ninepins
ninepins Lexical Profile
ninepins Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A traditional bowling game in which nine wooden pins are set up in a diamond formation and bowled at with a ball.
"The historic country inn still maintains an old wooden alley in the back room where patrons gather to play ninepins."
The bottle-shaped wooden pins used as targets in the game of ninepins, often used figuratively in the phrase 'like ninepins' to describe things or people falling down rapidly one after another.
"During the sudden winter flu outbreak, members of the cast were dropping like ninepins just days before opening night."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the bowling game itself, 'ninepins' is plural in form but takes a singular verb (e.g., 'Ninepins is a traditional pub game').
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in late 16th-century English from 'nine' and 'pins', referring to the nine wooden targets arranged in a diamond pattern. According to popular American folklore, 19th-century laws banning ninepins due to gambling led players to add an extra pin, giving rise to modern ten-pin bowling.