tenpin
Definition
Noun: 1. A bowling pin: Specifically, one of the ten tall, slender, bottle-shaped wooden (or synthetic) targets used in the game of ten-pin bowling. The objective is to knock down as many of these pins as possible with a bowling ball.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The bowler aimed carefully and knocked down all ten tenpins with a single throw.
- After the first roll, only two tenpins remained standing at the end of the lane.
- Setting up the tenpins in a perfect triangular formation is the automatic pinsetter's job.
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in the context of the sport ten-pin bowling. It distinguishes these pins from those used in other bowling variants (e.g., duckpins, candlepins).
- It is commonly used in the plural form ("tenpins") to refer to the complete set or to the game itself informally.
- He spent Saturday afternoon throwing a ball at some tenpins. (Informal for "bowling")
Variants and Related Words
- Ten-pin bowling (n): The modern sport in which players roll a ball to knock down tenpins.
- Pinsetter (n): The machine or person that arranges the tenpins into position.
- Strike (n): The achievement of knocking down all tenpins with the first ball of a frame.
- Spare (n): The achievement of knocking down all remaining tenpins with the second ball of a frame.
Synonyms
- Bowling pin: The general term.
- Pin: The common abbreviated form used within the context of bowling.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- Kingpin: While not a direct idiom using "tenpin," the term "kingpin" (the central or most important person in an organization) is metaphorically derived from the central pin in various bowling games. In ten-pin bowling, the front pin is sometimes informally called the kingpin.
- He was the kingpin of the entire operation.
Noun
-
one of the bottle-shaped pins used in bowling
