Darts Glossary A-Z
A comprehensive reference of darts terminology for players of all levels.
Arrows — Slang for darts. "Nice arrows" means good darts.
Average — The mean score per three-dart visit (or per dart). A key performance metric. A "100 average" means hitting 100 points per three-dart turn on average.
Barrel — The main body of the dart, between the point and the shaft. The part you grip. Made from brass, nickel-silver, or tungsten alloys.
BDO — British Darts Organisation. Founded in 1973, historically the governing body of world darts. Ran the Lakeside World Championship until going into disrepute. Reformed in various incarnations.
Bed — A scoring area on the board. "Treble 20 bed" is the treble 20 segment.
Board — The dartboard itself. Standard competition boards are 451mm (17.75 inches) in diameter with 20 numbered segments plus bullseyes.
Bounce-out — When a dart hits the board but doesn't stick, falling away and scoring zero.
Breakfast — A score of 26 (typically S20, S5, S1). Named because it's "bed and breakfast" — 2 and 6 pence in old money.
Bull — The centre of the board. Outer bull (green) = 25. Inner bull (red) = 50.
Bullseye — See Bull. Also called the "bull's eye" or just "bull."
Bust — When a player's score goes below zero, to exactly 1, or to zero without the last dart being a double. The turn is voided and the score resets to the pre-turn total.
Chalker — The person keeping score on a chalkboard. Also refers to verbal score callouts.
Checkout — Finishing a leg by hitting the exact remaining score with the last dart being a double. "What's the checkout?" means "How do I finish this score?"
Clockboard — The standard dartboard layout used worldwide. Also called the London board.
Cork — Slang for the bullseye, derived from the cork found in the centre of old boards. "Nearest the cork" is a throw to the bull to decide who throws first.
Cricket — A darts game focused on 15-20 and bull. Players must "close" numbers by hitting them three times, then score on open numbers. Popular in North America.
D — Abbreviation for double. "D16" means double 16.
Dart — The projectile thrown at the board. Consists of point, barrel, shaft, and flight.
Dartitis — The dreaded condition where a player becomes unable to release the dart. A form of focal dystonia similar to the yips in golf. Has ended careers.
Double — The narrow outer ring of the board. Scores twice the segment's face value. Required as the finishing dart in 501.
Double in — A rule variant requiring a double to be hit before scoring begins. Not used in most professional play but common in some pub leagues.
Double out — The standard rule requiring the last dart of a leg to land in a double (or inner bull). Universal in professional play.
Double top — Double 20, worth 40 points.
Downstairs — The lower half of the board, particularly when aiming for doubles at the bottom.
Exhibition — A show match, usually featuring a professional player at a pub or venue. Entertainment-focused rather than competitive.
Fat — The large single area of a segment. "Hit the fat 20" means landing in the large single 20 area.
Finish — See Checkout.
Flight — The four-winged tail piece that stabilises the dart in flight.
Game on — Traditional call by the scorer/MC to signal the start of a match.
Game shot — The call when a player hits the winning double. "Game shot and the leg" means the winning dart has been thrown.
Gamlin — Brian Gamlin, credited with devising the standard dartboard number arrangement in 1896.
Happy meal — An embarrassingly low score. Regional usage.
Leg — One complete game (e.g., one 501 down to zero). Matches are played over multiple legs and sometimes sets.
Lipstick — Treble 20. The red treble bed.
Madhouse — Double 1. The worst double to need, as it's very small and there's no safety net (hitting single 1 leaves an odd number).
Marker — See Chalker.
Match — The complete contest between two players or teams, typically played as best-of legs or best-of sets.
Maximum — 180. Three treble 20s. The highest possible three-dart score.
Mugs away — The loser of the previous leg throws first in the next. Traditional pub rule.
Nine-darter — A perfect game of 501 completed in the minimum nine darts. The holy grail of darts. Requires specific combinations and flawless execution.
Oche — The throwing line. Pronounced "OCK-ee." Must be 7 feet 9.25 inches from the board face for steel-tip.
One-eighty! — The traditional caller's exclamation when a player scores 180.
Out shot — See Checkout.
PDC — Professional Darts Corporation. Founded in 1992 by players who broke away from the BDO. Now the dominant professional darts organisation worldwide.
Point — The tip of the dart. Steel (sharp metal) or soft (flexible plastic).
Robin Hood — When a thrown dart embeds in the shaft or flight of a dart already in the board. Scores zero.
Round — One turn at the board (three darts). Also called a "visit."
Round the Clock — A game where players must hit 1-20 in order, then bull. Popular as a practice game.
Scorer — The person responsible for keeping score and calling totals.
Set — A grouping of legs. For example, at the World Championship, a set is best of five legs. Matches are played as best of a certain number of sets.
Shaft — See Stem.
Shanghai — Hitting a single, double, and treble of the same number in one turn. Also a game type.
Sisal — Natural fibre from the agave plant used to make quality bristle dartboards.
Splash — The final dart of a turn when the first two have landed well. "Splash the third" means complete a strong turn.
Spider — The metal wire framework dividing the dartboard into segments.
Stem — The component connecting the barrel to the flight. Also called a shaft.
T — Abbreviation for treble. "T20" means treble 20.
Ton — 100 points in a single three-dart visit.
Ton-forty — 140 points in a single visit (typically T20, T20, S20).
Ton-eighty — 180 points. Maximum score.
Tops — Double 20 (top of the board). "On tops" means needing double 20 to finish.
Treble — The narrow inner ring of the board. Scores three times the segment's face value. Treble 20 (60) is the highest single-dart score.
Tungsten — Dense metal alloy used for quality dart barrels. Higher tungsten percentage = slimmer barrel at the same weight.
Upstairs — The top half of the board, particularly the 20 segment.
Visit — See Round. One turn of three darts.
WDF — World Darts Federation. The worldwide governing body of darts, overseeing national organisations and international competitions.
Wire — The metal dividers between segments on the board. Thinner wire = fewer bounce-outs.
This glossary covers the most commonly used terms in UK and international darts. Regional variations exist — local terms may differ.