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Center Ice Circle [Ice Hockey] The faceoff circle, 30 feet in diameter, surrounding the center ice spot, where faceoffs are held to start a period and to restart the game after a goal.

Center Ice Spot [Ice Hockey] The faceoff spot inside the center ice circle, marking the exact center of the rink.

Center Line [Basketball] A line midway between and parallel to the baselines that divides the court into halves. Also known as division line, midcourt line, ten-second line, and time line.

Center Mark [Tennis] A mark half-way across the baseline, effectively the extension of the center line. When serving, players must remain on the correct side of this mark.

Center of Distribution [Horse Racing] A formula derived from the Dosage profile and a similar attempt to quantify speed and stamina.

Center of Gravity [Motor Sports] The point of the car where, if it is suspended, it would balance front and rear.

Center of Gravity (Cg) [Golf] The point in a club head at which all of the points of balance intersect. CG is often mistakenly referred to as the “sweet spot.” The lower the CG of a club, the higher the ball flight. Higher CG club’s produce lower ball flight.

Center of Pressure [Motor Sports] The point on a Indy car underwing which receives the greatest amount of airflow pressure. This measurement is critical to setting front to rear balance, especially on superspeedways.

Center Official [Basketball] When there are three referees working a game, the referee who is primarily responsible for action between the free throw line extended and the midcourt area marker. See also lead official; trail official.

Center or Center Forward [Ice Hockey] The center player in the forward line who usually leads his team’s attack when they are trying to score a goal; he takes part in most of the face-offs; he controls the puck and tries to score or pass it to a teammate who is in a better position to score a goal.

Center Pass [Field Hockey] A pass from the center of the field, used to start a half or following a goal. The player must pass the ball to a teammate who is at least 1 meter back. Also known as the "pass back" or "push back."

Center Pot [Poker] The first pot created during a poker hand. This is as opposed to one or more "side" pots that are created if one or more players goes all-in. Also "main pot."

Center Shafted [Golf] Descriptive of a putter on which the shaft is attached to the center of the head.

Center Spot [Soccer] A small circular mark inside the center circle that denotes the center of the field from which kickoffs are taken to start or restart the game.

Center Style [Croquet] Traditional stance with the mallet between your knees.

Center the Puck [Ice Hockey] To pass the puck from near a corner in the attacking zone into the area in front of the goal cage.

Center Zone [Ice Hockey] The neutral zone.

Center-Back [Water Polo] A defensive player whose main job is to cover the opposition's center-forward.

Center-Forward [Water Polo] A team's chief attacking player, who is usually positioned directly in front of the opponent's goal between the two-meter and four-meter lines. Also called the hole man, hole set, or two-meter man.

Center-Locking Differential [Motor Sports] On all-wheel drive vehicles, a third differential in addition to those for the front and rear axles. This third differential allows the front and rear wheels to turn at different speeds as needed for cornering on dry pavement. On slippery surfaces, it locks all four wheels together, either automatically or manually depending on the system, for greater traction.

Center-Shafted [Golf] A type of hosel configuration, common in putters, in which the shaft enters the head toward the center. Bullseye-type putters are the best known examples of center-shafted putters.

Center-Shot [Archery] A cutout section above the grip that allows the archer to shoot through the center of the bow, rather than from one side.

Centerboard [Sailing] A device similar to a keel, except that it is usually either removable or can pivot. Also see daggerboard. The centerboard is used like a keel to reduce the unwanted sideways motion of a boat.

Centering Pass [Ice Hockey] A pass from an attacking player towards the middle of the ice to a teammate with a better angle at the goal.

Central Circle [Wrestling] The inner circle, 1 meter in diameter, on the wrestling mat.

Central Defender [Soccer] A player who guards the area directly in front of his own goal in a zone defense; does not exist in a man-to-man defense.

Central Locking System [Motor Sports] On a vehicle with power door locks, the system locks or unlocks all doors at one time.

