Back-Up Ball: A ball thrown by a right-handed bowler that hooks left-to-right instead of right-to-left. If thrown by a left-hander, a back-up ball breaks right-to-left.
Back end: The last 15-20 feet of the lane, where the ball is supposed to develop the most friction (due to lack of oil) and hook into the pocket.[1]
(#-)Bagger: Always preceded by a number from three to eleven, denoting a string of consecutive strikes. ("Six-bagger")
Bedposts: The 7-10 split, considered one of the most difficult to convert. Also known as the fence posts or goal posts.
Big Four: A very hard split to convert, this leaves pins 4-6-7-10. If a BTBA member converts it in a BTBA Sanctioned League he can be awarded a badge. USBC members are awarded a patch for converting this split in league play.[1] Also known as "Grandma's Teeth."
Brooklyn: A throw that results from the ball hitting the opposite “pocket” from the bowler’s normal handedness. For example, a right-handed bowler rolls the ball but it hits the 1 and 2 pins first. This may also be referred to as “Jersey.”[1]
Carry: A condition where a good shot (or even a less-than-perfect shot) rolled into the pocket results in a strike.[1]
Carry-down: A condition where oil from the front of the lane is transferred farther down the lane than desired, usually due to excessive ball traffic in the same area of the lane. This condition can cause the ball to “slide” in the area of the lane the bowler would desire it to hook.[1]
Chop: An open frame where the front pin of a combination consisting of two or more adjacent pins is struck in the middle and neither the ball nor front pin takes out any other pins of the spare. (Example: The ball striking the middle of the 2-pin in a 2-4-7 combination, and leaving the 4-7 pins, is considered a chop.)[1]
Clover: Also refers to four strikes in a row, a reference to the 4-leaf clover.
Conversion: Another word for a spare, often preceded by the number(s) of the pins left before shooting the spare. (Example: “3-6-10 conversion.”)[1]
Cranker: A bowler known for rolling the ball with extreme revolutions, making it hook more.[1]
Double: Two strikes in a row during a single bowling game.[1]
Flat 10: Leaving just the 10 pin after the first shot, while the 6 pin lays in the gutter instead of flying around the 10 pin (as with a Ringing 10). For a left-hander, the equivalent is the "Flat 7."
Foul: A shot where the bowler's foot crosses the “foul line” at the end of the approach (and start of the lane), which often results in a light and/or buzzer being triggered. A foul also occurs when any part of the bowler's body touches the lane beyond the foul line, whether or not the foul light or buzzer is triggered. A foul counts zero for the ball roll in which it occurs, regardless of how many pins are knocked down. In “lowest-score-wins” fun-games, a foul results in a strike. Crossing the foul line only results in a foul if the bowler releases the ball.[1]
Frame: A single turn for a bowler, constituting one or two rolls, depending on pinfall.[1]
Front 6: Getting Strikes in the first 6 frames.
(Go) off the sheet: To end a game with many consecutive strikes. ("He can go off the sheet for a 259 game." See "Strike out", directly above; comes from long ago when bowling was scored on paper.)
Greek church: The 4-6-7-8-10 or 4-6-7-9-10 split. Also known as a cathedral.
Hambone: Four Strikes in a row during a single bowling game.
Heavy or High shot: A shot that hits more of the head pin than desired, often resulting in a split.[1]
Hook: Rolling the ball with enough side-spin to make the ball curve as it rolls toward the pins.[1]
Light shot: A shot that rolls into the pocket, but is closer to the 3-pin (or 2-pin for a left-hander) than the head pin.[1]
Lily: Another tricky split, this time leaving pins 5-7-10.[1]
Line: The path that a bowling ball takes down the lane. Also can be used to describe one game of bowling.[1]
Messenger: A pin that goes across the width of the pin deck and knocks down another pin or pins, resulting in a strike. Also known as a birddog, scout, shrapnel, or rogue pin.
Oil: The conditioner used in the front two-thirds of the lane, which allows the ball with side-spin to roll the necessary distance down the lane before it starts to generate friction and hook.[1]
Open Frame: Any frame in which a strike or spare was not made.[1]
Pocket: The ideal place for the ball to hit the pins in order to maximize strike potential. The pocket for a right-hander is between the 1 and 3 pins (1 and 2 pins for a left-hander).[1]
Power stroker: A bowler who combines the high hooking power of a cranker with the smooth delivery and timing of a stroker. Power Stroking is a form of “tweening,” meaning the form lies somewhere in between cranking and stroking.[1]
Ringing 10: The situation where the result appears to be a strike, but a pin (usually the 6) flies around the 10 pin without knocking it over, leaving a pin-count of 9. For a left-hander, the equivalent is the "Ringing 7."
Series: A set of full bowling games, typically three games in league play.[1]
Shut-out: A situation in which it is mathematically impossible for a bowler to match or exceed an opponent's score, even should he throw all strikes and the opponent throw all gutterballs for the remainder of the game.
Sleeper: The name for a pin standing directly behind another pin, making it hard to see, eg. 8 behind 2, 5 behind 1 or 9 behind 3. Also known as a “phantom pin”, “double wood” or “mother-in-law.”[1]
Spare: All ten pins down on two ball rolls of a frame.[1]
Split: A spare leave where the head pin is knocked down and at least two non-adjacent pins are standing. (Example: the 8 and 10 pins left by themselves would be considered non-adjacent. The 6 and 10 pins are adjacent, and thus not considered a split.) Common jargon for certain splits include: “baby split” (most commonly 2-7 or 3-10), “big four” (4-6-7-10), “Greek church” (4-6-7-8-10 or 4-6-7-9-10) and “fit-in split” (most commonly 4-5 or 5-6).[1]
Strike: All ten pins down on the first roll. This is the aim of all bowlers at the start of each frame.[1]
Strike out: To roll three strikes in the 10th frame of a game (the maximum possible).[1] Also used to denote a longer string of strikes to end a game. ("He struck out after that open in the 5th frame.") Also referred to as "going sheet."
Stroker: A bowler known for smooth timing and delivery with relatively low amount of hook on the ball.[1]
Tap: A condition where a good shot that appears to hit the pocket properly results in less than ten pins being knocked down. The most common “tap” situations for a right-hander include leaving the 8 or 10 pin by itself (7 or 9 pin for a left-hander).[1]
Track: The pattern of oil left on a bowling ball after a shot. This indicates what parts of the ball have contacted the lane on its path.
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). Track flare is used to expose fresh, dry ball surface to the lane surface. While on oil, this means little to the performance of the ball, but when the ball crosses from the oil to the dry, the dry ball surface bonds with the dry lane surface to increase friction which causes earlier hook and greater overall reaction.[2]
Turkey: Three strikes in a row during a single bowling game.[1]
Washout: A spare left where at least two non-adjacent pins are still standing, but the head pin is also standing.[1]
