Mace
The instrument from which the cue developed. The earliest were made from a single
piece of wood, made flat and wide at one end and sometimes shod in ivory. Later
they were made in two pieces, a long 'stick' formed the handle and fitted into the
'head'. This was flat on the bottom to slide easily on the cloth, and concave on the
top to 'sweep' the ball along when used on its side. They were made as either left
or right-hand models, the head being fixed at an angle so the shaft could be held
over the player's shoulder.
See:- Cue · Point
Marker
The official who assists the referee by recording the scores.
See:- Referee
Marking Board
The instrument used to record the player's scores. Various designs have appeared,
from ones used purely for billiards to combination ones for billiards, snooker and the
old English game of pool. The Victorians designed tables with small marking-boards
let into the cushion-rail, and others that could be held in the hand. In the modern
game the scores are now commonly displayed on television monitors for the benefit
of the audience at professional snooker tournaments.
Massé
A stroke in which an extreme amount of spin is given to the cue-ball by striking down
with the cue held upright. By striking down most of the force is absorbed by the table,
allowing the spin to quickly control the path of the cue-ball. Although normally played
with screw and side it can also be played with top and side. The more upright the cue
is held, the more tightly the ball curves. As the angle of the cue decreases so the
curve becomes less until at around 45° or less, the stroke becomes a swerve shot.
If only back-spin (or screw) were applied it would more properly be termed a 'piqué'.
See:- Back-Spin · Piqué · Screw · Side · Swerve · Top
Maximum Break - Snooker
A break of 147, consisting of 15 reds each followed by a black, and the six colours.
The term has no equivalent meaning in English Billiards but could be used to describe
a break in which the player scores all the points needed to win the game; example:-
in a game of 100-up, a break of 100.
Middle Pockets
The pockets located in the centre of each of the longer sides of the table.
See:- Pockets
Miss
English Billiards - A stroke in which the cue-ball fails to contact either object-ball.
Snooker - A stroke in which the cue-ball fails to make its first contact on the ball
that is 'on' and the referee decides that the striker could have made a better attempt.
Miss-Cue
A bad contact between the cue and cue-ball, usually caused through a lack of chalk
or a bad cue-action.
Mouth
Refers to the pocket opening as a whole.
See:- Fall · Jaw · Lip · Pockets
Nap
The very fine, hair-like surface of the cloth that runs from
the bottom (baulk) of the table to the top. Like velvet it
feels smooth when brushed one way but rough in the other,
and causes a ball to run more truly 'with' the nap than
against it, especially the cue-ball if it's played with side.
Natural Angle
The path taken by the cue-ball after contact with a ball or
cushion when it is played below forcing strength and without spin.
See:- Force an Angle
Nominated Ball - Snooker
Refers to any object-ball that the player declares as the one
he intends to strike first with the cue-ball.
See:- Free Ball
Nursery Cannons - English Billiards
A repetitive sequence of close cannons in which all three
balls are kept close to the cushion and moved forward with
each stroke. The animation shows a perfect run as all three
balls take up the same positions after each stroke. But in
reality tiny mistakes are constantly made, and the player
uses combinations of top, side and screw in an attempt to
regain position and continue the break.
See:- Cannon/s · Close Cannons
Object-Balls
The balls which are struck by the cue-ball. An object-ball may or may not be "on"
depending on the rules of the particular game being played.
See:- Cue Ball
Object-White - English Billiards
When the striker is at the table this term is used to describe the opponent's cue-ball. In
English billiards each player has their own cue-ball - one with no markings, or the
'Plain' white; and one with two black spots, or the 'Spot' white.
See:- Cue Ball · Striker's Ball
On
Refers to any object-ball that the player may legally strike first with the cue-ball.
Orange
One of the two extra colours that Joe Davis added to snooker to create 'Snooker Plus'.
It had a value of 8 points and was spotted halfway between the pink and the blue.
See:- Purple · Snooker Plus
Pace
Describes the speed of a moving ball.
