All the vocabulary in petanque
- Add or "Ajouter" : Add points means pointing in order to add points to the total score.
- Advantage : Having advantage means that you have more balls than the opponent during a mene. If you have 3 balls and the opponent has 1 or 2 balls, you have the advantage.
- Bad bounced or "Mal tombée" : Common expression used when a pointed boule bounces badly and goes to an unwanted place. For instance, it can happen because of a stone or a hole on the ground.
- Balls or "Boules" : Metal balls used to play petanque. They can be in carbon steel, stainless steel or bronze.
- Bati-Bati : Having the bati-bati means loosing his temper during a decisive mene. For example when the score is 12-12.
- Bec : French word used when a pointer win the point by pushing one or several balls closer to the jack, in order to add points or win the point.
- Biberon : French word. Make a "biberon" is the best point you can do. It is when the ball touchs the jack. It's called kissing the jack !
- Bite or "Mordre" the circle : Bite the circle is the fault. It happens when a player going beyond the circle with his feet during a shot / point.
- Boulodrome : Indoor area for playing petanque with several courts. Very usefull when it rains or when it's cold.
- Break arm or "casser le bras" : Distract a shooter while shooting, by making noise or moving.
- Brochet or Carpe or Crochet : Same as a hole ! Carpe and Brochet are also freshwater fishes.
- Cadre : French word. Court surface where you are authorized to play during the competitions.
- Cap or "Casquette" : Make a cap is most of the time a disappointing shot for the player ! It it when the shooting ball hits the top of the target ball and when the target ball stays in place or quite in place.
- Carreau : Word typically french to define this spectacular shoot. Make a "carreau" means a shoot which exactly replaces the target ball. That is the perfect shoot that all shooters are looking for.
- Chiquer : French term used when the shooting ball touchs a little bit the target ball during a shot. The target ball stays in place.
- Chiquette : French word. Make a chiquette corresponds to "chiquer"
- Circle or "Cercle" or "Rond" : Throwing circle where the players have to point / shot the balls.
- Court or "Terrain" : The court is the piste or the ground where playing petanque is possible.
- Court or Terrain : Area for playing petanque.
- Devant de boule : French term. Make a "devant de boule" means put the ball just in front of an opposite ball by pointing.
- Double or Doublet : Petanque game composed of 2 teams of 2 players with 3 balls by player.
- Fanny : Make Fanny means winning 13-0 against the opponent.
Be Fanny means loosing 13-0 against the opponent.
Very popular phrase in petanque. When you are Fanny, you normally have to kiss Fanny's buttocks !
- Gel : Making a "gel" means making a "carreau". It is the perfect shot.
- Gratton : French word. A small stone that can deflect the ball when pointing.
- Half-Lob : Same as lob but instead of falling 1 meter in front of the jack, it is halfway.
- Hole or "Trou" : Make a hole means shooting and missing the target ball. The worst for a shooter !
- Jack or "Bouchon" or "But" or "Cochonnet" or "Kiki" or "Petit" : Small ball of wood used to play petanque (35 mm diameter).
- "Jouer les boules" or Play the balls : it is when you want to push of of your ball which is already on the ground by pointing on it. The aim is to push the ball as close as possible to the jack. The ball which is already on the ground is always in front of the jack.
- Jump a ball : It is when the thrown ball bounces just behind the target ball by shooting. Jumping a ball is a hole.
- Landing spot or "Donnée" : The landing spot is the part of the court to which the ball is aimed when pointing.
- Lift your arm or "Lève le bras" : Common expression used to encourage the shooter to shoot a ball which is far or just behind an opposite ball (see shooting by jumping over).
- Lob or "Porter" or "Plomber" : It is a technique of point. To lob means launching the ball so that it falls about 1 meter in front of the jack. It is the most difficult point to do but when you master this technique you can play on any court !
- Mêlée : French term used for the competition. Competition "à la mêlée" means teams are drawn at each game.
- Mene or "Mène" : Part of game of petanque which is finished when the players do not have balls anymore. A game of petanque is therefore composed of several menes.
- Mene royal or "Mène royale" : When the team wins 6 points by only shooting the balls of the opposite team. This kind of mene is always very spectacular. It is the perfect mene.
- Middle or "Milieu" : In a triple team, the middle is between the pointer and the shooter, he can both point and shoot depending on the progress of the mene.
- Nari : French term. Nari is a rubbish point
- Palet : Word typically french to define this type of shoot. Make a "palet" means that the shooting ball stays withing about 50 cm of the target ball.
- Pile ou Face ? : French expression. Before beginning a game, the first team asks the second team : Pile ou Face ? The second team has to choose then the first team throw the coin in the air. Then the coin falls to the ground, according to the visible side of the ground (pile or face), the first team or the second team throws the jack to begin the game.
- Play "à la roulette" : Same as roll.
- Play "nature" : Playing "nature" means pointing without any effect.
- Poussette : French term. During a mene, some balls are in front of the jack. Make a poussette means pointing in order to push one or several balls of his team to get closer to the jack.
- Roll : Launch the ball along the ground by rolling. Only for pointers.
- Scissors or "Ciseaux" : Make a scissors means shooting 2 unaligned balls in one shot !
- Shooting "à la rafle" or "à la raspaille" : That is the contrary of shooting "plein fer". Shooting by rolling the ball on the ground. This technique is not possible on all the courts but it can be very efficient (a lot of "carreau"). Petanque purists players does not like too much this shooting way.
- Shooting by "jumping over" or shooting "à la sautée" : Shooting a ball which is just behind another one. More the balls are closer, more the shot is complicated for the player.
- Shooting in front of : Shoot the target ball by hitting the ground within about 20-30 cm in front of the target ball.
- Shooting on the ear : Shooting on the side of the target ball. If the target balls moves, that is a "chiquette".
- Shooting "plein fer" : Shoot the target ball without the shooting ball touching the ground.
- Shoot the jack or "Tirer au bouchon" or "Tirer au but" : The aim of this shot is to shoot the jack out of the playing game. It is a very difficult shot but it is necessary to avoid a probable defeat. When this shot is a success, the mene is finished and no team win points.
- Single or Head-to-Head : Petanque game composed of 2 teams of 1 player with 3 balls by player.
- Slope or "Pente" : It is a place on the court where the ground has a slope.
- Tighten the game or Lock up the game : Point to avoid loosing too many points. We do this when the opponent has the advantage during the mene.
- Triple or Triplet : Petanque game composed of 2 teams of 3 players with 2 balls by player.
Triplet means also the 3 petanque balls.
- Try hard or "Fais l'effort" : Common expression to encourage your partner to play a success point or a success shot.
- Tu tires ou tu pointes ? : French popular expression. The aim is to ask your partner to know if he is going to point or shot.
- Well played or "Bien joué" : Common expression to congratulate a player.
- Well pointed or "Bien pointé" : Common expression to congratulate a pointer who just made a success point.
- Well shot or "Bien tiré" : Common expression to congratulate a shooter who just made a success shoot.
- What's the game ? or "C'est quoi le jeu ?" : Common expression to know if the game is to shot or to point.
