Glossary of curling

This is a glossary of terms in curling.

#s

Diagram that shows the number weight calling system as it relates to the ice surface. The tee line has been removed for clarity.

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.

#

4-foot 

The 4-foot-diameter (1.2 m) 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

8-foot 

The 8-foot-diameter (2.4 m) 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

12-foot 

The 12-foot-diameter (3.7 m) circle outermost in the house; stone completely outside this circle cannot score

A

Across the face 

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's a very efficient way of making a tick. This is seldom used for normal hits since it's harder to execute, unless necessary because a guard prevents using the other turn

Anti-freeze 

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

Anti-slider 

Synonymous with gripper

Arena ice 

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

Around the horn 

A double or triple where the shooter ends up coming back up the rings

B

Back 4 

The portion of the 4 foot ring behind the tee line

Back 8 

The portion of the 8 foot ring behind the tee line

Back 12 

The portion of the 12 foot ring behind the tee line

Back board 

The border at the extreme ends of the sheet

Back end 

A team's third and skip, considered as a unit.

Back-house weight 

Delivery speed required for a stone to come to rest in the back half of the house

Back line 

The line right behind the house. If a rock completely crosses the back line, it is removed from play

Back of the House 

The portion of the house behind the tee line

Back ring 

Synonymous with back 12

Barrier 

A board or other object behind the hack, used to stop moving stones; referred to as "bumper" in Canada

Barrier weight 

Delivery speed that should come to rest against the barrier behind the hack. Synonymous with board weight.

Biter 

A stone that barely touches the outside of the house, i.e. the 12-foot ring

Bite stick 

A piece of equipment used to determine whether or not a stone is a biter

Blank end 

An end in which no stones are touching the house, and thus 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.

Blanking an end 

Deliberately creating a blank end for the purposes of retaining the last rock advantage for the next end of play

Blast 

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.

Board weight 

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

Bounce 

A failed corner freeze where the shooter rolls open

Brier 

The Canadian men's curling championship, held annually since 1927

Broom 

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

Broomstacking 

See stacking the brooms

Brush / brushing 

Broom / Sweeping

Bump 

A short raise

Bumper 

The barrier

Bumper weight 

Synonymous with barrier/board weight.

Buried 

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"

Burn 

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

Button 

The centre (bullseye) of the house; sometimes called the 1-foot circle

C

Calling the shot 

When the skip holds the broom where he/she wants the person delivering the stones to aim. When the skip is delivering, the third calls the shot

Capital One Grand Slam of Curling 

A series of eight premier men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields

Cashspiel 

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

Centre guard 

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

Centre line 

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

Chip 

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

Circus shot 

A flashy but low-percentage shot. Also Trick shot

Clean 

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

Club 

The location of the curling rink; most players usually refer to it as "The Club"

Come-around 

Any shot that curls around another rock

Coming home 

Going into the final (10th) end

Control weight

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

Corner guard 

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

Counter 

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.

Cover 

Protection given to a rock by a rock in front of it

Curl 

Movement of a moving rock away from a straight line.; as a verb, to play at curling

Curler 

General term for player involved in a curling team; also known as a "soofter" in the UK

Curling 

A team sport which involves sliding granite stones on ice and sweeping in front of them with brooms to direct them to desired placements

Curling club 

Synonymous with club

Curling pin 

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

Curling stick 

A device that permits a player to deliver a stone while standing upright; generally used by older players, these are legal in most games.

D

Dead buried 

A rock completely covered by another rock (often a guard) such that no part is visible

Dead handle 

Synonymous with no handle

Delivery 

Process of throwing a stone

Die! 

A call given by the skip for the sweepers to stop sweeping a rock; a rock that dies is a rock that stops moving

Dish 

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

Drag 

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

Draw 

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.”

Draw raise 

A shot in which the played stone pushes a stone straight forward into the house

Drawmaster 

Person who assigns teams to different sheets, sets starting times, assigns players to teams in casual play, etc.

Draw weight 

Delivery speed required for a stone to come to rest in the house

Dump the handle (also Flip or Turn-Out/Turn-In) 

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

Easy 

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.

End 

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

Extra end 

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.

F

Fall 

A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown in that area to curl negatively

Falling 

As the stone is sliding down the sheet, it curls negatively, i.e., the opposite direction than it's supposed to

Finish 

The amount of sideways movement in the last 3 meters (10 feet) or so of a rock's path; can be used as a verb ("it needs to finish") or a noun ("there's lots of finish in that spot")

Flash 

To completely miss an attempted takeout; the rock passes through the house without touching any rocks at all

Fourth 

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

Free-Guard Zone 

Area between the hog line and the tee line, excluding the house. Evolved from the Moncton Rule.

