The modern game of bowling (1) has been around for over 100 years. Over that time span the game has developed some terms and lingo all its own. As a bowler you should try to know all of them. However, even if you spend a lot of time at the alley listening carefully to your local bowling sage, you still probably won't pick up all the terms bowling has to offer.

Lucky for you the Professional Bowlers Association has taken all the hard work out of it for you. Who knows how long it took for them to compile, but we decided to go through their list and test our knowledge. After reading through the list we have put together a list of a few of our favorite bowling terms. Some are important terms to know and others can be used to impress some of your friends on league night.

Bowling Lingo Terms

ACTION

• Spin on the ball and the movement of the pins caused by that spin. A relatively slow ball with a lot of action can be much more effective than a very fast ball with little action.
• Pins flying and mixing, ending with a good makeable leave.
• Bowling for money, usually one-on-one.

AXIS TILT

Ranging from 0 to 90 degrees, this is determined by the direction your axis is facing when you release the ball. 0 is parallel to the gutters, 90 is parallel to the foul line. The less axis tilt you have, the sooner the ball will go into a roll. Higher degrees of axis tilt promotes skid.

BABY SPLIT

The 2-7 or 3-10 split. Easier to pick up compared to a regular split.

BROOKLYN

Refers to a ball that crosses over to the other side of the headpin opposite the side it was thrown (i.e. a Brooklyn strike hit the 1-2 pocket for a right-hander).

BUCKET

A diamond-shaped, four-pin cluster, e.g., the 2-4-5-8 or 1-2-3-5. Some claim it to be the 2-4-5-8 for right handers, the 3-5-6-9 for a lefty.

CHOP

To knock down one pin of a spare leave, while the pin next to or behind it remains standing.

CLEAN GAME

A game without any open frames.

CLOSED POCKET

A full rack of pins set up for your strike ball such that the head pin is a tad off spot towards your ball hand; i.e., to the right for a right handed player; closed pockets can give unpredictable results, often negative.

DEUCE

A game of 200 or more.

DOUBLE WOOD

Any two pins such that one is directly behind the other; i.e., the 2-8; 3-9; 1-5.

FAST EIGHT

Describes an apparent good pocket hit that gets just eight (8) pins; typically the right-handed players will leave the 4-7 spare and the left-handed players the 6-10; usually the ball is a tad high when this happens.

FLARE (TRACK FLARE)

The migration of the ball track from the bowler's initial axis- the axis upon release-to the final axis-the axis at the moment of impact with the pins.

FLAT

A ball that deflects too much; ineffective ball; few revolutions; if a ball comes into the pocket on an apparent good hit but leaves a weak hit such as the 5-7 or 8-10 split, it is said to have hit “flat.”

FLUSH

Being solid in the pocket.

 

FULL ROLLER

A ball that rolls over its full circumference. The track of the ball cuts between the thumb and finger holes. Although once very popular, it is now rarely used because it lacks the carrying power of a semi-rolled ball due to the fact that it generally cannot create the increased entry angles that are helpful to carrying your strikes, particularly the off-hits.

GREEK CHURCH

1. A split leave of five pins similar to the 4-6-7-9-10 so called because it reminds people of an old cathedral type church with spires, etc.
2. Any split on which there are three pins on one side of the lane and two on the other.

HALF TEN

The description of a 10-pin that was left by a ball in the pocket and the 6-pin laying down in front of the 10-pin in a half hearted manner; same as "weak 10".

KEGLER

German word for bowler.

LEAVE

Pins left standing after the first ball has been rolled.

LILY

The 5-7-10 split ; also known as the "sour apple".

NO-TAP

A type of competition where nine (9) pins on the first ball is scored as a strike; in some instances there are 8-pin no-tap events; in those, eights (8) pins or more on the first ball counts as a strike.

PAP (POSITIVE AXIS POINT)

The point on the ball that is equidistant from all points of the release ball track.

PICKET FENCE

The 1-2-4-7 or 1-3-6-10 spares.

PUNCH OUT

To finish with consecutive strikes, from any frame on.

SANDBAGGING

Deliberately keeping an average low so that person can receive a bigger handicap.

SIX PACK

Six strikes in a row.

SOUR APPLE

A weak hit that leaves leaves the 5-7, 5-10 or 5-7-10 split; also, the 5-7-10 split itself. Also known as the "lily".

WASHOUT

A “split” with the headpin standing; symbolized as "W"; not making the spare is considered a blow or error, not a split. For example, the 1-2-4-10 or 1-2-10 for right-handed bowlers, or the 1-3-6-7 or 1-3-7 for left-handers is considered a “washout.”

See this list in its entirety on PBA.com.

Resources:

1. United States Bowling Congress, “History of Bowling”,  //www.bowl.com/About/About_Home/History_of_bowling/