The following is a

glossary A glossary (from , ''glossa''; language, speech, wording), also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of Term (language), terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Traditionally, a gloss ...

of terms used in

dominoes Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called ''Pip (counting), pips ...

. Besides the terms listed here, there are numerous regional or local slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific, i.e. specific to one particular version of dominoes, but apply to a wide range of domino games. For glossaries that relate primarily to one game or family of similar games, see the relevant article.

A

; Ace : The end of a

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...

marked with one spot. A 'one'.''Domino Glossary''
at domino-play.com. Retrieved 26 December 2020. ; arm : A single straight line of

tiles Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ot ...

within the tableau. McLeod specifies that it only has one open end.

B

; back : The broad surface of a

with no pips or bar. They may be entirely blank or have a design which is the same on every tile.''Glossary of Domino Terms''
at pagat.com. Retrieved 26 December 2020. The reverse side of a

. ; banker : Also called the

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

, the person responsible, in a banking game for distributing chips, keeping track of the stakes and paying winners at the end. A dealer against whom the punters bet. ; banker's set : The 3–2 domino, so called because, if

set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...

in a scoring game, it cannot be scored on. ; bar : The line dividing the face of a tile into two halves. Also divider or centre line. ; bid : The number of points a player undertakes to achieve if they win the auction in bidding games. The winning bidder names trumps and leads. ; bidding game :

Game A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...

in which there is an auction where players bid the number of tricks they hope to take. The winning bidder announces trumps and sets the first

; blank : A

half with no pips. Also pale,

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...

. ; block # To play a

whose suit an opponent cannot follow. # Alternative name for

. # Alternative name for a block game. # Alternative name for a blocked game. ; block game :

Domino game Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...

in which the aim is to play

to the

layout In general terms, a layout is a structured arrangement of items within certain limits, or a plan for such arrangement. Specifically, layout may refer to: * Page layout, the arrangement of visual elements on a page ** Comprehensive layout (comp), ...

in order to

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

opponents so that they cannot play. Unlike point games, block games are scored at the end of a

round Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * Having no sharp corners, as an ellipse, circle, or sphere * Rounding, reducing the number of significant figures in a number * Round number, ending with one or more zeroes * Round (crypt ...

. ; blocked game : A situation in which no player is able to play or draw from the

boneyard Boneyard may refer to: * Cemetery or graveyard Comics * A character in the Malibu/Marvel Comics publication ''Mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, ...

. ; blocking game : A

game A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...

in which scores are calculated at the end of a

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

and not after individual plays. The aim is to

an adversary and be first to

domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...

. ; bones : See

. ; boneyard : Pool of face down, spread (unstacked)

from which players draw. Also

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

, reserve or

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

. ; bricks : See

. ; buy : See draw.

C

; card : Technical name for the pieces in a domino set. See

. ; card game : Domino game in which the

are used like

playing cards A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a Pap ...

. ; centre line, center line, centre, center : See bar. ; chip out : To play the last

of your

. ; count # The amount of gains at any stage of a game. # To reckon or score the game. ;

Cribbage Cribbage, or crib, is a card game, traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. It can be adapted for three or four players. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbage ...

board : Scoring equipment comprising a wooden board with holes and pegs used for keeping score in

but also used for dominoes. ; cut suit: To play all of a suit except the

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

, leaving the player with the double unable to

. ; cut in : To take turns in playing when five or more players want to participate in a four-hand game.

D

; deck : See domino set. ; Deuce : The end of

marked with two spots. A 'two'. ; divider, dividing line : See bar. ; domino # To play all the

in a hand, usually ending play for the

. Hence 'dominoed' or 'dominoer'. # An individual piece in a domino set. According to John McLeod, however, this popular usage is incorrect. ; domino set : A complete batch of

, each one occurring exactly once, that is used to play one or more domino games. Sets vary in size; for example, a double-six set has 28 tiles and a double-eight set has 45 tiles. Also deck or

pack Pack or packs may refer to: Music * Packs (band), a Canadian indie rock band * ''Packs'' (album), by Your Old Droog * ''Packs'', a Berner album Places * Pack, Styria, defunct Austrian municipality * Pack, Missouri, United States (US) * ...

