B |
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Baby the Ball |
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To release the ball too carefully, at the expense of the follow-through. |
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Backup |
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A ball that breaks in the wrong direction, e.g. to the right for a right-handed bowler. |
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Balk |
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An approach that doesn't end with a delivery. |
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Ball Track |
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Area on lane where most balls are rolled. |
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Balsa |
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A hit on the head pin with little power behind it. |
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Barmaid |
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A pin that's hidden behind another pin. |
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Bed |
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The area surrounding the lane, including the approach, the pit, and the gutters. |
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Beer Frame |
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A frame after which one bowler has to buy beer for all the others. This is often a pre-determined frame, with the low scorer in that frame getting stuck with the tab. Sometimes, if all bowlers but one roll strikes in a frame, that becomes the beer frame and the bowler who didn't strike has to buy. |
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Bench Jockeying |
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As in baseball, conversation or gibes meant to distract an opponent. |
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Bender |
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A curve or hook that nearly falls into the gutter before beginning to break. |
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Big Ball |
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A hook with a lot of action, often allowing a bowler to get strikes even on hits that aren't perfect. |
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Big Fill |
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Getting nine or ten pins following a spare, or a double following a strike. |
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Big Five |
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A leave with three pins on one side and two on the other. |
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Blind |
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A score marked for a team's absent player. In many leagues, the bowler's average or the average minus ten pins is used. In others, it's a set score, such as 140 for men and 120 for women. |
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Blow |
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To miss converting a spare. |
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Blowout |
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Knocking down all but one pin. |
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Body English |
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Movements and contortions of the body intended to steer the ball as it travels down the lane. Usually ineffective. |
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Bonus |
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Pins awarded for winning a game in certain kinds of match play. |
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Break |
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A frame in which a series of strikes ends. |
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Brooklyn Hit |
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A hit on the wrong side of the headpin; i.e, the left side for a right-handed bowler, the right side for a lefty. |
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Broom Ball |
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A ball with so much action that it seems to sweep the pins away. |
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Bucket |
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A diamond-shaped, four-pin cluster, e.g., the 2-4-5-8 or 1-2-3-5. |
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Burner |
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A pin that remains standing after an apparently perfect hit. |
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Buzzard |
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Three consecutive open frames. Compare turkey. |
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