billiards

bil·liards

B0250200 (bĭl′yərdz)pl.n. (used with a sing. verb)1. A game played on a rectangular cloth-covered table with raised cushioned edges, in which a cue is used to hit three small, hard balls against one another or the side cushions of the table.2. One of several similar games, such as pool.

[French billard, from bille, log; see billet².]

billiards

(ˈbɪljədz) n (functioning as singular) 1. (Billiards & Snooker) any of various games in which long cues are used to drive balls now made of composition or plastic. It is played on a rectangular table covered with a smooth tight-fitting cloth and having raised cushioned edges2. (Billiards & Snooker) a version of this, played on a rectangular table having six pockets let into the corners and the two longer sides. Points are scored by striking one of three balls with the cue to contact the other two or one of the two. Compare pool²⁵, snooker[C16: from Old French billard curved stick, from Old French bille log; see billet²]

bil•liards

(ˈbɪl yərdz)

n. (used with a sing. v.) any of several games played with hard balls that are driven with a cue on a cloth-covered table, esp. a game played with a cue ball and two object balls on a table without pockets. Compare pool ² (def. 1). [1585–95] bil′liard•ist, n.

Thesaurus

Noun

billiards - any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) ballstable game - a game that is played on a tablebreak - the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or poolcarom, cannon - a shot in billiards in which the cue ball contacts one object ball and then the othermasse, masse shot - a shot in billiards made by hitting the cue ball with the cue held nearly vertically; the cue ball spins around another ball before hitting the object ballmiscue - a faulty shot in billiards; the cue tip slips off the cue ballcannon - make a cannonbreak - make the opening shot that scatters the ballscarom - make a carom

Translations

台球

billiards

(ˈbiljədz) noun singular a game played with long thin sticks (cues) and balls, on a table. 台球

billiards

→ 台球zhCN

billiards

billiards,

any one of a number of games played with a tapered, leather-tipped stick called a cue and various numbers of balls on a rectangular, cloth-covered slate table with raised and cushioned edges. Games similar to billiards were popular in England and France in the 16th cent., and evidence even suggests that a billiardslike game was played in the 14th cent. The country of origin is disputed—England, France, Italy, Spain, and China have been credited by various historians with its invention. The game in its present form was probably fully developed by 1800. There are three main types of billiards: carom billiards, pocket billiards (also known as pool), and snooker. Carom billiards is played with three balls, a cue ball and two object balls, on a pocketless table; scoring is by caroms only, i.e., by causing the cue ball to strike the object balls in specified ways. Pocket billiards is played with 15 object balls and a cue ball on a table with six pockets; the essential object of the game is to cause the object balls to enter the pockets. Snooker is similar to pocket billiards, except that it uses 21 object balls and smaller pockets. There are many additional variations of the basic games, depending on the number of balls used, the positioning of the balls, the boundaries on the table, and the scoring. Among the variations are Chicago, golf, rotation, balk-line, and bumpers. William Frederick HoppeHoppe, Willie
(William Frederick Hoppe) , 1887–1959, American billiards champion, b. Cornwall, N.Y. He practiced billiards from a very early age and gave exhibitions before he won (1906) his first world championship in Paris.
..... Click the link for more information. is generally considered the foremost billiards player of all time.

Bibliography

See R. Byrne, Byrne's Standard Book of Pool and Billiards (1987).

Billiards

a game played with balls on a special table (known as a billiard table). Billiards is considered to have originated in India and China. In Europe it appeared in the 16th century, and in Russia, during the reign of Peter I. The table, covered with a felt cloth, has in its cushions six holes (pockets) with little net bags under them. Some billiard tables—for example, the French ones—do not have pockets. The game is played with three, five, or 16 balls (numbered from 1 to 15; the 16th ball does not have a number), made of elephant ivory or a composition substance. These are struck and pushed by a cue—a stick made of hard wood, approximately 1.5 m in length. In the USSR the billiard games which are widespread are “American” (in which the winning player is the one who is the first to pocket eight balls) and “Pyramid” (in which the winner is the player who is the first to make 70 points).

REFERENCES

Koriolis, G. Matematicheskaia teoriia iavlenii billiardnoi igry. Moscow, 1956. (Translated from French.)
Nauka i zhizn’, 1966, nos. 2, 3, 4, 6, 11.

billiards

1. any of various games in which long cues are used to drive balls now made of composition or plastic. It is played on a rectangular table covered with a smooth tight-fitting cloth and having raised cushioned edges 2. a version of this, played on a rectangular table having six pockets let into the corners and the two longer sides. Points are scored by striking one of three balls with the cue to contact the other two or one of the two
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billiards

bil·liards

billiards

bil•liards

billiards

billiards

billiards

billiards,

Bibliography

Billiards

REFERENCES

billiards

billiards

Words related to billiards

noun any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) balls

Related Words