What's the difference between pétanque, boules, and bocce?

"Boules" is the umbrella term for the whole family of games played by throwing or rolling balls toward a target, so pétanque and bocce are both types of boules rather than rivals to it. Pétanque is the French throwing game played with 73mm hollow metal balls from a fixed circle, with players keeping both feet on the ground. Bocce is the Italian rolling game, played with larger 107mm resin balls that are bowled along a long packed-dirt court rather than thrown through the air. See our full [pétanque vs bocce comparison](/guides/petanque-vs-bocce-ball) for the complete rundown.

What does it mean to "fanny" someone in pétanque, and where does the tradition come from?

To "faire Fanny" (or "embrasser Fanny") is to lose a game 13-0, the most humiliating result possible. Tradition holds that the losing player or team must then kiss the bare buttocks of a picture, statuette, or carving of a woman named Fanny, often kept hidden in a cabinet at the club and only unveiled for this purpose. The name is traced to two rival French origin stories: a café waitress in Grand-Lemps (Isère) who consoled losers with a kiss before turning to this gesture on a mayor who lost, and, separately, a young spectator named Fanny Dubriand who watched games in Lyon's Croix-Rousse district from the 1870s onward. Most clubs today have relaxed the literal ritual into buying the winners a round of drinks instead.

What's the difference between tir au fer and rafle?

Both are shooting techniques used to knock an opponent's boule away, but they differ in trajectory. Tir au fer ("shooting at the iron") sends the boule through the air in a high arc so it strikes the target boule directly, without touching the ground first - the most prestigious and precise shooting style, and the only one that works reliably on rough, gravelly, or wet terrain. Rafle (also called raspaille or ramasse) is thrown low and rolls along the ground for part of its path before hitting the target, which is easier to learn but less reliable on uneven surfaces since a stray pebble can knock it off course.

What's the difference between a carreau and a palet?

Both describe a shooting boule that connects with its target, but a carreau is the perfect version: the shooter's boule strikes the target dead-on and, thanks to backspin, stops and stays almost exactly where the target boule had been sitting - simultaneously removing the opponent's boule and replacing it with your own. A palet is a slightly less precise version of the same shot, where the shooter's boule still hits the target and knocks it away, but comes to rest a short distance away (typically under 50cm) rather than staying dead on the spot.

Why is so much pétanque terminology still in French, even in English-speaking countries?

Pétanque in its modern form was invented in 1907 in La Ciotat, near Marseille, and the first tournament under its rules was organized there in 1910 - decades before the game spread internationally - so the vocabulary that describes its shots, positions, and traditions was already fixed in French (and Provençal) before English-speaking clubs adopted the sport. Rather than translate precise, well-established terms like carreau or tir au fer, most English-speaking players simply learned and kept the original French words, the same way tennis kept "deuce" and ballet kept its French vocabulary.

The Complete Pétanque Terminology Glossary

Whether you are playing in a sunny park in Provence or a local tournament in London, you will hear a rich and colorful language used on the court. Much of this terminology remains in its original French, which can be intimidating for newcomers.

This comprehensive glossary covers everything from basic equipment to advanced technical shots and traditional slang.

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The Complete Pétanque Terminology Glossary

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