In curling, “curl” is the curve that the stone makes as it travels down the ice, caused by the stone’s rotation and the way it interacts with the pebbled ice surface.

Quick meaning

  • When players say “that rock has a lot of curl ,” they mean it is bending a lot off the straight line as it slides.
  • “Curl” is created by putting a gentle spin (turn) on the stone at release; this rotation makes the stone follow a curved path instead of going straight.
  • Sweepers can affect how much it curls: more sweeping usually makes it travel farther and straighter, with less curl.

How players use the word

You’ll hear “curl” used in a few related ways:

  • As a noun: “There’s about four feet of curl on this sheet,” meaning the stone will move sideways roughly that much over its travel.
  • As a verb: “Let it curl ” or “it’s starting to curl ,” meaning the rock is beginning to bend toward the broom target.
  • As a synonym for “turn” in some explanations: the “turn, handle, or curl” is the rotation of the stone that creates the curved trajectory.

Why curl matters in the game

  • Curl lets teams “bend” rocks around guards to hide behind other stones, which is key to curling strategy.
  • Different ice conditions have different amounts of curl, so teams spend early ends “reading” how much the stones move.
  • Knowing the expected curl is how the skip decides where to put the broom and what turn (in-turn or out-turn) to call.

In short, “curl” in curling is all about how and how much the stone curves as it slides, not about its speed or score.