Darts may be an easy game to get to grips with, but learning the lingo is a different matter entirely. That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive darts glossary, full of all the key darts terms you’ll hear when learning how to play classic games like 301
Whether you’re new to the sport and need a quick reference guide to help you follow our how-to-play darts tutorials, or you’re simply looking to impress the darts fan in your life with your new-found knowledge, here are all the important terms and phrases you’ll hear around the dartboard.
Related: Best Soft Tip Dart Boards
Dart’s Glossary – All the Key Terms You Need to Know
Annie’s Room
The number 1 on a dartboard is known as Annie’s Room or Annie’s House.
Around the Board
Around the Board is a type of darts game in which the object is to hit each number in consecutive order and finish on the bullseye. Though it’s less complicated than traditional darts games, hitting each number in the right order can be tricky.
You may also hear this game called Around the World or Around the Clock, which is what we called it in our How to Play Around the Clock tutorial.
Arrows
An informal slang term for a dart.
Average
In a standard game of darts, the combined score of all three darts in your round is known as your average.
Baby Ton
A Baby Ton is a score of 95, typically achieved by scoring five 19s.
Bag of Nuts
In darts, a score of 45 is known as a Bag of Nuts. This harks back to the days when fairgrounds and traditional British pubs would reward players with an actual bag of nuts for scoring 45.
Barrel
The barrel of a dart is the rough, raised part just before the tip that you grip when taking your throw.
Basement
The basement is the double-3 section of the dartboard.
Bed
All dartboards are divided into different sections. These sections are known as beds.
Bombers
Bombers are large, heavy darts that are typically made from brass. You may also hear them referred to as simply ‘bombs.’
Black Eye
Hitting the double bullseye with all three darts during your turn is known as a Black Eye. Some players may also call it a Black Hat.
Bounce Out
Bouncing out is when the dart quite literally bounces out of the board after striking the wire or otherwise not landing properly.
Bull
Bull is the informal name for the bullseye, which you’ll find in the center of the dartboard. This is divided into two parts. The outer green circle is known as the single bull while the inner red circle is the double bull.
Bull-Off
A bull-off is when two darts players throw a single dart before a game. Whoever lands closest to the bull takes the first turn.
This practice is frequently known by other names such as Diddle for the Middle and Out for Bull, the latter of which shouldn’t be confused with Bulls Out.
Bulls Out
Bulls Out refer to any game in which a player must hit the double bull to win. The term can also be used to describe the action of hitting the double bull and winning the game.
Bust
If you need a certain amount of points to win a game like 301, but you score too many, you’re what’s known as a ‘bust.’ This means that you don’t get any points for that throw and have to try again on your next turn.
Check-Out
To check out in darts means to score the precise number of points you need to win the game and ‘check out of play.
Chucker
A chucker is a player, usually with little experience or interest in darts, who literally ‘chucks’ (throws) the darts aimlessly at the board with no rhyme or reason.
Cricket
Cricket is a darts game in which the objective is to ‘open’ a number by hitting it with a dart, then close it again by hitting it with two subsequent darts.
Devil
If someone tells you that you’ve scored a Devil, that means you hit the triple 6.
Double
The double is the outer ring of the dartboard, so called because landing a dart in it earns a player double the number of points for that number.
For example, landing in Double 2 nets 4 points, landing in double 10 gives you 20 points, and so on.
Double In
Double In means that a player must score a double-bull before they can get in and start the game.
Easy In
A game where players can begin throwing darts without having to hit any particular part of the board first. In other words, there’s no need to hit the bullseye or a specific number, you can start scoring points with your first throw.
Fallout
When your dart lands in a scoring segment, but you were really aiming for a different number altogether, this is known as a Fallout.
Feathers
Feathers is a slang term for a score of 33 points. In some circles, feathers may also refer to the dart’s flights.
Flights
Flights are the hexagonal-shaped ‘wings’ at the end of the dart, which enable a more stable and aerodynamic throw.
On a related note, have you seen our guide to the best flight tips to use on your darts?
