Chinese eight-ball

noun

A pocket billiards game for two players, combining the play of eight-ball (except by shooting object balls into the cue ball instead of the other way round) with the shooting style of carom billiards games.

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Meanings

nounChinese eight-ball (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA pocket billiards game for two players, combining the play of eight-ball (except by shooting object balls into the cue ball instead of the other way round) with the shooting style of carom billiards games.

Origin

The game is of American origin, and probably takes its name from the fanciful notion that things might be done backwards on the other side of the world (compare Chinese fire drill).

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Cite this entry
APA

Chinese eight-ball. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20eight-ball

MLA

“Chinese eight-ball.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20eight-ball. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chinese eight-ball,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20eight-ball.

Source: Chinese eight-ball on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.