Darts Jargon Explained: What the Commentators Mean at Ally Pally

Watching the World Championship for the first time this Christmas? Darts has a language all of its own, and the commentators don't stop to explain it. Here's your cheat sheet.

The basics

• Oche (say "ockey"): the line you stand behind to throw.
• Leg: one game of 501, from 501 down to zero.
• Set: a group of legs. At the World Championship, a set is usually first to three legs, and matches are won in sets.
• Visit: one turn of three darts.
• Arrows: another word for darts.
• Checkout (or finish): the score a player needs to win the leg, which must end on a double.
• Bust: scoring more than you need, or leaving 1. The visit doesn't count.
• Throwing for the match: the player has a dart at a double to win the whole match.

Scores you'll hear

• Ton: 100. A ton-plus is anything over 100.
• Ton-eighty (180): three treble 20s, the maximum with three darts. Cue the crowd.
• Bed and breakfast: 26. A single 20, single 5 and single 1, named after the old price of a B&B (two and six).
• Bag of nuts: 45.
• Shanghai: a single, double and treble of the same number in one visit.
• Madhouse: needing double 1 to finish. Everyone dreads it.
• Bullseye finish or bull finish: checking out on the bull (double 25).
• 170: the biggest checkout in darts. Treble 20, treble 20, bull. Sometimes called "the big fish".

Stats on the screen

• Three-dart average: the average score per visit. Over 100 is world class.
• Checkout percentage: how often a player hits a double when they have a chance.
• Nine-darter: winning a leg of 501 in the minimum nine darts. The perfect leg, and the moment every darts fan waits for.

The kit

• Barrel: the metal part you hold, usually tungsten.
• Shaft (or stem): connects the barrel to the flight.
• Flight: the "wings" at the back that keep the dart steady.
• Robin Hood: when one dart lands in the back of another. It ruins a shaft or flight, and it's why players keep spares.

Want to know more about how a dart works? Read our guide to the parts of a dart.

Now try it yourself

Once you know the lingo, it's hard not to want a go. Our 5 darts games to play at home are perfect for the Christmas break, and you can keep score on our Light Up Scoreboard. Free UK delivery on every order.