What Comes After a Turkey in Bowling? Exploring Bowling Slang and Lingo

BALANCE (AS APPLIED TO A PLAYER)

A player is in balance if, at the point of release, they are able to complete their follow through without falling off to one side; generally means that the release and slide are simultaneous.

As a general rule, if you take a bowling ball and place the label in front of you and then exactly dissect the ball into two equal halves, a right and left side, the gross weight of each half would be the same. However, if you dissect the ball off center, a greater portion of the weight block will be on one side of the ball, possibly making that half of the ball too heavy vis-a-vis the other half; also, modern high tech balls and their asymmetrical cores can be drilled in such a manner as to be in violation of the maximum tolerances allowed by the USBC for side to side weight (which is a one ounce differential); to get the ball back to legal compliance an extra, non-gripping hole may be drilled to remove the excess weight. This extra hole is the balance hole. The balance hole can also be used to increase or decrease a balls reaction and/or to fine tune a more subtle change in ball reaction.

The physical part of the equipment upon which the ball sits after being sent back to you after a delivery.

A machine that is used to spin a ball in a container so that the user can apply ball polish or sand the ball down more quickly.

• The area of the lane where most balls are thrown;
• the area on a ball where the ball rolls; most balls will show scratches and wear in this area after several games.

The nose; the center of the head pin.

Describes the type of shot where a player stands inside and tosses it to the outside in the hopes it returns to the pocket for a strike.

When a league bowler is “blind” and cant find his/her way to the league that evening, the bowlers average is simply used (as if he/she just bowled that score) when figuring the teams total for each game.

A miss or an error failing to convert a spare other than a split.

The practice of allowing a team player to complete their game by bowling more than their scheduled turn at one time; allowed as a courtesy to a player that has other time commitments; league and tournament rules can prohibit the practice.

A lane consists of 39 strips of wood, each called boards; they are usually numbered by the player and used as targeting terms; i.e., I was throwing the 5th board; in synthetic lanes there are no boards as such, but usually the synthetic overlay has a pattern that resembles natural wood lanes.

Movements and contortions of the body intended to steer the ball as it travels down the lane.

A big hooking ball; a person that throws a big hooking ball.

The weight of a bowling ball is not always evenly distributed in the sphere. USBC rules allow a ball to vary 3 ounces from the drilled top half to bottom half of a ball, and one ounce from the left to right side. Before resin balls, these weights were used to subtly change the roll pattern of a ball. A ball that had higher top weight would tend to go longer before hooking; a ball with bottom weight would tend to roll earlier. Although still used in ball drilling layouts, it is less important with the modern ball.

The portion on the lane where the thrown ball begins to hook back to the pocket. Finding the proper breakpoint (called “breakpoint management”) is critical to the modern game. A ball that hooks too early or one that hooks too late will make it very difficult for a player to be consistent. Breakpoints can be adjusted by making changes in alignment, target, ball, ball surface and ball speed.

Refers to a ball that crosses over to the other side of the head pin opposite the side it was thrown (i.e. a Brooklyn strike hit the 1-2 pocket for a right-hander).

A diamond-shaped, four-pin cluster, e.g., the 2-4-5-8 or 1-2-3-5. Some claim it to be the 2-4-5-8 for right handers, the 3-5-6-9 for a lefty.

The oil conditioner on the lane does not soak into the boards, it sits on top. As balls are thrown, the oil is subtly moved…it may be pushed left and right, or, it may be moved farther down the lane (carried down). Usually, but not always, a house with a lot of carrydown will not allow a ball to hook as much on the back ends and scores will be lower. In some houses and oil patterns, the initial pattern is too much over/under and carry increases as the carrydown effect takes place. Carrydown is invisible to bowlers and cannot be seen. A top professional can anticipate carrydown and make adjustments accordingly.

CENTER OF GRAVITY (CG)

The heaviest part of a bowling ball. The “CG” is signified by a dye mark placed on the ball by the manufacturer designating the center of the weight mass relative to the top of the ball.

Semicircular grooves or drop-off area on each side of the bowling surface.

To knock down one pin of a spare leave, while the pin next to or behind it remains standing.

A game without any open frames.

A full rack of pins set up for your strike ball such that the head pin is a tad off spot towards your ball hand; i.e., to the right for a right handed player; closed pockets can give unpredictable results, often negative.

Another name for lane oil. All lanes need some type of protective coating to prevent burn marks in the heads from the force of the thrown balls. In the “old days” lane conditioner was used primarily as a protective measure; today, under the System of Bowling, some centers legally use the lane conditioner as a tool to assist in scoring and guiding a ball to the pocket. The area of a lane that is heavily conditioned will retard the hook, and if there is heavy conditioner in the center/pocket area of the lane it can assist the ball into the pocket.

