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Skateboard Lingo
(sources: http://finalhourskate.tripod.com/skatedictionary.html | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEJ1JQtO_yo )
360 Flip / 3 flip / Trey flip
A trick that consists of a kickflip combined with a 360 pop shuvit.
5-0 (Five-O) grind
A grind on the back truck, with the nose pointing up and forward.
ABEC
A universal unit of measurement for the precision that bearing surfaces are honed to; bearings used for skateboarding range from ABEC 1, the least precise, to ABEC 7, the most precise, though some skateboard bearing manufacturers do not give their bearings a rating.
Air
To air means to jump or ollie, usually off of a ramp; Tony Hawk aired over a police car in Police Academy 3.
Airwalk
This trick can be done with or without grabbing the nose; once in the air the front foot is kicked out and the back foot is kicked back so they are in a walking type position.
Alley-oop
A spinning trick on transition that entails spinning to the right while airing to the left, or vice versa.
Am (amateur)
Everyone who is not a pro.
Anchor grind
A grind on the front truck, with the tail pointing back, down, and away from the obstacle.
Axle
The pin, threaded on both sides, that rests in the hanger and that the wheels are mounted to.
Axle Nut
The nut that screws on to the axle, holding the wheel against the outside of the hanger; it is a 1/2" hex.
Axle Slip
The act of your axle slipping one way or another inside the hanger, causing one wheel to lock up; axle slip can be caused by landing primo, though some truck manufacturers guarantee no axle slip.
Backside grab / Melongrab / Melancholy / Mosquito
Grabbing heel edge with your front hand while airing forward or backside.
Bank
Any incline used for riding up, completing a trick, and riding back down.
Barley grind
An ollie 180 to switch smith grind *Named after Donny Barley.
Baseplate
Aside from the hanger, it is the other main piece of the truck, used for mounting the truck to the deck.
Bearing
Skateboard bearings come in a standard size, various precisions, and have 7 or 8 balls enclosed in races between two shields, some of which are removable; one skateboard wheel takes two bearings.
Bearing Spacers
Thick washers placed between the two bearings of a wheel.
Beni-Hana
A grab in which, after the ollie is initiated, the front foot pulls the board as far forward as possible, the back foot is left to hang in the air, and the back hand grabs the tail of the board before pulling it back under the skater's two feet.
Bigflip
A bigspin with a kickflip incorporated into the spin.
Bigspin
A trick in which the skater and his board both rotate along a vertical axis, but the skater rotates 180 as the board rotates 360 *Alfonso Rawls named this trick after its inventor, Brian Lotti. Rawls thought Lotti sounded like lottery, and since the board was spinning so much during the trick he named it after the California Lottery's Big Spin.
Bitch Slap
Grabbing right near the front wheel on the heel edge with your front hand, then pushing the tail over to the left (right if goofy foot) by crossing your back leg underneath your front leg.
Bluntslide
A slide on the tail or nose, with the respectful truck resting atop the obstacle, and the opposite end of the board pointing up and towards the obstacle.
Boardslide
A slide in which the nose is brought up over the obstacle and the board slides between the two trucks.
Body Varial
The spinning of ones body along its vertical axis while the board does not spin.
Bomb a hill
To skate down a big hill.
Bowl
A vert or miniramp with concave transition wrapping around 360 degrees, forming a bowl shape.
Burly
A big trick involving lots of potential for pain if it is not pulled off; a skater can be called burly if they are partial to these tricks (Jamie Thomas and his tricks are burly).
Bushing Cups
The cupped washers that are placed on the kingpin, one on top of the small bushing and another underneath the large one.
Bushings
Rubbery components that surround the kingpin and aid in turning.
Caballerial / Full Cab
The name given to a fakie ollie 360.
Carve
The act of making big fast turns usually in a large bowl or transition.
Casper slide
A slide in which the board is flipped for half of a kickflip, then caught with the back foot on the darkside of the tail and the front foot holding up the nose from the griptaped side of the deck, and brought down by the skater into a slide on the peak of the tail
Casperflip
A trick in which the board is flipped for half a kickflip, then caught upside down and flipped back over and spun backside 180 degrees on its vertical axis, all while in the air.
Catch
To stop the board from rotating by placing your feet back on the board while in the air.
