curling stone

[ kur-ling stohn ]

noun

, Curling.

1. an ellipsoidal object made of polished granite, with an official weight of 38 to 44 pounds (17.2 to 20 kilograms), a top-mounted handle, and a concave bottom, leaving only the outer ring of the bottom to make contact with the ice in a game of curling:

   The rare granites used to make curling stones are quarried from only two places—a small Scottish island and a small Welsh village.

Word History and Origins

Origin of curling stone¹

First recorded in 1630–40

Example Sentences

On a tiny island in Siberia, Daanen walked in with a chunk of gouda cheese the size of a curling stone, which they ate from at every meal for a week.

From Seattle Times

Working amidst the snow-covered mountains, the scene called for the Beatles to be engaged in a good-natured curling match, when one of the film's villains substitutes a bomb for a curling stone, which blows a hole in the ice and allows the Channel Swimmer to surface.

From Salon

Each curling stone has a circumference of 36 inches and a height of 4.5 inches.

From Salon

It's worn on the slide foot and used for sliding out of the hack to deliver a curling stone down the sheet.

From Salon

Curling earned the nickname "The Roaring Game" because of the rumbling sound a curling stone makes when it's delivered and how it glides across rough ice.

From Salon