A curling glossary

Stone (or rock): Made of 42 pounds of Scottish granite.

Curl: The way a stone “curls” into place with a highly finessed spin. Clockwise to the right; counterclockwise . . . well, take a guess.

End: Like an inning, except there are 10.

Hammer: The last shot. A huge deal in curling, it goes to the team that didn’t score.

Button: The bull’s-eye. Closest stone scores one point. If you have two stones closer than any of your opponent’s stones, you get two points, etc.

House: The green circle. You must be “in the house” to score.

Guard: A protective shot.

Takeout: A clearing shot.

Draw: A touch shot, usually aimed for “the house.”