Bowling is popular in Germany. You can book a bowling alley and have fun playing the game without much knowledge or practice. It is often played as a company sport – or at a very high level in German or international leagues. The great thing about the sport is that you can do it at almost any age, it trains strength and coordination and you have to concentrate so much on the track that you forget everything around you.
But bowling can also be very social – there are countless groups and clubs. And if you want to shine with your technical vocabulary – here are some nice slang words from the world of bowling.
First of all, there is the “excavator” – that’s what it’s called when you manage a “strike” several times in a row, i.e. clear all the pins with just one throw. If you manage three strikes in a row, it results in a “Turkey”. You see, bowling is a very American thing.
It’s bad if a “bedpost” remains standing after the first throw – these are the pins at the back left and back right that are furthest away from each other. Enthusiasts can watch long videos on YouTube about how difficult it is to clear the two pins with one throw. Not even a bowling robot can do that (yes, that exists too). In other words, clearing a “bedpost” is next to impossible.
Not impossible, but the “mother-in-law” is also difficult. In such a constellation, after the first throw, two pins remained directly behind each other. And, since you don’t throw or should throw the ball straight, it is difficult to clear such a “mother-in-law”.
In recreational bowling you throw twice in a row on the same lane. But there is also the “American style of play,” which is often played in tournaments. Then you switch to the adjacent lane for the second throw, so you don’t have to wait so long until the pinsetter has put the pins left over after the first throw back in place.
If you hit particularly well in a game, it could be because of your bowling skills – or it could be because of a “cheesecake”. This is the name given to lanes in bowling alleys that are easier to play on than others. A “creaper” might be enough for a strike, i.e. a ball played particularly slowly – a “crawler”, so to speak.
But no matter how you play: If no ball goes into the “gutter” on the right or left, you can be satisfied – and maybe talk a little shop with your teammates when it’s not your turn.
You can find even more technical terms relating to bowling at the German Bowling Association or on the website of the Bowling Center Göttingen
Watch video from our archive: A Brazilian woman must be known for her terrible bowling skills. Why else would someone have filmed their attempt on the track? She misunderstood something about “litter”.