. ; dominoes : Plural of

. "Dominos" is incorrect. ; door : Last unplayed

of a suit (whose play closes the door). ; dot : See pip. ; double, doublet, double domino : A

on which both ends have the same pip value e.g. a tile with two sixes is a "double six". ; double-six dominoes, double-six set, double 6s, double six : Domino set made up of 28

with all the combinations from 0 to 6. ; double-eight dominoes, double-eight set, double 8s, double eight : Domino set, common in Austria, made up of 45

with all the combinations from 0 to 8. ; double-nine dominoes, double-nine set, double 9s, double nine : Domino set made up of 55

with all the combinations from 0 to 9. ; double-twelve dominoes, double-twelve set, double 12s, double twelve : Domino set made up of 91

with all the combinations from 0 to 12. ; double-fifteen dominoes, double-fifteenset, double 15s, double fifteen : Domino set made up of 136

with all the combinations from 0 to 15. ; doubles game : A four-handed, partnership game. ; doublet : See

. ; draw : To transfer a

from the

to the

. ; draw game :

in which players draw

from the

during play, but only score at the end of the

E

; end # One of the two sides on the

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

of a

, divided by the central dividing line, that is marked with a suit. # The surface of a

furthest from the centre, a tile having two ends, two sides a

and a

back The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...

. # That half of a tile in a line of tiles that may be played upon (also "open end"). ; exposed tile :

Tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...

that has been turned face up by mistake, usually incurring a penalty.

F

; face : The broad surface of a

that displays the pips and bar. ; following domino : Any

that plays or scores after a previous score.

G

; game # A session at dominoes played between two or more players to a given set of rules. # A series of hands resulting in a player or partnership making a winning score. See also

and

match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

. ; go domino : See go out. ; go out : To be first to play one's last remaining

in a matching or scoring game.

H

; hand # The set of

that belong to each player, not usually held in the hand, but placed on edge on the table facing him or her.''Glossary of Domino Terms''
at domino-games.com. Retrieved 26 December 2020. # The cycle of rounds played with those tiles as part of a game. See also

. # Same as

. ; head : The best piece in a player's

. ; heavy : High-numbered. A 'heavy'

or tile end is one with a high number of pips. The half of a tile with the greater number of pips is the heavy end. Some games start with the player who holds the heaviest tile setting it first. ; hit the deck : To be forced to draw from the

(aka deck) because you have no playable

J

; jam : To play the last

of a suit and leave that suit exposed at all ends of the tableau, thus blocking the game.

K

; kicker : In scoring games, a domino that will score 1 point more than the previous play. These are all the 5s and the 6-1. ; knock : See pass.

L

; lay piece : A piece that is not of the trump suit. ; lay suit : A suit that is not trumps. ; layout : See tableau. ; lead # The first

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

made by the player who is on set. # The player who directs the play for his team. # The first piece played in a given

. ; leader # Player who sets the first

. # A

played in a matching or scoring game when a player has no matching

in his

. ; light : Low-numbered. A 'light'

or tile end is one with a low number of pips. The half of a tile with the fewer pips is the lighter end. Some games start with the player holding the lightest tile leading. ; lighthouse : A

in the

with no matching tiles in the same hand. Played first it is a "lighthouse set". ; line : A

that has two open ends, as opposed to an arm which only has one. ; line of play : An arm or line of

which is open for

. Dominoes may be joined to it ''with'' the line of play or ''across'' the line of play.

M

; make, make the dominoes. : See shuffle. ; make domino : See go out. ; man overboard : Said when a player has no matching

and is forced to hit the deck i.e. draw from the

. ; match # Series of

games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

needed for a player or team to win. See also

, and

. # To play a

such that adjacent ends have the same spot value. ; matching game : A

in which players must play a

, one end of which matches an open end of the tableau. ; men : See

. ; misdraw : To under- or overdraw the number of pieces to which you are entitled.

O

; off set # To be forced to draw when on set, thus going off set. ; on set # To be first to play. # To be first in the order or play to go out. ; open end : The end of a

not connected to any other

. Subsequently played tiles may only be placed on this end. ; orphan : Seventh

of a given suit left in a player's

that cannot be played because all matching

have been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

. ; overdraw : To draw more than the specified number of bones for one's

or draw from the

when able to play, which is normally illegal.

