Glossary of curling
This is a glossary of terms in [|curling].
#s
During a game, [|sweepers] might call out numbers. These numbers indicate how far the sweepers think the [|rock] in play will travel. This system is relatively new to the game and is often attributed to the Randy Ferbey rink since they were the first major team to use the system, but it is not known whose idea it originally was. 1 to 3 indicates a rock in the [|free guard zone], 4 to 6 the rings in front of the [|tee line], 7 being on the [|button], and 8 to 10 the rings behind the tee line. Sometimes, 11 is used to indicate a [|stone] [|thrown] so that it passes through the [|house] and out of play. With this system, the sweepers can communicate more effectively where they think the stone will [|end] up or the [|skip] can better tell the deliverer how hard to throw it.#
; : An endgame strategy based on maintaining [|hammer] in the even [|ends] of the last 3 ends of the game. If the team with hammer always scores, then one team will have one more scoring opportunity than the other.; : The circle in the house. It surrounds the [|centre] area called the button. It is used as a visual aid only – there is no extra score for placing a stone within it
; : The circle in the house. It is used as a visual aid only – there is no extra score for placing a stone within it; generally not actually painted – it appears as the empty space between the [|12-foot] and 4-foot rings
; : The circle outermost in the house; a stone completely outside this circle cannot score
A
; : On a [|hit], refers to the [|shooter] hitting the object stone on the opposite side from where the [|broom] was placed. Since this imparts less speed to the object stone and takes less speed away from the shooter, it is a very efficient way of making a [|tick]. This is seldom used for normal [|hits] since it is harder to execute, unless necessary because a [|guard] prevents using the other [|turn]; : A very rare and extremely difficult shot in which a stone is [|delivered] so that it will come to rest behind another stone already in play, created the same effect as if one stone had been [|frozen] to the other
; : Synonymous with [|gripper]
; : Temporary curling ice made quickly on a hockey rink or the like, most often used by curling clubs without dedicated curling facilities; usually of lower quality than that of a dedicated facility, but when created for televised events or events with large numbers of spectators, the ice quality can rival or even exceed that of a dedicated facility
; : [|WCF] term for when a team runs [|out of stones]
; : A [|double] or [|triple] where the shooter ends up coming back up the rings
B
; : The portion of the [|4 foot] ring behind the tee line; : The portion of the [|8 foot] ring behind the tee line
; : The portion of the [|12 foot] ring behind the tee line
; : The border at the extreme ends of the [|sheet]
; : A team's [|third] and skip, considered as a unit.
; : [|Delivery] speed required for a stone to come to rest in the back half of the house
; : A stationary stone that can be used to stop the thrown stone from going any farther, thus allowing for a slightly [|heavy] throw. Without backing, the shot will be harder since it requires perfect [|draw weight].
; : The line right behind the house. If a rock completely crosses the back line, it is removed from play
; : The portion of the house behind the tee line
; : Synonymous with [|back 12]
; : A board or other object behind the [|hack], used to stop moving [|stones]; referred to as "bumper" in Canada
; : Delivery speed that should come to rest against the [|barrier] behind the hack. Synonymous with [|board weight].
; : The traditional name for the device used to [|sweep] ahead of a moving stone. A broom.
; : When a stone barely touches the designated line marking on the ice, e.g. "bite centre", "bite the four", etc.
; : A stone that barely touches the outside of the house, just [|biting] the 12-foot ring
; : A piece of equipment used to determine whether or not a stone is a biter
; : An end in which no points are scored; in regular play the team that has the hammer retains it for the next end. In skins games, the skin for a blanked end is carried over. To "blank an end" means to intentionally leave no stones in the house so as to retain the hammer.
; : Deliberately creating a blank end for the purposes of retaining the last rock advantage for the next end of play
; : A shot delivered with [|heavy weight] and high velocity. A blast is usually intended to remove many stones from play or is used to break up and move around clustered stones. "Playing the blast" into a large cluster of stones is often a last resort shot to get the [|rocks] split up when there are no other viable shots available.
; : Throwing a stone with enough speed that it will come to rest in an area just behind the [|hacks] – about 6 feet behind the house. Synonymous with barrier/bumper [|weight].