Penalty Points
The points that are awarded to the opponent when the striker makes a foul stroke.
Pink Spot - Snooker
Common name for the Pyramid spot on which the pink is placed in snooker.
See:- Pyramid Spot · Spots
Piqué
Similar to a massé except no side is used in the piqué. It's simply a screw shot played
with an upright cue that's used when the balls are so close that back-spin cannot be
applied by following-through with the cue held horizontally.
See:- Back-Spin · Massé · Screw · Side · Top
Plain Ball
Applies to all strokes in which the cue-ball is struck in the centre.
English Billiards - Refers to the cue-ball without 'spots', generally
used by the non-breaking player.
See:- Cue-Ball · Spot-White
Plant
In the last thirty years or so the distinction between 'Plants'
and 'Sets' seems to have been forgotten, and both are now
generally known as 'Plants'. But they are different. In a
'plant' the ball struck by the cue-ball enters a pocket, and
in a 'set', a ball that touches one struck by the cue-ball is
pocketed.
For a 'plant' to be 'on' an imaginary line drawn through the
centres of the touching balls, and another from the centre
of the ball to be potted and the pocket, need to form a
right-angle.
See:- Set
Pocket/s
The six 'holes' into which the balls are potted. When billiards
first became a table game over five centuries ago the pockets
were more basic, and from early illustrations appear to have
been nothing more than simple holes. They were then known
as 'hazards', from which the terms 'Losing Hazard' and
'Winning Hazard' in English Billiards almost certainly originated.
For records to stand in professional play the pockets must conform to templates which
accurately measure the width and depth of the pockets, and the curve of the cushions
that form the pocket openings. The templates also measure the 'face' of the cushion
as it curves in, and the 'undercut', which if cut too generously can effectively make
the pocket opening wider.
The cushions on either side of each corner pocket
must be 3½ inches apart, and at the middle pockets
4 inches apart, to conform to the pocket templates.
See:- Bumps · Cushion/s · Face · Fall · Jaw
Undercut
Pocket Side - English Billiards
Left or right-hand side applied to the cue-ball to spin it into the pocket from the
cushion edge.
See:- Long Jenny · Losing Hazard · Short Jenny
Point - (Of The Cue)
This term was used in the days when a player could use either end of the cue to strike
the cue-ball. It described what we would now refer to as the 'tip' end of the cue.
See:- Mace · Shaft · Tip
Postman's Knock - English Billiards
A specialised break at the top of the table. It consists of a
sequence of repetitive pot-cannon-pot-cannon strokes in
which the white (or yellow) object-ball is kept on the top
cushion by a double-kiss, allowing the player to maintain
position for the next stroke.
See:- Floating White · Top of the Table
Pot
Common term to describe a ball being pocketed.
See:- Winning Hazard
Power Shots
Describes any stroke that is played with above average strength.
See:- Force an Angle · Forcing Strokes
Purple
One of the two extra colours that Joe Davis added to snooker to create 'Snooker Plus'.
It had a value of 10 points and was spotted halfway between the pink and the brown.
See:- Orange · Snooker Plus
Push Stroke
Illegal in snooker and English billiards. There are two basic definitions:-
1 - The tip of the cue must not remain in contact with the cue-ball as the cue-ball
contacts the object-ball.
2 - The cue-ball must be cleanly struck, and not pushed forward with an increasing
acceleration of the cue.
This has also been described as the tip making just one contact with the cue-ball,
but in many perfectly legal strokes the tip can make several contacts as the cue follows-through that are imperceptible to the naked eye.
See:- Foul
Pyramid Spot
The spot in the exact centre of the top half of the table.
Uses:-
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English Billiards: 1 -
2 -
Snooker:
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For spotting the red when both the Spot and Pyramid
spots are occupied.
For spotting the red after it has been potted twice
in successive strokes from the Spot and the centre
spot is occupied.
For spotting the Pink ball.
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See:- Spots
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