Glossary of Cue Sports Terms - W

W

wall rack

1. A one-piece or two-piece item of wall-mounted furniture designed to store cue sticks and sometimes other accessories such as the mechanical bridge (rest), balls, chalk, etc., when not in use. May consist of two small pieces of wood, or be an elaborately decorative large work of carpentry. Contrast Cue stand.

2. Same as scoring rack.

warrior

An object ball positioned near a pocket so that another object ball shot at that pocket will likely go in off the warrior, even if aimed so imperfectly that if the warrior had bee absent, the shot would likely would have missed. Usually arises when a ball is being banked to the pocket.

way

1. Term for object balls in the game of Chicago that are each assigned as having a set money value; typically the 5, 8, 10, 13 and 15.

2. In games where multiple balls must be pocketed in succession to score a point, such as cribbage pool or thirty-ball, when the last ball necessary to score has been potted, the points total given is referred to as a way.

weight

To "give someone weight" is to give them a handicap to compensate for notable differences in skill level. Compare spot (noun), sense 1.

white ball

Also the white.

1. Alternate name for the cue ball.

2. In carom billiards games and English billiards, a more specific term for the starting opponent's cue ball, which for the shooting player is another object ball along with the red. Contrast spot ball, the other player's cue ball.

whitewash

Principally British: In snooker, if a player wins all of the required frames in a match without conceding a frame to their opponent - for example, if a player wins a best-of-nine-frame match with a score of 5-0 - this is referred to as a "whitewash". This term is based on a similar term used in the card game of "patience" in the UK. However, it is not used in the context of a 1-0 winning scoreline in a match consisting of a single frame.

whitey

Alternate name for the cue ball.

wild

When a ball is given as a handicap it often must be called (generally tacit). A wild handicap means the ball can be made in any manner specifically without being called.

wing ball

Either of the balls on the lateral extremities of a racked set of balls in position for a break shot; the two balls at the outside of a 15-ball rack in the back row, or the balls to the left and right of the 9 ball in nine-ball's diamond rack-shaped opening set up position. In nine-ball It is seen as a reliable sign of a good break (which is normally taken from close to either cushion in the kitchen) if the opposite wing ball is pocketed. See also break box.

wing shot

Shooting at an object ball that is already in motion ("on the wing") at the moment of shooting and cue ball impact; it is a foul in most games, and usually only seen in trick shots and in speed pool.

winning hazard

Also winner. (Largely obsolete.) A shot in which the cue ball is used to pot another ball.. In snooker and most pool games doing this is known as potting, pocketing or sinking the targeted ball. The term derives from this hazard winning the player points, while losing hazards cost the player points, in early forms of billiards. Whether the ball is an object ball or an opponent's cue ball depends upon the type of game (some have two cue balls). The move will score points in most (but not all) games in which hazards (as such) apply, such as English billiards (in which a "red winner" is the potting of the red ball and a "white winner" the potting of the opponent's cue ball, each worth a different amount of points). Contrast losing hazard.

wipe its feet

British term referring to the base or metaphorical "feet" of a ball that rattles in the jaws of a pocket before eventually dropping. Usually said of an object ball for which the intention was to pot it.

wire, the

1. Actual wire or string with multiple beads strung (like an abacus) used for keeping score. Beads may be numbered or, more commonly, are in series of nine small beads representing 1s punctuated by larger beads representing 10s. Scoring strings are usually strung over the table, above the lights, but may be mounted on the wall.

Points "on the wire" are a type of handicap used, where a weaker player will be given a certain number of points before the start of the game.

2. The grapevine in the pool world, carrying news of what action is taking place where in the country.

wired

And wired combination/combo, wired kiss, etc. Same as dead (and variants listed there).

wood

A slang term for a cue, usually used with "piece", as in "that's a nice piece of wood". Contrast firewood.

wrap

Also wrapping, grip. A covering of leather, nylon string, Irish linen or other material around the area of the butt of a cue where the cue is normally gripped.