Cess Slide
The act of sliding sideways on all four wheels while on a transition.
Chip
When a piece of wood is broken off of the deck.
Christ Air
Once in the air, go into the crucifix position, holding the board out to the side with one hand.
Complete
A skateboard composed of all the necessary components; deck, griptape, 4 wheels, two trucks, and bearings; a complete is often referred to as a board.
Convex
Describes a curve or transition arced outward.
Coping
Any grindable and slidable material attached to an obstacle for easier grinds and slides.
Crooked grind
A grind on the front truck, with the tail pointing up, back, and away from the obstacle *Originally called Dan grinds after Dan Paterka, later renamed Koston grinds after Eric, and are now called K-grinds, crooked grinds, or crooks.
Curb Cut
The transition created between the bottom of a driveway and the top of a curb that is used as a hip.
Darkslide
A slide in which the board is flipped for half a kickflip, then caught with the back foot on the darkside of the tail and the front foot on the darkside of the nose and brought down by the skater into a slide on the middle of the griptaped side of the deck.
Darkside
Your board is darkside if it is upside down; the darkside of a deck is the side that the baseplate is mounted to.
Deck
The wooden part of the skateboard assembly, made usually of hard maple.
Delamination
The result of a manufacturers defect when the plys of the deck become unglued and peel apart.
Demo
Parks and shops host demos, where pros and ams demonstrate their skateboarding.
Dildo Blades/Fruit Boots
Derogatory terms for in-line skates.
Disaster
The smacking of the center of the deck on the coping during re-entry into a quarter pipe, mini ramp, etc.
Dog Piss
Grab mute right by your front foot and kick off your back foot as if you were a dog taking a piss, hence the name.
Double set
A stairway with two sets of stairs seperated by a flat section.
Double sided ledge
A ledge that is narrower than your wheelbase, allowing for boardslides and lipslides without any wheels sliding on top of the ledge.
Drop In
The act of going from a flat platform into a steep transition.
Drop-in
Any obstacle where a skater can place his tail on the edge of said obstacle and lean forward to drop in to a transition of some kind.
Dropping!
Some skaters will yell this to prevent a collision as they drop in to a section of a crowded park.
Dual Durometer
A term used to describe a wheel made with two urethanes of different hardnesses; the core is of a hard urethane to better encase the bearing, and the outer part is softer for a smoother ride.
Durometer
The hardness of urethane used to make a wheel, measured by a number followed by a letter; ex: 98a.
Early Grab
Grabbing your board before leaving the ground or the transition.
Escalator
On some bowls, quarters, minis or vert ramps, the escalator is the part of the coping that is not parallel to the ground, but rather slopes from one height to another.
Extension
A part of a ramp where the transition extends higher than normal.
Fakie
You are skating fakie if your predominant foot is leading, and will be used to initiate a trick.
Fast plant
A trick initiated with an ollie, the back foot then planting on the ground and pushing off while the board is controlled by the front foot and some kind of grab; the trick is landed with both feet on the board.
Feeble Grind
A grind on the back truck, with the nose pointing forward, down, and toward the obstacle.
Flatbar
A rail or bar that is not sloped down stairs or an incline.
Flatbottom
Any flat surface at the bottom of a transition.
Flat ground
Skateboarding without any obstacles, with the exception of something to trick over.
Flatspots
These appear as clean spots on your dirty wheels as a result of the dirty urethane being rubbed off by the wheels sliding on some surface.
Flip
To flip your board is to make turn on its lengthwise axis, as in a kickflip or heelflip; to flip your body is to go head over heals as in a McTwist.
Fliptrick
A fliptrick is a move that involves the board spinning on any or a variety of its axes.
Focus
To break a board in half.
Footage / Footie
Skateboarding captured on tape.
Frontside flip
The name given to a frontside ollie 180 with a kickflip.
Frontside grab
An indy grab while airing frontside.
Funbox
Any variety of box (usually wooden) with grindable and slidable surfaces.
Gap
A distance between two riding surfaces which skaters ollie over, and often do other more sophisticated tricks over.
Gay Twist
A caballerial with a mute grab *Lance Mountain and Neil Blender gave this trick its name after being humble enough to call their version of a caballerial "gay".
Gnarly
Amazing, Sick, Rad.
