15 Random Essential Billiards Terms
Chiefly British: Short for side spin. In Canadian usage, the term is sometimes used as a verb, "to side".
This is English that turns into reverse English after contact with the object ball. This will close up the angle on a bank.
Describes the propensity of a player losing small sums of money at gambling to suddenly sharply increase the stakes; often continuing to lose until broke. Compare Chasing one's money.
This is a slang term created by Freddy Bentivegna to refer to a cluster of balls on your side of the table that do not lend to easy pocketing in a game of one pocket.
Alternate name for the cue ball.
In carom billiards games, a term for the opponent's cue ball, which for the shooting player is another object ball along with the red.
In carom billiards games, a term for the opponent's cue ball, which for the shooting player is another object ball along with the red.
1- Pocketing of the cue ball in pocket billiards. In most games, a scratch is a type of foul. "Scratch" is sometimes used to refer to all types of fouls.
2- British term/slang for Draw
The useless but common practice of contorting one's body while a shot is in play, usually in the direction one wishes a ball or balls to travel, as if in the vain hope that this will influence the balls' trajectories; the term is considered humorous.
This is a shot that shows great control and positioning in where the cue will be when all the balls stop rolling.
This is a term to describe 100 break points in a game of snooker.
This is to lay down the money on the table in a betting game before play begins to ensure pay up at the end.
A ball that is easily made from many positions on the table but which is left untouched while the rack is played, so that in the event the player gets out of position, the shooter has an insurance shot. Typically an insurance ball will be in or near the jaws of a pocket.
This is the running score of a player during his inning of play. The sum of the continuously scored points, or where the player stands in the run on the table.
A cross-corner bank shot from one end of the table to the other (i.e. across the center string). Long banks are considerably more difficult, because of the smaller margin for error due to distance and angle widening, than cross-side banks and short cross-corner banks from the same end of the table.
This is a fine powdery substance used to assist the sliding of the cue over the hand bridge.
Also in the zone. Describes an extended period of functioning in dead stroke ("She's in the zone").
