The Game » Glossary

Here you can find a glossary of bowlingterms sorted by alphabet. You can choose a letter of the alphabet by clicking on one of the letters in the menu below. He and his should be read as 'he and his or she and her' throughout this glossary.

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• Action
  (1) The spin/rotation put on a bowlingball as it is released or (2) bowling for money.

• Actual span
  Distance from the edge of the thumb hole nearest to center, to edge of the finger holes nearest to center, including all inserts and/or grips.

• Adjust
  Changes a bowler will make in his approach and lane movements, throughout the course of a game, in order to get progressively closer to his target. A normal move as the lanes breakdown would be to move one's feet 2 boards and lane target 1 board deeper inside or vice versa.

• Adult bumper bowling
  A term used to describe a bowling lane that is very easy to bowl on due the oil pattern.

• All events
  Total combined pins bowled in singles, doubles, and team event of a tournament.

• All the way
  Completing the game with only strikes from a given point in the game. Also known as 'off the sheet', 'punched out' or 'XXX'ed out'.

• Alley
  (1) Term for lane bed or playing surface. Wood lanes are made of maple and pine boards. Synthetic lanes, first introduced in 1977, are made from a high-pressure lament. (2) An entire bowlingcenter.

• Anchor
  Last bowler in the lineup of a team, who is normally one of the better bowlers on the team.

• Angle of entry
  Angle, measured parallel to the boards, at which the bowling ball hits the pocket after completing it’s path down the lane.

• Ankle shot
  Hitting your ankle during the delivery of the bowlingball.