The world of Call of Duty esports can be a confusing one, with team communications and caster's conversations being full of abbreviations and slang.

This terminology is used to describe certain weapons, movements, strategies and in-game situations.

With the Call of Duty League having entered its inaugural season in 2020, understanding this slang is more important than ever.  

Knowing these terms is key for anyone who wants to fully understand competitive CoD esports, or for anyone who wants to play CoD themselves.

Below is a complete glossary of terms that you will find while watching or playing CoD, with each term explained in full.

Ace: One player killing all five opponents (the whole team) in one round.

ADS: Aiming down the sight of a weapon in order to increase accuracy or make less noise whilst moving.

AKD: Adjusted K/D. A variant of the kill/death ratio that covers all game-modes, considering the greater importance of kills in search and destroy.

Bait: One player sacrificing themselves to lure an opponent into an unfavourable situation.

Bait & switch: One player drawing gunfire from an enemy before retreating, whilst a well-prepared teammate catches the enemy player off-guard.

Bomb spot: A specific position where a bomb is planted in order to give the offensive team an advantage over the defending team, who must defuse it.

Bunny hop: A movement technique allowing players to jump further distances. Often used to gain an advantage in a gunfight.

Clutch: A lone player winning a round despite being outnumbered by their opponents.

Contest: Preventing the enemy team from earning points by occupying the objective at the same time.

Crack aiming: A player aiming in and out of the sight of their weapon quickly to preempt a gunfight.

Deady: Dead silence. A field upgrade allowing the user to make no noise for a short time period. Most prominent in search and destroy.

Drop shot: A player moving from standing to prone during a gunfight in order to evade their opponent’s shots.

Ego chall: Challenging an enemy player to a gunfight despite being in a disadvantageous position. Usually an engagement that should be avoided.

Entry (player): The first player to challenge the objective.

First blood: The first kill of the round. Gives the successful team a numerical advantage.

Flanking: One or more players sneaking behind enemy lines to catch enemy players off-guard.

Flash: Short for flashbang grenade – an explosive that temporarily blinds opponents.

Flex: A flexible role in which the player switches between the responsibilities of an SMG (sub-machine gun) and AR (assault rifle) player. Usually depends on the requirements of the specific map and mode.

Frag: A kill or a grenade. Depends on context. 

Full Sailed: A team surrendering a 5-0 advantage in Search and Destroy, losing 5-6. Named after Complexity’s infamous comeback against OpTic Gaming at the MLG Full Sail Invitational in 2013.

Hill time: The amount of time a player has spent occupying the hardpoint area.

Hipfire: Shooting at an enemy without aiming down the sight of a weapon.

Hitmarker: A shot that hits an enemy player but doesn’t deliver enough damage to kill them. Usually in the context of a sniper.

Holding a cross: A player watching a lane in the map to notify teammates when the enemy is moving.

IGL: Short for in-game leader. The player who sets the strategy for his team, both before and during a round.

Jiggle peek: Strafing back and forth quickly near a wall in order to look around a corner more safely.

Jump shot: Jumping during a gunfight in order to gain an advantage.

K/D: Kill-death ratio. A performance metric calculated by the number of kills divided by the number of deaths. Used to display a player’s performance.

Kobe: An impressive grenade kill, usually thrown from a distance.

Main AR: Main Assault Rifle. The player tasked with using longer range weapons, mainly in respawn game modes, to hold power positions.

Nade spot: A pre-prepared spot in which one or more grenades are thrown.

Ninja defuse: A player defusing the bomb without the other team being aware of it.

OE: Over-extending. A player pushing forward to the opponent’s side of the map instead of returning to their own side to regain lost control. Usually after spawning away from their home objective.

One-shot: A call-out used to highlight a weak enemy when just one bullet will finish off the kill.

Onliner: A slang term used to describe a player that performs well in online tournaments but underperforms on LAN (local area network).

Peek/peeking: A player leaving cover to gain information on enemy positions or engage an enemy player.

Pick/playing for a pick: A low-risk strategy where a team will play passively in order to find a kill and gain map control.

Pinch: Two or more players coordinating a push towards the same target from different directions.

Playing for info: Attempting to garner information on enemy locations before deciding on a strategy.

Playing your life: Actively avoiding engagements in order to survive for a longer time period. Often when waiting for reinforcements or to play down the timer.

Pre-aim: A player holding their aim at a certain position, anticipating an opponent.

Pre-fire: A player firing their weapon in anticipation of an opponent, without knowing if there is anyone there.

Pre-nade: A grenade thrown at the start of a round at a popular location to draw first blood.

Quickscope: Scoping and shooting a sniper rifle very quickly.

Respawn modes: Hardpoint and Domination. Any game mode where players have more than one life per round.

Reverse sweep: When a team wins the series despite going down 0-2, usually in the context of a best-of-five match format.

Rotate: A team moving from one area of the map to another in order to take control of the next strategic position.

Rush: A player/team pushing towards the enemy/objective very quickly, in order to catch them off guard.

S&D star: A player who has developed a reputation for performing well in online search and destroy tournaments. Usually referring to a rookie or amateur player.

Scrap time: The final seconds of a Hardpoint round before it moves to the next location.

Slaying power: The overall ability of a team to win gunfights and get kills, usually giving them an advantage over the objective.

Slide cancel: A movement technique in which the player ends the slide motion prematurely. Usually to gain advantage in gunfights.

Spawn trap: A team holding positions that force the enemy team to repeatedly spawn in an unfavourable location.

Spawn: Entering the game with a new life. Also used to describe the location where players respawn. 

Spawned out: When a team loses control of an objective or area, forcing them to spawn further away.

Stack: Sending multiple players to one area or objective in order to create a numerical advantage.

Strafe: Moving side to side quickly. Often used during gunfights to evade the shots of the opponent.

Strat: Short for strategy. The tactics used by a team during a round. 

Stun: A utility grenade that slows enemy movement momentarily.

Tac-sprint: Tactical sprint. A movement mechanic allowing the player to sprint faster.

Trade: A player killing an enemy shortly after they have killed a teammate, evening out any numerical advantage.

Trip-Cap: A team holding all three points in Domination, earning the maximum points available for the duration.

Utility: Smoke grenades, stun grenades and other equipment.

Wallbang: A player shooting an enemy through a wall or other cover.

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