Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- Bridge. the winning of all thirteen tricks of a deal.Compare little slam.
- Also grand-slam·mer. Baseball. a home run with three runners on base.
- Sports. the winning by a single player of several designated major championship contests in one season, as in golf or tennis.
- any sweeping success or total victory.
noun
- bridge the winning of 13 tricks by one player or side or the contract to do so
- tennis golf
- the winning of all major competitions in a season, esp in tennis and golf
- one of the 4 major competitions in a season in tennis
- (often capital) rugby Union the winning of all five games in the annual Six Nations Championship involving England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and ItalyCompare triple crown (def. 3)
A sweeping success or total victory, as in This presentation gave us a grand slam—every buyer placed an order. This term originated in the early 1800s in the card game of whist (forerunner of contract bridge), where it refers to the taking of all thirteen tricks. It later was extended to bridge and various sports, where it has different meanings: in baseball, a home run hit with runners on all the bases, resulting in four runs for the team; in tennis, winning all four national championships in a single calendar year; in golf, winning all four major championships. In the 1990s the term was used for four related proposals presented on a ballot at once.