Glossary

Short meanings for the words you will meet in cubing.

+2: A two second penalty added to a solve, for example when a layer is left slightly misaligned at the end.
2-look OLL / PLL: Doing OLL or PLL in two steps instead of one, so you learn far fewer algorithms. It is the usual way to start CFOP.
Algorithm (alg): A fixed sequence of moves that does one specific job, such as turning two pieces without disturbing the rest.
Ao5, Ao12, Ao100: Average of the last 5, 12 or 100 solves. In official 5-solve averages the best and worst times are dropped.
AUF: Adjust U face: a final U turn (U, U' or U2) to line up the top layer.
Beginner method: A layer-by-layer method with few algorithms. It is slower than CFOP but a good first step.
BLD: Blindfolded solving: memorise the cube, then solve it with your eyes closed.
CFOP: The most popular speedsolving method: Cross, F2L, OLL, PLL. Also called the Fridrich method.
CLL: Corners of the last layer for a 2x2: solving the last layer in one algorithm after the first layer. There are 42 cases.
COLL: Corners of the last layer: solving the corners while keeping the edges oriented, ahead of an easy edge step.
Cross: The first step of CFOP: solving the four edges around one centre.
DNF: Did not finish. The solve is not counted as a time.
F2L: First two layers. Solved by inserting a corner and its matching edge together, four times.
FMC: Fewest Moves Challenge: one hour to find the shortest solution to a scramble on paper.
FTO: Face-Turning Octahedron: an octahedron-shaped puzzle that turns on its faces.
Inspection: The 15 seconds you get in competition to look at the cube before the timer starts.
Lookahead: Planning your next moves while still executing the current ones, so that you do not pause.
Lube: Lubricant made for cubes. It is applied in small amounts to make turning smoother or faster.
Magnetic: A cube with small magnets inside that make turns snap to place, which helps with stability.
Mo3: Mean of 3: a plain average of three solves, with nothing dropped.
Multi-Blind: Memorising and solving several cubes blindfolded in one attempt, scored by cubes solved minus cubes missed.
Notation: The letters that describe moves. R, L, U, D, F and B turn the right, left, up, down, front and back faces clockwise. An apostrophe (R') means counter-clockwise and a 2 (R2) means a half turn.
OH: One-handed solving.
OLL: Orientation of the last layer: making the whole top face one colour. There are 57 cases.
Ortega: A 2x2 method: solve one face, orient the other face, then permute both layers.
Parity: A situation on big cubes (even-sized, such as 4x4) that cannot happen on a 3x3, so a special algorithm is needed.
PB: Personal best.
Petrus: A method that builds a 2x2x2 block and then expands it.
PLL: Permutation of the last layer: moving the top pieces into place once they are oriented. There are 21 cases.
Reduction: The usual big-cube method: group centres, pair edges, then solve it like a 3x3.
Rotation: Turning the whole cube in your hands: x (like R), y (like U) or z (like F).
Roux: A method built around two 1x2x3 blocks on the sides and then the middle slice. It uses fewer moves but more intuition.
Scramble: The sequence of moves that mixes the puzzle before a solve. In competition it is randomly generated.
Slice move: A turn of a middle layer: M (between L and R), E (between U and D) or S (between F and B).
Stackmat: The pad timer used at official competitions. You rest both hands on the pads, lift them to start the timer, and tap a pad to stop it.
TPS: Turns per second: moves divided by time. A higher number means faster turning.
WCA: The World Cube Association, which runs official competitions and keeps the official records.
Wide move: A turn of two layers at once, written Rw or a lowercase letter such as r.
ZBLL: Solving the whole last layer in one algorithm when the corners are oriented. There are 472 cases.
ZZ: A method that first solves edge orientation, then the left and right layers using only R, U and L moves.