So, you got yourself a gnarly set of custom cornhole boards, you’ve brushed up on the official rules of cornhole, and you’ve set up your boards in a prime playing spot.  

You invite some cornhole pros over to play, but...it sounds like they’re speaking a different language.

Worry not! Here at Slick Woody’s, we will be your Certified Cornhole Interpreters,* and are here to help you brush up on your cornhole terminology.

You might have all the equipment necessary to play, but now it’s time to hit the books and learn some vocabulary that’ll help you dominate the game AND dominate the conversation.

Click here to read about The 7 Most Asked Questions about Cornhole Boards

New to Cornhole?  Read about the history of this fun game

General Cornhole Terms

Ace – a bag that lands directly on the surface of the board, scoring 1 point.

Back door – a cornhole that scores overtop a blocker.

Blocker – a bag sitting in front of the hole, blocking sliders. If you were confused about this term…I’m not sure I can help you.

Cowpie – same thing as an ace.

Cornhole – a bag that lands right in the hole, scoring 3 points! Hint: you want a lot of these while playing; they look super cool and professional.

Dirty Roll Up – contrary to popular belief, not a fruit roll up that ended up on the ground. Actually, it’s a bag that hits the ground before rolling onto the board, scoring one point.

Fill – the materials inside the bag, usually corn or resin.

Hanger – when a bag lands on the rim of the hole, but doesn’t fall in. Honestly, it’s just embarrassing.

Honors – the team that gets to throw first, because they scored last the previous round.

Sally, Mary, Alice – slightly sexist terms that denote a bag that hits the ground before reaching the board. I mean, who’s to say Ron’s throws make it to the board every time? Or Mike’s? Just sayin’…

Shucker – when one player tosses a bag and knocks an opponent’s bag off the board. Probably named for the reaction that follows: “you little shucker!” Or something like that…

Skunk – when one team scores 11 points before the other team scores any.

Slider – a bag that slides into the hole, scoring 3 points! These aren’t nearly as impressive as cornholes, but still worth 3 points, so the math works out.

Wash – both teams score the same number of points in a round, so they cancel each other out. ♪This is the game that never ends; oh it goes on and on my friends…♪

Terms for Cornhole Grips  

Some of the terms you may here at cornhole soirées refer to the “hold” or grip one has on a bag before they throw it. I’ve listed some of the most common here:

Fold-over – the most basic hold, probably how most people throw the bags. Spread the bag out on your hand, then fold it over in half and toss it under-handed to the board. Pretty vanilla, but classic!

Frisbee – holding the corner of the bag in between your thumb and index finger, then slinging it Frisbee style to the boards

In Betweener – swinging the bag with both hands in between your legs, then tossing it underhanded over to the board. If you can justify looking mildly insane, it is supposedly a very accurate throw.

Jump shot – basically like shooting a basketball; hold the bag in your dominant hand, and shoot the bag over-hand with a lot of arc. Please, please, please don’t do this if you aren’t sure you’ll make it to the board. It’d be worse than an air ball…

Ahem, can’t forget one of the most important cornhole vocabulary terms basically EVERY pro is familiar with:

Slick Woody – the smooth surface of a board, that allows for an enjoyable game, and lots of those (slightly less impressive) sliders to fall into the hole. Also, happens to be the name of one the premier companies in cornhole manufacturing.

They say education is power, and you’ve just received an education on all the cornhole terms used by the professionals. Use your newfound knowledge to host the best cornhole get-togethers possible, and converse with confidence!

*Certified Cornhole Interpreter is not an actual term. Wouldn’t that be a dream job, though?