Illustrated Glossary

Break

The opening shot that scatters the racked balls.

Bridge

The hand position that supports the cue near the tip.

Carom

Cue ball glancing off one ball into another.

Cut

A shot where the cue ball strikes the object ball off-center.

Diamond

A marker on the rail used for banking and kicking systems.

Draw

Backspin that pulls the cue ball backward after contact.

English

Sidespin applied to the cue ball.

Follow

Topspin that continues the cue ball forward after contact.

Ghost ball

An imaginary ball at the contact point used to aim.

Kick

Striking a rail before contacting your target ball.

Kiss

An unintended collision between two object balls.

Deeper terms, A through M

The short list above gets you through your first sessions. The words below are what you will actually hear from the rail once you start playing people who have logged thousands of hours. Learn them the way you learn a new language: by using them out loud at the table.

A

• Angle of incidence / reflection — the principle that a cue ball travelling into a cushion with no spin leaves it at the mirror-image angle. Every rail shot you ever calculate starts from this rule before you adjust for spin and speed. Example: firing the cue ball at 30° into a cushion with no side, it departs at roughly 30° on the other side of the perpendicular.
• Apex ball — the front ball of a triangle rack, spotted exactly on the foot spot. In 9-ball the apex is the 1-ball; in 8-ball, any ball from your choice of groups can sit there as long as the rack is otherwise legal.
• Away from the rail — describes an object ball sitting a chalk-width or more off the cushion. It changes which rail systems are usable, since a ball glued to the cushion cannot be cut into that same cushion's pockets.

B

• Baulk line / baulk area — in English billiards, snooker and blackball, a line drawn 29in from the top cushion on a full-size table, inside which the cue ball is placed after certain fouls or at the start of a frame. "In baulk" means resting inside that zone.
• Break-off shot — the opening shot of a rack or frame; also, in blackball and snooker, a legally defined shot with minimum requirements (e.g., a red must be struck first in snooker, and it must either be potted or four balls must reach a cushion).
• Break-out — a deliberate soft shot used to separate a cluster of your own balls without giving away position, common in 8-ball and one-pocket when your group is tangled on the break.
• Bridge (mechanical) — the rest, sometimes called a "spider" or "rake", used when a shot is beyond the reach of a hand bridge.
• Buttonhook — a shot where the cue ball must travel around an obstructing ball using curve or swerve rather than a straight or kick path.

C

• Called shot — a rule requiring you to nominate the ball and pocket before striking, used in straight pool, 10-ball, and most serious 8-ball formats. Anything else that drops on a called shot is a bonus, not a foul, unless it is the winning ball.
• Chalk — the cube of abrasive compound applied to the tip before every shot to prevent miscues; also used loosely as a verb, "chalk up".
• Cluster — two or more object balls resting close enough together that potting one without disturbing (or using) the others is difficult.
• Combination (combo) — striking one object ball so that it, in turn, strikes and pockets a second object ball.
• Contact point — the exact spot on an object ball's surface the cue ball must strike to send it toward the intended pocket; the basis of ghost-ball aiming.
• Cushion — synonym for rail, more common in snooker and carom terminology.
• Cue ball in hand — the right to place the cue ball anywhere (sometimes restricted to behind a line) before shooting, typically awarded after a foul.

D

• Dead ball — a stun shot hit with just enough follow or draw cancelled out that the cue ball stops dead at contact; also describes an object ball that has no realistic chance of missing the pocket once struck.
• Deflection (squirt) — the sideways displacement of the cue ball's path caused by applying sidespin, most pronounced with stiff, low-deflection shafts being the exception rather than the rule.
• Diamond system — a numerical method of banking and kicking that uses the rail markers (diamonds) to calculate where a ball will land after one or more cushions.
• Double hit — an illegal shot where the tip contacts the cue ball twice in one stroke, usually from shooting a ball that is nearly frozen to the cue ball.
• Draw shot — see backspin; the ball returns toward the shooter after contact. Example: drawing two diamonds off a stun shot to open a pocket for the next ball.

E

• Elevation — the angle of the cue above the horizontal. Increasing elevation is required for masse and swerve shots but exaggerates squirt and reduces accuracy on straightforward shots, so it is minimised whenever possible.
• End rail — the short cushion at either end of the table, as opposed to the long side rails.
• English — see sidespin; American terminology, while "side" is the British and Commonwealth equivalent.

