Word
sav
Definition
n. a person who is very good at something, especially in a specific hobby or skill. It is a short way of saying 'savage' to show respect for someone's talent.
n. a person who is exceptionally skilled or talented in a specific domain, such as gaming or sports. Often used as a shortened form of 'savage' to express admiration for a competitor's performance.
Examples
“He is a total sav in the new video game.”
“After watching her win the tournament in under ten minutes, everyone called her a sav.”
“The community often uses the term sav to describe players who demonstrate such a high level of technical proficiency that their opponents are left feeling completely outmatched.”
Examples
simple
“He is a total sav in the new video game.”
contextual
“After watching her win the tournament in under ten minutes, everyone called her a sav.”
complex
“The community often uses the term sav to describe players who demonstrate such a high level of technical proficiency that their opponents are left feeling completely outmatched.”
Real-World Examples
Common in sport writing
“Karović was saved from being completely sucked out of the window by other passengers, who grabbed hold of him.” “Over the past 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives, as ordinary people chose to protect themselves, their children and their communities from diseases like measles, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, and rotavirus.” “By 33, she had £40,000 saved - with £8,000 of it returns on her investments.” “Australian Open champion Rybakina struggled in the opening set and made 12 unforced errors, while Swiatek, 25, broke the Kazakhstan player's serve twice - and saved two break points of her own.” Etymology
Clipping of saveloy.
Clipping of savage.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.