Darts Terms

ANNIE'S ROOM (or ANNIE'S HOUSE)
The number 1
ARROWS
Another term for darts
ARCHER
Refers to a player who throws very quick smooth darts, like an archer's arrow (also known as a 'Derek') Contrast FLOATER.

B
BABY TON
A score of 95, usually by scoring five 19s

BAG O' NUTS
A score of 45

BARREL
The metal portion of the dart (where you grip the dart)

BASEMENT
The double-3

BED
A section of a number / a scoring area of the board i.e. double bed, Treble bed

BLACK HAT
Reference to the Inner Bull Eye (When the Centre Bull is Black!

BOMBS / BOMBERS
Very large or heavy darts usually made from brass.

BOUNCE OUT
Scoring dart falls out of the board or hits the wire (the dart doesn't score)

BREAKFAST / BED BREAKFAST
A score of 26, made up of a single-5, single-20, single-1 in a game of x01. This is a common score in darts because players aiming for the 20 segment (which contains the highest scoring area on the board) will often accidentally hit the 1 and the 5 segments, which are located on either side of the 20. The term comes from the typical price of a bed-and-breakfast in times gone by: 2 shillings and sixpence, or two and six. (See also CHIPS)

BUCKET/BAG OF NAILS
Landing all three darts in the 1's

BUCKSHOT
A throw when darts land wildly all over the board.

BULL-OFF
See DIDDLE FOR THE MIDDLE.

BULL-UP
See DIDDLE FOR THE MIDDLE.

BULL-OUT
Winning a game with a double bull

BULLSEYE (or BULL)
The centre of the board (see also: SINGLE-BULL and DOUBLE-BULL) Score of 50

BUST / BUSTED
Hitting more than you needed in an x01 game
The darts do not count and the player begins his next turn on the same score he had prior to.


C
In a Cricket game this refers to high scores base on the number of darts scored. For example a triple-20, single-20, single-20 would be called a C-5 because 5 darts were scored with three darts.

CHAMPAGNE BREAKFAST
Hitting treble 20, treble 1 and treble 5 in three darts (see BREAKFAST)

CHALK(ING)
Keeping score / marking the game.

CHIPS
A score of 26 (See also: BREAKFAST /BED BREAKFAST)

CHUCKER
A player who just chucks the darts at the board, doesn't aim or care.

CIRCLE IT
When a player scores a single digit (less than 10) with three darts, his team-mates would shout out Circle it! to the scorekeeper to highlight the terrible throw

A variation on this tradition is to draw a fish around the score, often leading to aquarium-related jokes being aimed at particularly poor or unlucky players.

CLOCK
The dartboard itself, usually in the context of ROUND THE CLOCK

CORK
The centre of the board
This comes from the cork in the end of a keg where it is tapped. The ends of kegs were used for targets in the game's early days.

D
DARTITIS
Name given to a mental state of a dart thrower unable to release his / her dart during a throw

DADDY'S BED/DADDY'S/DADDY
See RIGHT CHURCH, WRONG PEW

DEVIL
The treble-6, so called due to '666', and the fact that it is often hit in error when going for treble-13 or treble-10

DIDDLE FOR THE MIDDLE
A throw to see who gets one dart closer to the bullseye to determine who throws first in the game, Also known as a "BULL OFF", "MIDDLE FOR MIDDLE" and "OUT FOR BULL"

DOUBLE
The thin outer ring of the board. In standard x01 games, a double counts for two times the number hit.

DOUBLE-BULL
On dartboards configured with a bullseye consisting of two concentric circles, the outer circle is commonly green and worth 25 and the inner circle is commonly red and worth 50 points. Hitting the innermost ring of this type of bullseye is a "DOUBLE-BULL". (See also: "BULLSEYE")

DOUBLE IN (DI)
A variant of x01 in which a double is needed to start the game.

DOUBLE OUT (DO)
Hitting the double of a number to win a game of 'x01

DOUBLE TOP
The double-20.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Not being able to hit the double needed to win the game.

DOWNSTAIRS
The lower portion of the board, usually in reference to the 19s in a game of x01

E
EASY IN
A game that requires no special shot to begin scoring

F
FAT
The largest portion of a number (the area between the double and triple ring)

FEATHERS
The 'feathers'/ Flights of the dart which makes the dart more aerodynamic

FLIGHTS
The "wings" at the end of a dart that make it fly straight. Also known as feathers.
G
GAME ON
Advises all players that the match has now started

GAME SHOT
Signifies that the match winning double has been hit

GOOD GROUP
A compliment for tight, accurate throwing

GRAND SLAM
Hitting the T5, T20, T1 in one throw.

GRANNY
A lose without scoring, see SHUT OUT cricket game

H
HAIL MARY
The third dart that miraculously scores a high treble where the first two combined scored low single numbers

HAT TRICK
A score of three bullseyes in a single throw

HIGH TON
Scoring between 151-180 points in a game of '01

HOCKEY
The throw or Toe line
See 'Oche' Oche is pronounced as Hockey

I
ISLAND
The actual playable area of a dart board (inside the doubles ring)
Missing this area entirely is sometimes referred to as "Off the island".

K
KILLER
A game variant where a number of players "own" a number on the dartboard and compete to build up "lives" (by hitting that number) until a threshold is reached (usually 4 or 6) before attempting to "kill" other players by removing the lives they have built up (by hitting those other players' numbers) until a single player is left.

