curling

American  

[kur-ling] / ˈkɜr lɪŋ /

noun

1. a game played on ice in which two teams of four players each compete in sliding curling stones toward a mark in the center of a circular target.

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curling British  

/ ˈkɜːlɪŋ /

noun

1. a game played on ice, esp in Scotland and Canada, in which heavy stones with handles ( curling stones ) are slid towards a target ( tee )

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Usage

What is curling? Curling is a sport, played on ice, that involves trying to slide a heavy round stone object (called a curling stone) to the center of a target area on the ice.It is typically played by two four-player teams. Teams take turns sliding stones (which have a handle and are usually made of granite) toward the circular target area (the area is known as the house and its center is known as the button or the tee). Points are scored by the team that gets a stone closest to the button. Any other stones that are closer than the opposing team’s closest stone also result in points.During each turn, one player slides a stone down the ice while up to three of the other players on the team slide along with the stone while attempting to manipulate its speed and direction by sweeping the ice in its path with broomlike brushes. Sweeping the ice helps the stone to travel farther and straighter.Strategy involves not only placing one’s own stones, but also knocking away opponent’s stones.Curling matches, sometimes called bonspiels, consist of multiple rounds, with multiple stone slides from each team during each round.Curling is an event in the Winter Olympics. Wheelchair curling is an event in the Paralympic Winter Games. Curling is especially popular in Scotland, Canada, and some Scandinavian countries.Example: The Winter Olympics are coming up, which means I’ll be watching a lot of curling.

Etymology

Origin of curling

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps curl + -ing ¹, from the motion imparted to the sliding stones

Example Sentences

Roy Sinclair:, external He won curling silver at the Men's World Championship in 1976 before becoming a successful administrator, rising to be president of the World Curling Federation.

From BBC

Shaw had 13 touches in the opposition box and five shots on target - scoring four of them and hitting the post with an audacious curling effort in the second half.

From BBC

The visitors pushed Atletico back for large swathes of the first half and Dimarco came close again with a curling effort which just flew wide of the top corner.

From Barron's

Her hair is frizzled, with stray strands curling upward.

From Literature

“Tonight could well be the last night of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females,” she thought, curling into a ball.

From Literature

Related Words

• crooked
• curved
• meandering
• sinuous
• twisting
• winding