It's funny how when you start something new, not only is there a learning curve for the skill involved but also the jargon is important to have down. Here's a very comprehensive list, Do you know all of them? Thanks to the Ultimate Bowling Guide for these terms. Hopefully there are a few that you've heard but never quite understood. Now you know and "knowing is half the battle!".

• Address: Bowler’s starting position.
• Alley: playing surface, made of maple, pine or urethane boards; urethane lanes are becoming more popular than wood
• All the way: Finishing a game with nothing but strikes.
• Anchor: The last person to roll in a team competition.
• Angle: The direction in which the ball travels when going into the 1-3 pocket, 1-2 for left hand bowlers.
• Approach: Part of the lane from the back of the ball return area to the foul line.
• Armswing: The arc of the bowling arm and hand from the first move toward the line until the delivery of the ball over the line.
• Baby ball: To throw too delicate or release too carefully.
• Back ends: The last 6 feet of the lane.
• Backup: A ball that falls to the right for right-hand bowlers and left for left-hand bowlers.
• Balk: To interfere or cause another bowler to stop or not complete in their normal actions.
• Ball rack: the rack used to store house balls or where the ball return rests balls before a turn.
• Ball return: Track between the lanes the ball rolls on when being returned to the rack.
• Balsa: A powerless hit on the headpin.
• Bedposts: A 7-10 split.
• Belly the ball: Increase the width of a hook from an inside starting piont.
• Bench work: Conversation or actions meant to upset an opponent.
• Bender: Hook or curve shot that comes close to the channel before breaking into the pocket.
• Big fill: Nine or ten pins on a spare, or double on a strike.
• Big five: Spare of three on one side and two on the other.
• Blind: Score allowed for an absent member
• Blow: A missed spare.
• Blow a rack: A solid strike.
• Blowout: Downing all the pins but one.
• Box: A single frame. .
• Break: A lucky shot.
• Bucket: Four-pin diamond on the sides or the center of the lane.
• Buzzard: Three open frames in a row.
• Carry: Ability of the ball to knock down pins.
• Chicken wing: When a bowler’s elbow gets away from his body during a swing.
• Choke: Failure to accomplish objective.
• Chop: Chopping the front pin of a spare while a pin behind or to the left or right remains.
• Clutch: A pressure situation.
• Come up: Hook in the pocket caused by a spin on the axis.
• Conversion: Knocking down all the pins that remain with your second ball.
• Crawler: A strike made by missing the head pin.
• Curtain: missing in a final frame when a spare would have won.
• Curve: Ball that breaks from right to left.
• Cutter: A hook that slices the pins down.
• Deflection: The ball when it comes into contact with pins and then angles away to the right or left.
• Delivery: Preparation, Release and Follow-through.
• Deuce: A 200 average.
• Dive: A ball that hooks at the last second.
• Double: Two strikes in a row.
• Double wood: when one pin is directly behind the other.
• Dump the ball: Releasing the ball without bending of the knee.
• Dutch 200: A 200 game scored alternating strikes and spares.
• Fence posts: A 7-10 split.
• Fit split: A split where it is possible for the ball to hit both pins.
• Five-bagger: Five strikes in a row.
• Flat ball: unproductive ball
• Follow-through: The motion after release. Should
• Foul: Touching or going beyond the foul line.
• Foul line: The mark that determines the beginning of the lane.
• Foundation: A strike in the ninth frame.
• Grab: The friction between the lane and the ball.
• Grandma¹s teeth: An array of pins left standing.
• Graveyards: Low score lanes.
• Gutter: Drop offs about 10 inches wide to the right and the left of the lane to guide the ball to the pit.
• Gutter ball: A ball that goes into the gutter. .
• Half hit: Between a full and light hit.
• Handicap: Pins awarded to weak players or teams in an attempt to even out the game.
• Head pin: Front pin of a rack.
• Higher: More to the left or right.
• Home alley: Favorite lane for individuals or a team.
• Honey: A good ball.
• Hook: A ball that breaks to the left or right.
• House ball: Bowling balls provided by the alley.
• Inside: A starting point near the center of the lane.
• Jam: Force the ball high inside the pocket.
• Kegler: A bowler.
• Kickoff: Smooth ball delivery.
• Kingpin: The headpin or the number 5 pin.
• Kitty: Money from team members for misses, and other set fines.
• Late 10: When the 10 pin hesitates and is the last to go down on a strike.
