Definition of "yips" []

• Nervousness or tension that causes an athlete to fail to perform effectively, especially in missing short putts in golf. (noun-plural)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Most of us have heard the term yips in sports before, but what are they exactly?"
• "Paddock is a craven Hyena to frightened to approach the Leonine beast except by cowardly yips from a safe distance."
• ""Historically, most of the people who use long putters or belly putters are golfers who have mental demons—I hate to use the 'Y' word for that dreaded affliction known as the yips—or maybe have trouble bending over because of some physical ailment," said Mike Davis, the USGA's executive director, in an interview."