L
LEG
One game of a match
Most professional matches are made up of a number of sets, each of which is split into legs.

LEG SHOT
Signifies that a player has completed (Won) the "leg" as per Game Shot

LIPSTICK
Name given to the treble twenty made famous by Geordie darts commentator Sid Waddell

LITTLE / SMALL
The single bed between the bull and the triple
LOW TON
Scoring between 100-150 points in a game of '01

M
MAD HOUSE
The double-1, At least two explanations for the term have been proffered; because it can drive you crazy trying to hit one in a game of x01, or because it impossible to "get out" of the mad house - once a player has a score of 2 the only way to finish the game is by hitting a double-1.

MAXIMUM
A score of 180
MAXIMUM CHECK-OUT
A score of 170 to end a game
treble-20, treble-20, inner bull

MIDDLE FOR MIDDLE
See "DIDDLE FOR THE MIDDLE".

MONGER
A person who deliberately scores many more points than needed to win the game cricket game not 501.
MUGS AWAY
Loser of the previous game goes first in the next game.

N
NAIL
Another word for 1
See "Bucket of Nails" and "Bag of Nails".

Terms DARTER
When a player completes a game of 501 in the minimum required Terms-darts. This is a very rare event. There is usually a cash prize for professionals throwing a televised Terms-darter.

NOT OLD
A score of 37 (usually by hitting a 20, a 5 and a 12)
The phrase is believed to have its origins in a Monty Python sketch.

O
OCHE
The line you stand behind and throw the darts from. (pronounced 'Hockey')

OUT FOR BULL
The out scoring area of the centre bullseye- score of 25.


P
PERFECT GAME
See Terms DARTER

PERFECT SCORE
When a player scores a maximum 180 points in one throw of three darts.

PERFECT FINISH
When a player finishes a game with a maximum score of 170
This must be done by scoring treble 20, treble 20, double bull, with only three darts. This is considerably more difficult than hitting a perfect score as the player must break focus to change targets and it can only be done if the player has an exact score of 170 remaining.

POINTS
The point of the dart, steel tipped or plastic

R
ROBIN HOOD
When you throw a dart into the shaft of another

ROUND OF Terms
Throwing three triples in one turn in Cricket

ROUTE 66
Scoring 66 points in a throw

ROUND THE CLOCK
Any of a number of game variants where players compete to be the first to hit all the segments on the board in an agreed order (usually numerical), finishing with the outer bull followed by the bull
In some versions hitting a double entitles the player to skip the next number, with a treble entitling the player to skip two numbers. Also commonly played by single players as a form of practice

S
SHAFT /STEM
The part of a dart behind the barrel when the flights are mounted

SHANGHAI
A score of a single, double and triple in the same number. "Shanghai" sometimes refers to a checkout of 120 (single, treble and double 20). In some games this is an automatic win i.e in a game of Shanghai.

SHOOTER
American terms for dart thrower

SHUT OUT
When you lose a game without ever scoring in it

SINGLE BULL
On dartboards configured with a bullseye consisting of two concentric circles, the outer circle is commonly green and worth 25 and the inner circle is commonly red and worth 50 points. Hitting the outermost ring of this type of bullseye is a "SINGLE-BULL". (See also: "BULLSEYE")

SLOP /SLOPPY DARTS
Darts that score, but not where you wanted them. (See also: "SPLASH")

SPIDER or WEB
The dartboard wire assembly which forms the beds

SPLASH
Darts that score, but not where you wanted them. (See also: "SLOP")

SPLITTING THE 11
Throwing a dart between the digits of the 11 on the number ring (Split double 1!)
STACKER
Dart landing on top and touching a previous dart thrown forming a stacked effect.

STICKS
The darts themselves

STRAIGHT IN / SINGLE IN / STRAIGHT OFF
A game that requires no special shot to begin scoring

STRAIGHT OUT / SINGLE OUT
Ending a game of '01 without having to hit a double, but hitting the required i.e. ten required 10 hit not necessarily double 5
STRIKING OIL
Hitting a double bull when 'diddling for the middle' - comes from the black centre of some modern dart boards

T
THREE IN A BED
Three darts in the same number.

THROW LINE
The line you stand behind and throw the darts from also known as the 'Oche' Line / Toe Line.

TOE LINE
The line you stand behind and throw the darts from also known as the 'Oche' Line / Throw Line.

TON
A score of 100 in a game of x01

TON PLUS
Scoring 100+ points in a throw (Ton 40 would be 140 points)

TOPS
The double 20 bed As in "he wants tops for the match".
TRIPLE/TREBLE
The thin inner ring of the board, it usually counts for three times the number hit.

TROMBONES
Scoring 76 points in a throw.

TWO ,SIX
Scoring 26 points in a throw (Old English money term)

TWO FAT LADIES
Scoring 88 points in a throw
U
UNDER STACKER
Dart landing underneath and touching a previous dart thrown forming an 'under stacking' effect.

UPSTAIRS
The upper portion of the board, usually in reference to the 20s

W
WEB
The dartboard wire assembly which forms the beds

WET FEET (or PADDLING)
Having one or both feet across the throwing line

WHITE HORSE
Scoring three virgin (untouched) triples in Cricket

WIRE
Darts that just miss where you aimed but on the wire

WOODY
Dart lands outside the scoring area.

X
Used to signify A double i.e. x1 out.