Goofy
You are goofy footed if you normally skate with your left foot on the tail.
Grab
Using either hand to grab anywhere on the deck while in the air.
Grind
Any variety of tricks where the hanger(s) of the truck(s) grind(s) along the edge of an obstacle.
Griptape
A sandpapery sheet with strong glue on its underside, put on the top of a deck for grip and control.
Grommet / Grom
Little kid skaters.
Gyrate
see Pump
Half Cab
The name given to a fakie ollie 180.
Halfpipe / Vert Ramp
A ramp composed of a flatbottom with concave transition leading to vert on both sides.
Handrail
A rail that is down stairs or an embankment and is of at least moderate height.
Hang up
While trying to drop back in off of the coping after completing a trick, the truck that was above the coping does not clear it on the way back into the transition; this often results in a slam, but can be pulled off by some.
Hanger
The largest part of the truck, it contains the axle, pivots on the baseplate, and is used to grind on.
Hardflip
A trick consisting of a frontside 180 pop shuvit and a kickflip.
Hardware
The nuts and bolts of your skateboard.
Heelflip
The rotation of the board around its lengthwise axis as a result of kicking your front foot off the toe edge of your board.
Hip
The junction of two banks, transitions, or other riding surfaces which meet at an angle, usually anywhere from slight (300 degrees) to right (90 degrees); these angles are ridden, grinded, and flown over.
Hip ollie
An ollie off of a hip.
Hipper
A large, painful strawberry bruise on the hip which often becomes a hematoma, or a swelling of blood; avoid at all cost.
Hurricane grind
A grind starting with an ollie 180, then the back truck (which is now in front) is placed on the obstacle with the nose pointing back, down and towards the obstacle.
Impossible
This trick can be performed using either your front or back foot, and it entails wrapping the nose or tail around its respectful foot 360 degrees.
Indy grab
When either airing forward or backside, grab your toe edge with your back hand and poke your nose out.
Invert
A trick that entails getting upside down and supporting yourself on one hand, usually on the coping of a ramp, as the other hand performs a grab.
Japan
A mute grab, tweaked frontside 9090.
Jetty Ledge
A ledge that continues out laterally as an adjacent staircase or bank goes down.
Judo
Grab heel edge near the front wheel with your front hand and kick your front foot off in front of you.
K-grind
see crooked grind
Kickflip
The rotation of the board around its lengthwise axis as a result of kicking your front foot off the heeledge of your board.
Kickflip Underflip
A trick consisting of a fully rotated kickflip that is then kicked with the front foot on the dark side of the deck to send it flipping back in the same direction that it came from.
Kingpin
The bolt that holds the hanger to the baseplate.
Kingpin Nut
The nut that, on most trucks, screws on to the tip of the kingpin that sticks out through the bushings; on other trucks, the nut is held in place by a mold on the underside of the baseplate, and the kingpin is inserted down through the bushings rather than up (ex: Grind King); it is usually a 9/16" hex.
Kinked Rail
A rail that is kinked or bent, increasing its difficulty.
Land
To perform a trick successfully.
Late trick
Any trick that is executed after the board has reached its peak height in the air, or after another trick without first touching the ground.
Launch Ramp
A ramp used for launching a skater in the air.
Ledge
Any raised surface used for grinding and sliding.
Lien air
Grabbing heel edge while airing frontside *Invented by Neil Blender who said you have to lean into it, though nowadays it is spelled as Neil's first name written backwards.
Lip
The edge of any obstacle that a skateboarder rides; on ramps, the lip usually is completed with coping; on a bank or curb, the square or angled corner is the lip.
Lipslide
A slide in which the tail of the board goes up and over the obstacle and the board slides between the two trucks.
Local
A skater is local to a spot if he lives nearby and is skating it and ripping it all the time.
Lock
see Hang up
Lock in
The act of getting your board into a slide or grind position in a way that is most stable, allowing for a lengthy maneuver.
Madolly
A madonna air with no grab.
Madonna
Grab heel edge near the front wheel with your front hand and kick your front foot off behind you; this trick is often done to tail smack on the way back into the tranny Tony. Hawk himself named this one after a singer as trendy as the trick itself.
Manuel
A trick in which the skater balances his weight over the back truck, keeping the front wheels off of the ground.
