Curling Terms

Back Line

This is the line at the back of the house. Any rock touching the back line stays in play, but those that go past it completely are removed.

Biter

A stone just touching but not fully in the house. To see if a stone is actually touching the house, a 6 foot measure can be used.

Blank End

If neither team had any rocks in the house, there is no score for that end, so it is called a blank end. The team with hammer (last rock) keeps it for the next end.

Bonspiel

The curling word for a tournament played amongst a number of teams.

Brush

A sweeping device used in a scrubbing motion.

Button

The small circle, 1 foot in diameter, at the centre of the rings. Rocks are scored based on how close to the button they are.

Burned Rock

A stone that is touched by a player or his equipment, usually during sweeping is considered burned. Always tell your skip if you bump a rock. Once the rock comes to rest, the opposing skip may choose to have it removed from play.

Centre Line

The line running down the middle of the ice from hack to hack.

Come-around

When a guard has been played on a previous shot, the draw is played to curl in behind –or come-around –the guard and stop behind it in the house.

Counter

Any rock in the rings or touching the rings that is a potential point.

Curl

The bending action of the rock’s path as it travels down the ice.

Draw

A shot that stops in the house.

Double Takeout

A takeout that removes 2 stones from play.

End

Curling is played in ends. Each end consists of throwing the 16 rocks, 8 per team, from one end of the ice to the opposite house. Then, all the rocks are removed, and the next end starts. A normal game usually consists of 8 ends. In some competitions, you may play 10 ends.

Fall

Slanted ice that causes a rock to move in a sideways direction, opposite to its turn.

Free Guard Zone

The area from hog line to the tee line, excluding the house. No stones in this area (guards) may be removed from play until after the 4th stone of the end comes to rest.

Freeze

A draw shot hat, if played perfectly, stops just touching another rock in the house.

Guard

A shot that stops between the hog line and the house. They are use to protect, or guard, the rocks in the house from being easily removed.

Hack

A foothold in the ice from which the thrower pushes off when throwing a stone; right-handed players place their right foot in the left hack, left-handed players place their left foot in the right hack.

Hammer

The team that has the last rock to throw in the end has the hammer. This is considered to be an advantage.

Handle

The rotation of the rock. As an example, a rock that has lost its handle has stopped turning. The gripping device for a rock.

Hard

When your skip yells this, you should sweep. If you are sweeping as hard as you can, and your skip is still yelling, don’t take offence, it’s what skips do.

Heavy

A played stone delivered with more than the desired weight. It travelled too quickly.

Heavy Ice

Ice where throwing a stone requires more effort from the thrower, the stone does not glide easily.

Hit and Roll

A played stone, which after removing a stone from play, rolls to a desired location (for example, behind a guard).

Hog Line

A line past the house, 33 feet from the back line. When throwing your rock, you must let go of the rock before this line, or else you have “hogged” the rock. Your rock must then travel at least as far as the opposite hog line to stay in play. As a sweeper, if your team is not throwing, you must stand between the hog lines.

Hog Line Violation

The person throwing the rock must let go of it before it crosses the nearest hog line. Otherwise, they have hogged the rock, and it may be removed from play.

Hogged Rock

A rock that fails to cross the far hog line into the free guard zone or beyond.

House

The coloured circles on the ice –one house at each end of the sheet. The rings are referred to by their diameter — the twelve-foot, the eight-foot and the four-foot.

Hurry

When your skip yells this, you should sweep. If you are sweeping as hard as you can, and your skip is still yelling, don’t take offence, it’s what skips do.

In-turn

When you release the rock, you put a turn on it “clockwise or counter- clockwise”. This allows the rock to curl. For right-handed curlers, an “in-turn” is clockwise and an “out-turn” is counter-clockwise. For lefthanders, the turns are reversed.

Keen ice

Ice where delivering a stone requires less effort from the thrower, the stone glides easily.

Last Rock

The team that has the last rock to throw in the end has the hammer. This is considered to be an advantage.

Light

A played stone delivered with less than the desired weight. It travelled too slowly.

Narrow

A played rock that is thrown ‘inside’ a target line from the hack to the person holding the broom at the other end.

Nose hit

A played stone, which after removing a stone from play, rolls neither left, nor right.

Out-turn

When you release the rock, you put a turn on it “clockwise or counter- clockwise”. This allows the rock to curl. For right-handed curlers, an “in-turn” is clockwise and an “out-turn” is counter-clockwise. For lefthanders, the turns are reversed.

Pebble

Water droplets sprinkled on the ice surface prior to a game. Once frozen, they become the surface over which rocks glide.

Peel

A thrown rock rolls out of play after hitting another rock. It is generally used to remove guards from in front of the house.

Port

A space between two stones through which a stone may pass.

Raise

A shot, thrown just more than a draw shot, which hits another rock(s) and moves it into a better position.

Rings

The coloured circles on the ice –one house at each end of the sheet. The rings are referred to by their diameter — the twelve-foot, the eight-foot and the four-foot.

Side Line

These are the lines that separate the sheets of ice. (Sometimes there is a divider board, not just a line.) Any rock that touches a side line is removed from play.

Shooter

The curler who delivers the stone.

Shot Stone

The rock that is closest to the button.

Slider

A low friction material applied to the bottom of the sliding shoe.

Takeout

A shot thrown with more force (more “weight” or “harder”) that removes another stone from play.

Tap Back

A light takeout that just moves a rock back without leaving the house.

Tee Line

A line running through the centre of the house, from side to side. Only one team member can sweep the rock once it crosses the tee line.

Vice/Vice-skip

The member of the team who throws the third set of rocks and holds the broom while the skip throws. In some regions, this position is referred to as: “Third or Mate”.

Weight

The amount of force required to push a stone a specific distance down the ice. This is really just the speed of the rock when it is released.

Wide

A played stone that is thrown ‘outside’ the target line from the hack to the person holding the broom at the other end.