slot
n.— «While powerlifting, which combines lifts in three disciplines—the squat, dead lift and bench press—appears to be all about brute force, it was actually a game of milimetres where subtle changes in technique could make a massive difference in performance, Jenkins said. In powerllifting parlance, it’s called getting “in the slot.” “You’ve got to be in what we call “the slot,” and if you aren’t in there then you aren’t even close. It’s her ability to get into the slot and get into it early that’s so much better this time around.”» —“Buckley powers back in record-breaking form” by Nathan Burdon Southland Times (Invercargill, New Zealand) Apr. 25, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1916, a small-town newspaper in Pennsylvania printed a fanciful item about a local gathering with a guest list that included, among others, Miss Ella Vader, Mr. Ray Zor, and other punny names. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Martha from Rock Hill, South Carolina, wonders about the phrase She’s got the botts, meaning “she’s pouting.” The botts, also spelled the bots, refers to “a general malaise or moody spell,” and the bot in this case is the same bot in the botfly, a...
I’ve heard naval aviators talk about a slot, a narrow envelope of flight paths that can lead to a successful carrier landing. Miss the slot (too high/low, too fast/slow, etc.) and you’re wasting your time, or worse. Sounds like an analogy to the cited use.