whiff
What is the definition of whiff?
1. A whiff refers to when a batter swings at and misses a pitch. The result of a whiff is a strike. The word whiff can also refer to the sound the bat makes when swinging through the air and it not making contact with anything.
What’s a whiff in baseball?
In baseball, a whiff happens when the batter takes a swing at a pitch but misses it. In fact, another way a whiff in baseball can be described is “a swing and a miss.”
What happens when a player whiffs in baseball?
If the player steps up to home plate and whiffs the ball after it’s pitched, the umpire will call a strike. Although a whiff is an example of a mistake in baseball, it’s not statistically counted as an error, since errors are only applied to the fielding team when they make a mistake that directly benefits the team currently at bat.
Whiffing in other sports
Although the term “whiff” is used in a number of sports, it is probably the most common in the sport of baseball. Some of the other sports in which a player can whiff are described below.
What does whiff mean in golf?
A whiff in golf refers to when a player swings at the ball with the purpose of making contact, but misses completely and fails to make any contact with the ball. A whiff must be counted as a stroke in golf.
What does whiff mean in hockey?
In ice hockey, a player whiffs when they go to strike the puck with their hockey stick but end up missing it completely. This may be a minor error in many cases, but in some situations, it could create an opportunity for the opposing team to gain possession of the puck or take a shot on goal.
What does whiff mean in soccer?
A whiff in soccer happens when a player goes to kick the ball but fails to make contact with it. This doesn’t come with any particular punishment (such as a strike in baseball), but it can put their team at risk of losing possession of the ball or being scored on.
What does a whiff in boxing mean?
A whiff in boxing happens when a boxer takes a swing but their opponent dodges it and the boxer fails to make any contact. A whiff can be potentially dangerous for a boxer since it may catch them off guard and give their opponent an opportunity to strike back.
Other definitions of whiff
The definition of whiff varies based on the context in which it is used. Outside of sports, whiff is used in a number of other ways, including:
- (noun) A puff of air, such as a slight gust of wind or a light gust of air
- (noun) A subtle indication or hint, such as a little whiff of temper or a whiff of scandal
- (noun) A small cloud of vapor or air, such as a whiff of tobacco smoke
- (noun) A type of flatfish, such as the horned whiff (Citharichthys arenaceus) or the lefteye flounder
- (verb) To puff or inhale an odor, like to whiff a strong perfume
The pronunciation of whiff, whether used as a noun or a verb, is described by the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as /(h)wɪf/ or /hwɪf/, as in rhyming with the word “if”.
What is a whiff smell?
One meaning of the word “whiff” involves describing a subtle or brief aroma that a person smells. Someone might describe this as a whiff of garlic or a whiff of fresh air. There is also a similar verb form of whiff which describes the act of smelling, similar to the way “sniff” is used. An example sentence for this usage of the word would be: “She whiffed a bit of lavender as she walked through the gardens.”
What are some synonyms of whiff?
If you were to look up this term in a thesaurus, you’d find a number of synonyms for whiff, including puff, breath, waft, draught, exhalation, aroma, scent, odor, suggestion, flicker, glimmer, hint and trace. Some of the common translations of whiff include la bocanada (Spanish), bouffée (French) and hauch (German).
What is the origin of the word whiff?
The etymology of the word “wiff” comes primarily from Middle English. In this language, the word “weffe” refers to many of the same definitions still used today, such as a smell, odor or vapor. It’s possible that these terms actually derived from Proto-Indo-European terms like waf/waife (meaning odor or scent), waven (to sway or wander) and wef (a stroke or blow).
What does whiff mean in slang?
The slang term “whiff” means that someone has made a major error that resulted in failure or embarrassment. This is closely connected to the usage of the word in sports, where a whiff refers to a miss with aiming for a particular target.
What does a whiff mean on a job interview?
If you whiff on a job interview, it means that you made one or more mistakes which likely cost you a chance at the job. An example sentence might be “I showed up late and stumbled through my answers, so I completely whiffed the interview.” This is one example of the slang usage of whiff, meaning to fail spectacularly at something.
What does whiff mean in gaming?
In gaming, a whiff happens when a player performs a move to attack their opponent but misses. This term was adopted from the use of whiff in sports.
Examples of how whiff is used in commentary
1. With an 0-2 count, the batter swings and whiffs for a third strike and gives Marcus Stroman his first strikeout of the game.
2. Jordan Spieth whiffs on the shot attempt and has now fallen three strokes behind the leader.
3. The forward winds up for a slap shot and whiffs the puck.
Sports the term is used
1. Baseball
2. Golf
3. Ice Hockey
4. Soccer
5. Boxing
