Definition

Noun: 1. A bowling game: A game, also historically called "skittles," in which players roll a ball down a lane to knock down nine wooden pins arranged in a diamond formation (1-2-3-2-1).

Usage

• "Ninepins" refers to the game itself, not the pins individually.
• It is typically used with a singular verb when referring to the game as an activity.
• Example:

Examples

• The old tavern still has an alley for playing ninepins.
• In historical novels, characters are often depicted drinking ale and playing a game of ninepins.
• The rules of ninepins are simpler than those of its ten-pin cousin.

Advanced Usage

• "to go down like ninepins": This is a common idiom meaning to fall or be defeated quickly and in large numbers, one after another. It originates from the image of the pins being knocked down.
  • During the economic crisis, small businesses went down like ninepins.

Variants and Related Words

• Skittles (noun): A British name for a very similar, often identical, game to ninepins. In modern British usage, "skittles" often refers to a table-top game using a ball and pins.
• Ninepin (noun): Used primarily to refer to a single pin used in the game of ninepins.
  • He set up the wooden ninepin carefully.

Synonyms

• Skittles (when referring to the traditional game)
• Kegling (an archaic term for pin bowling)

Notes on Meaning

• "Ninepins" specifically denotes the classic game with nine pins. This distinguishes it from:
  • Ten-pin bowling: The modern, standardized sport with ten pins.
  • Candlepin bowling: A variation using thinner pins and a smaller ball.
  • Duckpin bowling: Another variation with shorter, squatter pins.
• The term is often used in a historical or traditional context.

Noun

1. a bowling game that is played by rolling a bowling ball down a bowling alley at a target of nine wooden pins