Lawn Bowling USA

Bowls Glossary A–Z

53 everyday lawn bowls words, explained in plain English.

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Want the rules in plain words? See Rules Made Simple. Some terms vary by country and club.

B

Back bowl
A bowl placed behind the head so that if the jack is moved back, it may become shot or limit the other side's count.
Backhand
For a right-hander, delivering to the left side of the rink so the bowl curves back in; for a left-hander, the right side. See also forehand.
Bank
The raised edge behind the ditch, around the outside of the green.
Bias
The curved path a bowl follows from delivery until it stops, caused by its shape. The bias side has the smaller rings.
Boundary
The edges of a rink: imaginary straight lines between the boundary pegs on opposite banks.
Boundary peg
A white or brightly colored marker on the bank showing the corner of a rink.
Burnt end
A North American term for a dead end, usually when the jack is knocked out of play. It is normally replayed.

C

Center line
The imaginary (sometimes marked) line down the middle of a rink. The mat and jack are set on it.
Chalk
Used to mark a toucher as soon as it stops. Remove the mark before you bowl that bowl again.
Count
The number of shots scored by one side at the end of an end.

D

Dead bowl
A bowl out of play and removed from the rink, for example a non-toucher in the ditch or one knocked outside the rink.
Dead end
An end that doesn't count and is replayed, for example when the jack is knocked out of the rink.
Delivery
Deliberately releasing the jack or a bowl from the hand (or an approved device) with an underarm action.
Ditch
The shallow trench around the green. A live jack or a toucher can rest in it; other bowls that go in are dead.
Draw
A bowl delivered to finish in a chosen spot, usually as close to the jack as possible, without hitting other bowls. The classic shot.
Drive
A bowl delivered very hard to break up the head, knock bowls out, or kill the end. Also called firing.

E

End
Delivering the jack and all the bowls in one direction, then deciding the score.

F

Firing
Another name for a drive (common in England).
Foot fault
Not having all or part of one foot on or above the mat when releasing the jack or a bowl.
Forehand
For a right-hander, delivering to the right side of the rink so the bowl curves back in; for a left-hander, the left side.
Fours
A team game of four players each: lead, second, third and skip, two bowls each. Also called rinks.

G

Grass
The line or width a bowl takes. "Take more grass" means bowl wider.
Green
The whole playing surface, divided into rinks. Also used like "grass" to mean the line you bowl on.

H

Head
The jack and the live bowls that have come to rest in the rink.

J

Jack
The small white or yellow ball that is the target. Also called the kitty.
Jack high
A bowl whose nearest part is level with the nearest part of the jack, as seen from the mat.

K

Kitty
Another name for the jack.

L

Lead
The first player to bowl in a team. Places the mat and delivers the jack when the team goes first.

M

Marker
In singles, the person who centers the jack, marks touchers, answers players' questions and keeps score.
Mat
A 60 by 36 cm mat that players must deliver from.
Mat line
The front edge of the mat. Distances to the jack and bowls are measured from its center.
Measure
A tape or device for checking which bowl is nearer the jack, measured between their nearest points.

P

Pairs
A team game of two players each: lead and skip.
Possession of the rink
The rink belongs to the side whose bowl is being played; it passes to the other side when the bowl stops.

R

Re-spot
Where an event allows, putting a dead jack back at a set spot and playing on instead of replaying the end.
Rink
One strip of the green where a game is played (4.3 to 5.8 m wide outdoors). Also another name for a fours team.

S

Second
The player who bowls after the lead in triples or fours. Often keeps the scorecard.
Shot
A bowl nearer the jack than the other side's nearest bowl. Each one scores a point. Also the bowl currently nearest the jack ("holding shot"), or a type of delivery.
Singles
One player against another, each with two, three or four bowls.
Skip
The team captain, who bowls last, directs play from the head, and keeps the scorecard.

T

Third
In fours, the player who bowls third. Also called the vice-skip (vice): directs the head while the skip bowls and usually measures.
Tied end
An end where the nearest bowls of each side are the same distance from the jack. No score, but it counts as an end.
Toucher
A bowl that touches the jack on its way down the green. It stays live even in the ditch, inside the rink's boundaries. Marked with chalk.
Trail
Playing a bowl that moves the jack sideways or farther back along the rink, often with the bowl following it.
Trial end
A warm-up end before a game, not scored.
Triples
A team game of three players each: lead, second and skip.

U

Umpire
The official who settles disputes and measures when players can't agree. The umpire's decision is final.

V

Vice-skip
The player who bowls just before the skip and runs the head while the skip bowls. In fours that is the third.

W

Weight
How hard a bowl is delivered so it reaches its target. Also the physical weight of the bowl.
Wick
When a bowl glances off another bowl (or the jack) and changes direction.
Wood
An old name for a bowl, from when bowls were made of hardwood.
Wrong bias
Delivering a bowl with the bias on the wrong side, so it curves away from the target.

Y

Yard on
A bowl delivered with enough weight to finish about a yard past the target, to move bowls or the jack.

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Sources

All sources checked 2026-10-28. Definitions are summarized in plain English; see the Rules page for how they fit together.

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