Bowling glossary: terms and slang explained

A to C bowling terms

This part of the bowling glossary runs from the anchor to the cranker, and it includes most of the gear words you'll hear at a pro shop.

A terms

Anchor

The last bowler in a team lineup. Teams usually pick a steady player who copes well with pressure.

Approach

This is the area behind the foul line where you walk up and release the ball. It must be at least 15 feet (4.57 m) long.

Arrows

Seven triangle marks set a short way down the lane. Most bowlers aim at these rather than at the pins, as our lane dimensions guide explains.

Asian Bowling Federation (ABF)

Bowling's governing body for Asia, based in Hong Kong. It runs the Asian Championships and publishes an Asian ranking.

Average

Your total pins divided by games bowled. In Malaysia, MTBC publishes official averages from sanctioned events.

Axis rotation

How far the ball's spin axis turns sideways at release. More rotation usually gives a later, sharper hook.

Axis tilt

The upward tilt of the ball's spin axis. With more tilt, the ball tends to skid further before it hooks.

B terms: Baby split to Ball track in the bowling glossary

Baby split

Any split you can convert by hitting both pins with the ball, such as the 2-7 or 3-10.

Back end

The last third or so of the lane, which usually carries little oil. That's where a hook ball finally turns.

Backup ball

A shot that curves the opposite way to a normal hook for your hand. Some bowlers call it a reverse hook.

Baker format

Team play where each player bowls certain frames of one shared game. For example, five bowlers take two frames each.

Balance hole

An extra hole once drilled only to adjust a ball's static balance. USBC rules no longer allow them.

Ball return

The track and rack that bring your ball back after each shot. Keep your fingers clear of the opening.

Ball track

That ring of oil marks on a ball showing where it rolls on the lane.

B terms: Bed posts to Bumpers in the bowling glossary

Bed posts

Slang for the 7-10 split, the two back corner pins. See also the big four in this bowling glossary.

Big four

The 4-6-7-10 split, with two pins left on each side. Bowlers rate it one of the hardest leaves to convert.

Blind score

Points given for an absent team member, usually their average minus a penalty set by the league.

Board

One of 39 strips running down the lane. Right-handers count boards from the right edge, while left-handers count from the left.

Brooklyn

A ball that crosses over and hits the opposite pocket, such as the 1-2 for a right-hander. If it still strikes, people call it a Brooklyn strike.

Bucket

A diamond-shaped leave of the 2-4-5-8 or the 3-5-6-9 pins.

Bumpers

Rails or barriers that block the gutters, popular for kids. Our kids and parties guide covers centres that offer them.

C terms: Carry to Conversion

Carry

How well the pins scatter after a pocket hit. Good carry turns decent hits into strikes.

Channel

The official name for the gutter on each side of the lane.

Christmas tree

Slang for the 3-7-10 split for a right-hander, or the 2-7-10 for a left-hander.

Clean game

Any game with a strike or spare in every frame, so no open frames at all.

Conventional grip

A grip with your fingers in the holes up to the second knuckle. Most house balls use it.

Conversion

Making a spare, especially a tricky one such as a split.

C terms: Core to Current frame scoring

Core

Also known as the weight block, this is the shaped mass inside a ball. Its shape strongly affects how the ball hooks.

Cosmic bowling

Bowling under black lights with music and glowing pins. Some Malaysian centres run cosmic sessions, often in the evenings.

Count

The pins from the ball after a spare, which become that spare's bonus.

Coverstock

The outer shell of a ball: plastic, urethane or reactive resin. See our bowling ball types guide for the differences.

Cranker

A bowler with high revs and a big, powerful hook.

Current frame scoring

Also called World Bowling scoring, this system counts every strike as a flat 30, so ten strikes make 300. Read more in how to score bowling.

D to F bowling terms

Next in the bowling glossary come the terms for fouls, frames and grips, plus a few nicknames for scores.

D terms

Dead ball

A delivery that doesn't count, so you bowl it again. For instance, officials call it when a pin was missing from the rack.

