ninepins
C2informal, slightly archaic
Definition
Meaning
A game played with nine wooden pins set in a square formation, which are bowled at with a ball.
1. The pins used in the game of ninepins. 2. A situation where people or things are easily knocked down or defeated in rapid succession.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily known as a historical game and used metaphorically. The literal sense is less common than the metaphorical "like ninepins."
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The game itself is historically British/European, but both dialects use the term similarly. The metaphorical idiom 'go down/fall like ninepins' is used in both.
Connotations
Conveys an image of multiple, rapid, and almost effortless collapse.
Frequency
Low frequency in both, but slightly more common in UK English due to historical and cultural familiarity with the game.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
fall/go down like ninepinsscattered like ninepinsknock sb/sth over like ninepinsVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “fall/go down like ninepins”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Metaphorical: 'Small businesses were going down like ninepins during the recession.'
Academic
Rare, perhaps in historical or cultural studies of games.
Everyday
Mainly metaphorical idiom: 'The flu hit the office and people were dropping like ninepins.'
Technical
Not used in technical contexts.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The new policy seemed designed to ninepins the entire department structure.
- (Note: Highly rare/non-standard verb use)
American English
- (No standard verb usage in AmE)
adverb
British English
- (No standard adverb usage in BrE)
American English
- (No standard adverb usage in AmE)
adjective
British English
- The ninepins formation was traditional.
- (Note: Attributive noun use only)
American English
- (No standard adjective usage in AmE)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We played a game with ninepins.
- The children set up the ninepins in the garden and tried to bowl a ball at them.
- During the strong winds, the garden fences were falling like ninepins.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
NINE PINS standing in a square. Imagine a BALL knocking all NINE down in a row.
Conceptual Metaphor
PEOPLE/THINGS ARE NINEPINS (easily and sequentially knocked over).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation to "кегли" (kegli) which is the general term for bowling pins. The idiom "like ninepins" is best translated contextually as "одна за другой" (odna za drugoy) or "как кошки" (kak koshki) depending on context.
Common Mistakes
- Using singular 'ninepin' incorrectly. The term is almost always plural.
- Confusing it with 'ten-pin bowling', which is the modern, more common variant.
Practice
Quiz
What does the idiom 'to fall like ninepins' mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it's a predecessor. Ninepins uses nine pins in a square formation, while ten-pin bowling uses ten pins in a triangle.
Almost never. The term is used as a plural noun ('a set of ninepins') or within the fixed metaphorical idiom 'like ninepins'.
The literal term for the game is rare and historical. The metaphorical idiom 'fall/go down like ninepins' is still used, particularly in UK English, but is not high-frequency.
Skittles. In many contexts, especially British, 'skittles' is the more common name for a similar game.