yips, n. pl. colloq.
(jɪps)
[Origin obscure.]
In Golf, a state of nervousness which causes a player to miss an easy putt in a competition. Usu. with the def. article.
| 1963 Times 10 June 4/2 His left-below-right putting stroke designed to prevent the ‘yips’, is most effective once it begins to flow. 1972 Tel. (Brisbane) 1 Jan. 5/7 Nevertheless, Jones got a dose of what golfers call ‘the yips’. 1984 Times 21 Sept. 9/4 Golfers suffer from the ‘yips’, which means that their muscles seize up and freeze when they are faced with a short putt and they cannot play the stroke. |