A thin opening in something, as in a slot in the door or a mail slot. Also, a time period or place reserved for an activity, as in We have a slot in our schedule to visit the museum.
In computers, a slot (also called an expansion slot) is a pinhole in the motherboard with connections to external devices and circuitry. It provides an area for a plug-in card to add specialized capabilities, such as video acceleration or disk drive control. Almost all desktop computers come with a set of slots for expansion cards.
NFL fans are well aware that slot receivers play a critical role in the modern game. Without a good slot receiver, quarterbacks have a hard time stretching the field and attacking all three levels of the defense. They run different routes than wide receivers and are usually much smaller. In addition, slot receivers must have an advanced ability to block.
They must be quick to read and react to the defensive coverage. They must also be precise with their route running and timing to catch passes in stride. On running plays, they need to be able to block for the ball carrier and help with sweeps and slants. In addition, they are often called into pre-snap motion by the quarterback and must be able to move with the quarterback quickly. It is common for a slot receiver to play more snaps than his team’s No. 1 and No. 2 receivers.