x's and o's

x's and o's

1. sports The symbols used to denote the players on one's team (and usually those of the opposing team) in a diagram of a play (i.e., the formation the players will take when trying to score or move the ball). The term often refers to the plays themselves. That coach is great with the x's and o's, but the team's execution has been very disappointing.
2. By extension, knowledge of how something works. Before you start on that report, call Shelly—she knows all the x's and o's of the budget.
See also: and
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • case of the dropsy
  • make head or tail of something, to be unable to
  • bar sinister
  • eye to the main chance, have an
  • have an eye for the main chance
  • have an eye on/for/to the main chance
  • have an eye to/for the main chance
  • an eye for the main chance
  • an eye on/for/to the main chance
  • take the Browns to the Super Bowl
References in periodicals archive
What X's and O's, Colossal and Clutch have in common, beyond mining stage drama from the game and its players, is the compelling notion that fans can raise their voices to do more than cheer.
You who plot out the X's and O's as playing coaches of parish ministry still have an exegetical "sixth man" in Robert Smith.
We work for these people, and when they say x's and o's, we print x's and o's."
In "X's and O's," all the characters have something standing in the way of their own dating success.
Elite coaches share their insight into X's and O's, training programs, game-day strategies, and motivational techniques on the court and in the classroom.
"You'd like to think you have everything organized, but ..." said Hawkins, a senior associate athletic director in his ninth year as Oregon's director of football operations - essentially Chip Kelly's lead assistant coach for everything about the program that doesn't involve X's and O's on the field.
Chuck knew almost as much about the music as we did, and we rarely knocked ourselves out over the X's and O's. Most of our conversation was on books, education, and the newspapers--all of which Chuck spiced up with his sly sense of humor.
Good X's and O's will put the players in position to make it work, which is coaching, but a kid's ability to execute his technique (also coaching) will make it successful or not."
I think he was a much better X's and O's guy than he ever let on or anyone ever gave him credit for.
X's and O's can be fixed, and the Ducks can get back to following the master schedule.
But the AFCA, seeking more than just X's and O's, created the PDS for the annual convention in January.
Along with an expanded Autzen, we now have a bunch of state-required football art around the stadium, including those giant X's and O's that people write to me about each week and say: "What are those giant X's and O's?' (Like Jack Nicholson's character and Nurse Ratched in Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," football fans and art have never really hit if off.)
As coaches, it is your responsibility to provide your athletes and the entire program with the best possible information available on a host of different concerns that are totally unrelated to the X's and O's of your sport.
"At this point, it's not about X's and O's. It's about heart.
While X's and O's remain a core practice in our sport, the WBCA National Convention is a time to focus more on the achievements of our membership and supporters by honoring them for their commitment and dedication to the game through several of our premiere awards.