Glossary

Every term in the twin games, from biberon to tireur — the Dink & Carreau glossary of pétanque and pickleball.

B

Le biberon The kiss. When your boule comes to rest touching the cochonnet, that's a biberon — and the mène just got very interesting. La buvette / The Tailgate The game beside the game: where France and America actually govern themselves.

C

Carreau The perfect shot in pétanque: the thrown boule strikes the opponent's boule dead-on, knocks it away, and stays exactly where it was. Part physics, part theater — and the word every tireur dreams of hearing. Le Cercle The throwing circle: the ring drawn on the ground from which every pétanque player must play. Thirty-five to fifty centimeters across, both feet inside, and the whole mène starts here. Le cochonnet The little wooden target everything revolves around — and what each country claims to be aiming at.

D

The Dink and the Carreau Two signature shots, two theories of winning: the soft American placement and the decisive French strike. La donnée The throw of the jack that starts every mène. Six to ten meters, one throw, and the whole game begins with a small piece of wood. Doublette Two against two, three boules each — the most-played format in pétanque, and a small theory of friendship in three configurations.

F

Fanny Lose 13–0 and tradition demands a kiss. Two theories of losing, one painted backside.

M

Mène A single round of play — from mener, to lead. Every mène has a leader, and the lead changes hands the way power does.

P

Plombée The throw that goes up to come straight down. High, soft, and dead on arrival. Pointer / Tirer To place gently or to shoot: every policy debate is a choice between the two.

T

Terroir The great untranslatable French word: soil, climate, and know-how — and why it has no English equivalent. Tête-à-tête One against one, three boules each — the duel format of pétanque, and a small theory of solitude, responsibility, and the apéro afterward. Tir The shot. The throw that means business. Pointing is conversation; shooting is the argument.