Central Wrestling Area [Wrestling] A circle, 8 meters in diameter, inside the passivity zone.

Centrifugal Force [Skiing] The force produced when an body rotates around the centre of its orbit. A skier will notice this when turning, in the form of an outward force away from the centre of the radius of the turn.

Centripetal Force [Skiing] The opposing force to that of the centrifugal force. This must be applied by the skier to maintain balance and counteract centrifugal force when turning.

Century [Horse Racing] GBP£ 100 (also known as a 'Ton').

Century Note [Poker] A $100 bill.

Ceramic Fiber [Golf] A series of man-made ceramic materials that may be used in shaft or head manufacture. Ceramic is a mid-modulus material that has better compression properties than graphite, but not as good as boron.

Certificate [Sailing] A legal paper or license of a boat or its captain.

Cfp [General] Chess Federation of Palostan.

Cg [Baseball] Complete Games

Cgf [General] Commonwealth Games Federation.

Cgl [Baseball] Complete Game Losses

Cha Chuan [Martial Arts] A northern Chinese form of kung fu developed from 14th to 17th century by Muslims of Sinkiang, Chinghai, and Kansu, in the west and south of China. In this system, practitioners fight from long range using high, long leaps to close the gap.

Chafe [Sailing] Wear caused by the friction of parts moving past each other.

Chafing Gear [Sailing] Tape, cloth or other materials placed on one or more parts that rub together. By using chafing gear, hopefully the chafing gear will wear rather than the parts that it is protecting.

Chain [Sailing] Metal links that are locked together to make a strong and flexible line. Chains are typically used for anchors and other places where high loads may be exerted on the line, particularly in large vessels.

Chain Locker [Sailing] Storage for the anchor chain.

Chainplates [Sailing] Plates on the deck to which lines and stays are attached.

Chainsuck [Cycling] The unhappy situation when the chain gets caught between the rear wheel and chain stay.

Chair Shot [Wrestling] (noun) When a wrestler gets hit with a chair it is always a steel folding chair. That's because the structure of those chairs allows it to absorb most of the force of the blow. You can generally whack someone over the head as hard as you like without doing much damage to the other guy. More inexperienced wrestlers will use their hands to block the chair, but in proper hands, the force of the chair directly on the head isn't much worse. A shot to theback barely hurts at all (but don't be stupid enough to try it at home!).

Chairo Obi [Martial Arts] Brown belt

Chalk [Horse Racing] Wagering favorite in a race. Dates from the days when on-track bookmakers would write current odds on a chalkboard.

Chalk Eater [General] Someone who usually only plays the favored teams. Rarely bets on underdogs. Also known as Favorite Freddie.

Chalk Player [General] Someone who usually only plays the favored teams. Rarely bets on underdogs. Also known as Favorite Freddie.

Challa [Archery] The string of a Bhil bow (kamptu), Central India. Both bow and string were made of bamboo.

Chameleon Strategy [Roulette] Looking for players who have been winning and then mimicking their betting patterns in the hope that they will continue to be lucky, have found biased wheels, or are visual wheel trackers.

Chamfer [Golf] Generic term used to describe the process of using a special tool to “countersink”, “radius” or “cone” the inside of a hosel in order to help provide a measure of protection , particularly for a graphite shaft.

Champ Car or Championship Car [Motor Sports] [1] 1) An old term for the front-engined Indy cars, which raced at Indianapolis and other Indy car venues until about 1965 (when the rear-engined designes took over). See also Silver Crown. [2] The term that CART began using for its cars in 1998 (after it was barred from using "Indycar" as the result of a lawsuit by the IRL).

Champion [Horse Racing] See Eclipse Award.

Chance [Poker] The likelihood of a particular event, usually expressed in the form of some kind of fraction (as chances of one third, or, more often a decimal, as chances of 0.33, or percentage, as chances of 33%) or in the form of one number out of or in another (as chances of 1 out of 3, or 1 in 3).

