Log in / Register All Boston UH only
Wicked Good Guide to Boston English /

Big-ball bowling

What the rest of the country calls "10-pin" bowling, as opposed to the homegrown candlepin bowling.

Ron Curtin provides an example of its use, from back in the day:

SULLY; We went bowling' last night.
FIZTY: Wheah? Sammy White's?
SULLY: Nah, North Reddin' -- big-ball!

|

re: Big-ball bowling

By Marinda (not verified) | Tue, 03/04/2008 - 12:56am

Nevah heard it. The othuh kind of bowling is duckpins.

re: Big-ball bowling

By john (not verified) | Mon, 03/17/2008 - 6:41pm

I remember it as "big ball"...

re: Big-ball bowling

By Pablo (not verified) | Tue, 04/08/2008 - 9:27pm

I grew up in the Boston area. "Bowling" was candlepin bowling. "Big Balls" was tenpin. Bowling was on at noon on Saddadeez..then sometimes at 1 with candlepin Doubles (Brian Leary). Big Balls came latah in the aftahnoon at 3 with Chris Schenkel (RIP).

Big Balls got me in trouble...

By CG (not verified) | Thu, 12/04/2008 - 2:18pm

once as a kid went down to ny to see distant cousins- we went bowling and I wrote in my diary about going bowling- big balls!

so my cousins found and read the diary that same day, and made a million and 1 dirty comments about my excitement over big balls.

called it 10 pin after that.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.