; Bonspiel : Scots for league match, this is the term used for a curling tournament. Compare "spiel"
; : A failed corner [|freeze] where the shooter rolls [|open]
; Brier : The Canadian men's curling championship, held annually since 1927
; : An implement with which players sweep the ice to make a stone travel farther and [|curl] less; though brushes have almost completely replaced [|brooms], the traditional name remains.
; : See [|stacking the brooms]
; : [|Broom] / [|Sweeping]
; : A short [|raise]
; : The barrier
; : Synonymous with barrier/board weight.
; : A rock that is hidden behind another rock, usually a guard, making it difficult for a [|curler] to hit with a delivered rock. Also called "covered"
; : To accidentally touch a moving stone; the opposing skip has the option to remove the burned stone, or leave it where it comes to rest
; : The centre of the house; sometimes called the 1-foot circle
C
; : When the skip holds the broom where he/she wants the person delivering the stones to aim. When the skip is delivering, the [|vice-skip] calls the shot; : A tournament with significant entry fees and large prizes, sometimes part of a charity event; despite the large prizes, cashspiels are not the premier events in curling
; : A stone behind the tee line that may obstruct other stones from being removed
; : Counter Clockwise
; : A guard that is placed directly on the [|centre line], in front of the house; usually played by the team that does not have the hammer
; : A line running lengthwise down the centre of the ice, used as a visual aid; some [|sheets] do not have a centre line, or do not have one between the [|hog lines]
; : A [|takeout] that hits a rock at an angle
; Chip and lie / [|chip] and [|roll] : When a played stone strikes the edge of another stone and moves to another position in play
; : Series of rocks in the house arrayed from front to back in such a way that a corner of each successive rock is visible from the hack, angling out like the edge of a Christmas tree.
; : Grazing a stationary stone without significantly moving it; but enough to alter the path of the shooting rock
; : A flashy but low-percentage shot. Also [|Trick shot]
; : To [|brush] the ice lightly in front of a moving rock to remove any debris and ensure a correct line; less vigorous than a sweep
; : The location of the curling rink; most players usually refer to it as "The Club"
; : Any shot that [|curls] around another rock
; : Going into the final end
; : A takeout shot that is slow enough that the sweepers have relative control over its curl; faster than board weight, but slower than [|normal takeout weight]
; : A type of guard that is [|off] to the side of the house; usually employed when a team has the hammer and needs to score multiple points
; : A stone in the house lying closer to the centre than any of the opponent's stones. Each [|counter] scores one point at the completion of an end.
; : Protection given to a rock by a rock in front of it
; : Movement of a moving rock away from a straight line; as a verb, to play at curling
; : General term for player involved in a curling team; also known as a "soofter" in the UK
; : A team sport which involves sliding granite stones on ice and [|sweeping] in front of them with brooms to direct them to desired placements
; : Synonymous with [|club]
; : A participation souvenir, generally worn on a sweater; there is a sub-culture at any major bonspiel built around trading pins. Most curling clubs and many tournaments produce one, and they are usually not awards
; : A device that permits a player to [|deliver] a stone while standing upright; generally used by older players, these are legal in most games.
; : A rock that has a tendency to [|finish] more than other rocks.
; : Clockwise
D
; : A rock completely [|covered] by another rock such that no part is visible; : Synonymous with [|no handle]
; : Process of throwing a stone
; : Scoring 2 points in an end
; : A call given by the skip for the sweepers to stop sweeping a rock; a rock that dies is a rock that stops moving
; : State of a sheet of ice where the sides are slightly elevated compared to the center, so that a cross section of the ice would look like a cross section of a dish; this sometimes happens near the end of a week-long tournament because the [|pebbling] motion tends to apply more pebbles to the side, while sweeping during games happens more often near the center and wears down the ice more in that region; when there is a dish, rocks will curl more towards the center and less away from the center
; Double takeout / Double : A takeout shot in which two other stones are removed from play; a shot in which the delivered stone and one other stone are removed is not a double takeout
; Doubles curling : A variation of curling played with 2 people per team and slightly altered rules. Most commonly seen as [|mixed doubles].
