Darts has its own dictionary, mostly invented in pubs and entirely worth learning. Here’s what everyone around the board is actually saying.
The throw line, 7ft 9¼in from the board. Pronounced “ocky”. Toes behind it. Leaning over is fine, stepping over is not.
A score of 100 in one visit. A “ton-plus” is anything over it; respect is earned from here up.
The maximum: 180, three treble 20s. Traditionally announced at full volume by whoever is chalking.
Double 20, at the top of the board. “Forty needed, that’s tops for the match.”
Double 1, the finish nobody wants. Stuck on 2 and missing it repeatedly is how the name happened.
The red centre, worth 50, counts as a double for finishing. The green ring around it (“outer bull”) is 25.
The combination that finishes a leg, ending on a double. 170 is the biggest possible: treble 20, treble 20, bull.
Scoring more than you have left, or leaving exactly 1. The visit is void and your score resets to where the turn began.
One single game of 501 (or whatever you’re playing). Matches are best of three, five, or “one more” forever.
A group of legs. In big tournaments, first to three legs wins a set, and a number of sets wins the match.
Your turn at the oche: three darts, then collect them and let the next thrower in.
Needing a double to start (double in) or finish (double out) a leg. Standard 501 is straight in, double out.
The dart that wins the leg. “Game shot, and the match!” The caller’s favourite words.
Single, double and treble of the same number in one visit. Also the name of a game, and the company behind this very venue.
A perfect leg of 501 in the minimum nine darts. Darts’ hole-in-one; the room buys its own drinks when one lands.
The scorer, from the blackboard days. Auto-scoring does the maths now, but the title survives at league nights.
Your backup target when your main number is blocked by a dart already in the bed, usually 19s when the 20 is crowded.
The “wings” at the back of the dart that stabilise it in the air. Different shapes change how the dart flies, genuinely.
The bit between barrel and flight. Length tweaks balance: shorter is snappier, longer is smoother.
The metal body you grip, the heart of the dart. Weight, shape and grip pattern are what a dart fitting dials in.
Any single scoring segment on the board, as in “the treble 20 bed”. A “fat bed” is the big single area.
The wire web dividing the board into beds. Thinner blade-style spiders mean fewer bounce-outs.
A dart that hits wire and ends up on the floor. Scores nothing, hurts plenty. Blame the spider, never the throw.
Sticking a dart into the back of another dart already in the board. Spectacular, scores nothing, photo obligatory.
Darts, in the affectionate sense. “Fancy chucking some arrows?” is an invitation, and the answer is yes.
The red treble 20, as in “right in the lipstick”. The prettiest 60 in the game.
A visit of 26: single 20, single 1, single 5. The classic “aimed at 20, got dinner money” score.
A score of 45 in one visit. Old fairground slang: hit 45, win a bag of nuts.
The scoring area of the board. Miss it entirely and you’re “off the island”, we’ve all been there.
Standing over the oche line. The polite accusation before someone checks your toes.
The words stick faster with a dart in your hand. Book a lane and practise the lingo where it was invented, around a board.