Free-Guard Zone Rule 

The rule that states that an opponent's rock resting in the free-guard zone cannot be removed from play until the first four rocks of an end have been played

Freeze 

A precise draw weight shot where a delivered stone comes to rest against a stationary stone, making it nearly impossible to knock out

Front end 

A team's lead and second, considered as a unit

Front-house weight 

Delivery speed required for a stone to come to rest in the front half of the house

Front of the House 

The portion of the house closer to the hog line

Front ring

Synonymous with top 12

Frost 

Buildup that can occur on ice surfaces when there is excessive humidity in the air; tends to makes stones stop faster and curl less

Fun Spiel 

Bonspiel oriented to recreational/fun play, often shorter duration games, and may have unusual formats

G

Guard 

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

Gripper 

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

Hack 

Similar to a starting block in track and field, the foothold device where the person who throws the rock pushes off for delivery

Hack weight 

The weight required to deliver a stone in order that it travels to the hack at the far end

Hackweight takeout 

A slower played takeout that, because of the reduced speed, curls more and therefore can reach opponent stones that are hidden behind a guard

Hammer 

The last rock in an end - a huge advantage; the team with the last rock is said to "have the hammer"

Handle 

The part of the stone held by the player; "Losing the handle" refers to a rock which stops curling or which changes direction of curl while moving

Handshake

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".

Hard! 

Command – along with "hurry" – shouted by the skip to tell the sweepers to sweep harder and faster

Heavy 

A stone that is thrown harder than required and will probably slide too far

Heavy ice 

Slow ice on which stones take more initial force to travel a similar distance as on fast (keen) ice (see keen ice)

Hit 

Any shot where the aim is to move another stone; the opposite of a draw

Hit and roll 

A takeout rock that, after making contact with another rock, slides (rolls) into a designated area

Hit and stay 

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'

Hit weight 

Another term for take-out weight

Hog 

See "hogged rock"

Hog line (far)

The line which the stone must completely cross to be considered in play

Hog line (near)

The line by which the stone must be clearly and fully released by the thrower

Hog line violation 

Failure to release a stone before crossing the near hog line

Hogged rock

A shot that comes to rest short of or on the far hog line and is removed from play

Hogger 

See "hogged rock"

House 

The three concentric circles where points are scored

Hurry! 

see hard!

I

Ice (more, less, too much, not enough) 

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"

Icemaker 

Person who is responsible for maintaining the ice, duties include, but are not limited to pebbling and scraping the ice

In-off 

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

In-turn 

A shot in which the handle of the stone is rotated across the body (the elbow is rotated "in" to the body); for a right-handed thrower, an in-turn is clockwise, and the opposite for a lefty

Inside 

Another term for narrow

K

Keen ice 

Fast ice on which stones travel greater distances with less force than required for heavy ice (see heavy ice)

Kizzle kazzle 

A delivered stone that is intentionally wobbled to compensate for water, slush or snow on the ice surface

L

Lazy handle 

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.

Line

The path of a moving stone; a 'good' line indicates it is headed where it was intended to go; a 'bad' line has deviated

Light 

A stone that is not thrown hard enough

Little rocks

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.

Losing the handle 

A rock that is "losing the handle" refers to a rock which loses its rotation or which reverses its rotation while moving

Lost turn 

Synonymous with no handle

LSFE 

Last Stone in the First End; in every other end, the last stone (or hammer) is determined by the scoring in the previous end. In the first end, some other system (coin toss, draw contest, record comparison) 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

Mate 

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

Measure stick 

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

N

Narrow 

A stone delivered off the broom too close to the desired target and therefore likely to curl past it

Negative ice 

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.

Never 

Called during the sweep to indicate the stone needs to curl and the sweepers should stay off the rock

No handle 

A rock delivered without a turn, usually done in error; stones thrown without a handle often follow an unpredictable path

Normal weight

Normal takeout weight; faster than control weight, but slower than peel

Nose

The point on a rock closest to the shooter. A "nose hit" would be hitting the rock at this point, avoiding a roll.

O

Off! 

A call given by the skip for the sweepers to stop sweeping a rock

Off the broom 

An incorrectly aimed shot; opposite of on the broom

Open 

A rock that is not obscured by another rock from the shooter's perspective; a skip will often ask the shooter how "open" a certain rock appears from the hack, with the rock being totally open, partially obscured (such as "half open") or completely covered; also, a term for any shot not involving going around a guard: an open takeout, an open draw, etc.

