Darts Slang Terms that Every Player Should Know

If you are new to the game of darts, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed by the terminology used by more experienced players. Darts is a sport that has its own set of slang terms that can be confusing for beginners. 

That’s why we have put together this beginner’s glossary. By the end of this post, you will have a better understanding of the most commonly used terms in darts.

Glossary of the Most Common Darts Slang Terms

Here are some of the most common darts slang terms that every player should know:

A

• Arrow: A dart
• Archer: Someone is good at throwing darts

B

• Bail Out: A third dart that scores a high triple when the first two in the turn scored low
• Barrel: The part where to grip the dart
• Bed: The scoring area of a dartboard
• Big fish: A 170 checkout
• Bounce out: A dart that hits the wire and falls off the board without scoring
• Bullseye (or bull): The center section of the board
• Bust: Going over the target score, resulting in a loss of points

C

• Chalker: A person who keeps track of the scores
• Checkout: The final set of darts that a player throws to win the game
• Chucker: A person who throws darts with careful aiming or care
• Cover shot: A throw that aims for an alternate triple when the triple 20 is blocked by other previous darts
• Cricket: A very popular type of darts game

D

• Double: The outer ring of the dartboard. A double is worth double the number on the board. See how to score in darts.
• Double-in: A rule that a player must hit a double before they can start scoring. Check out 501 darts for more of this rule.
• Double-out: A rule that a player must hit a double to win the game
• Downstairs: The board’s lower half

E

• Easy in, easy out: A rule that there’s no double-in or double-out

F

• Fall Out: A dart that falls out of the dartboard after hitting it
• Fat: A large area of a number (normally single areas)
• Flight: The wing-like parts of a dart that help it fly through the air
• Follow-through: The motion of the arm and hand after the dart is released

G

• Game on: A calling for starting a game
• Game shot: The winning throw in a game
• Granny: Losing without scoring

H

• Hail Mary: Same as the term Bail-out
• Hat trick: Three darts hitting the bull in one turn

I

• Inner bull: The inner circle of the bull, worth 50 points

K

• Killer: A very popular type of darts game
• Knurl: The pattern on the barrel surface of the dart

L

• Leg: One game in a match
• Leg shot: The throw that wins a leg
• Lipstick: The triple 20
• Low ton: Scoring between 100 and 150

M

• Madhouse: The double 1 or hitting the double 1 to win a leg
• Maximum: Scoring the highest possible number with three darts – 180
• MPR: Marks Per Round (normally used in Cricket games)
• Mugs Away: Losers of the previous game starting the following game

N

• Nine-darter: A rare event when a player finishes a game of 501 with a minimal number of darts, which is 9 darts. It’s a perfect game

O

• Oche: The throwing line where players stand and throw darts at the dartboard
• On the wire: A dart that hits the wire of the scoring area but doesn’t score
• Outer bull: The outer circle of the bull, worth 25 points

P

• Perfect game: When a nine-darter happens, it’s a perfect game
• PPD: Points per dart

R

• Robin Hood: An event when a dart hits another dart already on the board
• Round nine: Hitting three triples in one turn in the game of Cricket
• Round the clock: A game where players must hit each number on the board in order

S

• Shaft: The part of a dart between the barrel and the flight
• Shanghai: Hitting a single, double, and triple of a specific number in one turn. See the Shanghai darts game
• Slop: Throwing a dart that scores but not where the player wants
• Spider: The metal wire web that divides the dartboard into different scoring segments
• Sticks: Another word for darts
• Straight in: A rule that a player can start scoring without hitting a double first
• Straight out: A rule that a player can win without finishing with a double or meeting any rule

T

• Three in a bed: Throwing three darts in the same scoring segment
• Ton: Scoring 100 points
• Ton 80: Hitting three triple twenties – the maximum score in one turn
• Treble: The inner ring (called triple ring) of the scoring area, worth three times the number

U

• U-turn: When a player changes their mind about which target to aim for
• Upstairs: The board’s upper half

W

• White horse: Hitting three triples at haven’t been hit by your opponent in Cricket on the first turn
• Wiring: Darts hitting and bouncing off the wire

Conclusion

Learning darts slang terms can be a fun and exciting part of getting into the game. By understanding the most commonly used terms, you will be able to communicate with other players and have a better understanding of the game. We hope this beginner’s guide to darts slang terms has been helpful, and that you will continue to enjoy playing darts!