is deemed to have prevented the opponent from playing a winning shot, resulting in a point awarded to the obstructed player.
#30 Tiebreak
In squash, if the score reaches 10-10, play continues until one player leads by two points; this is commonly referred to as a ‘tiebreak,’ although the official squash term is ‘setting.’
FAQ
What is the telltale in squash?
The telltale is the metal strip along the bottom of the front wall, more usually called the tin. A ball that strikes it loses the rally, and the name comes from the noise it makes, which tells everyone in the court what happened.
How do you spell the lunge you do in squash?
Lunge, with a g. It is the long stretching step into a front or back corner, front knee bent, racket arm extended. Lunging and recovering back to the T is what ghosting drills are built around.
What do you say in squash when your opponent is in the way?
You ask for a let, usually just by saying let, please and stopping play. The referee then gives a let, meaning the rally is replayed, a stroke, meaning you win the point because a winning shot was denied, or no let, meaning play stands.
What is hand out in squash?
Hand out is the change of serve. When the server loses a rally under traditional scoring, the serve passes to the opponent, and that handover is the hand out. Under modern point-a-rally scoring the rally is worth a point either way, but the term survives.
Which ball sport uses the terms boast, nick and length?
Squash. A boast is played off a side wall into the front wall, a nick is a ball that lands in the join between side wall and floor, and length is a drive hit deep enough to die in a back corner.
What does squash mean in slang?
Away from the court, to squash something means to put an end to it: squash a rumour, squash a plan, squash a disagreement. It is unrelated to the sport, which takes its name from the soft ball that squashes on impact.
They group into shots (drive, boast, drop shot, lob, nick, kill shot, volley), the court (front wall, side wall, back wall, tin, telltale, T, short line) and the rulings (let, no let, stroke, fault, hand out). The glossary above lists them alphabetically.
What are some Squash terms for beginners?
“Drive,” “Boast,” and “Let” are some Squash terms beginners should start with. Each term corresponds to a basic shot or rule that’s essential to playing the game.
What are some funny Squash terms?
“Nick,” “Ghosting,” and “Tin” are some funny Squash terms that add a bit of humor to the sport. They refer to a perfect shot, practice movements without a ball, and a low-scoring area on the front wall, respectively.
What is a famous Squash phrase?
“Tight as a tiger,” is a famous Squash phrase, often used to describe shots that are hit very close to the side wall, making it difficult for the opponent to return.
