Quick reference
Glossary
Quick definitions for words you’ll hear at meetups and read on forums. Each links to where we explain it in full, on this page or our Gear, Science, and Collecting guides.
| Term | Meaning | More |
|---|---|---|
| 0A–5A, X, AP | The styles of play, from modern responsive through freehand, plus the X division and Artistic Performance.[46] | Read more |
| B-grade | A yo-yo sold at a discount for finish flaws or vibe. | Read more |
| Bandalorist | A yo-yo collector. | Read more |
| Bearing size (A, C, MR85…) | Letter or part-number sizes for yo-yo bearings; C is today’s standard. | Read more |
| Bimetal | A yo-yo made of two metals, usually aluminum with steel rims for more rim weight. | Read more |
| Bind | Winding string into the gap to make an unresponsive yo-yo return.[26] | Read more |
| BST | Buy/sell/trade: forum marketplaces for used yo-yos. | Read more |
| Clicker | A hand tally counter judges use to score elements.[80] | Read more |
| Counterweight | The weight on the free end of the string in 5A. | Read more |
| Element | One specific, scorable movement inside a trick.[80] | Read more |
| Fixed axle | A yo-yo whose string wraps a solid axle instead of a bearing; a “fixie.” | Read more |
| Floaty | A yo-yo that feels light and drifts through tricks. | Read more |
| Green Triangle (GT) | A mount that is basically a knot with the yo-yo in the loop, invented by Paul Escolar; the pop-out side matters.[82] | Read more |
| H, V, W, O shapes | Profile shapes: rim-heavy H, straight V, stepped W, and rounded O (organic). | Read more |
| Hubstack | Capped bearings on the hubs you can grab while the yo-yo spins. | Read more |
| KonKave | Frank Difeo’s curved, string-centering bearing from 2003. | Read more |
| Mount | A position the string can be in with the yo-yo on it; in 3A, mounts are called houses.[81] | Read more |
| Rejection | Pushing the string into the yo-yo’s wall so the spin kicks it out of the gap.[106] | Read more |
| Responsive / unresponsive | Comes back with a tug, or needs a bind.[25] | Read more |
| Silicone / flowable | The response material in most unresponsive yo-yos, as pads or poured into a groove. | Read more |
| Restart | Spinning a stopped yo-yo back up on the string instead of rewinding it.[95] | Read more |
| Sleeper | The yo-yo spinning at the end of the string.[18] | Read more |
| Stop, discard, detach | Contest deductions of −1, −3, and −5.[80] | Read more |
| String tension | Twist in the string; too much makes loops and kinks.[22] | Read more |
| String type 6, 8, 9 | String thickness by strand count; type 8 is standard. | Read more |
| Suicide | Releasing a string loop and catching it again on your finger; invented by Paul Escolar from a diabolo trick of the same name.[44] | Read more |
| Throw down | The basic throw every trick starts from.[83] | Read more |
| Transaxle | A sleeve or bearing around the axle so the string doesn’t rub a fixed axle. | Read more |
| Trick ladder | A set list of tricks in rising difficulty used at contests.[23] | Read more |
| Vibe | Vibration you feel through the string, usually from misaligned halves. | Read more |