Horse racing is a sport full of jargon: for hardcore fans of the game, the sentence, “He worked a bullet over three panels in 35 and change” makes absolute and perfect sense. (The translation is: this horse was the fastest workout of the morning going three-eighths of a mile, traveling the distance in just over 35 seconds.)

Fascinated by horse racing-related idioms? We are, too! Check out 17 words that mean something a little different to Kentucky Derby fans below:

1. Bit

ABR photo/WikiMedia Commons

To most people: A small portion; just a slice.

To Derby fans: The piece of metal that sits in a horse’s mouth that helps the jockey steer and stop the Thoroughbred during the race.

2. Blinkers

To most people: A cutesy name for your eyes. 

To Derby fans: A hood that horses wear that has cups near the eyes that work to focus the horse’s attention forward instead of to the side.

3. Bomb

To most people: A weapon of war.

To Derby fans: A huge longshot who wins and pays clever horseplayers big bucks.

4. Box

WikiMedia Commons/ABR photo

To most people: A cube used for storage or transport of goods.

To Derby fans: A betting term that means all possible numeric combinations are covered for your chosen horses.

5. Chalk

To most people: Compressed white dust used by teachers before white boards and markers were a thing.

To Derby fans: The chalk is favorite in a race. Favorites don’t usually pay much money back to bettors, so the term is usually used derisively; for example, people who routinely bet favorites are accused of eating chalk.

6. Dam

To most people: A man-made barrier that functions to stop water from traveling its natural course. 

To Derby fans: A racehorse’s mother.

7. Groom

WikiMedia Commons/Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing

To most people: The man standing at the altar waiting to get married.

To Derby fans: The person who cares for a racehorse every day; an invaluable and unsung hero of the racetrack community.

8. Handle

To most people: The grabby knob that helps you hold, carry, or open something.

To Derby fans: The amount of money wagered at a track, measured by race, day, or even season. For example, last year’s Kentucky Derby handle was a whopping $188.7 million for one race.

9. Horseplayer

To most people: Someone who’s roughhousing or playing around.

To Derby fans: Someone who loves to bet the races; also known as a handicapper.

10. Morning Work

WikiMedia Commons/Eclipse Spotswire

To most people: Tasks completed before noon: you know, answering emails, getting the coffee brewed, things of that nature.

To Derby fans: When horses train at full speed to help prepare for a race. Morning works are a really good insight into racehorses’ fitness and willingness in advance of competition.

11. Oaks

To most people: Big, beautiful trees that produce acorns.

To Derby fans: The sister race to the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks takes place on the Friday before the run for the roses. Any Oaks race denotes that all runners will be 3-year-old fillies (which itself is the word for any female horse under five years of age.)

12. Prep

To most people: Fashion that became hugely popular in the 1980s and had carried on since then: think country club chic.

To Derby fans: A race that qualifies a horse for the Kentucky Derby. You can see a complete list of Kentucky Derby preps right here.

13. Scratch

To most people: Something that you just have to itch.

To Derby fans: When a horse is declared out of a race; this can happen any time after race entries are announced until seconds before the starting gate opens.

14. Silks

To most people: An expensive, luxurious fabric that usually is used for dresses, jackets, and scarves.

To Derby fans: The distinctive jerseys that jockeys wear. Each owner has their own set of silks, which makes it easier to keep track of their horses during the race.

15. Sire

To most people: What you call a king.

To Derby fans: Any racehorse’s father. Remember the word dam up there, which means a horse’s mother? Well, a dam’s father is called a damsire.

16. Tack

WikiMedia Commons/Eclipse Sportswire

To most people: A handy office item used for affixing one thing to a wall or cork board. A real bummer if you step on one with bare feet.

To Derby fans: The equipment a horse wears for racing and training. Saddles and bridles are called tack.

17. Walkover

To most people: An easy victory, or an uncontested sporting event; or, a very difficult gymnastics/dance move.

To Derby fans: The moment that really kicks off the Kentucky Derby when a horse and his owners and trainer make the journey from the Churchill Downs barn area to the saddling paddock.