Ollie

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A type of skateboarding or snowboarding trick where the rider leaps into the air without grabbing their board, resulting in the board rising alongside them
2. A maneuver in extreme sports involving a jump where the board is lifted off the ground without the use of hands, showcasing skill and control
3. This skating technique allows the rider to gain height by popping the tail of the board against the surface while maintaining balance in the air

Etymology: Alan "Ollie" Gelfand was an American skateboarder, born in 1963, and the trick that carries his nickname is one of the most important moves in skateboarding. The ollie is a jump in which the rider, standing on the board, taps the tail down on the ground so the board springs upward, and then slides the front foot forward to level it out in mid-air. Because the board rises with the rider rather than being carried by them, the move made it possible to clear obstacles, land on ledges and curbs, and begin the aerial tricks that followed. The name is a nickname that became a verb and a noun. Gelfand's friends and the skateboarding press knew him as "Ollie," and the trick took the name from him, so people who ollie a curb or perform an ollie are, in effect, invoking a person rather than a technical term. Its use as a verb follows naturally from the noun: a rider can ollie a rail, a set of stairs, or a gap.