Deadwood

Fallen pins lying on the lane or in the gutter. The machine must clear them before the next ball.

Delivery

Releasing the ball onto the lane. Under the rules, a delivery happens once the ball leaves your hand and crosses the foul line.

Dots

Small guide marks on the approach and the lane. Players use them to line up their feet.

Double

Two strikes in a row, so the first one scores at least 20.

Drilling layout

Where a pro shop places the holes relative to the ball's pin and centre of gravity. Read our drilling layouts guide to see why it matters.

Dry lane

Lanes with little oil. On these, the ball grips early and hooks more.

Durometer

A tool that measures how hard a ball's surface is. IBF rules set a minimum of 72 on the Shore D scale.

Dutch 200

A game of strikes and spares in turn, which always scores exactly 200.

E terms

Entry angle

The angle at which the ball enters the pocket. Generally, a stronger angle carries more strikes.

Error

Old league slang for a missed spare that should have been easy.

F terms

Fill

The pins knocked down by the next ball after a spare, which fill in that spare's score.

Fingertip grip

A grip with your fingers in the holes only up to the first knuckle. It suits hook bowlers and needs a drilled ball.

Five-bagger

Five strikes in a row. Six in a row is a six-pack.

Flat 10

A 10 pin left standing after the 6 pin falls flat and slides past it.

Foul

Touching the lane or anything beyond the foul line during or after delivery. You score zero for that ball.

Foul line

This is the line between the approach and the lane. Most centres use an electronic sensor to detect fouls.

Foundation frame

The 9th frame. A strike there sets up a big 10th frame.

Four-bagger

Four strikes in a row, also known as a hambone.

Frame

One of the ten turns in a game. In frames one to nine you get up to two balls.

Fresh oil

A lane just oiled by the lane machine, before anyone has bowled on it.

G to I bowling terms

This section of the bowling glossary covers the hook, the head pin, the house shot and the world governing body.

G terms

Greek church

The 4-6-7-9-10 or 4-6-7-8-10 split, which looks like the spires of a church.

Grip

How you hold the ball, and the size and position of its holes.

Gutter ball

A ball that drops into the channel and scores zero. Some screens show it as a G.

H terms

Hambone

Four strikes in a row, also called a four-bagger.

Handicap

Bonus pins added to level out teams or bowlers with different averages. Many leagues use it, as our leagues guide explains.

Head pin

The 1 pin, at the front of the rack. Hit it first, but not head-on, when you aim for a strike.

Heads

That front part of the lane, around and before the arrows, which usually carries the most oil.

High hit

A ball that hits the head pin too full. As a result, splits become more likely.

Hook

A ball that curves towards the pins. Learn how in our hook bowling guide.

Hook potential

How much a ball can hook, mainly set by its coverstock and core.

House ball

One of the free balls on the centre's racks. Usually they're plastic and drilled with a conventional grip.

House shot

The everyday oil pattern at a centre, with more oil in the middle. It guides a ball back towards the pocket, which makes scoring easier.

I terms

International Bowling Federation (IBF)

Bowling's world governing body, based in Lausanne. It used the names FIQ until 2014 and World Bowling until 2020.

Inside line

A playing angle closer to the middle of the lane.

J to L bowling terms

In this part of the bowling glossary you'll find lane words, league words and two old splits with flower and fruit names.

K terms

Kegler

An old word for a bowler. It comes from the German word for pin, Kegel.

Kickbacks

The side partitions beside the pin deck. Pins that bounce off them still count.

Kingpin

Usually the 5 pin, in the middle of the rack. Some people use it for the head pin instead.

L terms

Lane

A playing surface 60 feet (18.29 m) from the foul line to the head pin and 41.5 inches (1.05 m) wide.

Lane conditioner

The oil a machine spreads on the lane. It protects the surface and shapes how balls react.

Lane courtesy

Letting the bowler on the right go first if you both step up together. See our bowling etiquette guide for more.

