Definition of Break box

A player who was not shooting well during a match but suddenly turns it around and starts playing better and more accurately. Also known as "Finding a stroke" or "Found their stroke".

Also spider rest. A type of rest, similar to a common American-style rake bridge but with longer legs supporting the head so that the cue is higher and can reach over and around an obstructing ball to reach the cue ball. See also swan.

Two or more object balls that are touching or are close together.

Balls remain unmoved after a player's shot.

Nine Ball is a rotation game so a player must hit the lowest numbered ball first.
The object of the game is pocket the 9-ball on any legal shot.

This is the International Billiards and Snooker Federation. This organization governs non-professional snooker and billiards play all over the world.

The upper portion of a cue which slides on a player's bridge hand and upon which the tip of the cue is mounted at its terminus. It also applies to the main, unsegmented body of a mechanical bridge.

This is a table that offers poor conditions for play; it is either dirty, wet, or overall poor quality.

A bank shot that follows a Z shaped pattern as it bounces off of two rails.

American Poolplayers Association. This is the largest association of pool players in the world, and includes The Canadian Poolplayers Association. With numerous tournaments, including the U.S. Amateur championship, they are a force on the competition scene.
The APA has established the use of the "Equalizer" which offers handicaps to players and equalizes the playing field like in golf.

A player's turn at the table, also known as an inning.

This the area behind the pocket points before the pocket. The ball can get behind here and rest waiting to be pocketed, or the cue ball can get corner hooked in this location. Different tables feature a smaller or larger area here which can make these situations more or less achievable.

This is the white ball in carom games which is separated from the clear ball by a marking (usually a dot or spot).

A shot where the cue ball must hit the object ball so as to make it travel out of a straight line, at a different angle, toward its destination.

When the cue ball is tucked behind the corner of a pocket, therefore not allowing a direct shot at the object ball.

Chiefly British: The cushion on the top rail. Compare foot cushion; contrast bottom cushion.

Chiefly American: The half of the table in which the object balls are racked (in games in which racked balls are used). This usage is conceptually opposite that in British English, where this end of the table is called the top. Contrast head.

Feel generally refers to that elusive quality that makes one cue feel special or superior to another. In essence, it is the cumulative effect of all of a cues characteristics, including weight, shaft diameter, balance, grip material, length, etc. It can vary greatly from one player to another. A cue that feels great to one player does not necessarily fell good to another.

The tip of your cue is the smallest but most important piece on all of the stick. Ranging between 12 mm and 14 mm depending on the taper of you shaft, the average and most common tip size is 13 mm. The tip is usually made from treated and compressed leather and is attached at the top of your cue by screw or glue to the ferrule. There are variances in cue tip resistance from soft to hard. The softer offering more chalk retention, and the harder offering more longevity and power transferred through your shot (the hardest, phenolic tips are often used on the break). Because the surface of the tip is beveled it offers you control on the spin and direction of the cue ball in your shot. To keep this control, it is important to scuff up the surface of your cue a little so as to enhance the chalk retention potential. In addition to keeping you tip chalked, you want avoid it mushrooming over the ends of the ferrule after too many impacts without refinement. To much use, and not enough care with proper tools can hinder your ability to master the control from your cue tip to your shot.

A shot where the shooter was trying to make the shot but misses. However, the result of the missed shot ends up being a very good defensive play.

This is the ball that sits in the front, or apex, position in the rack.

This describes when a player is trapped behind a ball. (n.) - This is also the amount of money a player is down after betting.

Describing a situation where a pot is made more difficult, either by a pocket being partially blocked by another ball so that not all of it is available, or the cue ball path to the object ball's potting angle involves going past another ball very closely.

This is a blemish added to the table in order to help execute a shot; these marks are not allowed and result in a foul.