---
title: What Are Common Pickleball Sayings?
last_updated: 2026-06-30
description: Discover common pickleball slang like "dink," "kitchen," and "pickled," and learn how this playful language builds the sport's friendly community culture.
url: https://pickleball.com/docs/en/article/what-are-common-pickleball-sayings
---

# What Are Common Pickleball Sayings?

Pickleball has developed its own vocabulary of common sayings and slang, including terms like "dink," "kitchen," "the kitchen line," "banger," "pickled" (losing a game without scoring any points), and "dill-icious" — playful, pickle-themed language that's become part of the sport's friendly, community-driven culture.

## Common Pickleball Slang and Sayings

- **"Dink":** A soft, controlled shot hit into the opponent's kitchen — also used as a verb ("dinking").
- **"The kitchen":** The non-volley zone, the 7-foot area on each side of the net.
- **"Banger":** A player who relies heavily on hard, fast shots (drives and smashes) rather than a soft, patient game.
- **"Pickled":** Losing a game 11-0 (or the rally-scoring equivalent) without scoring a single point.
- **"Dill-icious":** A playful exclamation used to celebrate a great shot or play, riffing on the sport's pickle theme.
- **"ATP" (Around the Post):** A shot hit around the outside of the net post rather than over the net.
- **"Erne":** An aggressive shot where a player jumps or steps outside the sideline to volley near the net post.
- **"Third shot":** Shorthand for the third shot drop, the soft shot from the baseline that allows the serving team to advance to the kitchen line.

> **Note:** Pickleball's playful, pun-heavy vocabulary (much of it riffing on the word "pickle" itself) is part of the sport's broader friendly, welcoming culture. Don't worry about memorizing every term before you start playing — most of this language is picked up naturally just by spending time on the court with other players.

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## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does it mean to get "pickled" in pickleball?

Getting "pickled" means losing a game 11-0 (or the equivalent shutout score under a different scoring format) without scoring a single point — considered a particularly lopsided loss and often said in a teasing, lighthearted way.

### Is being called a "banger" an insult?

It depends on context and tone — it can be a neutral description of a power-focused playing style, or sometimes used a bit teasingly to suggest a player relies too heavily on hard shots rather than developing a more well-rounded, patient game. It's generally good-natured rather than a serious insult.

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## Related Articles

- [What Is Kitchen Talk in Pickleball?](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/article/what-is-kitchen-talk-in-pickleball)
- [Pickleball Glossary: Complete A–Z Guide to Pickleball Terms](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/article/pickleball-glossary-complete-az-guide-to-pickleball-terms)

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Questions about pickleball community and culture? Email [support@pickleball.com](mailto:support@pickleball.com).