; : When two rocks are frozen, hitting the top rock at an angle creates a drag effect that affects the direction of the [|second] rock; the friction between the two frozen rocks makes the first rock "drag" the second rock slightly towards the same direction; hitting the top rock on the right makes the bottom rock move more to the left while hitting it on the left makes it move more to the right
; : A shot that lands in play without hitting another stone out, as opposed to a takeout shot. Also refers to a game, e.g., “We have a [|draw] at 7:00 p.m. tonight.”
; : A shot in which the played stone pushes a stone straight forward into the house
; : Person who assigns teams to different sheets, sets starting times, assigns players to teams in casual play, etc.
; : Delivery speed required for a stone to come to rest in the house
; Dump the [|handle] : During [|delivery] of a stone, the [|thrower] accidentally pushes the stone off-course with their turning motion; often the result of using the arm to shove the stone, and usually causes a missed shot
E
; : Command – called out by the skip to tell the sweepers to ease off their sweeping of a rock but to continue sweeping it lightly and slowly.; Eight-ender : An end where all eight stones score for one team – a very rare occurrence.
; : Similar to an inning in baseball; in an end, each team [|throws] 8 rocks, 2 per player in alternating fashion; tournament style games usually run for 10 ends; games played at the club level usually run for 8 ends. Prior to the latter half of the twentieth century, a game consisted of 12 ends played in full.
; : Equivalent to an extra inning in baseball; in the event of a tie after the prescribed number of ends, extra ends are played until the tie is broken.
; : Technology in the rock handles to electronically detect [|hog line violations] using magnetic strips under the hog lines and red/green LED indicators.
F
; : A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown in that area to curl negatively; : As the stone is sliding down the sheet, it curls negatively, i.e., the opposite direction than it is supposed to
; : The amount of sideways movement in the last 3 meters or so of a rock's path; can be used as a verb or a noun
; : Something more than [|Normal weight] but less than [|Peel weight]
; : To completely miss an attempted takeout; the rock passes through the house without touching any rocks at all
; : When the team with hammer scores exactly 1 point on that end.
; : The player throwing the last two rocks for a team; since the skip almost always throws the last two rocks, this term is rarely used
; : Area between the [|hog line] and the tee line, excluding the house. Evolved from the Moncton Rule.
; :The rule that states that an opponent's rock resting in the [|free-guard zone] cannot be removed from play until the first five rocks of an end have been played
; : A precise draw weight shot where a delivered stone comes to rest against a stationary stone, making it nearly impossible to takeout
; : A team's [|lead] and second, considered as a unit
; : Delivery speed required for a stone to come to rest in the front half of the house
; : The portion of the house closer to the hog line
; : Synonymous with [|top 12]
; : Buildup that can occur on ice surfaces when there is excessive humidity in the air; tends to makes stones stop faster and curl less
; : Bonspiel oriented to recreational/fun play, often shorter duration games, and may have unusual formats
G
; : A rock that is placed in front of another rock to protect it from being knocked out by the other team, or placed with the intent to later curl another rock around it and thus be protected; typically placed between the hog line and the very front of the house; Grand Slam of Curling : A series of eight premier men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields
; : A rubber or other material attached to a curling shoe to improve traction on the ice; also known as an anti-slider; see [|Slider]
H
; : Similar to a starting block in track and field, the foothold device where the person who throws the rock pushes off for delivery; : The weight required to deliver a stone in order that it travels to the hack at the far end
; : A slower played takeout that, because of the reduced speed, curls more and therefore can reach opponent stones that are hidden behind a guard
; : The last rock in an end – a huge advantage; the team with the last rock is said to "have the hammer"
; : The part of the stone held by the player; used to describe the desired direction of rotation of the handle upon release in a given delivery; "Losing the handle" refers to a rock which stops curling or which changes direction of curl while moving; See also no handle, [|reverse handle], [|straight handle].
; : Each team traditionally shakes hands with each member of the opposing team at the end of a match as a sign of goodwill. Unlike other sports, [|curlers] can, and are often encouraged to, forfeit the game early out of sportsmanship if the score is badly lopsided or if a team runs out of stones. To signal their forfeit, the losing team shakes the hands of the other team. This can simply be called "shaking", as in "the Smith team shook after 7 ends".