On the broom 

A correctly aimed shot that starts out directly at the broom held by the skip; opposite of off the broom

Out of stones 

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.

Outside 

Another term for wide

Out-turn 

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

Pancake 

A rock

Pebble 

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"

Peel 

A takeout that removes a stone from play as well as the delivered stone. These are usually intentional, such as for blanking an end.

Peel weight 

A stone delivered with a heavy takeout weight

Pick 

Occasionally, a foreign particle such as a hair will be picked up by the running surface, causing the rock to deviate from its expected path, usually by increasing friction and thereby the amount of curl

Pin 

Spot at the exact centre of the house, officially called the tee.

Playdowns 

Competitive play towards club, state/provincial, national, and world championships

Promote 

Another name for a raise; usually means to raise a guard into the house and make it a potential counter

Port 

A space between two stones just wide enough for a delivered stone to pass through

R

Raise 

A shot in which the delivered stone bumps another stone forward

Raise takeout 

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

Reading the ice 

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

Reverse handle 

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.

Right off! 

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)

Rings 

The house

Rink

1. A curling team. Often used with a location ("the Manitoba rink") or the name of the skip ("the Smith rink").
2. A building housing the ice sheets ("the curling rink")
3. Sometimes used as a synonym for sheet

Roaring Game, The 

Slang for the game of curling, it's the sound a stone makes while sliding along the ice

Rock 

The device thrown by curlers during the game. It is made of granite and has a standard weight of 19.6 kg (44 lb). Also called a stone

Roll 

Any movement of a stone after striking another

Rotation 

Description of a spinning rock

Rub 

When a moving stone barely touches another stationary stone; less contact than a chip

Run 

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

Runback

See raise takeout

Running surface 

The part of the rock which comes in contact with the ice. It is about 7 mm wide (0.25 inches)

S

Scraper 

A device used by the Ice maker to smooth the ice after a period of extended play; usually performed in conjunction with pebbling

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

Second shot 

The second closest rock to the button

Sheepskin 

A wide brush, traditionally made of sheepskin, which is used to clean the ice of any loose debris, typically during the mid-game break (commonly after the 5th end of tournament play)

Sheet 

The area of ice that on which one game is played

Shooter 

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.

Silver Broom 

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

Slide 

The forward movement of a player during the delivery of a stone

Slider 

A piece of Teflon or similar material attached to a curling shoe that allows the player to slide along the ice

Soft release 

A type of release that makes the rock curl more, usually by imparting less rotation to the handle

Spiel 

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.

Spinner 

A stone traveling with a rapid rotation. Stones thrown in this manner will curl only a small amount, if at all

Split 

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

Split the House 

A strategy of drawing to a different area of the house to prevent your opponent from taking out both stones

Stacking the brooms 

Slang for socializing with teammates and opponents, often over a drink, after a game

Steal 

Scoring in an end without the hammer

Stone 

A rock

Straight handle 

Synonymous with no handle

Straight ice 

Ice on which stones curl less than usual

Strike weight 

a weight that can take out another stone

Sweep 

To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, which causes it to travel farther and curl less

Swing the stick around 

To use the measuring device to determine shot rock

Swingy ice 

Ice on which stones curl more than usual

T

Takeout 

A rock that hits another rock and removes it from play

Takeout Weight 

The weight required when delivering a stone in order to make a takeout

Tap back 

Use of the delivery stone to tap another rock towards the back of the house

Tee 

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

Tee line 

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

Third shot 

The third closest rock to the button

Tick 

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

Tight 

Another term for narrow

Time

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

Top 4 

The portion of the 4 foot ring in front of the tee line

Top 8 

The portion of the 8 foot ring in front of the tee line

Top 12 

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

Trick shot 

A flashy but low-percentage shot; also Circus shot

Triple 

A takeout shot in which three other stones are removed from play

True mixed 

An event format where the teams must have two men and two women, played in alternating positions

U

Up! 

Command shouted by a skip – sometimes "off!" or "whoa!" – to tell sweepers to stop sweeping (to bring the brooms "up" off the ice)

V

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

Weight 

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.

Wick 

A shot where the played stone touches a stationary stone just enough that the played stone changes direction

Wide 

A stone delivered off the broom to the side away from the desired target, and therefore unlikely to curl far enough to reach it

Whoa! 

Synonymous with off

Wobbler 

A stone that rocks from side to side as it travels because it is not resting on its running surface

Wrecked shot 

A missed shot caused by an accidental chip or wick off of another stationary stone

External links

• Curlingbasics.com - A website featuring glossary along with associated animation
• Anchorage Curling Club's terminology lists
• Rochester Curling Club glossary
• Curling terms