Lacrosse Terms and Lacrosse Slang

139 lacrosse terms and slang words, from apple and celly to top cheddar and yard sale, explained in plain English for new players, parents and fans.

Connor Stifel · General Lacrosse · Updated October 24, 2026 · 12 min read

The basics

139Terms and slang

Everything from the rulebook (offsides, failure to advance, EMO) to sideline slang (celly, flow, top cheddar).

A to ZJump to a letter

Use the letter bar to find a term fast, or read straight through to learn the language of the game.

Playing the game isn't enough. To really understand a sport, you need to know the terms and slang that go with it.

I've been playing lacrosse for over a decade, so I put together this list of the most common lacrosse terms and slang to make things easier for newbies. Whether you're a player or a fan, these are the words you'll hear on the field and on the sideline.

Coach's note: Half of coaching is talking. On a Saturday in upstate New York or Virginia Beach, you'll hear "ball down," "you're hot" and "check up" a hundred times. Up in Ontario, the box guys have a whole dictionary of their own. Learn the lingo and you'll pick up the game twice as fast, because you'll actually know what your coach is yelling.

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Lacrosse terms and lacrosse slang, A to Z

#

10-Second Rule: Once a team gets the ball over midfield, the time it has to get the ball into the offensive box (boys' high school and college).
2-on-1: A play where two offensive players take on one defender (or a similar numbers advantage).
20-Second Rule: The time a team has to clear the ball from its defensive end over midfield.
2-Minute Rule: In boys' high school lacrosse, the team that's ahead has to keep the ball in the offensive box during the last two minutes of the game.

A

Apple: An assist, or a pass that sets up a goal.
Alley: The side areas of the field used for dodging or moving the ball.
Alligator Arms: When a player pulls their arms back on a catch, pass or shot, usually because contact is coming.

B

Ball Down: Called out when the ball is loose on the ground.
Body Check: Using your body to hit or block an opponent.
Ball Hog: A player who won't pass the ball to teammates.
Black Hole: A player who holds the ball too long and never moves it.
Braveheart: An overtime tiebreaker used in some youth and club tournaments where teams play with just one or two field players each.
Buddy Pass: A slow pass that's easy to intercept and gets your teammate lit up.
Back Door: Sneaking behind your defender to get open for a pass.
Bagged Out: When a stick's pocket is too deep or loose.
Bull Dodge: Using strength and speed to run through a defender.
Breakout: Moving quickly from defense to offense.
Bouncer: A shot that hits the ground before it reaches the goal.
Brick Wall: A goalie who stops almost every shot.

C

Cherry Picking: Hanging near the other team's goal for an easy scoring chance.
Clear: Passing or running the ball out of the defensive end.
C-Cut: A curved cut to get open for a pass.
Cut: Moving quickly into a good spot to receive the ball.
Change Planes: A shot fake that moves the stick from high to low or low to high before release.
Check Up: Defenders calling out the player they're guarding.
Closing the Gate: Shutting off an opponent from getting around you.
Clamp: Using the back of your stick to trap the ball on a faceoff.
Cradling: Rocking the ball back and forth in the stick to keep control.
Celly: Slang for a goal celebration.
Carry the Pizza: Holding the stick flat, like carrying a pizza tray.
Crank Shot: A shot with everything you've got behind it.

Read more: Where to buy bulk lacrosse balls

D

Dodge: When an offensive player beats a defender to create a scoring chance.
D-Pole: A defensive long stick. Most are around 60 inches, like the Maverik A7 350 Defense Shaft ($129.99).
Dive: Leaping across the crease to score. Whether it's legal depends on the rule set.
Doorstep: The area right on top of the crease.
Dot: The center of the defense.
Dime: A perfect pass or shot, right on the money.
Dish: A short pass to a teammate.
Double Team: Two defenders teaming up on one ball carrier.

E

EMO: Extra-man offense, when a team is up a player because of a penalty.
Elevator: A shot that changes height as it travels.
Egg Hunt: A scramble for a loose ball.

F

Feeder: A player who sets up goals with passes.
FOGO: Face Off, Get Off. A faceoff specialist who runs off the field after the draw.
Faceoff: The play that starts each quarter and restarts the game after a goal.
Face Dodge: Pulling the stick across your face to protect it as you move past a defender.
Fake: Pretending to pass or shoot to fool an opponent.
Fast Break: A quick transition from defense to offense with a numbers advantage.
Flag Down: A delayed penalty. Play continues until the team with the ball loses possession or scores.
Five Hole: Scoring between the goalie's legs.
Five and Five: The area about five yards up from the goal where attackers love to shoot.
Flow: Long, stylish hair sticking out from under the helmet.
Failure to Advance: When a team doesn't get the ball over midfield (or into the box) in time and loses possession.
Fiddle Stick: A mini stick for casual play, like the Hackees Sully's Twig Mini Stick ($39.00).
Foul Out: When a player is removed from the game for committing too many personal fouls (five in most boys' rule sets).
Fish: Slang for an unskilled player.

Read more: Rules of lacrosse

G

Give and Go: Passing to a teammate and cutting to get the ball right back.
GLE: Goal line extended, the imaginary line running out from the goal line to the sidelines.
Gilman: A long clear, usually by the goalie, launched from the defensive end all the way down to the offensive end.
Ground Balls: Picking up the ball off the ground with your stick.
Goose It: Pushing the ball along the ground with your stick toward a teammate instead of scooping it.
Gamer: The stick you use in games, like a Warrior EVO complete stick.
Go to X: Moving to the spot behind the goal (X) to receive the ball and run the offense.
Garbage Goal: A goal off a rebound or loose ball.