; : Command – along with "hurry" – shouted by the skip to tell the sweepers to sweep harder and faster
; : A stone that is thrown harder than required and will probably slide too far
; : Slow ice on which stones take more initial force to travel a similar distance as on fast ice
; : The high side of a shooter in motion is the side that it is curling away from, ie., the side outside the curve of the shooter's path. To "hit on the high side" is to hit the stationary rock off-centre on the side the shooter came from.
; : Any shot where the aim is to move another stone; the opposite of a draw
; : A takeout rock that, after making contact with another rock, slides into a designated area
; : A takeout where the played stone stays in the spot where it made contact with the stationary stone; also called 'hit and stick' or a 'nose hit'
; : Another term for [|takeout weight]
; : See "hogged rock"
; : The line which the stone must completely cross to be considered in play
; : The line by which the stone must be clearly and fully released by the thrower
; : Failure to release a stone before crossing the near hog line; a stone in violation is immediately removed from play
; : A shot that comes to rest short of or on the [|far hog line] and is removed from play
; : See "hogged rock"
; : The three concentric circles where points are scored
; : see [|hard!]
I
; Ice : Adjustment to the crosswise distance between the [|skip's] broom and the desired target area; for example, a player who feels that the skip's broom is too close to the target might request "more ice"; / Ice technician : Person who is responsible for maintaining the ice; duties include, but are not limited to, pebbling and scraping the ice
; : A shot where the delivered stone hits another stone near the outer edge of the sheet at an angle, making the shooter roll into the house; one of the most difficult curling shots, usually done as a last resort when there are no other options
; : A shot in which the handle of the stone is rotated across the body ; for a right-handed thrower, an in-turn is clockwise, and the opposite for a lefty
; : Another term for [|narrow]
J
; : A takeout that collides with a [|catcher]K
; : Fast ice on which stones travel greater distances with less force than required for [|heavy ice]; : A delivered stone that is intentionally wobbled to compensate for water, slush or snow on the ice surface
L
; : When the rotation of a stone is very slow, i.e., less than one full rotation during the stone's slide; often the result of thrower error, they will usually curl more than a properly delivered stone; may turn into a [|No Handle] or [|Reverse Handle]; Lead : The player who throws the first two rocks for a team
; Lie / Lies / Lying : The [|count] of the number of stones of one colour closest to the centre of the button, closer than the innermost stone of the other colour. When a team "lies X" or "is lying X", that number of its stones are, at that moment, closer to the button than any opposition stone; were the end to finish then, the team would score that number of points.
; : The path of a moving stone; a 'good' line indicates it is headed where it was intended to go; a 'bad' line has deviated
; : A stone that is not thrown hard enough
; : Many clubs offer a Little Rocks program for children, with rocks that are roughly half the weight of regular 44 lb. rocks. [|Curlers] generally move onto full-sized rocks around the ages of 10 to 12.
; : A rock that is "losing the handle" refers to a rock which loses its rotation or which reverses its rotation while moving
; : Synonymous with no handle
; : The low side of a shooter in motion is the side that it is curling toward, ie., the side inside the curve of the shooter's path. To "hit on the low side" is to hit the stationary rock off-centre after the shooter crosses its face.
; : Last Stone in the First End; in every other end, the last stone is determined by the scoring in the previous end. In the first end, some other system must be used to determine the advantage of the hammer.
M
; Manitoba tuck : A type of delivery, mostly found in Manitoba, where the body is kept very low to the ground and the leading leg is tucked underneath the body and to the side; this type is delivery is particularly efficient for hits but makes [|draws] slightly tougher to execute, with the shoulders not being as straight and the eyes being closer to the ice; : The player who discusses strategy with the skip behind the house and holds the broom while the skip throws his rocks; usually plays third; also known as vice-skip or vice
; : Equipment used to determine which of two or more stones is closest to the centre when they are too similar to know with visual inspection
; Mixed team : A team composed of two men and two women with the throwing order alternating genders. Also known as [|True mixed].
; Mixed doubles : A variation of curling played with 2 people per team, one man and one woman, and slightly altered rules.
