Darts Terminology
Darts has been around for along time originating as a popular pastime for soldiers at war. However fast forward a century and the game has been dragged all over the world. Perhaps the most important place it’s been is through the pubs of Great Britain, and more importantly the cockney pubs of Great Britain. This is something which has influenced the darts terminology around the world ever since.
Darts Terms:
A
ARROWS – An alternative name used to describe darts this originated from the game’s similarities to archery.
B
BABY TON – A score of 95 (Just a little under a “Ton” – A score of 100)
BARREL – The portion of the dart that you grip.
BED – The segment of the scoring area you hit.
BOMBS – Very heavy darts made into a bomb shape.
BOUNCE OUT – When the dart fails to remain in the board resorting in a score of zero.
BED AND BREAKFAST – A score of 26.
BUST – Hitting more than you need in a game of “01” resulting in you scoring nothing.
C
CHALKING – The act of marking a game or keeping score.
CHUCKER – A person who throws the darts with a disregard.
CLOCK – An alternative name for the dartboard.
CORK – Refers to bullseye.
D
DARTITIS – A phycological condition in which a player struggles to release the dart for fear of missing.
DIDDLE FOR THE MIDDLE – Throwing at the bullseye to decide who can throw first (AKA “BULL OFF”, “BULL UP”, “OUT FOR BULL” AND “CORKING”)
DOUBLE – The outer ring of the dartboard
DOUBLE IN – A variant of the classic 01 game which requires you to hit a double to start.
DOUBLE TOP – The double 20 (AKA “TOPS”)
F
FAT – Refers to the big segment of the single.
FLIGHTS – The part of the dart that allows the dart to maintain balance when flying through the air.
G
GAME ON – Informs all around that the game has started.
GAME SHOT – Signifies that a leg has been won.
H
HAT TRICK – Scoring three bullseyes in one visit.
I
ISLAND – Is the playable area of the dartboard.
K
KILLER – A variant of darts where a play must attempt to kill off all his competitors.
L
LEG – One game of the match.
M
MADHOUSE – Being stuck on double one.
MAXIMUM – A score of 180 (The highest possible score on a standard board)
MUGS AWAY – Meaning the loser of the previous game can throw first in the next.
O
OCHE – The throw line that all players must stand at.
P
PERFECT GAME – Winning a leg of 501 in nine darts.
PERFECT SCORE – A score of 180
PERFECT FINISH – A finish of 170
POINTS – (A) The points of the darts. (B) The score the player has remaining.
R
ROBIN HOOD – When you get a dart stuck in the stem of another dart.
S
STEM / SHAFT – The part of the dart that holds the FLIGHT in place.
SHANGHAI – A score of a single, double, and treble on the same number.
T
THE BIG FISH – A score of 170
THREE IN A BED – Three darts landing in the same number.
TON – A score of one hundred
TON PLUS – A score of over one hundred.
Darts Terminology – Final Thoughts
There are of course many more phrases out there. However, I felt I would only pick out the most important of the darts terminology today. This may just seem like something silly, but when in a tournament environment it can be helpful to know what someone means when they ask you to “Chalk” for them. At the end of the day I hope you enjoyed this post and learned at least one new phrase from it!