H

Hole (Cougar or Black): The area right in front of the goal.
Hanging the Stick: Holding the stick loosely or out in the open, making it easy to check the ball out.
Holding: Illegally impeding an opponent's movement.
Headhunter: A player who hits hard and risks contact to another player's head.
Hatty: Slang for a hat trick.

I

Invert: When a middie and an attackman swap roles to confuse the defense.
In the Dirt: When the ball is on the ground.
Ice Pick: Using the stick like a pickaxe to dislodge the ball.
Trick Pickup: A flashy one-motion ground ball, like flipping the ball up with the back of the head.
Illegal Body Check: Hitting an opponent with your body in a way the rules don't allow.
Illegal Screen: Setting a moving pick or blocking a player illegally.
Interference: Impeding an opponent who doesn't have the ball.

L

Left Alley: The left side of the field.
Long Stick Middie (LSM): A midfielder who carries a long defensive stick.
Loose Ball: A ball nobody has possession of.
Lax Rat: Someone who's crazy about lacrosse.
Lift Check: Lifting an opponent's hands or stick to knock the ball loose.
Long Pole: Another name for a long defensive stick.
Lax Bro: Slang for a laid-back lacrosse player.

Read more: Positions in lacrosse

Lacrosse gear and equipmentThe gamer, the D-pole, the pearls and the fiddle stick. All at BattleLax.

Gamer stickWarrior EVO Complete Stick 2026$109.99 at BattleLax

D-poleMaverik A7 350 Defense Shaft$129.99 at BattleLax

PearlsPearl X Lacrosse Balls$19.99 at BattleLax

Fiddle stickHackees Sully's Twig Mini Stick$39.00 at BattleLax

View new drops at BattleLax

M

Muffin: A slow, weak shot.
Man Down: When a team has fewer players on the field because of a penalty.
Man Up: When a team has more players on the field because of the other team's penalty.
Man-to-Man: A defense where each player guards one specific opponent.
Midfielder: A player who plays both offense and defense.
Motion Offense: An offense where players keep moving to create scoring chances.
MDD: Man-down defense, how a team defends while a player is in the penalty box.
Mom Goal: A goal that looks great but doesn't count because of a rule violation.
Mark Up: Calling out and picking up an opponent on defense.
Middie Beast: A midfielder who takes over the game.

N

Noodle: A player with weak skills, or a flimsy stick.
NCAA: The National Collegiate Athletic Association, which runs college lacrosse.

O

Out of Bounds: When the ball or a player crosses the boundary lines.
Overhand: A shooting or passing motion with the stick over the shoulder.
Overload: When players crowd one side of the field.
Off-Hip: Shooting at the goalie's off-stick hip.
Offsides: When a team has too many players on one side of midfield. In the boys' game, that's more than six in the offensive half or more than seven in the defensive half.
Overhand Shot: A shot taken with an over-the-shoulder motion.
On the Fly: Subbing players during live play without stopping the game.
On the Hop: A call to move quickly or hustle.

P

Pocket Pounder: A tool used to break in a stick's mesh.
Poke Check: Jabbing at an opponent's stick or hands to knock the ball loose.
Paddington Bear: A player who leans too much on their pads.
Pearls: Brand-new lacrosse balls, like a fresh box of Pearl X Lacrosse Balls ($19.99).
Phantom Check (Ghost Check): Faking a check to bait an opponent.
Pillow, Popcorn or Gumball: Nicknames for a soft save by the goalie.
Pinwheel or Helicopter: When a stick spins out of a player's hands.
Pipe City, Wesley Pipes or Michelle Piper: Slang for ringing the post.
Possession Shot: A shot taken to keep possession of the ball.

Q

Quick Stick: Shooting or passing the instant you catch the ball.

R

Rip the Duck: Scoring with a hard, fast shot.
Release: When a player's penalty ends and they come out of the box.
Riding: Pressuring the other team to stop them from clearing the ball.
Roll Dodge: Spinning off a defender to protect the ball.
Rusty Gate: A one-handed defensive check.

S

Stick Wizard: A player with exceptional stick skills.
Shorty: A player using a short stick.
Screen: Blocking the goalie's view to help a teammate score.
Slap Check: Slapping your stick against an opponent's stick.
Slashing: Illegally hitting an opponent with your stick.
Stick Check: Using your stick to knock the ball out of an opponent's stick.
Slow Break: A slower offensive transition.
Shovel Pass: An underhand pass.

T

Twister: A deceptive shot with spin that changes direction.
Tennis Racket: A stick with a flat pocket that has almost no depth.
Top Cheddar: Scoring in the top corner of the net.
Turf Monster: When a player keeps slipping or tripping on the field.
Traditional: A stick strung with leather and string instead of mesh.

U

Unsettled Situation: A broken-play situation where the defense isn't set.

V

V-Cut: A V-shaped cut to get open for a pass.

W

Walk the Dog: Rolling the ball along the ground with your stick.
Worm Burner: A hard-to-stop shot that skims the ground.
Warding: Using your free hand to push off a defender, which is illegal.

Y

You're Hot: A call telling a defender they're the first slide.
Yard Sale, Yahtzee, Detwigged, De-Spooned or De-Wanded: Knocking the stick out of an opponent's hands.

Z

Zebra: Slang for a referee.

Gear up and talk the talk

Now that you know the lingo, get the gear. A gamer, a fresh box of pearls and a rebounder for wall-ball reps will have you speaking fluent lacrosse in no time. Need to string up a new head? Start with the ECD Hero 4.0 Complete Mesh Kit ($34.99).

Start with the basicsStick, helmet, balls and a rebounder. All at BattleLax.

Gamer stickWarrior EVO Complete Stick 2026$109.99 at BattleLax