N
; : A stone delivered [|off the broom] too close to the desired target and therefore likely to curl past it; : A shot in which the player curls the stone in the opposite direction in which the stone is expected to curve, due to significant defects in flatness of the ice surface; for example, if the curvature of the ice causes all stones to drift sharply to the right, a skip may request the shooter to aim to the left of the desired location and curve the stone to the left as well.
; : Called as the rock is sliding down the sheet to indicate the stone needs to curl and the sweepers should stay off the rock
; : A term used by some Manitoba teams, similar to [|control weight]
; : A rock delivered without a turn, usually done in error; stones thrown without a handle often follow an unpredictable path
; : Normal takeout weight; faster than control weight, but slower than [|peel]
; : The point on a rock closest to the thrower. A "nose hit" would be hitting the rock at this point, avoiding a roll.
O
; : A call given by the skip for the sweepers to stop sweeping a rock; : An incorrectly aimed shot; opposite of on the broom
; : A rock that is not obscured by another rock from the [|thrower's] perspective; a skip will often ask the thrower how "open" a certain rock appears from the hack, with the rock being totally open, partially obscured or completely covered; also, a term for any shot not involving going around a guard: an open takeout, an open draw, etc.
; : A correctly aimed shot that starts out directly at the broom held by the skip; opposite of off the broom
; : A situation in which a team that is behind in the score no longer has enough stones between those in play and those yet to be played to make up the deficit; the outcome is now certain, and the game usually ends with a [|handshake] once a team is out of stones.
; : Another term for [|wide]
; : A shot in which the handle of the stone is rotated away from the body - the elbow is rotated "out" from the body; for a right-handed thrower, an out-turn is counter-clockwise, and the opposite for a lefty
P
; : A rock; : Small droplets of water intentionally sprayed on the ice that cause irregularities on the surface, allowing the rocks to curl. Also a verb; the action of depositing water droplets on the ice, as "to pebble the ice between games"
; : A takeout that removes a stone from play as well as the delivered stone. These are usually intentional, such as for [|blanking an end].
; : A stone delivered with a heavy takeout weight
; : When a rock's [|running surface] travels over a foreign particle such as a hair, causing the rock to deviate from its expected path, usually by increasing friction and thereby the amount of curl
; : Spot at the exact centre of the house, officially called the tee.
; : Competitive play towards club, state/provincial, national, and world championships
; : A space between two stones just wide enough for a delivered stone to pass through
; : Another name for a raise; usually means to raise a guard into the house and make it a potential counter
R
; : A shot in which the delivered stone bumps another stone forward; : A shot in which the delivered stone bumps a second stone which in turn knocks a third stone out of play. Also called a [|runback]
; : When a curler considers how the condition of a sheet of ice will influence the path of a thrown stone, similar to how a golfer reads the undulations and texture of a green before determining where and how hard to hit a putt
; : When a stone is thrown with a particular turn, but it eventually stops and begins to rotate in the opposite direction; usually the result of a [|pick] or poor ice conditions. Sometimes it may even reverse twice in one shot, creating unpredictable shots that follow an S-shaped path.
; : A call given by the skip to tell the sweepers to neither sweep nor [|clean] the rock; as compared to [|off!], which tells the sweepers to stop sweeping but not necessarily to stop cleaning
; : The house
;
- A curling team. Often used with a location or the name of the skip.
- A building housing the ice sheets
- Sometimes used as a synonym for sheet
; : The device thrown by curlers during the game. It is made of granite and has a standard weight of 19.6 kg. Also called a stone
; : Any movement of a stone after striking another
; : Description of a spinning rock
; : When a moving stone barely touches another stationary stone; less contact than a chip
; : A section of the [|curling sheet] that is dipped or troughed that can prevent a stone to curl or draw down its normal path of travel
; : See [|raise takeout]
; : The part of the rock which comes in contact with the ice. It is about 7 mm wide
; : See raise takeout
S
; : A device used by the [|Ice maker] to smooth the ice after a period of extended play; usually performed in conjunction with pebbling; : The Canadian Women's Curling Championships. Also known as the [|Scotties Tournament of Hearts].
