The following is a glossary of terms used in

dominoes Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. 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 c ...

. 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, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...

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 o ...

within the

tableau Tableau (French for 'little table' literally, also used to mean 'picture'; tableaux or, rarely, tableaus) may refer to: Arts * ''Tableau'', a series of four paintings by Piet Mondrian titled '' Tableau I'' through to ''Tableau IV'' * ''Tableau vi ...

. McLeod specifies that it only has one open end.

B

; back : The broad surface of a

with no pips or

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

. They may be entirely blank or have a design which is the same on every tile.''Glossary of Domino Terms''
at

pagat.com Pagat.com is a website containing rules to hundreds of card games from all over the world. Maintained by John McLeod, it contains information for traditional, commercial, and newly invented card games from all over the world. It has been described ...

. Retrieved 26 December 2020. The reverse side of a

. ; banker : Also called the house, the person responsible, in a

banking game The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

for distributing

chips ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

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

trumps A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its usual rank in trick-taking games. Typically, an entire suit is nominated as a ''trump suit''; these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. In other contexts, the terms ''tru ...

and sets the first

; blank : A

half with no pips. Also pale,

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation such as the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, 0 also serves as a placeholder numerical digit, which works by multiplying digits to the left of 0 by the radix, usual ...

. ; 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 The following is a glossary of terms used in dominoes. 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 ap ...

. ; block game :

Domino game Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. 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 ca ...

in which the aim is to play

to the

layout Layout may refer to: * Page layout, the arrangement of visual elements on a page ** Comprehensive layout (comp), a proposed page layout presented by a designer to their client * Layout (computing), the process of calculating the position of obj ...

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 * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...

. ; 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'' * ''Boneyard'' (comics), a horror-themed comic book series by Richard Moore Film and television * ''Boneyard'' (TV series ...

. ; blocking game : A game in which scores are calculated at the end of a hand and not after individual

plays 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 ...

. The aim is to

an adversary and be first to

domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. 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 c ...

. ; bones : See

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

from which players draw. Also

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * 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 rocky po ...

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

or stock. ; bricks : See

. ; buy : See

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...

C

; card : Technical name for the pieces in a

domino set The following is a glossary of terms used in dominoes. 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 ap ...

. 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 f ...

. ; centre line, center line, centre, center : See

. ; chip out : To play the last

of your hand. ; 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 cribbag ...

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 A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

, 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

. ; Deuce : The end of

marked with two spots. A 'two'. ; divider, dividing line : See

. ; domino # To play all the

in a hand, usually ending play for the

. Hence 'dominoed' or 'dominoer'. # An individual piece in a

. 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. ; 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 The following is a glossary of terms used in dominoes. 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 ap ...

made up of 28

with all the combinations from 0 to 6. ; double-eight dominoes, double-eight set, double 8s, double eight :

, 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 :

made up of 55

with all the combinations from 0 to 9. ; double-twelve dominoes, double-twelve set, double 12s, double twelve :

made up of 91

with all the combinations from 0 to 12. ; double-fifteen dominoes, double-fifteenset, double 15s, double fifteen :

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 hand. ; draw game :

in which players

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 an animal's 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 aff ...

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, 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 column runs ...

. # 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, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...

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

F

; face : The broad surface of a

that displays the pips and

. ; 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

, hand 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

, game,

. # Same as

. ; head : The best

piece Piece or Pieces (not to be confused with peace) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Piece (chess), pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing the game of chess * ''Pieces'' (video game), a 1994 puzzle game for the Super NES * ...

in a player's hand. ; heavy : High-numbered. A 'heavy'

or tile

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

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 End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: **End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games ** End (gridiron footbal ...

of the

, 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 Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places * Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits * Mountain pass, a lower place in a moun ...

L

; lay piece : A

that is not of the

trump suit A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its usual rank in trick-taking games. Typically, an entire suit is nominated as a ''trump suit''; these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. In other contexts, the terms ''tru ...

. ; lay suit : A suit that is not

. ; layout : See

. ; 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

played in a given hand. ; leader # Player who sets the first

. # A

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

in his hand. ; light : Low-numbered. A 'light'

or tile

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 hand 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 In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...

which only has one. ; line of play : An

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 Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome. __TOC__ Techniques Over ...

. ; 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 needed for a player or team to win. See also

, hand, and game. # To play a

such that adjacent

have the same

spot Spot or SPOT may refer to: Places * Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States * The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia * South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse People * Spot (prod ...

value. ; matching game : A game in which players must play a

, one

of which matches an open end of the

. ; men : See

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

O

; off set # To be forced to

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

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 hand 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 co ...

. ; overdraw : To

more than the specified number of

bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...

for one's hand or draw from the

when able to play, which is normally illegal.

P

; pack : See

. ; pale : See blank. ; partie : A session of dominoes equivalent comprising a series of games. ; partner : The one joined with you in playing against your opponents. ; pass : To forgo playing because one does not have a playable

and is unable to

. 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 hand. 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 game. ; renounce : See

. ; repeater : A

that will score the same as the previous

. ; reserve : See

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

. ; round : Cycle of play during a game 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 hand, game and

. ; round game : 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 In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

. ; rubber : The best two of three games.

S

; scoring game : A game in which players score during

as well as at the end of a hand. ; second set : The player who is in position to go out second. ; set # To place a

on the table. # The first

of the hand played. Also

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

. # A player who does not make his bid has been 'set'. ; 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 game. # One of the two longer edges of a

; as opposed to the two

, 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 (domino game) Muggins, sometimes also called All Fives, is a domino game played with any of the commonly available sets. Although suitable for up to four players, Muggins is described by John McLeod as "a good, quick two player game".

or certain variants of

All Fives All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All al ...

. # A metal pin or nail head in the centre of a

that enables the tiles to be

shuffled Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome. __TOC__ Techniques Overh ...

T

; tableau # The array of face up

on the table upon which plays in the game 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

. Also bones, bricks, cards, men or rocks. ; train : A line of

placed face up and

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 hand.

W

; white : See blank. ; widow : The remaining

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

Z

; zero : See blank.

References

Literature

* * * * * * * * *

External links

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

at domino-games.com.

at

.
''Glossary of Domino Terms''
at dominorules.com (copy of those by Kelley). {{Domino games

Domino terms The following is a glossary of terms used in dominoes. 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 a ...

Glossary