airballs
Nothing but air
An airball is a shot in basketball that misses everything—rim, backboard, net—passing only through air.
Crowds often chant airball! to mock the shooter.
The verb means to miss this badly: He airballed the free throw.
Figuratively, to airball is to fail completely at something: I airballed that job interview.
Fired clay building unit
- clankSharp metallic sound
- swishSoft rushing sound
- rimCircular outer boundary
- backboardBoard behind basket
three-pointer · jumpshot · hoops · court · shooter · rebound · layup · dunk
Fail to reach
- brickFired clay building unit
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- botchSpoil through incompetence
- flopComplete commercial failure
fiasco · whiff · misfire · choke · gaffe · fumble · blooper · strikeout
Curved line segment
- loftSpace beneath the roof
- overshootGo beyond intended point
- underthrowThrow lacking distance
- off-targetMissing the intended mark
wide · short · long · errant · stray · wayward · deflection · hook
Loss of dignity
- chagrinDistress from wounded pride
- blushFacial reddening from emotion
- mortificationIntense shame or embarrassment
- shamePainful awareness of failure
awkwardness · cringe · red-faced · discomfort · sheepishness · facepalm · ridicule · mockery
brick
Fired clay building unit
backboard · three-pointer · jumpshot · hoops · court · shooter · rebound · layup · dunk · NBA
miss
Fail to reach
flop · fiasco · whiff · misfire · choke · gaffe · fumble · blooper · strikeout · mishap
arc
Curved line segment
- loftSpace beneath the roof
- overshootGo beyond intended point
- underthrowThrow lacking distance
off-target · wide · short · long · errant · stray · wayward · deflection · hook · slice
humiliation
Loss of dignity
- chagrinDistress from wounded pride
- blushFacial reddening from emotion
- mortificationIntense shame or embarrassment
shame · awkwardness · cringe · red-faced · discomfort · sheepishness · facepalm · ridicule · mockery · jeers