Terminology

Below are some examples of Extreme Boules terminology that may be overheard in games. Please feel free to add your own and help build up the Dictionary of Extreme Boule.

Cat's Licked Your Bacon - (i) A player who on the surface seems very pleased with themself after some impressive play or a turn of luck.
(ii) A player forced to persevere with what appears to be an enjoyable action, but which deep down carries a terrible burden, all because of a curse.

To Pull a Hornblower - A player who seems to have disregarded all concept of scoring points / winning and is instead playing with joyful abandonment and reckless happiness.
e.g. Player A: "Seb's lost it, he's delirious and nowhere near the jack."
Player B: " I think he may be pulling a Hornblower."

Kisser - To land a boule so close that it really touches the jack. This results in double points.

Collinson - To heavily rely on port to improve your aim.
e.g Player A: "Seb's got better since the port came out."
Player B: "He's entering a State of Collinson."

Collinson Round - When the jack is replaced with a consumable, most traditionally a bottle of Collinson's port. Damage to the consumable often results in negative points. This round is seen as a true test of courage.

I wouldn't want a ticket for that showing! - A term, possibly borrowed from Dominoes, for a bad round of boule.

Boule Tap - The sound of Boule being tapped together. Most commonly used as a sign of applause and appreciation. However it has been reported as being used in a derisive, taughting manner as well. Occasionally refered to as the Geiger Counter.

Goose - When the boule arrange themselves to form a V shape i.e. the formation geese adopt when streamline flying. A magical event when it happens in a match, which should be celebrated.

Dig In! - A call bellowed whilst the boule is mid air which hopes to encourage the boule to land with no bounce.

Carry On! - A call bellowed (often in a panicked fashion) to encourage a boule in motion to continue rolling and thus close in on the jack.

Jack Chasing - The art of playing boule whilst walking.

Canon-boule - To propel a boule with such force that it smashes into the terrain leaving a boule imprint.

Destructo - boule - The act of using a boule to smash your opponents boule (s) out the way, recalibrating the field of play and thus 'reseting the clocks'.

Reseting the Clocks - To reset the pitch i.e. to change the position of the jack and/or boules during a round.

Double kisser - To have two boule touching the jack. Pure magic.

Fecal - boule - When a boule is covered, accidently or deliberately, with fecal mater and still used in a round. Despite claims that a fecal-boule helps to put off opponents, there is yet to be any scientific evidence to show the advantages or disadvantages of playing with a fecal-boule.

High Jacking - The collision of two boule mid air. Can occur accidently, or as a deliberate act of aggression. It is believed that having a boule 'high jacked' can shatter a players confidence.

Swan Round - The unusual practice of creating a swan shape out of tin foil and resting the jack on the head. A very specialist play.

Emptying your Pockets - A term to describe those lack-lustre throws that fall at your feet.

Paper-Jack Blues - Playing arena has become so dark that you must wrap the jack in white paper to achieve greater visibility.

Dark Side of the Moon - In poor light, the jack lands in a dark/shadowed spot making play next to impossible.

Presenting a Gift - When the jack is relocated towards the end of the game (the clocks are reset) into a new position away from all the boules, giving the next player an easy target.

Gift Snatcher - A player who takes the points when the jack is presented as gift.

Moon Pie - The act of using a rolling boule to guide the jack away from other boule. The rolling boule should end up closest to the jack for this to be 'Moon Pie'. If not it is simply a case of 'presenting a gift'.

Pitch Master - A player who 'resets the pitch' so that the jack ends up kissing one of their own boule can refer to them self as the 'Pitch Master' until the next game. Likely to have a devastating impact on other players morale.

Botchy Ball - A damning critique of a game of Extreme Boule or someone's style of play. e.g. Seb: "I'm going to win this game of Extreme Boule." Mrs Cosby: " The way you play is just botchy ball." Seb: "My confidence is shattered."
e.g. 2 - Player A: "I hear that Bill Cosby is playing James Harmon on a perfectly manicured lawn today in a very short game." Player B: "That doesn't sound much like Extreme Boule - that's sounds like mere Botchy Ball."