F

• Feather — the thinnest possible legal contact between cue ball and object ball, sending the object ball nearly at a right angle to the cue ball's original line.
• Follow-through — the continuation of the cue stroke after tip contact; shortening it is one of the most common causes of miscues and steered shots.
• Foul — any rule infraction, from a scratch to failing to hit a legal ball first, that hands the opponent an advantage defined by that game's rules.
• Free ball — in snooker and blackball, a penalty concession that allows the fouled-against player to nominate any ball as if it were their legal target.
• Frozen — a ball resting directly against another ball or a cushion, with zero gap.

G

• Ghost ball — see the base glossary; commonly extended to "ghost-ball line", the path from the pocket center through the contact point back to the cue ball's required position.
• Gully table — a coin-operated table where pocketed balls roll down internal chutes to a collection tray rather than sitting in the pocket, common in bars.

H

• Half-ball hit — a contact where the cue ball strikes exactly half of the visible face of the object ball, sending it off at roughly 30° from the cue ball's original line — a foundational reference angle for judging cuts.
• Hanger — an object ball sitting directly in front of a pocket, essentially unmissable.
• Head string / head spot — the line and spot near the breaking end of an American pool table, used to position the cue ball for the break and, on the spot, the front ball of certain racks.

I

• In-off — English billiards and carom terminology for the cue ball entering a pocket after contact; scores points there, unlike a scratch in pool.
• Insurance ball — an easy backup shot deliberately left available in case your primary pattern breaks down, a staple of straight pool safety planning.

J

• Jaw — the pointed piece of rail cushion and pocket facing that forms the mouth of a pocket; "rattling in the jaws" describes a ball that clips both points before dropping or spinning out.
• Jump cue — a shorter, harder, lighter cue used specifically to legally jump the cue ball over an obstructing ball; illegal in most snooker and English pool formats, legal with restrictions in most American pool rules.

K

• Key ball — the object ball in a straight-pool rack whose position sets up the break shot for the next rack; choosing it correctly is the difference between a 20-ball run and a stopped inning.
• Kill shot — slang for a stun shot that stops the cue ball dead.

L

• Lag — a simultaneous shot by both players from behind the head string to the far rail and back, closest to the near rail winning choice of break.
• Long rail — either of the two cushions running the full length of the table.

M

• Massé — an extreme curve shot played with the cue nearly vertical, used to swerve the cue ball around an obstruction; visually spectacular and rarely the percentage play.
• Miscue — a mishit caused by insufficient chalk or poor tip contact, sending the cue ball off-line with a characteristic scraping sound.

Say each of these terms during practice sessions until they feel natural. Fluent players diagnose a missed shot instantly — "I squirted it" or "left him a hanger" — because they have the vocabulary to name exactly what happened, and naming a mistake precisely is the first step toward correcting it.

Object ball

Any ball other than the cue ball.

Position

Where the cue ball comes to rest — the setup for the next shot.

Rack

The triangle used to set balls up for the break.

Rail

The cushioned inner edge of the table.

Safety

A defensive shot leaving no makeable ball for the opponent.

Scratch

Pocketing the cue ball — a foul.

Stun

A shot with no top- or backspin; the cue ball takes the tangent line.

Stripes / Solids

The two groups of numbered balls (9–15 / 1–7) in 8-ball.

Tangent line

The line the cue ball travels along after a stun contact.

Throw

Slight alteration of the object ball's path due to friction with the cue ball.

Deeper terms, N through Z

The second half of the alphabet carries most of the tactical and equipment vocabulary you need for advanced play — safety exchanges, cushion systems and the specialist language of snooker and carom.

N

• Natural angle — the angle a cue ball travels after a stun contact, determined purely by geometry with no spin adjustment; also called the tangent-line angle.
• Nine on the snap — pocketing the 9-ball directly off the break in 9-ball, an instant win under standard rules.
• Nurse — a carom and English billiards technique of playing a long sequence of tiny, controlled shots that keep the balls almost stationary, scoring repeatedly with minimal risk. Historically banned or restricted because top professionals could nurse for hours.

O

• Object ball — expanded: any ball other than the cue ball that is a legal target under the current rules of the game being played, since legality changes shot to shot in rotation games.
• Open table — the state in 8-ball before groups are assigned, when either player may legally hit either solids or stripes.
• Outside English — sidespin applied on the same side as the direction of the cut, which reduces throw and can be used to control the object ball's path precisely on thin cuts.
• Overcut — a shot missed by cutting the object ball more than intended, sending it past the pocket on the far side.

