WORD PLAY

Oche

September 22, 2017 11:00 pm | Updated 11:00 pm IST

What is it?

Pronounced ‘ockey’, it’s a term in darts for the toe-line, behind which the thrower must stand. For steel-tipped darts, it’s seven feet, nine and a quarter inches from the face of the dartboard, measured horizontally; for soft-tipped darts, it’s eight feet.

Why is it important?

It’s the first thing to be aware of when you’re playing; and the first thing you’ll be conned on if you look even the slightest bit uncertain. It’s also what makes darts so addictive: it’s just the right distance to challenge, but not dispirit, a thrower.

What’s the origin?

No one knows. What’s more, ‘oche’ wasn’t used till the 1970s! The earliest instances – from the 1930s – spelt it ‘hockey’. One theory is that it derives from the Old English word ‘hocken’, to spit, from the spitting competitions in English public houses.

Are there other origin stories?

There is this curious yarn about S. Hockey and Sons, an English brewery whose crates were apparently just the right size with which to mark out the distance. The Brewery History Society, however, has scotched the theory, saying no such brewery existed.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.