Dr. Moss' Conundrum - The upsetting act of smashing your finger between two boule.

Cynt - A boule that takes an unsual bounce and veers dramatically away from the jack is often greeted with the shout of "Cynt!". The wayward boule is occasionally refered to as a Cynter. The origin of this term is said to lay with S. Moss.

Kill Zone - To be in the position when you are able to win the match in the next game.

Ultra Kill Zone - To be one point away from victory.

Maim Frame - To be in the position where you could win the match, but only by scoring 'bonus' points (such as a kisser).

Downloading the Maim Frame - To score enough points to be able to be in the Maim Frame. A term that is said to be very popular with Kids on the Street.

F. O. X. - A short distance game, where boule can literally be placed by the jack. The perpetrator of such a game will usually place the jack closest to themself, announcing their unsporting behaviour with a surly call of F. O. X. Repeated F.O.X. plays can lead to resentment equal to to that caused by a player Emptying their Pockets when they are currently leading the round.

Concubining the boule - The ability the curve a boule around an obstacle, such as a tree, to an unsighted jack.

Calling Old Westminster - A rare play in which players discard their final boule after witnessing an opponent produce a shot of super natural brilliance. It is an acknowledgment that a shot cannot be beaten.

Port Time  -   Using the consumption of port as a means to time a game. The emptying bottle is often referred to as a Port Timer.

Frenchman's Prerogative - The stalling of the game through idle chat chit. A useful tac tic if a game is being played against the clock. The player who instigates the conversation is utilising the Frenchman's Preorgative. Any opponent who joins in the talk is French by Association.

Rosemary Banter -  A rare and unusual play whereby an opponent or onlooker attempts to put the boule thower off by rubbing their face with sprigs of rosemary. Not illegal.

Jack God - A non competitor employed to place the jack for each round in a series of extreme locations. Sometimes used in high stakes games.


Hose Me Down - A common expression used after witnessing a very impressive shot.

To Land a Chesil Sea Dog - To win a long distance round with a particularly pleasing shot that requires onlookers to be 'hosed down'.

Hail Mari - To win a match in which no of your opponents score a single point.

Eating a pickled egg in a sauna - When a player is seriously lacking in form and confidence.

Ice Shot - Throwing a boule throw ice. The best thing you can ever do.

La Rappiste - A move in which a player dupes his opponents into playing harder shots, leaving themselves with an easy shot to the Jacque to claim the points. As pioneered by Jim Murray.

Spectral Spin - A play a boule which on landing dramatically changes direction because of the absurd amount of spin applied to it. It is as if the boule is being re-directed by an unseen ghostly hand.

Butcher's Iconic Bounce Back -  A technique tried when faced with a jack in an upturned vessel with the opening away from you. The player is required to bounce their boule off a suitable vertical surface so that the boule rebounds into the opening of the vessel, returning the vessel to an upright position in the process, and resulting in the boule being closest to the jack, thus winning the point. An shot of incredible difficulty.

Cuddly Stingray - When a toddler or child unable to understand the complexities of boule, enters the field of play mid game and rearranges the position of the jack and or boules, thus resetting the clocks. If agreed beforehand that the game is to be cuddly stingray friendly then players must play on with the new boule / jack positions.

Playing Loch Long - A game which stops mid game for a prolonged time period and then is resumed. During this period, the boule and jack may be relocated by external forces but not by the players themselves.

The Not Cheating Move - The act of a player advancing towards the jack, thereby moving away from the agreed launch point. The movement is normally done in a surly, menacing manner therefore reducing the likelihood of any opponents questioning the fairness of the move. Most commonly carried out by infants and drunks and therefore often accepted as just part of the game.