“Be up” – means – dont be short – short bowls are wasted bowls.
TERMS USED IN LAWN BOWLING
"Back bowl" - a bowl that comes to rest beyond the Jack.
“Be Up” – means – dont be short – short bowls are wasted bowls.
“Bias” – the “weighted” or “small button” side of the bowl.
"Blocker" - a bowl placed strategically short of the head to block the path of subsequent bowls.
“Burned End” – the jack has been knocked out of bounds. The end is not counted and played again.
“Draw a Shot” – bowl so as to finish with the closest bowl to the Jack.
“End” – bowling to the opposite end of the green is called one end, returning is another end.
The number of ends played decided by the tournament committee.
“Grass” – direction line the bowl takes in order for it to curve or bend in to the Jack at the finish of its run.
“Hand” – the side on which the bowl is delivered – either the forehand or the back hand.
“Head” – the bowls that are grouped around the jack.
“Jack” – that white ball against which all bowlers wish their bowl will lie when it comes to rest.
"Lead" - the person who starts off the play. Also places the Mat and rolls the Jack if their team “has the mat”.
"Length" - a good length is a bowl, bowled with the right amount of weight to reach the head in a perfect position.
"Mat" - the actual mat, that is placed by the team winning the last end, to start the next end.
This is also known as having the Mat.
The team with the mat always rolls the Jack.
"Line" - the curved line or track a bowl takes to reach the head.
A good line will curcve and reach the head, a bad line will not.
“Narrow” – sometimes called tight, means that you did not take enough grass, or start the bowl out far enough from the center line to the jack.
“Rink” – the normal rink is a 15 foot wide area running from one end to the opposite end.
“Shot Bowl” – the bowl lying closest to the jack.
“Take the Green” – a warning from a skip to a player who is delivering his bowls at a wrong angle to correct his fault by increasing the angle of delivery.
“Toucher” - a bowl which has hit the jack between the time of its delivery and its coming completely to rest.
The bowl remains in play even if it goes into the ditch within the confines of the rink.
It should be marked with chalk for recognition as a toucher.
“Weight” – the amount of power applied in delivering the bowl.
Heavy weight means that the bowl stops further than desired.
Light weight means that it stops short of the spot desired.
” Wide” – you started the bowl too far out from the center line to jack – took too much grass.
"Wick" - when a bowl glances off (or bounces) another bowl hopefully to the advantage of the bowler.
Finally : "Apart from line and length your first bowl was perfect!" :-)