Curling glossary: key terms explained

It's your first time on the ice for a game of curling and you don't know what a double take-out is? What the cherry rocker is all about? Or what a back line means? We explain the most important terms to you:

The line right behind the house. If a rock completely crosses the back line, it is removed from play.

The small circle at the centre of the house.

A line running lengthwise down the centre of the ice (from hack to hack.)

Junior between the age of 8 and 12. They play with special children’s stones.

A stone that removes two of the opponent’s stones from play.

A stone which stops inside or in front of the house.

To hold a brush for a player to aim at.

A portion of a curling game that is completed when each team has thrown eight stones in the same direction. A game generally runs for ten ends.

A stone that stops directly up against another stone.

A stone that is placed in a position so that it may protect another stone, typically placed between the hog line and the very front of the house.

The foothold at each end of the ice which is used by a player to start the delivery of a curling stone.

The part of a curling stone that a player grips in order to deliver.

The concentric circles which rocks have to reach for points to be scored. There are normally four concentric circles with diameters of twelve feet, eight feet, four feet and one foot.

The line by which the stone must be clearly and fully released by the thrower. Only stones that completely cross the hog line are considered in play.

The player who throws the first two rocks for a team.

Small droplets of water sprayed on the ice with a kind of watering can that freeze, causing irregularities on the surface and allowing the rocks to curl.

The building where curling is played, or in some cases the area of ice on which a game is played.

The player who throws the third and fourth rocks for a team.

The head of the team, who calls the shots and traditionally throws the last two rocks (the most important ones) for their team.

The rock in the house closest to the button, or a played stone.

The line that goes across the house intersecting with the middle of the button, splitting it into two halves. Behind this line, players in the non-playing team can also sweep an opponent’s rock.

A rock that is thrown quickly and hits another rock (belonging to either the player’s own team or the opponent) and removes it from play.

The player who throws the fifth and sixth rocks for a team. Serves as the vice-skip and holds the broom when the skip throws his or her rocks.