What is "sandbagging"

vb. (present participle of sandbag English)

1. n. a bag filled with sand; used as a weapon or to build walls or as ballast

2. v. treat harshly or unfairly

3. compel by coercion, threats, or crude means; "They sandbagged him to make dinner for everyone" [syn: dragoon, railroad]

4. hit something or somebody as if with a sandbag [syn: stun]

5. downplay one's ability (towards others) in a game in order to deceive, as in gambling

6. protect or strengthen with sandbags; stop up; "The residents sandbagged the beach front"

7. [also: sandbagging, sandbagged]

See sandbag

Sandbagging describes someone who underperforms (usually deliberately) in an event. The term has multiple uses, such as a driver who competes in an event in a series below their level of expertise to finish high. In bracket drag racing and short track racing when a racer has a dial-in time / qualifying speed much slower than the car can actually perform. The term can also be used to describe a fast driver who holds back during a race until just before the end, when they suddenly pass up through the field to win the event.

Sandbagging, hiding the strength, skill or difficulty of something or someone early in an engagement, may refer to:

• in billiards and other games, deliberately playing below one's actual ability in order to fool opponents into accepting higher stakes bets, or to lower one's competitive rating in order to play in a future event with a higher handicap and consequently have a better chance to win; the term has spread to chess, go and other such games. Also known as hustling.

  • Sandbagging (grappling), competing in a skill-bracket or being ranked lower than one is deemed capable of
  • Sandbagging (racing), deliberately qualifying slower than what the car can actually perform
  • Slow play (poker), deceptive play in poker
  • Sandbagging (rock climbing), recommending a route to a fellow climber which is known to be particularly challenging in the hope that the climber should find it more difficult than expected
• Sandbagging (law), suing for a breach of a contractual representation or warranty despite having known at the time of the contract that it was untrue.
• Sandbagging (sales), when one withholds sales on purpose to help him qualify for next month's promotions or withholds due to laziness.
• Sandbagging (social), when one withholds comments or information that could support another person's or party's cause or argument, especially after a previous understanding, or implied understanding, that support would be provided.
• Sandbagging (professional wrestling), where a wrestler being lifted intentionally shifts his weight to feel heavier, making the other wrestler appear weak or clumsy.

Sandbagging is a term used in martial arts to denote a practitioner who competes at a skill-bracket deemed less rigorous than their actual level of competitive ability. The term is adopted similarly in golf and various forms of racing. In contrast to these sports however, it remains unclear whether the grappling "sandbagger" necessarily does so intentionally. For example, in Judo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where competition is generally divided by belt rank, a practitioner is conventionally not allowed to choose his or her own ranking and thus must compete at a level predetermined by his or her instructor.

Sandbagging, in the field of mergers and acquisitions law, refers to the act of claiming a breach of a contractual representation or warranty despite having known at the time of the contract that it was untrue.