Lane machine

This machine cleans and oils the lanes, usually before each session or league night.

Leave

Whatever pins stay standing after your first ball, so every spare starts with a leave.

League

A group of teams that bowl on a set night each week through a season.

Light hit

A ball that only clips the head pin. Commonly it leaves pins on the far side.

Lily

The 5-7-10 split. Sour apple is another name for it.

Line

Your ball's path down the lane, from the release point to the pocket.

Lineup

This is the order in which a team's players bowl.

Lofting

Throwing the ball through the air so it lands well past the foul line. It can damage the lane.

M to O bowling terms

Here the bowling glossary covers match formats, the national body and the oil that changes everything.

M terms

Mark

A strike or a spare. Bowlers often say they need a mark in the 10th to win.

Masters

A finals stage or event for the top qualifiers. For example, the KL International Open crowns its men's and women's Open Masters champions at Sunway Mega Lanes.

Match play

Head-to-head games, where you play one opponent at a time.

Messenger

A pin that rolls across the pin deck and knocks down another pin, often the 10.

Mixer

A hit where the pins bounce around and fall slowly, but still add up to a strike.

MTBC

Short for the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress, founded in 1974. It governs the sport in Malaysia and keeps official averages.

N terms

Nose hit

A ball that hits the head pin dead centre. Often it leaves a split.

O terms

Oil pattern

The shape and amount of oil on a lane. Read our oil patterns guide to learn how it affects your line.

Open bowling

Public, non-league play at a centre, where you just pay per game.

Open frame

A frame with pins still standing after two balls, so you score no bonus.

Outside line

A playing angle near the edge of the lane.

P to R bowling terms

Next, the bowling glossary covers the pocket, the pro tours and the gear words you'll hear at a pro shop.

P terms: Pair to Pinsetter in the bowling glossary

Pair

Two lanes sharing one ball return. In league play you swap between them each frame.

PAP (positive axis point)

The point on a bowler's ball at one end of its spin axis at release. Pro shops measure it to plan a drilling layout.

PBA

The Professional Bowlers Association, the main US professional tour.

Picket fence

The 1-2-4-7 or 1-3-6-10 leave, a straight line of pins down one side.

Pin action

How pins bounce into each other after the ball hits.

Pin deck

The area at the end of the lane where the pins stand.

Pinsetter

That machine behind the pins clears deadwood and sets each new rack.

P terms: Pitch to PWBA in the bowling glossary

Pitch

The angle at which a pro shop drills a finger or thumb hole.

Pocket

The best spot to hit for a strike: between the 1 and 3 pins for a right-hander. Our strike guide shows how to find it.

Polish

A shiny ball surface. Because it skids further, the ball hooks later.

Pro shop

A shop that sells and drills balls, usually inside a bowling centre. Find one in our bowling shops directory.

Punch out

Finishing a game with strikes, especially three in the 10th frame.

PWBA

The Professional Women's Bowling Association, the US women's tour. Malaysians including Natasha Roslan and Sin Li Jane compete on it.

R terms

Rack

A full setup of ten pins.

Railroad

Older slang for a wide split.

Reactive resin

A grippy coverstock that hooks more than plastic or most urethane.

Release

The moment the ball leaves your hand. Your wrist and fingers shape the spin here.

Rev rate

How fast the ball spins, in revolutions per minute. Higher revs usually mean more hook.

Ringing 10

A 10 pin left after the 6 pin spins around it without knocking it over.

Roll-off

A tiebreaker, often a single frame or game, to settle a tied match.

Rosin bag

Bowlers use this small bag of powder to dry a sweaty hand, especially in humid weather. Under USBC rules it must not leave residue on the ball.

Round robin

A format where every bowler or team plays every other one.

S bowling terms

So many bowling words start with S that this section of the bowling glossary gets its own heading.

S terms: Sandbagging to Span

Sandbagging

Keeping your average low on purpose to get more handicap. Leagues treat it as cheating.

Scratch

Bowling with no handicap, so actual pins decide the result.