P

; pack : See domino set. ; pale : See

blank Blank or Blanks may refer to: *Blank (archaeology), a thick, shaped stone biface for refining into a stone tool *Blank (cartridge), a type of gun cartridge *Blank (Scrabble), a playing piece in the board game Scrabble *Blank (solution), a solutio ...

. ; partie : A session of dominoes equivalent comprising a series of

. ; partner : The one joined with you in playing against your opponents. ; pass : To forgo playing because one does not have a playable piece and is unable to draw. Also knocking or renouncing. ; peg # The pin or marker used to score, usually on a cribbage board. Also spilikin. # To score e.g. "pegging five". ; pieces : See

. ; pigeon : A rookie player who loses easily. ; pile : See

. ; pips : The dots on the

of a

. Also spots. ; point game :

where players score points as they go and not at the end of a

as in block games or draw games. ; pool # The stakes. # The dish or container for such stakes. # Alternative name for the

. ; pose : To play the first

that begins the

at the start of a

. Also

. ; president : The player in a position to go out first.

R

; renege : To fail to play when able and required by the rules of the

. ; renounce : See pass. ; repeater : A piece that will score the same as the previous

. ; reserve : See

. ; revoke : To play the wrong suit. ; rocks : See

. ; round : Cycle of play during a

in which each player places a

on the table, draws from the

, passes or performs some other action when it is his turn. See also

and

. ; round game :

in which every player plays for himself or herself. ; row : A line of

placed face up and side to side on the table. See also

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

. ; rubber : The best two of three games.

S

; scoring game : A

in which players score during

as well as at the end of a

. ; second set : The player who is in position to go out second. ; set # To place a

on the table. # The first

of the

played. Also

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

. # A player who does not make his bid has been 'set'. ; shake : See shuffle. ; shuffle : To randomly rearrange or mix up the face-down

at the start of a

and before the players pick up their hands. ; side # One of the two teams in a partnership

. # One of the two longer edges of a

; as opposed to the two ends, the

or the

. ; singles, singles domino, single domino : A

with different ends i.e. not a doublet. ; singles game : A two-hand game or a four-hand game not played in partnership. ; sleeper : An undealt

in a block domino game - a

tile that cannot be drawn. ; spilikin : A small peg of bone, wood, ivory, etc., used for taking the score at

and other games. Also peg."Spilikin"
in Hunter, Robert (1895). ''Lloyd's Encyclopedia'', Vol. 6, London: Lloyd, p. 527. ; spinner # The first

played during a game in e.g. Sniff or certain variants of All Fives. # A metal pin or nail head in the centre of a

that enables the tiles to be shuffled more readily. # A

that is usually turned at right angles to the line of play and enables

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

to be developed from both ends as well as the open side. However, some games permit a double to be played inline or crosswise. It becomes a spinner once it has been played on opposite sides or ends. ; spots : See pips. ; star : A

which has more than two open ends. ; stock : See

. ; stone : See

. ; suit # All the

halves of equal rank e.g. the fours, the sevens, etc. # The denomination of

end.

T

; tableau # The array of face up

on the table upon which plays in the

are made. Also layout or table. # The arrangement of tiles, which may be face up and/or face down, in solitaire domino games. ; tiles : The individual pieces of a domino set. Also bones, bricks, cards, men or rocks. ; train : A line of

placed face up and end to end on the table. ; tree : A

in which every

may start a new branch. ; Trey : The end of a

with 3 pips. ; trick : In bidding games, the set of

comprising one tile played by each player that is won by the player who played the winning tile. ; trump, trumps, trump suit # The suit named by the winner of an auction in bidding games that automatically beats other tiles. # Alternative name for

U

; underdraw : A misdraw in which one draws too few

for one's

W

; white : See

. ; widow : The remaining

or tiles after players have drawn their hands. Usually used in bidding games instead of the term

Z

; zero : See

References

Literature

* * * * * * * * *

External links

''Domino Glossary''
at domino-play.com.

at domino-games.com.

at pagat.com.
''Glossary of Domino Terms''
at dominorules.com (copy of those by Kelley). {{Domino games Domino terms Glossary Wikipedia glossaries using description lists