Game On
If you hear someone shout ‘game on’ during a darts competition, that’s your call to be quiet so that the players can focus. Of course, if you’re the one playing, ‘game on’ is your cue that the game has officially started.
Granny
If you end up with a granny in darts. It’s time to go back to your practice board at home and work on improving. A granny is a term for someone scoring zero points in a game.
Hat Trick
Just like a hat trick in soccer is three goals scored in one game by a player, a hat trick in darts is when you hit the bull with all three darts in a single turn.
High Ton
If you score a high ton in darts, pat yourself on the back. That means you’ve scored 151 – 180 points in a single round.
Island
The island is the playable, point-scoring area of the dartboard. If you miss that area completely, some players may tell you that you’re ‘off the island.’
Killer
Killer is a ruthless darts game in which players aim to take each other out by hitting their opponent’s double. You can learn more about how to play Killer here on Group Games 101.
Leg
A leg is a name given to a single game of darts in a match that contains multiple games.
Little
The area between the bull and the triple ring on a dartboard is known as the Little.
Low Ton
Just as a high ton is between 151 – 180 points, a Low Ton is a score of 100 – 150 points in a single round.
Match Dart
The match dart is literally the dart you throw that wins you the match.
Mad House
Nobody wants to be in the madhouse, especially in darts. This is the name given to the number 1.
Some players debate whether the name comes from the fact that landing a double one can make you crazy. Meanwhile, others say that it’s because there’s no way to get out since hitting a double one at the end of a game, you’d need a minus-one to finish.
As you probably already know, there’s no such thing as a minus-one on a dartboard.
Maximum
A term given to the triple twenty as its the maximum number of points available in any one bed of the board.
Mugs Away
If you lost the last game and you hear someone say ‘mug’s away,’ that means it’s your turn to go first in the next game.
Oche
The oche is the line you stand at when throwing your dart. It’s pronounced ‘ockey,’ which is why you hear players calling it ‘hockey.’
One Hundred and 180
180 is the maximum score a player can achieve with three darts. It’s an impressive achievement, which is why, when it happens in competition darts, you’ll hear the official declare the score in a loud and boisterous fashion.
Paddling
To paddle means to place at least one foot across the throwing line.
Perfect Score
Similar to Maximum, a perfect score is a triple 20 as there’s no way to score more points than that in a single throw.
Rail
The rail on a dartboard is the wiring which separates each individual section of the board.
Round
Round is the dart’s parlance for a turn. When you take your turn, you play three darts, which is your round. Your opponent then plays their round of three darts.
Shut Out
When you lose a game without scoring any points, you’re shut out.
See also: Granny.
Slop / Splash
If you score a slop or a splash in darts, it’s generally good news though it may not come as a compliment from others. It’s the name given to a fluke through in which you aim for one number but land on something better by accident.
Spider
Spider is an informal name for the wiring which divides the dartboard into segments. It’s so-called because the shape of the wiring looks like a spider’s web, which is why you may also commonly hear it called a ‘web.’
Spray ‘n’ Pay
A move commonly used by inexperienced players who literally hurl the darts at the board in a fast, haphazard fashion and hope they score some points
Throwing Line
The throwing line is the line you need to stand behind before throwing your darts.
See also: Oche.
Ton
A ton is a score of 100 points. If you score more than 100 points, that’s a ton-X, where X is the number of extra points.
For example, a ton-fifty is a score of 150.
Tops
The name for double 20 is Tops.
Treble / Triple
The smaller, inner ring towards the center of the board is where you score trebles, which gives you triple the amount of the number you landed on.
For example, landing in treble 19 lands you a score of 57.
Web:
See ‘Spider’.’
Wet
If someone tells you that you’ve got wet feet, take a step back. This means that you’re standing in front of the throwing line.
Has all this talk of darts got you in the mood to throw some arrows? If so, here are 27 fun dart games to enjoy playing on your home dartboard. Don’t have a home dartboard? Here’s our pick of the electronic dartboards on the market.
