topspin
English edit
Etymology edit
Noun edit
topspin (countable and uncountable, plural topspins)
- A rotational motion, especially that given to a ball, in which the upper surface spins in the direction of motion.
- The tennis star was famed for her topspin.
- (uncountable, television, film, publishing) An edgy, quirky or otherwise engaging quality that holds the interest of the audience.
- 1994, Richard D. Heldenfels, Television's Greatest Year: 1954, page 70:
- Well remembered as a visual comedienne, she also had the verbal knack of putting all sorts of topspin on a line.
- 2010, Justin Wyatt, High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood:
- Flashdance had a quality known as top spin, in which the casting, the concept and the look and sound of the movie all come together.
- 2016, Quentin Letts, "A Very English Scandal: sex, lies and a murder plot at the heart of the establishment by John Preston - review" (in Evening Standard, 28 April 2016) [1]
- This fluent, readable book has certainly been polished with a fair degree of what Fleet Street feature editors once called topspin: “Give it some topspin, old boy. Make the copy sing.” In this John Preston more than succeeds.
Synonyms edit
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
type of spin
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Verb edit
topspin (third-person singular simple present topspins, present participle topspinning, simple past and past participle topspun)
- (transitive) To spin (a ball) with this motion.
- 2007 August 27, John Branch, “His Next Line to Cross”, in New York Times[2]:
- He could keep winning through attrition, with a relentless barrage of topspinning ground strokes and a tireless defense of his own side, where would-be winners go to die.
See also edit
Anagrams edit
Romanian edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from English topspin.
Noun edit
topspin n (uncountable)
Declension edit
declension of topspin (singular only)
| singular | ||
|---|---|---|
| n gender | indefinite articulation | definite articulation |
| nominative/accusative | (un) topspin | topspinul |
| genitive/dative | (unui) topspin | topspinului |
| vocative | topspinule | |