Bowling Glossary

ALL

PACE/PACER: A pacer bowls as part of a team only for the purpose of keeping the "pace" of the game more even; pacer scores do not count towards the team total. Also, the rhythm of your footwork as you approach the release point.

PACK: A full count of ten; a strike; also, an adjective to describe a full pocket hit; i.e., "it was packed". See also "six pack".

PAP (POSITIVE AXIS POINT): The point on the ball that is equidistant from all points of the release ball track.

PAR: To a professional bowler, a 200 game. See also over; under.

PART OF BUILDING, (HIT): Get 7 or 10 pin only. Hit corner pin with first ball.

PART OF THE BUILDING: An expression used to describe a standing single pin after an apparent perfect hit.

PART OF THE BUILDING/HOUSE: Said of the 7 or 10 pin when it remains solidly standing after an apparently perfect hit. Used in a phrase such as, "That pin must be part of the building."

PBA: Professional Bowlers Association.

PEARL/PEARLIZED: A type of ball surface that is not a solid color, but has a swirling, cloud-like appearance. As a general rule, all things being equal, a pearlized ball tends to go longer before hooking than would its solid cousin.

PENCILS: Very light weight pins.

PERFECT GAME: A score of 300, resulting from 12 consecutive strikes.

PHYSICAL WORK: Activities which are somewhat difficult yet nonspecific to sport. They do fatigue the body at times and may generate some forms of physical fitness benefits.

PICK: Same as chop.

PICK A CHERRY: Missing a spare cluster by taking the front pin or pins only; it usually means that the ball hit too much in the center of the front pin causing no ball deflection to assist in taking the remaining pins; i.e., leaving the 6-10 spare and hitting dead center on the 6 pin and the 10 pin remaining. See also "chop".

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

PIE: Easy scoring condition; easy lanes.

PIE ALLEY: A lane that produces high scores; from "easy as pie."

PIN (AS IT APPLIES TO A BALL): The small circle of a different color found on the surface of the ball. It locates the center of the weight block that identifies the direction it is tilted.

PIN ACTION: Motion of struck pins that hopefully will knock down others!

PIN BOY: Before automatic pinsetters, the pins were set by hand. The person, regardless of gender or age, was the "pinboy".

PIN CHASER: An employee of the bowling center that helps with machine calls during play.

PIN COUNT: The number of pins knocked down in a frame.

PIN DECK: The surface of the lane ends upon which the pins are spotted. It is made of a hard wood or synthetic surface to absorb the pounding it takes.

PIN PLACEMENT: Out or In. A drilling term that is relative to a bowler's track designed purposely for creating more ball dynamics. A Pin-in ball (when the pin is located within two inches of the CG) is excellent choice for control and less hook; a Pin-out ball usually can be made to hook more and flip more dramatically than pin-in balls; they often give the driller more options.

PINCHING THE BALL: Taking too tight a grip on the ball. Gripping the ball too hard.

PINDECK (PLATE): The area upon which the pins are set.

PINDICATOR: A display board that shows the bowler which pins remain standing after the first ball.

PINE/THE PINES: The portion of a wood lane beyond the splice and up to the pin deck. See also "heads", "maple".

PINFALL: (1) the number of pins knocked down; (2) how the pins fell.

PINNING: Getting single pins and pairs (after the first ball). ("Pin it out", etc.)

PIT: The area of the lane behind the pin deck. The area at the end of the lane.

PITCH: Angle at which the holes in a ball are drilled.

PLATFORM: Same as approach (1).

PLAY THE GUTTER: Playing a strike angle from the edge of the gutter.

PLUG: To fill a hole with a plastic that hardens so that you can drill the holes in a different area.

PLUS: In competitive play, the amount of pins (including bonus, if any) that a player is scoring over a 200 average; a player that shoots 1734 for 8 games is "plus" 134. See also "minus", "over" and "under".

POCKET: The desirable location for the ball to hit the pins to maximize strike potential. Generally the area between the 1-3 pins (right hand player) or the 1-2 pins (left hand player). This is the target for the first ball in a frame.

POCKET SPLIT: A split that is left after the ball hits the pocket; usually it is the result of a ball being deflected too much (i.e., some pocket splits are the 8-10, 5-7 etc).

POINT: To aim the ball directly at the pocket; usually as part of a "frozen rope".

POISON IVY: The 3-6-10 split.

POLISHING THE BALL: The process of applying a foreign substance to a ball in order to lessen the friction between the ball and the lane; the ball becomes shinier/glossier and the goal is for the ball to hook later and less.

POLYESTER: Substance (a plastic) that was very popular in ball surface in the 1970's (among top players), and, still very popular today as either a spare ball or ball of first choice for recreational players. It usually hooks less than a urethane or resin ball, but more than a rubber ball. It normally has a hard shiny surface, not prone to hooking much; it can come in a variety of colors. Used by higher skilled players if the lanes are very dry. See also "urethane" and "resin".

POODLE: To throw a gutter ball; probably a facetious corruption of puddle.

PORTSIDER: A lefthanded player.

POSITION ROUND: In competition, league or tournaments, in which part of the competition is match play, it is when teams or individuals play each other based upon their standing; i.e., position 1 plays 2; 3 plays 4; etc. The purpose is to give teams a chance to improve their standing directly against their closest competition.

POSITIVE AXIS POINT (PAP): The axis of the ball during the first few revolutions that is created totally by the bowler's release style.

POSITIVE WEIGHT: Weight on a ball that tends to enhance the hook and/or to get the ball into a roll later down the lane; top weight, positive side weight and finger weight are considered positive weights. These are considered static weights that can be drilled into a ball. See also "dynamic" weights.

POT GAME: A type of gambling competition in which two or more bowlers put money in the pot and the high scorer wins it all.

POUND: To consistently hit your mark.

POWDER PUFF, PUFF BALL: Same as nothing ball.

POWER PLAYER: A cranker; hard hitting, big hook, faster than average speed player.

POWERHOUSE: A ball thrown very fast and with a lot of action, resulting in an unmistakable strike.

PRACTICE: The act of bowling with a purpose to either improve a skill or to work on acquiring a new skill; it is NOT just going to the lanes and bowling a few games.

PREFERRED SPIN AXIS (PSA): It is the final axis a ball achieves while rolling down the lane. It is heavily influenced by the amount of friction and bowler generated revolutions.

PUDDLE: (1) a gutter ball; (2) a spot on the lane that seems to have much more oil than expected.

PULL SHOT: An erratic shot that goes off target towards the center or past the headpin.

PULL THE RUG: A hit on which a number of pins wobble for a time before falling down simultaneously, as if a rug had been pulled out from under them.

PUMPKIN: A softly thrown ball with little or no spin. A soft hitting ball.

PUNCH OUT: To finish with consecutive strikes, from any frame on.

PUNCH OUT OR THROUGH: Down a pin(s) from the middle only (punch No. 6 out of a full set; or punch through No.1 after a Worcester, etc.)

PUNCHED OUT: The act of completing a game with all strikes from a given point in the game.See also "off the sheet" or "XXX'ed out". or "all the way".

PUSHAWAY: The initial movement of the ball to get it into motion; some people push the ball directly forward, others slightly push forward and up, others drop the ball into motion.

PUZZLE: Where wood is an obstruction or is difficult to figure (play).

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