A type of ball drilling where the fingers are placed up to the second joint. Not used by many higher skilled players as it is much harder to get a hook on this type of drilling, although, it may assist accuracy in some players.

Usually the number of pins knocked down in the next frame that apply to a spare or strike.

The material that makes up the outer shell of the ball; the hardness, texture, and shine of a bowling ball. It is generally defined as “Aggressive”, meaning it is made of a high friction material that is prone to large hook or flip when it encounters dry boards; or, “Medium” which displays less tendency to hook; and, “Mild/Mellow” which is the lowest friction material and the least sensitive to dry lanes.

A game of 200 or more.

• Series of seven spots on the lanes past the foul line but before the arrows; used to assist in targeting and alignment; also, the same spots on the approach normally used to align your feet in your initial stance.
• Markers on the runway that guide the bowlers approach.

Any two pins such that one is directly behind the other; i.e., the 2-8; 3-9; 1-5.

Refers to a line that is more direct and parallel to the boards; opposite of bellying the ball.

The lane conditioner; the act of applying lane conditioner.

The number of boards that you vary from straight in your approach to the foul line. For example, if you place the inside edge of your slide foot on board 15 on the approach, but your inside edge slides on the 12 board at the foul line, you have a three board inward drift.

A game of exactly 200 made by alternating strikes and spares throughout the entire game.

Releasing the ball before the sliding foot completes its slide; usually results in less hook and a weaker ball as the player does not have the proper balance and leverage to hit up on the ball.

The angle relative to the pocket that the ball enters the pocket. As a rule, increased angle means increased strikes (hence the preference for a ball that hooks a lot, or for clean back ends.)

A type of shot that starts to the opposite side of the normal pocket and then fades back into the pocket; sometimes used on very oily lane conditions.

Describes an apparent good pocket hit that gets just eight (8) pins; typically the right-handed players will leave the 4-7 spare and the left-handed players the 6-10; usually the ball is a tad high when this happens.

The 25th board from the right (right hand player). The fifth arrow is normally played by bowlers who have an “Out of Bounds” condition.

The ball thrown after a spare in the 10th frame.

Inserts that are placed in the finger and/or thumb holes to allow a better grip and generation of more spin, later release and more lift.

The drilling of a ball so that the finger holes are closer to the balls label than is the thumbhole; it is a form of positive weight.

A type of grip in which the fingers are inserted only as far as the first joint, allowing much more spin.

The farthest to the right (for a right handed player); located on the 5th board.

The migration of the ball track from the bowlers initial axis- the axis upon release-to the final axis-the axis at the moment of impact with the pins.

A ball that deflects too much; ineffective ball; few revolutions; if a ball comes into the pocket on an apparent good hit but leaves a weak hit such as the 5-7 or 8-10 split, it is said to have hit “flat.”

The normal gutter is shaped somewhat oval so that the ball can roll purely and cleanly to the pit area if it goes into the gutter early…the channel effect; however, at the end of the lanes by the pins, the gutters are flat, not ovaled. The height (from the pin deck to the bottom of the flat gutters) is regulated by the USBC as if the flat gutters are too high, they will allow much better pinfall as pins will deflect off the sideboards and bounce back onto the lane much easier resulting in more pin action.

Being solid in the pocket.

What your arm does after the ball leaves your hand. It is generally desirable to follow through towards your target and upward as this promotes more accuracy.

Crossing or touching the foul line at delivery. Its penalized by a count of zero pins. If the foul occurs on the first ball of a frame, the bowler gets a second shot at a new rack.

• The line that separates the approach area from the beginning of the playing surface.
• A line, usually red, between the approach and the beginning of the lane, 60 feet from the head pin.

A game of bowling is divided into 10 frames. In each frame there are two chances to knock down all the pins, except in the 10th frame.

A ball that rolls over its full circumference. The track of the ball cuts between the thumb and finger holes. Although once very popular, it is now rarely used because it lacks the carrying power of a semi-rolled ball due to the fact that it generally cannot create the increased entry angles that are helpful to carrying your strikes, particularly the off-hits.

• A split leave of five pins similar to the 4-6-7-9-10 so called because it reminds people of an old cathedral type church with spires, etc.
• Any split on which there are three pins on one side of the lane and two on the other.

The description of a 10-pin that was left by a ball in the pocket and the 6-pin laying down in front of the 10-pin in a half hearted manner; same as “weak 10”.

An adjustment in scores in order to equalize competition by adding pins on a predetermined basis.

That part of the first portion of the lane that is usually hard maple (wood lanes) to absorb the impact of the thrown balls, generally the first 20 feet of the wood lane.

A ball that hits more to the center of the headpin, often leaving a split.

• A solid hit on a pin due to contact near its front center
• hitting too much head pin on a strike attempt.

The bowling establishment or building.

A ball that hits on the opposite side of the players normal pocket; i.e, a Jersey for a right handed player would hit on the 1-2 pocket; usually refers to getting a strike in the “wrong” pocket. Called a “Brooklyn” in most locations of the country.

