Glossary of Curling - O

O

Off!

A call given by the skip for the sweepers to stop sweeping a rock

Off the broom

An incorrectly aimed shot; opposite of on the broom

Open

A rock that is not obscured by another rock from the shooter's perspective; a skip will often ask the shooter how "open" a certain rock appears from the hack, with the rock being totally open, partially obscured (such as "half open") or completely covered; also, a term for any shot not involving going around a guard: an open takeout, an open draw, etc.

On the broom

A correctly aimed shot that starts out directly at the broom held by the skip; opposite of off the broom

Out of stones

A situation in which a team that is behind in the score no longer has enough stones between those in play and those yet to be played to make up the deficit; the outcome is now certain, and the game usually ends with a handshake once a team is out of stones.

Outside

Another term for wide

Out-turn

A shot in which the handle of the stone is rotated away from the body – the elbow is rotated "out" from the body; for a right-handed thrower, an out-turn is counter-clockwise, and the opposite for a lefty