Though the lingo around match play golf has changed in recent years -- for example, "tied" has replaced "all square" when talking about a level match -- there is a word that remains very popular: dormie.
In match play golf, a player is said to be dormie against their opponent when they are ahead in the match by as many holes there are remaining in the match.
For example, in an 18-hole match, if a player is 4 up on their opponent through 14 holes, then they are dormie because there are only four holes left in the match. That means that the worst result that can happen to the 4-up player is they tie the match by losing the final four holes played (presuming there is no playoff in the event of a tie at the end of the regulation number of holes).
A player who is dormie in their match against their opponent can also win the match outright if they win another hole from the point at which they become dormie. In the prior example, if the player who is 4 up through 14 holes wins the 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th holes, then the match ends right there as they are ahead by more holes than remain. In match play, when that happens, the match is over and no more holes need to be played.
The origin of the word "dormie" in match play golf came from the French. "Dormie" is derived from the French/Latin infinitive dormir, which means "to sleep" (as it does in Spanish as well). The point of using the word in golf is to say that a player who is dormie can relax, or go to sleep, without worry of losing the match.
In a sense, to be dormie is like being able to take a victory march and win as soon as the player has an opportunity. However, golfers don't like a match to continue to linger with the possibility of giving away the win.
