Bowling Terms

A ten-pin bowling, more popularly known as simply bowling, is a competitive sport. The game involves players or bowlers to roll a bowling ball down the wooden lane. At the end of the lane are 10 pins lined in a triangular shape, some lined behind each other, which need to be knocked down. The player scores according to how many pins were knocked out of the way. There are total number of 10 frames and each player gets two turns per frame to clear all the pins. So, that was a basic preview about bowling. Although the objective of the game may sound simple, the game is pretty challenging and fun at the same time. There are some basic terms and rules that every bowler needs to follow, despite playing for a tournament or for recreational purposes.

Specific Terms and Definitions

Before you roll a perfect strike, you should brush up on some bowling terminology. Not only is it helpful while you're taking the starting position and wanting to glide the ball through the lane in a perfect stance, you really don't want to be caught off-guard with typical bowling lingo. So, to experience the thrill of standing in your bowling shoes in front of your family, friends, or boyfriend/girlfriend, here are some bowling terminologies that will come in handy.

A
Address	A bowler's initial position
Alley	Surface of the lanes which is made of maple, pine, or urethane boards
All the Way	Finishing a game with only strikes
Anchor	The last participant to bowl in a team competition
Angle	The direction taken by the ball while traveling into the 1-3 pocket for right hand bowlers, 1-2 for left hand bowlers
Approach	Portion of the lane (path) from the back of the ball return area to the foul line
Armswing	The entire arm movement, from the arc of your bowling arm (right or left) and hand from the initial move toward the line till the ball is released over that line
B
Baby Ball	Throwing or releasing the ball too delicately or carefully
Back Ends	The final 6 feet of the lane
Backup	A ball that falls to the right side for right-handed bowlers and left side for left-handed bowlers
Balk	Interfering to stop or mess up some other bowler's normal actions
Ball Rack	The rack used to store balls or where the balls returns and rests before a turn
Ball Return	Path between the lanes where the ball rolls on when it's returning to the rack
Balsa	A weak hit on the headpin
Bedposts	A 7-10 split
Belly the Ball	Increasing the width of a hook from the inside of a starting point
Bench Work	Conversation or actions intended to disturb an opponent
Bender	Hook or twist shot that comes really close to the channel just before breaking into the pocket
Big Fill	9 or 10 pins on a spare, or double on a strike
Big Five	Spare of 3 on one side and 2 on the other side
Blind	Score allowed for a missing member
Blow	A missed spare
Blow a Rack	A successful strike
Blowout	Knocking down all the pins but one
Box	A single frame
Break	A lucky shot
Bucket	Four-pin diamond on the sides or the center of the lane
Buzzard	3 open frames available in a row, for one participant
C
Carry	Power of the ball to knock down pins
Chicken Wing	When any bowler's elbow gets out from his body while performing a swing
Choke	Failing to achieve target
Chop	Chopping the front pin of a spare while a pin behind/left/right remains
Clutch	An insistence (pressured) situation
Come Up	Hook in the pocket caused by a spin on the axis
Conversion	Knocking down all the pins that were left behind with your second ball
Crawler	A strike made by leaving out the head pin
Curtain	Missing in a final frame when a spare could win
Curve	Ball that travels from right to left
Cutter	A hook that slices the pins down
D
Deflection	The ball when it makes contact with pins and then angles aside to the right or left
Delivery	Preparation, Release and Follow-through
Deuce	A 200 average
Dive	A ball that hooks itself at the last moment
Double	Two strikes made in a row
Double Wood	When 1 pin is directly behind the other pin
Dump the Ball	Releasing the ball without bending your knee
Dutch 200	A 200 game scored interchanging strikes and spares
E
Early Foundation	A strike made in the 8th frame
Early Timing	Leaving the ball before the bent, sliding foot completes its slide
Efrah	Lanes are very dry