Chances [Poker] The likelihood of a particular event, usually expressed in the form of some kind of fraction (as chances of one third, or, more often a decimal, as chances of 0.33, or percentage, as chances of 33%) or in the form of one number out of or in another (as chances of 1 out of 3, or 1 in 3).

Chandlery [Sailing] A store that sells nautical gear.

Change Beat [Fencing] A beat made after passing over or under the opponent's blade.

Change Color [Poker] Replacing chips of one color with those of another. Usually implies getting rid of many smaller denomination chips for fewer of a higher denomination.

Change Gears [Poker] Alter the pace of one's playing, usually as a deceptive move against the other players, as, for example, change from fast, aggressive play to a more conservative style.

Change List [Poker] A list, usually maintained by a floor man or the house dealer, of those who want to change seats within a particular game or move to another game of the same size.

Change of Color [Poker] Replacing chips of one color with those of another. Usually implies getting rid of many smaller denomination chips for fewer of a higher denomination.

Change of Ends [Tennis] The players change ends of the court regularly during tennis matches, e.g. after every "uneven" game (1,3,5) in a set.

Change of Engagement [Fencing] A re-engagement of the opponent's blade on the opposite side by passing over or under.

Change of Line [Fencing] Movement of the blade from high to low or from outside to inside.

Change on the Fly [Ice Hockey] To make a line change or send other substitutes out while play is going on.

Change Up [Baseball] A slow-pitch thrown with the exact arm action as a fastball, designed to disrupt the timing of the hitter.

Change-in [Poker] The minimum amount required to get into a game. "The buy-in for limit games is 10 times the lower limit; for example, in a $2-$4 game, the buy-in is $20."

Changing Levels [Wrestling] Raising and lowering the body to attack and defend

Channel [Sailing] A navigable route on a waterway, usually marked by buoys. Channels are similar to roads where the water is known to be deep enough for ships or boats to sail without running aground.

Channel Marker [Sailing] A buoy or other mark used to mark a navigable path through a waterway.

Charge [Soccer] To run into an opponent; legal if done from the front or side of the ball carrier; illegal against a player without the ball or from behind.

Charge Down [Rugby] Blocking a kick by the opponent.

Charging [Basketball] An offensive foul committed when a player runs into a defender who has established position and is essentially motionless. If the defender hasn't established position, it is blocking, a defensive foul.

Charity Stripe [Basketball] The free throw line.

Charlemagne [Poker] The king of hearts.

Charles [Poker] The king of hearts. May come from Charlemagne, or King Charles VII of France.

Charlie [Poker] The third position to the left of the dealer. Sometimes called just C.

Chart [Horse Racing] A statistical "picture" of a race (from which past performances are compiled), that shows the position and margin of each horse at designated points of call (depending on the distance of the race), as well as the horses' age, weight carried, owner, trainer, jockey, and the race's purse, conditions, payoff prices, odds, time and other data.

Chart Caller [Horse Racing] The person who charts all the horse races for a day and sends the information to the past performance program company or the American Quarter Horse Association.

Chart Datum [Sailing] The water level used to record data on a chart. Usually the average low tide water level.

Chart Table [Sailing] A table designated as the area in the boat where the navigator will study charts and plot courses.

Chart the Course [Golf] Pace each hole so that you know how far you are from the green.

Chartwriter [Horse Racing] A person who compiles records of each greyhound race and writes comments describing each greyhound's performance during a race.

Chase [Poker] 1) To make the blind good. That is, if you have the blind, the pot is opened, and you elect to put in the extra chip to try a longshot, you might say, "I'll chase." 2) When losing, bet recklessly, often desperately, in the hope of getting of even. "How's he doing?" "Stuck, and chasing." 3) Try to catch a better hand with a worse holding, usually in a stud game.

Chasers [Cycling] Riders who are involved in a chase.

Chashi [Martial Arts] A Chinese exercise tool once made of iron and more recently of cement. These block-like objects, with handles, are used in one- and two-hand exercises to strengthen the the wrists and arms.

