Glossary of cue sports terms

However, due to the predominance of US-originating terminology in most internationally competitive pool (as opposed to snooker), US terms are also common in the pool context in other countries in which English is at least a minority language, and US (and borrowed French) terms predominate in carom billiards.

Similarly, British terms predominate in the world of snooker, English billiards, and blackball, regardless of the players' nationalities.

Blackball was chosen because it is less ambiguous ("eight-ball pool" is too easily confused with the international standardized "eight-ball"), and blackball is globally standardized by an International Olympic Committee-recognized governing body, the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA); meanwhile, its ancestor, eight-ball pool, is largely a folk game, like North American bar pool, and to the extent that its rules have been codified, they have been done so by competing authorities with different rulesets.

Foreign-language terms are generally not within the scope of this list, unless they have become an integral part of billiards terminology in English (e.g. massé), or they are crucial to meaningful discussion of a game not widely known in the English-speaking world.

A colour ball must be potted after each red in the continuation of a break, and are re-spotted until the reds run out, after which the colours must be potted in their order: Also point of contact.Also counting rack, counter ball rack,[52] etc.Also dog it.Also double elimination.

Sometimes interchangeable with scratch, though the latter is often used only to refer to the foul of pocketing the cue ball.A violation of a particular game's rules for which a set penalty is imposed.

In addition, some variations of the game allow the player to pot one of the opposition's balls, on the first visit only, without the loss of a "free shot".

Main article: Cue sports techniques § Semi-masséUsually set-up in non-verb form, sometimes setup in noun form particularly.Also pool shark, poolshark (US); sharp, pool sharp (British)Also topspin, top-spin, top.Also treble century, triple-century break, treble-century break.Also under-cut.Also the white.Also yellow(s), the yellow(s).

An 8 ball (with the cue ball behind it)
Steve Davis plays a back-spin ball to prevent the cue ball from falling into the side pocket.
Billiards glasses
Diagram showing the break box and its relation to the kitchen area and head string
A player with her bridge hand close to the centre pocket
A Chinese snooker on the red ball
A complete set of snooker balls with 15 red balls, six coloured balls and a cue ball
A "cross rake" rest
A manufacturer's sample board showing various styles of diamond inlays for billiard tables
Racking up a game of seven-ball using the diamond rack more commonly used for nine-ball , but sideways. The 1 ball is about to be placed on the foot spot to complete the rack.
A snooker cue with two attachable extensions
A comparison of the pocket facings of (left to right): an American pool table (side pocket); a British-style snooker table (corner pocket); and a Russian pyramid table (side pocket)
Freeball situation: red is snookered, blue can be called.
Half-ball striking
An extreme massé shot by William A. Spinks during an 1893 exhibition game against Jacob Schaefer Sr. Starting from bottom left, his cue ball swerves into and caroms off one object ball , then due to its extreme spin rebounds into the cushion four times before finally rolling away for a perfect, scoring hit on the other object ball. And Spinks lost this game.
Three types of rest: swan, spider, and cross rake
2017 Paul Hunter Women's Classic Finalists Reanne Evans and Ng On-yee pose in front of the scoreboard.
A snooker table with balls aligned in the shape of a snooker
Playing the brown ball , the player is snookered behind the black ball .
Using a "spider" rest to raise the cue stick over an obstructing blue ball
Basic cue tip contact point s on the cue ball to impart various forms of spin ; top spin is also known as follow , side spin as english , and bottom spin as back spin , draw , or screw .
Using a "swan" rest to raise the cue stick over obstructing balls
Touching ball with red ball
Training template
Racking up a game of cribbage pool using the triangle rack , with the 15 ball in the middle, no two corner balls adding up to 15, and the apex ball on the foot spot
A scoring wire at Booches in Columbia, Missouri, with a sign stating "please do not use this wire"