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Definition: Sports jargon for a losing streak.

Sample usage: "The team is never going to win the championship, but can't they at least get off the schneid?"

Popularity: It made the official Merriam-Webster dictionary, so it's a real word, not just made-up sports drivel. But it's also quite odd. Injected into popular culture by ESPN announcer Chris Berman, the word typically is attributed to a German insult but actually traces its roots all the way back to Old Norse.

JAMES LILEKS

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