Chasing Losses [Roulette] Increasing your bets in order to recoup what you've lost. Not a good way to play.

Chassis [Motor Sports] The basic-strength auto frame including the engine, suspension, wheels, brakes and drive train. A car without its body or coachwork. In monocoque or unit construction it is integral with the body.

Chassis Roll [Motor Sports] This describes the up and down movement caused when a car travels around corners at high speeds, the side of the car facing the inside of the turn becomes lighter, causing it to raise up. The extra weight that shifts toward the outside of the turn causes that side of the car to pitch downward.

Chatter [Skiing] Vibration of a ski caused by the edges bouncing off hard snow instead of biting in.

Cheat [Poker] 1) Use of any of a number of crooked devices, card manipulation, deceptive tactics, and so on, to gain an unfair advantage over opponents or otherwise win dishonestly. 2) One who employs cheating techniques; A thief.

Cheater [Poker] One who employs cheating techniques; A thief.

Cheaters [Poker] Marked decks.

Cheating [Blackjack] Illegal gain of advantage, technically defined as "altering selection criteria of a casino game." Includes card marking, capping bets, loaded dice, various sleight of hand techniques and so forth. Does NOT include card counting or capitalizing on house errors.

Cheating Device [Poker] A mechanical device for cheating, such as a holdout machine. Also called tool.

Check [Poker] 1) Make no bet, but still hold your cards. You can check, and then call a later bet, fold when the action gets back to you, or raise. Technically, to check is to make a bet of nothing. 2) A card room chip; often plural. When a player cries out "Checks!", he is signaling to a floorperson his intention to buy more chips. The term check is generally limited to card rooms and casinos, while chip is more heard in home games, though common in both.

Check (Money) Down [Blackjack] An expression used by a dealer to inform the floor person that a chip has fallen on the floor, a situation, which requires his immediate attention.

Check and Raise [Poker] Permitting players to pass and still retain their cards. "This is a check-and-raise game before the draw."

Check Blind [Poker] 1) Without looking at the cards you have been dealt. 2) The card or cards you have drawn, make no bet; usually accompanied by a verbal announcement of this fact. Also check dark.

Check Cashing Card [Poker] A sheet on which the cashier keeps track of a player's transactions against a blank, signed check.

Check Cop [Poker] 1) A thief whose specialty is stealing chips from pots or other players, usually by palming them. 2) A sticky substance a thief rubs on his palm to permit chips to stick to the palm without having to close his fingers around the chips. Also, glue.

Check Copper [Poker] A thief whose specialty is stealing chips from pots or other players, usually by palming them.

Check Dark [Poker] The card or cards you have drawn, make no bet; usually accompanied by a verbal announcement of this fact.

Check in the Dark [Poker] 1) To check before looking at the card or cards just dealt. 2) Intention of folding on the turn and the river, but no one ever bet.

Check it Down [Rowing] An emergency command from the coxswain to jam oars into the water in order to stop the boat.

Check or Checking [Ice Hockey] Any defensive or guarding tactic used by hockey players accomplished by moving their bodies against an opponent to get the puck away; there are two main types of checks: stick check and body check; these are only allowed against a player in control of the puck or against the last player to control it; checking with too many steps or strides becomes charging.

Check Rack [Poker] A box, or tray, that has indentations to neatly hold chips in (often five) stacks.

Check Raise [Poker] To check initially, then raise a bet made later on in the same betting round. Frequently a sign of strength, but may be a bluff.

Check Up [Motor Sports] To slow down abruptly, either because of a problem with the car, or because of an incident occurring ahead. When a driver checks up, he/she is supposed to hold up their right hand and wave it, as a signal to following cars, but there isn't always time. Sudden checking up is a frequent cause of "secondary accidents" that occur behind an accident or spin.

Check(Ed) [Horse Racing] When a jockey slows a horse due to other horses impeding its progress.

