alligator arms n.pl. in American sports, especially football, arms that are not sufficiently extended to catch a ball; generally, short arms on a player. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
We have a Department of Defense, and football teams have a defense, and chances are you don’t pronounce those terms the same way. It likely has to do with sportscasters emphasizing of- and de- to differentiate the offensive and defensive sides...
juicy noun. A person who illicitly carries alcohol in a water bottle. «Gwen Alexander, who’s been working at the Astoria pool for two years, confirms there haven’t been any issues with fighting this year but she said rule enforcement is...
There is a definite irony to this, considering that the Florida Gators have produced a lot of good receivers.
also used to describe someone who is cheap. their arms are too short to reach their wallet.
This definition is misleading. The term “alligator arms” refers to a receiver who is afraid of taking a hit while trying to catch a pass. Because of this fear, the receiver does not extend his arms as far as he could or should. He keeps his arms closer to his body to protect himself. The term has nothing to with the physical length of a player’s arms, so the second part of the definition is way off base.