A Lucky Strike

/ Sky Blue English/
Rowans_bowling_Finsbury_Park

I went tenpin bowling for my sister’s birthday on Sunday. There’s a alleyin Finsbury Park that’s been there for donkey’s yearsand we booked a lanethere. I just go once in a blue moon so I’m very much an amateur but it’s alwaysa laugh. We put on the distinctive red and white shoes, got some drinks and paddedover to our lane. I was absolutely hopeless to begin with and the ball kept veering off into the gutter! The others were flying ahead and I was getting more and more downcast. I wasn’t set on winning but I did want to get a few pinsdown. I just didn’t seem to have the knackbut I kept trying to tweak my technique. Suddenly, I scoreda strikeand I heard a huge cheer from behind me. Yeah - It felt great!

Glossary

1. tenpin bowling (noun)
A game in which you roll a heavy ball along the ground in an attempt to knock over some objects.
2. an alley (noun) 
A bowling alley is a place where you go bowling
3. for donkey's years (phrase)
For a long time
4. a lane (noun)
The long strip where your team plays in a bowling alley.
5. once in a blue moon (phrase)
When you do something very rarely
6. amateur (noun)
A beginner
7. to be a laugh (phrase)
To be good fun
8. distinctive (adjective)
Something that has a quality that makes it easy to recognise.
9. to pad (verb)
To walk somewhere quietly
10. hopeless (adj.)
Used to describe someone who isn't good at something. This adjective also has other meanings.
11. to veer off (phrasal verb)
To change direction quickly
12. gutter (noun)
The side of the bowling lane. This noun also has other meanings.
13. to fly ahead (phrasal verb)
To be winning in a game/ competition/activity
14. downcast (adj.)
To be upset/disappointed
15. set on (phrasal verb)
To really want something. This phrasal verb also has other meanings.
16. pins (noun)
The objects that you knock over (or try to!) when you are bowling. This noun also has other meanings.
17. knack (noun)
A good way of doing something
18. tweak (noun)
To slightly change something
19. to score (verb)
To get a point in a game. This verb has many other meanings.
20. a strike (verb)
When you knock all the pins (the objects) over.