Entry Angle	The angle relative to the pocket (the ball enters the pocket). If the angle is increased, the strike will also increase
Error	A missed spare
Extra Frame	The bonus for participant for filling the 10th frame
F
Fence Posts	A 7-10 split
Fit split	A split where it is possible for the ball to hit both pins simultaneously
Five-bagger	5 strikes in a row
Flat ball	Fruitless ball
Follow-through	The motion after release
Foul	Touching or going outside the foul line
Foul Line	The mark that decides the origin of the lane
Foundation	A strike in the 9th frame
G
Grab	The friction caused between the lane and the ball
Grandma's Teeth	An alignment of pins left standing
Graveyards	Low score lanes
Gutter	Drop offs about 10 inches wide to the right/left of the lane to lead the ball to the pit
Gutter Ball	A ball that goes into the gutter
H
Half Hit	Difference between a full and light hit
Handicap	Pins presented to weak participants or teams in an effort to make the game even
Head Pin	Front pin of a rack
Higher	More to the left or right
Home Alley	Favorite lane for participants or teams
Honey	A good ball
Hook	A ball that travels to the left or right
House Ball	Bowling balls provided by the alley
I
Ice	Oily or heavily conditioned lane as the ball keeps skidding
In "There"	A good pocket hit
In the Grove	Properly lined up, zoned, or automatic bowling
Inside	A starting point near the center of the lane
In Time	Releasing the ball and landing on the foul line with the sliding foot at the same time
J
Jam	Force the ball high inside the pocket
Jersey Side/Hit	A ball that hits on the other side of the participant's normal pocket
Juice	High rotation or powerful delivery
Junk Ball	Low rotation or less powered delivery
K
Kegler	A bowler
Kickoff	Smooth ball delivery
Kingpin	The headpin or the number 5 pin
Kitty	Money from team members for misses, and other set fines
L
Late 10	When the 10 pin pauses and is the last to go down on a strike
Leadoff Man	First man to bowl in a team game
Light Seven	A hit excessively light on both sides of the head pin
Line	The route a bowling ball takes
Lofting	Throwing the ball onto the lane rather than revolving it
Logs	Very heavy pins mainly utilized for practice
Looper	An extra-wide hook ball
Loose Hit	A light pocket hit
Love Tap	A tap from a moving pin which knocks it down
M
Match Play	A component of the tournament where participants are matched against each other
Messenger	A pin that comes across the lane after all the others have fallen down
Miss	A missed spare
Mixer	A ball that makes the pins to rebound around
Moat	A nickname for the gutter
Move In	To start from the center of the approach
Move Out	To start from a corner position on the approach
N
Naked Spare	A single spare pin
Negative Weight	The weight on a ball which tends to hold back the hook or rolls earlier than anticipated
Never Up, Never In	An idea/philosophy which states that if a bowler wants to make a strike, he/she must first hit the headpin
No Drive No Five	The expressions means that a bowler should take the 5 pin out on a pocket hit, as the ball travels through the deflection from the headpin to hit the 5 pin
Nose	The beak/center of the headpin
Nose Hit	To hit the pins dead center
Nothing Ball	A ball which accomplishes very little due to a poor hit
O
On the Nose	To hit to the headpin in the center
Open Bowling	Non-league plays for fun or practice opposite league nights
Out of Bounds	Area on the lanes where a ball won't make it to the pocket
Outside	Corner position of playing lanes
Over-turn	To enforce too much spin to the ball
P
Par	A game score of 200
Pinching the Ball	To clutch the ball too hard
Pin deck	Area 60' from the foul line
Pit	Space at end of lane where ball and pins end up
Pitch	Angle in which the holes of the bowling ball are drilled
Platform	The parts of the lane from the very back of the ball return area up to the foul line
Point Shot	Starting from the first arrow and throwing over first arrow
Position Rounds	Parts of a league schedule which call for teams
Pot Game	Competition in which two participants place a stake
Powerhouse	A strong ball that strikes
Puddle	A gutter ball
Q
Quality Shot	A shot where absolutely everything (approach, release, etc) come together at perfect timing with balance