• Leadoff man: First manto bowl in a team game.
• Light seven: A hit too light on either side of the head pin.
• Line: The path a bowling ball takes.
• Lofting: Throwing the ball onto the lane rather than rolling it.
• Logs: Very heavy pins, used for practice.
• Looper: An extra-wide hook ball.
• Loose hit: A light pocket hit.
• Love tap: A tap from a moving pin which knocks it down.
• Match play: A portion of a tournament where bowlers are pitted against each other.
• Messenger: A pin that comes across the lane after all the others have fallen down.
• Miss: A missed spare.
• Mixer: A ball that causes pins to bounce around.
• Moat: A nickname for the gutter.
• Move in: To start from the center of the approach.
• Move out: To start from a corner position on the approach.
• Nose hit: To hit the pins dead center.
• On the nose: To hit to the headpin dead center.
• Open bowling: Nonleague plays for fun or practice opposite league nights.
• Out of bounds: Area on the lanes where a ball won't make it to the pocket.
• Outside: Corner position of playing lanes.
• Over-turn: To apply too much spin to the ball.
• Par: A game score of 200.
• Pinching the ball: To grip the ball too hard.
• Pin deck: Area 60' from the foul line.
• Pit: Space at end of lane where ball and pins end up.
• Pitch: Angle in which holes in bowling ball are drilled.
• Platform: The parts of the lane from the very back of the ball return area up to the foul line.
• Point Shot: Starting from the first arrow and throwing over first arrow.
• Position rounds: Parts of a league schedule which call for teams.
• Pot game: Competition in which two bowlers place a stake.
• Powerhouse: A strong ball that strikes.
• Puddle: A gutter ball.
• Railroad: A wide open split.
• Rap: When a single pin remains on a good hit.
• Rat club: A team that shoots low scores for one game.
• Release: The hand motion as ball is rolled onto a lane.
• Reset: Resetting the pins.
• Return: The track which balls roll from pit to the rack.
• Revolutions: The number of turns a ball takes when rolling from release to pins.
• Rotation: The spin to the ball at the moment of delivery.
• Runway: Starting area.
• Sanctioned: Competition in accordance with American Bowling Congress and Women¹s International Bowling Congress rules.
• Sandbagger: A bowler who keeps his average down in order to receive a higher handicap.
• Scenic route: The path taken by a sharp curve ball.
• Separation: The distance you allow between your standing position and where you want the ball to go.
• Shadow ball: A ball rolled in practice without any pins set.
• Shotgun: Rolling a ball from the hip.
• Sixpack: Six strikes in a row.
• Slide: The last step of delivery.
• Snow plow: A ball that clears all the pins.
• Spare: All pins knocked down with two balls.
• Spare leave: Pins standing after the first ball is rolled.
• Spiller: A light-hit strike.
• Splasher: A strike where the pins are knocked down quickly.
• Splice: An area of lane where maple and pine boards join.
• Split: A spare leave in which the headpin is down.
• Spot bowling: Target on lane at which the bowler can aim.
• Steal: To get more pins than you deserve on a strike.
• Strike: All ten pins go down.
• Strike out: To get all three strikes in the tenth frame.
• String: Three or more strikes in a row.
• Stroke: The arm and hand motion during delivery over the foul line.
• Sweepstakes: A bowling tournament.
• Swiss cheese ball: A ball used in pro shops to establish a bowler's finger size and span for drilling.
• Tandem: Two pins one behind the other.
• Tap: When a pin stays standing on a perfect strike.
• Team captain: A lead team member responsible for all members being present, arranging a substitute, and determining team lineup.
• 300 game: A perfect game of 12 strikes in a row.
• Three quarter bucket: Three of the four pins of the bucket.
• Throwing rocks: Racking up strikes with multiple speed balls.
• Tickler: When the 6-pin gently topples the 10-pin.
• Track: Area most used on lane
• Tripped 4: When the 2 pin takes out the 4 pin.
• Tumbler: A strike where the pins appear to fall individually.
• Turkey: Three strikes in a row.
• Venting: Drilling a small hole into a bowling ball to relieve suction on the thumb hole.
• Wrist master: One of the many accessories worn by bowlers to help keep a firm wrist during backswing.
• X: Symbol for strike.
• Yank shot: When a bowler hangs onto the ball too long.
• Zero in: Find the right strike spot on a lane.
• /: Symbol for a spare.