German word for bowler.

The side boards around the pins that divide lanes, where pins frequently rebound or “kick” back onto the lane aiding in pin action.

The 5-pin. It is a key pin to produce a strike: a light pocket hit or deflected hit leaves this pin standing.

Organized competition on a weekly basis for team play.

Pins left standing after the first ball has been rolled.

A ball hitting the side of the pin deflecting it sideways.

The 5-7-10 split; also known as the “sour apple”.

The distance the ball travels between time of release and the time it hits the lane.

Condition in which the lane conditioner is applied from the foul line farther than normal. There is no magic standard, but 35-40 feet or more of application was considered long oil. It can be a more difficult condition in that there will be less back end to generate pocket entry angle. Long Oil in today’s environment would be considered anything longer than 40 feet of oil. 35 is now considered short oil.

The hard wood used for the head portion of the lanes (foul line to arrows). Wood lanes are mostly obsolete on the PBA Tour. Only 1 center will have wood lanes during the 2005-06 season.

Mass bias in a bowling ball occurs when the weight block or portion of weight block is more dominant in one direction inside of a bowling ball.

A type of competition in which two bowlers compete against one another, rather than against the field as a whole. Typically, the winner of a match advances to the next round for another match.

The name given to the pin that rolls across the pindeck into a pin or pins to either get a strike or break up a split.

In competitive play, the amount of pins (including bonus, if any) that a player is scoring under a 200 average. A player that shoots 1,534 for eight (8) games is “minus” 66.

Weight on a ball that tends to hold back the hook and/or to get the ball into a roll earlier; bottom weight, negative side weight and thumb weight are considered negative weights. These are considered static weights that can be drilled into a ball.

A type of competition where nine (9) pins on the first ball is scored as a strike; in some instances there are 8-pin no-tap events; in those, eights (8) pins or more on the first ball counts as a strike.

A frame having neither a spare or strike.

Bowling for the fun of it, as opposed to competing in league or tournament play.

An area from which the ball cant get to the pocket with its usual break. If, for example, a right-handed bowler delivers the ball from too far to the right, it is said to be out of bounds.

To a professional bowler, the number of pins above 200. Thus a score of 224 is “24 over.”

Why is Three Strikes in a Row in Bowling Called a Turkey?

FAQ

Is there anything after turkey in bowling?

Turkey – Three strikes in a row is a turkey. Badger – Once you’ve made a turkey, next up is a badger. A “four-badger” is four strikes in a row, a “five-badger” is five in a row, etc. Perfect Game – 12 strikes in a row is a perfect game and totals 300 points.

What are 5 strikes in a row called?

BAGGER (SUCH AS FIVE BAGGER) A string of strikes; i.e., five bagger is five in a row.

What is the sequence of a bowling ball?

Bowling ball motion is commonly broken down into sequential skid, hook, and roll phases. As the ball travels down the lane in the skid and hook phases, frictional contact with the lane causes the ball’s forward (translational) speed to continually decrease, but to continually increase its rev rate (rotational speed).

What are 11 strikes called?

Rolling 10 strikes to start a game is called a Front 10, while an 11th strike is sometimes called One Day From Retirement because many amateur bowlers go …Jan 4, 2019

What happens after a Turkey in Bowling?

After a turkey, the next achievements in bowling terminology include a “four-bagger” or “hambone” for four consecutive strikes.

What is a Turkey in Bowling?

A turkey in bowling refers to the achievement of scoring three consecutive strikes in a single game. This is considered an impressive feat because it requires a high level of skill and precision to consistently knock down all ten pins with three consecutive throws . Can beginners bowl a turkey?

Can you throw a frozen turkey in Bowling?

To play this game, you need a smooth surface to be able to throw the frozen turkey. Some even play this game in a grocery store down an aisle. The bowling turkey meaning (turkey strike) refers to when a player throws three strikes one after the other. Throwing three strikes in a row in modern bowling is much easier than 100 or 200 years ago.

How do you get a Turkey in Bowling?

The best way to achieve a turkey is to perfect your striking ability. If you have a bowling average of more than 200, then you probably score 2 or 3 strikes in your game (to the least). Now, all you have to do is learn to be consistent with your shots.

What are some funny bowling terms?

The term stems from the history of giving away prizes to those able to throw four strikes in a row. A turkey is probably one of the most recognizable bowling terms. However, turkey is not the only bowling term, there are many funny terms used in the game of bowling. Here are some interesting bowling terms:

Do you need a bowling ball to score a Turkey?

The more consistent your shots get, the more you increase the chances of scoring a turkey. So if you are all prepped up on the approach area with a target to secure a turkey, you need to double-check if your bowling ball and the lane are compatible. You don’t need to strike on your very first shot or on the very first frame.