Entertainment / Bowling Glossary

Benchmark Ball: A favorite or starter ball used for reading lanes (an oil pattern). A bowler understands the benchmark ball by virtue of its roll, dynamic characteristics, surface, and feel.

Bender: A curve or hook that nearly falls into the gutter before beginning to break.

Bent Elbow: The act of bending your elbow through the approach; normally not desirable.

Bicycle: Same as barmaid.

Big Ball: A type of hook that is very overpowering; also, describes a pressure situation in which a player needs a strike.

Big Count: Usually refers to the number of pins after a string of strikes or a spare; usually means 9 pins, but could mean 8. i.e., he needs a big count to win.

Big Ears: The 4-6-7-10 split.

Big Fill: Getting nine or ten pins following a spare, or a double following a strike.

Big Five: Any SPLIT with two pins on one side and three on the other (No.1 and No.5 are among those down), see also Greek Church.

Big Four: The 4-6-7-10 split, see also Big Ears.

Big Three: 1-2-3 (front TRIANGLE) (Missed the BIG THREE, etc.).

BJI: Bowler's Journal International magazine.

Blind: A score marked for a team's absent player. In many leagues, the bowler's average or the average minus ten pins is used. In others, it's a set score, such as 140 for men and 120 for women, se . . . View Full Definition

Block (As It Applies To Games): In a tournament with multiple games, it is not unusual to bowl a limited number of games, take a break, and then bowl more games. The games you bowl in one set is called your block; i.e. a 2 . . . View Full Definition

Blocked Lane: A lane condition that assists the ball in getting to the pocket; usually means heavy oil in the middle portion of the lane to keep the ball from hooking past the pocket; usually means increa . . . View Full Definition

Blow: A missed spare; an open frame but not a split; an error so that the spare is missed.

Blow The Rack: Most people use this to mean a type of strike in which the ball enters the pocket light and has enough power and drive to toss the five pin violently to the side, often with messenger pins; . . . View Full Definition

Blowout: Knocking down all but one pin.

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41