In bowling, the foremost pin in the triangular arrangement that is hit first by the rolling ball; the center pin of the front row.
Compound of 'head' (front/leading) and 'pin'; bowling-specific terminology established when the sport formalized in the late 1800s.
Pro bowlers obsess over headpin angles because it's physics—hitting it at the right angle creates a 'chain reaction' that knocks down pins more efficiently!
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