Pool Terms in Other Languages

victorl

victorl

Where'd my stroke go?
Silver Member
I'm always interested in seeing what kind of pool jargon people use in different countries. I've lived in Japan for the last while and my favorite Japanese pool terms I've picked up are:
masuwari - break and run, literally "break the rack"
harakiri - crossover bank, literally "suicide by cutting across one's stomach"
shibakyu - house cue, literally "firewood cue"

Cheers,
Vic
 
I'm going to start declaring "Masuwari!" every time I break and run. :)

Too bad that's only once a month. :(
 
victorl said:
I'm always interested in seeing what kind of pool jargon people use in different countries. I've lived in Japan for the last while and my favorite Japanese pool terms I've picked up are:
masuwari - break and run, literally "break the rack"
harakiri - crossover bank, literally "suicide by cutting across one's stomach"
shibakyu - house cue, literally "firewood cue"

Cheers,
Vic
Click to expand...

I speak some Chinese (Mandarin) and have played with Chinese players before.
This is what I have picked up (and by watching some Chinese pool tourneys on YouTube).

边 时 pronounced “bian shir” meaning: extension (of time)

Just a sample, I won't bother you all with a long list.
If you haven't studied the language it is very difficult to explain Chinese pronunciation on paper.

Just take my word for it. 再 见 ！
 
I was playing with a friend visiting from Italy a few months ago and he told me when you shoot a bit too hard and the object ball rattles in the pocket and pops out they call it asbocchiato (or something like that). The root is bocchino, which means "blow job". Thought that was pretty funny.
 
More Japanese

futoi - lucky (lit. fat)
hosoi - unlucky (lit. thin)
*note: futoi and hosoi in this context are only used in the pool world. Non-pool playing Japanese people will wonder why you are calling them fat.
tappu - tip
sakizuno - ferrule
gurippu - wrap (grip)
yon ken, rokken, hakken - 4 point, 6 point, 8 point
cho kushon - long rail
tan kushon - short rail
kiri age - bumping a money ball towards the side pockets (which are worth double in ring games)
rasha - cloth
biriyaado - pool
surii - 3 cushion
san saki, yon saki, go saki, etc. - race to 3, 4, 5, etc.
push or double hit - a special rule in Japan where you can hit through balls closer than a chalk width if you call it before hand (recently it is not used as often)

I'll post some more when I think of them.
 
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The favorite pool term at The Vatican is "incerto foedam" which is Latin for "that's a foul"
 
Here's some terms in french.

Cue Ball - La blanche (White)
Cue Stick - Queue de Billard / Baguette de Billard
Break - La casse
Solids - Les basses / Les pleines
Stripes - Les hautes / Les lignées
Cushion - Coussin / Bande
Scratching - S'empocher
Chalk - Bleu
Ball in Hand - Boule en main
 
Actually Bleu refers to the block of chalk, not to the action of chalking.

We would probably say ''Mettre du bleu''
 
Some people bring their own chalk in other colors like green, grey or tan, but they are usually weirdo equipment freaks.
 
More Japanese

kiss - object ball carom
Kyanon - cue ball carom
tedama - cue ball
sakidama - object ball
matodama -object ball
Boningu - Shane Van Boening (they seem to leave the "Van" out of his last name for some reason)
bankingu - lag (banking)
Osu - follow
Hiku - draw
Hineri - english
Kara kushon - kick
Tama kushon - double kiss
nidozuki - double hit
Yoreru - to roll off
Korogaru - to roll (usually in reference to cloth speed)

Edit: added some more
 
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Good thread.

Let's hear some Croatian pool terms. Those guys can be pretty descriptive.

JoeyA
 
Arabic

Tabsha-break
Sada-Solids
Imkhattat-Striped
Abiad-White
Taba-Ball
Band-Rail
Assah-Stick

Hillou- Sweet (Nice shot)
Wow- Wow
 
Croatian pool terms:

cue: stap
wood: drvo
table: stol
break: razbijanje
rail: mantinela
rack: trokut
joint: pljuga,clanak,spojna tocka
aiming: ciljanje
line: ravnina
jump shot: skok
stroke: udarac
swing: zamah
draw shot: povratni
english: fels
sharking: ometanje,navlacenje
to shark: navuci
hustler: kockar
I'll pay you tomorrow: platim ti sutra
cue maker: bero
gambling, kockati
gamble: kocka
cloth: coja
9ball: devetka
10ball: desetka
straight pool: ravni biljar or 14/1
cut: lizanje or lizati
hill hill match: brezuljak or napeti mec
practicing:vjezbanje or vjezba
equipment: oprema
rules: pravila
kick shot: guziti or od mantinele
drill: vjezba
follow shot:laufer or po vrhu
key ball: kljucna kugla
jerk: budala
asshole: supak
safe shot: sejf or defanzivna igra
sitting in a chair: sjediti u stolici
smooth stroke: mekani udarac
pro: profi
Efren Reyes: Efren
Earl Strickland: Earl
tournament: turnir
presisident: zdravko mamic


and so on
 
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Hey JoeyA,
hope you are feeling better now and that you are satisfied with these Croatian pool terms I wrote
LOL
 
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