Quick Eight	A good pocket hit that knocks down 8 pins only, while leaving the 4-7 or 6-10 behind
R
Railroad	A wide open split
Rap	When a single pin is left behind on a good hit
Rat Club	A team that shoots low scores for one game
Release	The movement of hand as ball is rolled onto a lane
Reset	Readjusting the pins
Return	The track which balls roll from pit to the rack
Revolutions	The number of turns a ball takes when leaving from release to pins
Rotation	The spin to the ball at the time of delivery
Runway	Starting area
S
Sanctioned	Competition in accordance with American Bowling Congress and Women¹s International Bowling Congress rules
Sandbagger	A bowler who keeps his average down in order to receive a higher handicap
Scenic Route	The path taken by a sharp curve ball
Separation	The length you allow between your standing position and where you want the ball to go
Shadow Ball	A ball rolled in practice without any pins set
Shotgun	Rolling a ball from the hip
Six Pack	6 strikes in a row
Slide	The last step of delivery
Snow Plow	A ball that knocks down all the pins
Spare	All pins knocked down with two balls
Spare Leave	Pins standing up after the first ball is rolled
Spiller	A light-hit strike
Splasher	A strike where the pins are knocked down rapidly
Splice	An area of lane where maple and pine boards connect
Split	A spare leave in which the headpin is down
Spot Bowling	Direct on lane at which the bowler can aim
Steal	To get more pins than you merit on a strike
Strike	All 10 pins get knocked down
Strike Out	To get all 3 strikes in the 10th frame
String	3 or more strikes in a row
Stroke	The arm and hand movement throughout the delivery over the foul line
Sweepstakes	A bowling tournament
Swiss Cheese Ball	A ball used in pro shops to build a bowler's finger size and span for drilling
T
Tandem	Two pins lined one behind the other
Tap	When a pin remains standing up on a perfect strike
Team Captain	A lead member creditworthy for all participants being present, arranging for a substitute participant, and influencing team lineup
Three Hundred Game	A perfect game of 12 strikes in a row
Three Quarter Bucket	Three of the four pins of the bucket
Throwing Rocks	Squeezing up strikes with many speed balls
Tickler	When the 6 pin gently tips the 10 pin
Track	Most used area on lane
Tripped 4	When the 2 pin takes out the 4 pin
Tumbler	A strike where the pins seem to fall separately
Turkey	3 strikes in a row
U
Umbrella Ball	A high hit which results in a perfect strike
Under	In a tournament, the number of pins each participant is scoring under a 200 average
Up the Hill	When a ball productively travels over a high board
V
Venting	Drilling a small hole into a bowling ball to relieve suction on the thumb hole
Violation	A violation affecting second and third ball score
W
Wall Shot	A particular strike which is light in the pocket where all the pins are deflected into the kickbacks. Later returning to the pin deck to knock down other pins
Washout	A split made with the 7 or 10 pins
Weak Hit	A flat hit which leaves one pin or a pocket split
Whoops	It's what you say when you lose the ball in your backswing
Winding Them In	Throwing a big hook back to the pocket
Wired	In the zone and consistent with high scores
Wrist Master	One of the many accessories worn by bowlers to help keep a firm wrist during backswing
Wow	Make a spare out of a split leave
Wrap Around	A short where the 6-pin almost hits 10-pin, however spins around it and keeps it standing
X
X	Symbol for strike
XXX'ed Out	The action of completing the game with all the strikes from a given point in the game
Y
Yank the Shot	When a bowler clings onto the ball for too long
Yellow Dot	Old polyester bowling ball made by Columbia which is famous for giving an excellent roll and hit
Z
Zero In	Find the perfect strike spot on a lane, usually after a bad hit
Zone/In the	Lined up in the groove, powerful and consistent
/	Symbol for a spare

The table must have provided you with a knowledge about what the rules of bowling are. So, call your friends and family over for a game of bowling, and while you're there, pass on some of the terms you just learned about. Let's see how they react to that. And when kids are involved, there are no separate terms for kids, just one rule - have tons of fun!