; Second : The player who throws the third and [|fourth] rocks for a team; on most teams they also sweep for all other players on their team
; : The second closest rock to the button
; : A wide brush, traditionally made of sheepskin, which is used to clean the ice of any loose debris, typically during the mid-game break
; : The area of ice that on which one game is played
; : In a hit, refers to the rock being thrown
; Shot rock / shot stone: The rock in the house closest to the button; the next closest rocks are [|second shot] and [|third shot]. To "be shot" means to have [|shot rock].
; : The curling world championships from 1968–1985
; Skip : The player who calls the shots and traditionally throws the last two rocks; typically the best player on the team. As a verb, to "skip" means to lead one's rink
; : A [|deuce] where the two [|counters] are the rocks thrown by the fourth thrower
; : The forward movement of a player during the delivery of a stone
; : A piece of Teflon or similar material attached to a curling shoe that allows the player to slide along the ice
; : A type of release that makes the rock curl more, usually by imparting less rotation to the handle
; : Scots for match, game or competition, this is the term used for a curling competition between members of the same club or community, for example parish [|spiel]; also used as an abbreviation for Bonspiel. Compare Bonspiel.
; : A stone traveling with a rapid rotation. Stones thrown in this manner will curl only a small amount, if at all
; : A draw shot in which the played stone hits on the side of a stationary stone and both move sideways and stay in play. Not to be confused with split the house
; : A strategy of [|drawing] to a different area of the house to prevent your opponent from taking out both stones
; : Slang for socializing with teammates and opponents, often over a drink, after a game
; : Scoring in an end without the hammer
; : A rock
; : Synonymous with no handle
; : Ice on which stones curl less than usual
; : a weight that can take out another stone
; : To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, which causes it to travel further and curl less
; : To use the measuring device to determine shot rock
; : Ice on which stones curl more than usual
T
; : A rock that hits another rock and removes it from play; : The weight required when delivering a stone in order to make a takeout
; : Use of the delivery stone to tap another rock towards the back of the house
; : The centre point of the house, where the tee line crosses the centre line; the stones' distances from the tee determine the score for each end. Also called the [|pin]
; : The line that goes across the house intersecting with the middle of the button, splitting it into two halves
; Thick / thin : The degree of contact between two rocks; the thicker the hit, the more contact between the stones; a hit with a small amount of contact is thin.
; Third : The player who throws the fifth and sixth rocks for a team; usually also serves as vice-skip
; : The third closest rock to the button
; : A shot that bumps a guard out of the way without removing it from play, to avoid violating the [|Free Guard Zone Rule]; usually played with lead rocks late in a game to prevent the trailing team from setting up a [|steal]
; : Another term for narrow
; : At professional levels sweepers use a timer to measure the time between the start of the delivery and the rock hitting the hog line, and will then call out that time as an indicator of the shot's weight. "Time" can also refer to the amount of time left on the game clock
; : The portion of the 4 foot ring in front of the tee line
; : The portion of the 8 foot ring in front of the tee line
; : The portion of the 12 foot ring in front of the tee line
; Tournament of Hearts : The Canadian women's curling championship, held annually since 1982; other women's tournaments were held previously
; : A flashy but low-percentage shot; also [|Circus shot]
; : A takeout shot in which three other stones are removed from play
; : An event format where the teams must have two men and two women, played in alternating positions
U
; : Command shouted by a skip – sometimes "off!" or "whoa!" - to tell sweepers to stop sweepingV
; Vice-skip or Vice : The player who discusses strategy with the skip behind the house and holds the broom while the skip throws his rocks; usually plays third; also known as [|mate]W
; : The World Curling Federation is the sport's governing body at international level, defining its rules and managing various international and regional championships.; : The amount of speed with which a rock is delivered; more weight corresponds to a harder throw. When used in a phrase such as "tee-line weight", it refers to the delivery speed required for the rock to come to rest on the [|tee-line].
; : A shot where the played stone touches a stationary stone just enough that the played stone changes direction
; : A stone delivered off the broom to the side away from the desired target, and therefore unlikely to curl far enough to reach it
; : Synonymous with off
; : A stone that rocks from side to side as it travels because it is not resting on its running surface
; : A missed shot caused by an accidental chip or [|wick] off of another stationary stone