Bowling Glossary

Maple
This is the hard wood used for the heads of the lane when the lanes are wood. This is to take the pounding of the bowling balls better.

Mark
In bowling this is a strike or spare. Also the target a bowler is aiming at.

Mass Bias
Often marked in asymmetrical bowling balls. It is used in laying out the ball because of it's influence as a core dynamic.

Match Play
A match of bowler against bowler where there is either bonus pins that go to the winning or even elimination of the loser. The two kinds of match play are called round robin and elimination.

Messenger
When a pin, usually the head pin, bounces off the side board and knocks down one or more pins on the other side of the lane.

Minus
In competition, it is the amount of pins under a 200 average.

Miss
Another name for and open frame. Not a spare or strike.

Mixed Doubles
A man and woman teamed up in a doubles competition.

Mixer
A strike that mixes the pins up and usually leaves some on the pin deck because it hit light in the pocket.

Moat
Another name for gutter or channel

Move In
To change the strike line to one that is further towards the middle of the lane.

Move Out
To change the strike line to one further towards the gutter.