Check-Rack [Poker] Request a player to leave. Comes from what a player usually does before cashing in: fill a chip rack with his chips, and head for the cage. "When the floor man saw Danny come from the cellar, he chip-racked him" means "When the floor man saw Danny deal a card from the bottom of the deck, he asked Danny to cash in (and leave the premises)."

Checked [Horse Racing] In horse racing, pulling a horse back or sudden slowing due to traffic problems during the race; in greyhound racing, a greyhound suddenly slowing.

Checked Out [Motor Sports] What happens when the leader drives off from the rest of the pack, as in, "Jeff Gordon checked out on that last restart."

Checked Swing [Baseball] A partial swing. If the swing has gone more than halfway around, the umpire can rule it a full swing, or strike.

Checked Up [Motor Sports] While racing the driver slows down slightly - something like just lifting his foot from the accelerator.

Checker [Poker] A card room chip; often plural. When a player cries out "Checks!", he is signaling to a floorperson his intention to buy more chips. The term check is generally limited to card rooms and casinos, while chip is more heard in home games, though common in both.

Checkered [Motor Sports] The black and white checkered flag is the most coveted flag of all. As the cars cross the finish line, under the flying checkered, their positions are permanently recorded. The checkered flag means the race is complete and a winner declared.

Checkered Flag [Motor Sports] The black and white checkerboard style flag which signifies the end of a race.

Checking Line [Ice Hockey] A line made up of players known primarily for defense, not scoring.

Checks [Poker] Chips. Poker chips are small round discs used instead of money at the poker table. The ones used at casinos are typically made of clay, while home poker games often substitute cheaper plastic chips. Using chips instead of cash has a number of advantages, mostly just that they're easier to count and manipulate. Color designations for chips are arbitrary, but many casinos use white for $1 chips, red for $5 chips, green for $25 chips, and black for $100 chips.

Checks Play [Blackjack] A term often used by dealers to notify the pit boss that a player has made a significantly large bet. The amount of a bet that will trigger such a response varies wildly from casino to casino. It could be a bet as small as five red chips ($25) in some casinos or a bet with several black chips in other casinos.

Cheek Block [Sailing] A block with one end permanently attached to a surface.

Cheese [Poker] "Throw that cheese in the muck" is sometimes said by someone who has made a bet, usually large, to the person contemplating calling that bet, implying that the caller cannot win with his (supposedly) inferior hand.

Cheesy Cakes [Bowling] Lanes that are dressed so that it's easy to get strikes.

Chef-De-Race [Horse Racing] Designation for superior sires, which fall into five categories–Brilliant, Intermediate, Classic, Stout, Professional–according to the speed and stamina they impart to their offspring.

Chemin De Fer [Baccarat] The European version of baccarat, where players bet among themselves.

Chemmy [Baccarat] The English slang term for chemin de fer.

Cherry [Bowling] Same as chop.

Chest Pass [Basketball] A two-handed pass thrown from chest level.

Chest Trap [Soccer] When a player uses his chest to slow down and control a ball in the air.

Chestnut [Horse Racing] 1) A horse color which may vary from a red-yellow to golden-yellow. The mane, tail and legs are usually variations of coat color, except where white markings are present. 2) Horny, irregular growths found on the inside of the legs. On the forelegs, they are just above the knees. On the hind legs, they are just below the hocks. No two horses have been found to have the same chestnuts and so they may be used for identification. Also called "night eyes."

Cheval [Roulette] French for Split bet.

Chi [Martial Arts] "Spirit," "air," "breath," or "spirit energy." A biophysical energy generated through breathing techniques studied in kung fu. Ideally, chi can infuse a person with tremendous vitality and make him or or her extremely powerful in action, much moreso than power developed through the muscular system alone.

Chi Kung [Martial Arts] A breathing exercise that cultivates chi and transmits it to all the bodily organs. Known in ancient China as "the method to repel illness and prolong life."

Chi Sao [Martial Arts] "Sticking hands." An exercise used in Wing Chun kung fu that develops sensitivity to the hands and arms.