This glossary explains the darts terms you hear at the oche and on TV, from leg and set to ton, bed and breakfast and madhouse. Official terms come from the rule books of the World Darts Federation (WDF) and the German federation (DDV); slang comes from the Wikipedia glossary of darts, because no federation defines slang. The last section explains the numbers a scoring app shows you, so you know what your own stats mean.
Match and turn
| Term | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Throw, turn, visit | Up to three darts thrown by one player in one turn. The WDF calls it a "throw" and says it "shall consist of a maximum of 'three' darts". | WDF 1.03 |
| Leg | One game with a winner and a loser, for example one game of 501. "The number of legs in a set or match must be odd." | WDF definitions |
| Set | A group of legs. The player who wins the majority of legs wins the set, and the majority of sets wins the match. | WDF definitions |
| Match | All the play between two players or teams. It can be played in legs only or divided into sets. | WDF definitions |
| Best of / first to | Two ways to state the same match length: best of 5 legs means first to 3. Our darts rules cover how matches are counted. | WDF 2.10, 2.11 |
| Decider | The leg or set that decides a match when the score is level. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Throw for the bull, bull-off, diddle for the middle | One dart each at the bull before a match; the nearer dart throws first. | WDF 12.01 to 12.03; Wikipedia glossary |
| Hold (of throw) | Winning a leg in which you threw first. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Break (of throw) | Winning a leg in which your opponent threw first. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Mugs away | Pub rule: the loser of the last game throws first in the next one. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Game on / game shot | Called by the referee at the start of a match and when the winning double is hit. | Wikipedia glossary |
The board
| Term | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Oche (throw line, toe line) | The line you throw from, 2.37 m (7 ft 9¼ in) from the face of the board for steel tip. Your feet stay behind its front edge; leaning over is allowed. | WDF 6.02; Wikipedia glossary |
| Double | The thin outer ring; scores twice the number. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Treble, triple | The thin inner ring; scores three times the number. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Bull, bullseye, double bull | The inner bull scores 50 and counts as a double, so it can finish a leg. | WDF 2.03, 2.04 |
| Outer bull, single bull | The ring around the bull; scores 25 and is a single. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Bed | A section of a number, usually its double or treble: "the treble 20 bed". | Wikipedia glossary |
| Spider, wire | The metal web that divides the board; a dart that lands just the wrong side of it is "on the wire". | Wikipedia glossary |
| Tops, double top | Double 20. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Madhouse | Double 1, the only way out from 2 in double out. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Bounce out | A dart that bounces back off the board. It does not score and is not thrown again. | WDF 1.05; Wikipedia glossary |
| Robin Hood | A dart that sticks in the back of another dart. It does not score because it does not touch the board. | Wikipedia glossary |
Starting and finishing
| Term | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Straight in | Every dart scores from the first throw; the standard start. | WDF 2.01; Wikipedia glossary |
| Double in | You need a double to start scoring. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Double out | The last dart must hit a double (or the bull) to reach exactly zero. | WDF 2.02 |
| Master out | You may finish on a double or a treble. Common in German soft tip leagues. | German Wikipedia, "Darts" |
| Straight out | Any segment can finish the leg: on 15, a single 15 wins. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Checkout, finish | Reducing your score to exactly zero to win the leg. Every finish from 170 to 2 is on our checkout chart. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Bust | A visit that scores too much, leaves 1, or reaches zero without a double. It does not count and your score goes back. | WDF 2.05 |
| Bogey numbers | Scores under 170 that cannot be finished with three darts in double out: 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159. | German Wikipedia, "Darts" |
| Big fish, maximum checkout | The highest finish, 170: treble 20, treble 20, bull. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Nine-darter | Winning a leg of 501 with nine darts, the fewest possible. | Wikipedia glossary; Wikipedia, "Darts" |
| Match dart | A dart at a double that would win the match. | Wikipedia glossary |
| Double trouble | Missing the double you need, visit after visit. | Wikipedia glossary |
The start and finish rules side by side are in double out, master out and straight out.
Slang for scores
| Term | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ton | 100 in one visit; higher scores are "ton-forty" (140) and so on | Wikipedia glossary |
| Ton-eighty, maximum | 180: three darts in treble 20 | Wikipedia glossary |
| High ton / low ton | 150 or more / more than 100 but less than 150 | Wikipedia glossary |
| Baby ton | 95, usually five 19s | Wikipedia glossary |
| Bed and breakfast, breakfast | 26 from single 20, single 5, single 1 | Wikipedia glossary |
| Bag of nuts | 45 | Wikipedia glossary |
| Shanghai | A single, double and treble of the same number in one visit; also a game (see darts games) | Wikipedia glossary |
| Three in a bed | Three darts in the same number, double or treble | Wikipedia glossary |
| Fish, whale | A visit of 9 or less | Wikipedia glossary |
| Hat-trick | Three bullseyes in one visit | Wikipedia glossary |
Wikipedia lists many more local sayings. Most are regional pub slang, so do not expect every club to know them.
People
| Term | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Caller | Announces the scores during play. | WDF definitions |
| Marker, chalker | Writes the scores made and the scores left on the scoreboard; outside stage play the marker may also call. | WDF definitions |
| Scorer | Records scores and results on the scorecards. | WDF definitions |
| Referee | Takes charge of a match; may also act as marker or caller. | WDF definitions |
How to keep score by hand as the marker is in how to keep score in darts.
Stats terms
| Term | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 3-dart average | Average score per three darts thrown. The standard way: total points ÷ darts thrown × 3. | Wikipedia glossary; our average guide |
| PPD | Points per dart: the 3-dart average divided by three. Common on soft tip machines. | Wikipedia glossary |
| First 9 average | The average score of your first nine darts in a leg, before the finish begins. | DartCounter and dartraum.de glossaries; no rule book defines it |
| Checkout percentage | Checkouts hit ÷ checkout attempts, as a percentage. | dartraum.de glossary; no rule book defines it |
| Marks (Cricket) | Hits on a Cricket number: a single is one mark, a double two, a treble three; three marks close a number. | ADO rules 49 to 51 |
Darts Counter keeps several of these for you. The statistics screen shows your average, darts per leg, highest checkout and highest score, and how many visits of 60+, 100+, 140+ and 180 you threw. Two things to know: the app's match and lifetime averages are the mean of your leg averages, not total points ÷ total darts, and it does not show a first 9 average. The average guide explains the difference.
Keep reading
- Darts rules: the official rules behind most of these terms
- Darts games: Shanghai, Killer, Cricket and more
- How to calculate your 3-dart average
- Checkout chart: every finish from 170 to 2
Sources
Written by FLAME Apps, maker of Darts Counter since 2015. Checked 2026-09-25.
- WDF Playing and Tournament Rules, 20th revised edition: definitions, rules 1.03, 1.05, 2.01 to 2.05, 2.10, 2.11, 6.02, 12.01 to 12.03
- Wikipedia, Glossary of darts (revision of August 11, 2026): slang and informal terms
- Wikipedia, Darts (revision of September 25, 2026): nine-dart finish
- Wikipedia (German), Darts (revision of September 16, 2026): master out, bogey numbers
- ADO Tournament Rules Booklet, rules 49 to 51 (Cricket marks)
- DartCounter darts glossary (an app maker) and dartraum.de on first 9 average and checkout percentage: no rule book defines these two stats
