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A to Z of Darts

Darts
Glossary.

Every term you'll hear in a pub, on Sky Sports or at The Boardroom. From bouncers to nine-darters, with a few in-jokes for the regulars.

A

Annie's Room
Slang for double one, the smallest double on the board. Where you end up when nothing's going right.
Arrows
Slang for darts. As in “chuck your arrows”.

B

Bag of Nuts
A score of 45 with three darts. Origin: traditionally the prize handed over to a player who managed it.
Bed
A segment on the board. The treble 20 bed is the most valuable real estate in the game.
Bouncer / Bounce-out
A dart that hits the wire and falls to the floor without sticking. Counts as zero.
Break of Throw
Winning a leg when your opponent threw first. The equivalent of a tennis break, swings momentum.
Bull / Bullseye
The centre of the board. Outer bull (green) scores 25, the inner bull (red) scores 50 and counts as a double.
Bust
Scoring more than you need on a finishing throw, or leaving yourself with 1, which can't be doubled out. Turn ends, score reverts.

C

Checkout
The combination of darts used to finish a leg. A “100 checkout” means you went out from 100.
Cricket
An American game played on 15s through 20s plus the bull. See How To Play.

D

Double
The thin outer ring of any number. Scores twice the segment value. You must finish on a double in 501.
Double In, Double Out
A 301 / 501 variant where you also have to start on a double, not just finish. Brutal at the start.
Double Top
Double 20. The most-aimed-at finish in the game.
Downstairs
The lower half of the board (numbers 17, 3, 19, 7, 16, 8). Where many beginners spend more time than they'd like.

F

Five and a Bed
Three darts in the same number (a “bed”), totalling more than five. The shoutable feat on a casual night.
Flight
The plastic or feathered fin at the back of the dart that keeps it stable in flight.

G

Game On
The traditional call from the chalker or caller at the start of every leg.

H

Hat-trick
Three bullseyes in one visit. Worth 150 and a round of applause.

M

Madhouse
Double one. Slang for the state of mind it tends to produce.
Maximum
180. Three treble 20s. The highest score from three darts.
Mug's Away
The loser of the previous leg throws first in the next, the “mug” gets a head start.

N

Nine-darter
A perfect leg of 501, completed in nine darts. Rare enough that pros get a standing ovation.

O

Oche
The throwing line, pronounced “ockey”. Sits 2.37m from the face of the board. Step on it, you've fouled.
Out Shot
Same as a checkout, the combination used to finish.

R

Robin Hood
One dart sticking in the back of another. Doesn't count for any extra, but always gets a cheer.
Round of Nine
A perfect nine-dart leg, same as a nine-darter.

S

Shanghai
Hitting a single, double and treble of the same number in one visit. Auto-win in some pub variants.
Single
The large flat area of any segment, scores the segment's face value.
Stem / Shaft
The bit between the barrel of the dart and the flight. Comes in plastic, aluminium and titanium.

T

Three in a Bed
Three darts in the same number, any combination of single, double or treble.
Tomahawk
An unconventional grip where the dart is held more like an axe. Mostly used to clear a dart that's blocking the treble 20.
Ton
A score of 100 or more with three darts.
Ton Forty
A score of 140 with three darts (usually treble 20, treble 20, single 20).
Treble
The thin inner ring of any number. Scores three times the segment value. Treble 20 is the highest single-dart score at 60.

U

Upstairs
The upper half of the board (numbers 20, 1, 18, 4, 13, 6). Where the points live.

W

Wire
The metal frame dividing the segments. A “wire shot” is a dart that bounces off the wire.
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