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.

menu

d

• Dead ball
  Defective ball which does not give one his desired result, either by fading or deflecting after contact with the pins. Also known as flat ball, nothing ball, pumpkin or roll out.

• Dead wood
  Fallen pins which remain on the lane or in the gutter. They must be removed before the next delivery.

• Deflection
  Amount of displacement incurred in a bowling ball’s trajectory after making contact with a headpin.

• Degree of oval
  Degree of oval of a hole will be to the center line measured on a horizontal line from the center of the thumb hole.

• Delivery
  Combination of the approach and the release.

• Differential RG
  Difference between the low RG and high RG values of any bowling ball. This property determines the track flare potential. The maximum allowable differential RG is 0.080 inches. The more the differential RG the more potential for track flare. Track flare increases the friction between the ball and the lane.

• Dime store
  This is the 5, 10 pin split.

• Ditch
  A type of shot which uses a severe curve directing the ball right next to the gutter.

• Dive
  The accelerating and severe curve of a hooked ball which occurs immediately before contact with the pins.

• Dots
  Markers included in the lane, similar to arrows, placed directly past the foulline, sometimes used as reference points for contact.