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Billiards Brief glossary

Bank - Short for bank shot where the cue ball contacts a ball, the ball hits into a rail, and then that ball is pocketed.

Baulk Line - The line from which the first player must shoot.

Break - Many billiards games start with a break shot.

Cue - Short for pool cue, or sometimes cue ball.

Cue Ball - A usually white ball.

Cue Stick - A cue stick is usually around 5 ft. long which can be easily gripped with a tip which not only cushions the impact, but allows for spin to be transferred to the cue ball.

Foot Spot - Where the balls are racked. The point where the foot string intersects with the center of the table.

Foot String - A line drawn horizontally across a billiards table from the second diamond on one long rail to the corresponding seconddiamond on the other long rail on the foot end of the table.

Ghost Ball - A common aiming method in which a phantom ball is imagined frozen to the object ball at the point where an imaginary line drawn between their centers is aimed at the desired target; the cue ball may then be shot at the center of the "ghost" ball and, ideally, impact the object ball at the proper aiming contact point.

Head String - A line drawn horizontally across a billiards table from the second diamond on one long rail to the corresponding second diamond on the other long rail on the breaking end of the table. In many pool games, the opening break shot must be performed with the center (base) of the cue ball behind the head string.

Kick Shot - Like a bank shot, except the cue ball contacts the rail before striking the object ball. Some people use the term bank shot for this shot as well.

Pocket - An opening in a table into which balls are shot. Also used as a verb to describe the act of a ball being sent into a pocket.

Pot - See sink.

Rack - A wooden or plastic triangle which is used to assist in setting up balls in games like 8-ball, 9-ball, and snooker. The rack allows for conistently tight grouping of balls, which is necessary for a good break shot.

Rail - Pool tables have elastic rails which are covered in cloth. They are also called cushions.

Safety - An intentionally defensive shot. This is a perfectly legal in many games, and there are often rules restricting how this shot may be executed.

Sink - Same as the word pocket used as a verb.

Spotting - When specific game rules call for spotting balls, they shall be replaced on the table on the long string after the stroke is complete. A single ball is placed on the foot spot; if more than one ball is to be spotted, they are placed on the long string in ascending numerical order, beginning on the foot spot and advancing toward the foot rail.

Bank is on there, they are in alphabetical order...