airballing
Not touching rim
Airballing is missing a shot so badly it doesn't touch the rim or backboard—nothing but air.
The term comes from basketball, where an airball is an embarrassing miss: He airballed the free throw.
It extends to any spectacular failure to hit a target: She airballed the crumpled paper at the wastebasket.
Fired clay building unit
- swishSoft rushing sound
- dunkBriefly submerge in liquid
- layupClose-range basket attempt
- three-pointerBeyond-arc basketball score
rebound · alley-oop · jumpshot · fadeaway · hookshot · rim · backboard · net
brick
Fired clay building unit
three-pointer · rebound · alley-oop · jumpshot · fadeaway · hookshot · rim · backboard · net · shooter
whiff
Brief, faint smell
mishit · flub · miscue · brick · clank · shank · slice · hook · wide · short
flop
Complete commercial failure
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- botchSpoil through incompetence
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
gaffe · choke · fumble · bungle · misfire · dud · bust · letdown · misstep · underperformance