P

• Pattern (pattern play) — the pre-planned order in which you intend to pocket the remaining balls, chosen to minimise difficult position moves and avoid clusters.
• Pill — a small numbered token drawn at random in kelly pool to secretly assign each player a ball.
• Pinch (pocket) — a pocket opening narrower than the standard cut, common on older or home tables, demanding more precise contact.
• Pivot point — the reference point used in some aiming systems, notably the "pro-one" family, where the cue is rotated around the bridge hand after initial alignment to compensate for deflection.
• Push-out — a legal shot available immediately after the break in 9-ball and 10-ball, where the shooter may move the cue ball anywhere without hitting a rail or ball, passing the shot to the opponent.

Q

• Quarter-ball hit — a very thin contact striking roughly a quarter of the object ball's face, used for extreme cut angles near 70–80°.

R

• Rack (structure) — expanded: the specific required shape for a given game — a triangle for 8-ball and straight pool, a diamond for 9-ball, a slightly different diamond for 10-ball — with balls frozen tightly to prevent gaps.
• Respot — replacing a ball on its designated spot, most often the black in snooker after it is potted mid-frame, or the head ball after an illegal break.
• Reverse English — see inside English; sidespin opposite to the natural roll direction of a cut shot, increasing throw and used to control angle after contact.
• Rotation game — any game, such as 9-ball or 10-ball, where balls must be contacted in a fixed numerical sequence.
• Run-out — clearing every remaining legal ball (and, where relevant, the winning ball) in a single visit to the table.

S

• Safety — expanded: a shot played with no realistic potting chance, whose sole purpose is to leave the incoming player with no makeable ball, often executed by hiding the cue ball behind another ball (a "blocker").
• Screw shot — British term for a draw shot, especially common in snooker commentary: "screwed back two feet."
• Side — British and Commonwealth term for sidespin/English.
• Skid — an unpredictable deviation of an object ball's path caused by chalk dust or dirt on its surface, occasionally producing a shot that appears to defy the contact-point geometry.
• Snookered — positioned so no legal straight line exists to any legal ball, forcing a kick, curve, or high-risk escape.
• Spot / stripe — older American terminology for solids and stripes, predating the modern 8-ball naming convention.
• String — the imaginary line across the table used for spotting balls (head string, foot string) or a historical scoring method using beads on an overhead wire.
• Stroke — the full mechanical action of delivering the cue, encompassing grip, backswing, pause, and follow-through.
• Swerve — a curved cue-ball path produced by elevating the cue and applying spin, used to go around an obstructing ball on shorter distances than a full massé requires.

T

• Table in-line — a shot where the cue ball, object ball and pocket are perfectly aligned, requiring a full-ball hit and no cut angle at all.
• Tangent line — expanded: after any stun contact, the cue ball travels along a line perpendicular to the object ball's direction of travel, before any applied spin bends it away from that line.
• Tap-in — an easy, close-range shot requiring minimal speed or aim.
• Throw — expanded: split into "cut-induced throw" (friction during a thin cut nudges the object ball off the pure geometric line) and "spin-induced throw" (sidespin on the cue ball is partially transferred at contact), both of which must be compensated for on thin, slow cuts.
• Total ball or full ball — a contact where the cue ball strikes the object ball dead center, sending it straight ahead with no cut angle.

U

• Undercut — a shot missed by cutting the object ball less than required, sending it into the near jaw of the pocket instead of the center.

V

• Visit / inning — one continuous turn at the table, from the first shot until a miss, foul, or legal completion of the rack or frame ends it.

W

• Wagon wheel — a training aid or diagram showing every direction a cue ball can be sent from a fixed contact point depending on spin and speed.
• Whitewash — winning a match or frame without the opponent scoring or potting at all.
• Wing ball — one of the two corner balls at the back of a standard triangle rack, often used as the intended break target for maximum spread.

Z

• Zone (position zone) — an informal region of the table (such as "the kitchen" near the head rail) coaches use when describing where the cue ball should land for the next shot, rather than an exact point.

Once these terms are second nature, watching any professional match — pool, snooker, or carom — becomes a running tactical lesson instead of background noise. Commentators use this exact vocabulary, and now you will understand every word of it.