Bowls glossary
This glossary covers the terms used on flat greens and crown greens. Where a word belongs to one code only, the entry says so.
The basics
| Term |
Meaning |
| Bowl or wood |
The ball a player delivers |
| Jack |
The small target ball |
| Bias |
The built-in tendency of a bowl to curve one way |
| Green |
The playing surface. Also the amount of curve allowed for |
| End |
One round of play, from delivering the jack to counting the shots |
| Shot |
A point. One is scored for each bowl closer to the jack than the opponent’s nearest |
| Head |
The jack and the bowls gathered around it |
| Mat |
The mat a player stands on to deliver |
Describing a bowl
| Term |
Meaning |
| Shot bowl |
The bowl nearest the jack |
| Short |
A bowl that stops before the jack |
| Heavy |
A bowl that runs past the jack |
| Narrow |
A bowl given too little green, which crosses in front of the jack |
| Wide |
A bowl given too much green, which finishes outside the jack |
| Jack high |
Level with the jack |
| Wick or rub |
A deflection off another bowl |
Flat green terms
| Term |
Meaning |
| Rink |
One of the lanes a flat green is divided into. Also a team of four |
| Ditch |
The channel around the edge of the green |
| Toucher |
A bowl that touches the jack during its run. It is marked with chalk and stays in play even if it ends in the ditch |
| Dead bowl |
A bowl that leaves the rink or enters the ditch without being a toucher |
| Dead end |
An end in which the jack is knocked out of bounds. It is replayed, or the jack is re-spotted, depending on the rules in use |
| Lead |
The player who bowls first and places the jack |
| Skip |
The captain of a team, who bowls last and directs play |
| Measure |
Checking with a tape or callipers which bowl is closer |
Crown green terms
| Term |
Meaning |
| Crown |
The raised centre of the green |
| Footer |
The small mat a player keeps a foot on when delivering |
| Mark |
A valid delivery of the jack, which sets the target for the end |
| Thumb peg |
Delivering with the bias on the thumb side of the hand |
| Finger peg |
Delivering with the bias on the little-finger side |
| Round peg and straight peg |
Playing a bowl so its bias works with, or against, the slope of the green |
| Block |
Another name for the jack |
Shots
| Term |
Meaning |
| Draw |
A bowl played to stop next to the jack |
| Drive or firing shot |
A bowl played at speed to disturb the head |
| Trail |
A shot that moves the jack to a new position |
| Guard |
A bowl left short to protect a position |
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