SEA Games

The Southeast Asian Games, a multi-sport event. Malaysia topped the bowling medal table in Thailand in 2025, and Malaysia hosts the 2027 Games.

Series

Usually three games, added together, although some events use more.

Shammy pad

A leather or microfibre pad for wiping oil off your ball between shots.

Six-pack

Six strikes in a row, therefore halfway to a 300.

Sleeper

A pin hidden directly behind another, such as the 8 behind the 2.

Slide

The last step of your approach, where your sliding foot glides into the release.

Slide sole

Smooth material on the sole of your sliding shoe. Our bowling shoes buying guide explains slide and brake soles.

Sour apple

Another name for the 5-7-10 split, so check the lily entry in this bowling glossary too.

Span

The distance between your thumb hole and finger holes, which a pro shop measures before drilling.

S terms: Spare to Sweep bar

Spare

Knocking down all remaining pins with your second ball. It scores 10 plus your next ball.

Spinner

A player who spins the ball like a top with very little axis tilt.

Split

A leave where the head pin is down and the standing pins have a gap between them, such as the 7-10.

Sport shot

Tournaments use this tougher oil pattern, because flatter oil gives less help steering the ball.

Spot bowling

Aiming at the arrows or dots instead of the pins.

Stepladder final

The lowest seed plays the next lowest, and the winner moves up a step. Then the top seed meets the last survivor in the title match.

Strike

Knocking down all ten pins with your first ball, marked X.

String

A run of strikes in a row, for example four or five.

Stroker

A smooth, accurate bowler with moderate revs.

Sweep bar

That bar drops down to clear fallen pins between balls.

T to Z bowling terms

Finally, this part of the bowling glossary runs from the tap to the X on your scoring screen.

T terms in the bowling glossary

Tap

A good-looking pocket hit that leaves one pin standing, often the 10 or the 7.

Tenpin

The standard game with ten pins and a large ball with holes. Malaysia plays tenpin, not candlepin or ninepin.

Thumb hole

This is the hole for your thumb. Pro shops fit its size and pitch to your hand.

Track area

The part of the lane most balls roll through, which dries out first.

Transition

How the oil moves and dries as games go on. You'll need to adjust your line to keep striking.

Turkey

Three strikes in a row. Also see double, hambone and six-pack in this bowling glossary.

Two-handed bowler

A player who swings the ball with both hands and no thumb in the hole, which usually means high revs.

U terms

Urethane

A coverstock between plastic and reactive resin in grip. MTBC banned slow oil-absorbing high-performance urethane balls from its events in 2026, as our official rules guide explains.

USBC

Short for the United States Bowling Congress. Its approved ball list applies at IBF events too.

W terms

Washout

A leave with the head pin standing plus a gap, such as the 1-2-10. Technically it isn't a split, because the head pin is up.

Weight block

Another name for the core inside a ball, which this bowling glossary covers under C.

World Bowling

This was the IBF's name from 2014 to 2020.

Wrist support

A brace or glove that keeps your wrist firm at release. See our wrist supports guide.

X terms

X

The scoring symbol for a strike. Similarly, / means a spare, - means a miss and F means a foul.

Malay bowling words

Malay-language news and centre signs mostly spell the sport "boling". These are the everyday phrases you'll meet, and they also appear in this bowling glossary for searchers.

Boling

Malay spelling of bowling, as used by BH, Kosmo and other Malay-language media.

Main boling

To go bowling, literally "play bowling".

Bola boling

Bowling ball. Marketplace listings often mix languages and write "bola bowling" instead.

Kasut boling

Bowling shoes, which centres also rent out at the counter.

Kedai boling

A bowling shop or pro shop.

Peraturan boling

Bowling rules. Our bowling rules guide covers them in English.

Where to go next from the bowling glossary

Now that the words make sense, put them to use. Start with our overview of bowling rules, then learn how to score bowling frame by frame. If you want to roll more turkeys, our bowling tips section is the next stop.