Dart Terms & Phrases

The game of darts dates back over 800 years. Over that time frame, there have been more than a few clever and amusing terms passed along the way:

Arrows: Darts

Bag o' Nuts: A score of 45

Basement: Double 3's

Bottom of the house: double 3

Bucket of nails: All darts landing in the ones.

Bull: A bullseye.

Bust: Hitting a score higher than needed to go out.

Chucker: Indifferent thrower

Cork: Bullseye, usually a double bull.

Diddle: 2 throwers each throw 1 dart at bull to see who goes 1st.

Double in: Starting a game with a double.

Double out: Winning a game with a double.

Downstairs: The lower half of the board.

Feathers; Another name for the flights of the darts

Half a Crown: A score of 26, taken from the former British coinage, two shillings & a sixpence equals half a crown.

Hat Trick: Three bullseyes.

Oche: The throw line.

Leg: One game of a large match.

Mad House: Double ones (a player can go mad throwing at these).

Mugs away: Loser of last game goes 1st.

Nine mark: Hitting 3 triples with 3 darts.

Perfect game: 301=6 darts. 501= 9 darts. Cricket= 8 darts.

Robin Hood: Sticking your dart in the back of another dart on the board.

Scud: A dart that is way off target.

Shanghai: 3 darts that score a single, double and triple of the same #.

Slop: Lucky dart that was not aimed.

3 in a bed: 3 darts in the same triple or double

Low Ton: Score of 100 to 150.

High Ton: Score of 151 to 177.

Ton 80: 3 triple 20's.

Tops: Double 20.

Trombone: Score of 76

Wet Feet: Standing over the throw line.

Fun Fact: Other than removing the heads from certain wives, the favorite hobby of King Henry VIII was playing darts!