Manuel Pad
Any raised surface where a skater can ollie on to one section, and drop off another; such obstacles are used for manuals and for doing tricks onto and tricks off of.
Method
Grabbing your heel edge with your front hand and pulling that edge up towards your back *named by Neil Blender who described this grab as the method for getting higher air.
Mini ramp
Similar to a halfpipe, but smaller, with mellower transition and no vert.
MM
Millimeter, the standard unit of measurement for the diameter of a wheel.
Mongo
You are mongo footed, or “pushing mongo”, if you are using your leading foot, the incorrect one, to push.
Mounting Hardware
Mounting bolts come in 1/8” increments from 7/8” up to 1 ¼” for standard setups; four are used to mount each truck, and they come in either allen or phillips head; their corresponding nuts are 3/8" hex.
Mounting Holes
The two sets of four holes drilled through your deck.
Mute
Grab your toe edge with your front hand while airing backside *named after Chris Weddle, a deaf mute known for being one of the first skaters to execute this trick.
No Comply
Any trick that entails the front foot stepping off of the board and onto the ground while the back foot initiates any of a number of tricks such as ollie, 180, pop shuvit, etc.
Nollie
An ollie off of the nose of the board rather than the tail *originated by Natas Kaupas, it is short for nose ollie or Natas ollie.
Nose
The part of the deck in front of the most forward two mounting holes which is steeper and longer than the tail.
Nose bonk
A very short nose grind involving a quick bonk of the front truck on an obstacle.
Nose grind
A grind on the front truck, with the tail pointing up and back.
Nose manual / Nose wheelie
A manual performed on the front truck rather than the back.
Nose pick
A stall in the nose grind position, usually involving an indy grab for control.
Nose slide
A slide on the nose of the deck.
Obstacle
Any object that you can incorporate into a skateboarding trick.
Old School
Used to describe a trick or skater or pretty much anything that is representative of an older, nearly outdated style.
Ollie
The basis of most other tricks, it entails using your back foot to smack the tail of your board against the ground while your front foot pulls the board up into the air. Invented by Alan Gelfand.
O-Vert
Short for over vert, a transition that goes past vert so that the face of the transition is actually facing slightly down.
Pig /Five0 /PoPo
Derogatory terms for peace officers.
Pivot grind
A trick or part of a trick where the back truck is grinding atop an obstacle for just a moment before the trick's completion.
Pivot Cup
The cup molded into the baseplate that the rounded extension that sticks out from the hanger rests and pivots in.
Play Skate
This game is also called horse; someone starts off the game by doing a trick; if they miss, it's the next person's turn to try their own trick; if they land it, everyone else has to try it and whoever misses gets an S; the winner is the last one not to spell out the full word.
Ply
A sheet of wood used to make a deck; standard decks are 7 ply, but they can range from 6 to 9 plies with varying strengths and weights.
Pole Jam
Riding up and off of a pole bent diagonally out of the ground.
Pop Shuvit
A trick in which the board is popped in the air where it rotates along its vertical axis.
Poser
Someone who poses as a skateboarder, or anyone who tries to be something they're not.
Pressure flip
Popular a few years ago, and still today with a lot of grommets, it entails putting pressure on the correct spot of the tail to make it flip around without hardly leaving the ground.
Primo
Your board is primo if it is resting on its side, axles running vertically.
Pro (professional)
A skater who is so good, companies want to put his/her name on their products.
Pro Ho
A girl who likes hanging around with pro skaters.
Pump
Flexing your legs at the right spot on a transition to build up speed.
Push
With one foot on the board, the other pushes along the ground to get speed.
Pyramid
A pyramid shaped obstacle with a flat top.
Quarterpipe (quarter)
A ramp with only one concave transition (two quarters positioned facing each other would make up a vert or mini ramp, minus the connecting flatbottom).
Rad
see gnarly
Rail
Any type of railing of any size, material, and height.
Rasta
A certain genre of skaters known for their laid back style, high ollies, dreadlocks and pot smoking abilities.
Regular
You are regular footed if you skate with your right foot on the tail.
Revert
A trick that is added on to the end of any other trick, and it means to spin one's self and the board 180 after completing the initial trick.
Ripper
A really good and consistent skater.
Riser Pads
Rubber or plastic spacers used between the baseplate and the darkside of the deck for a softer ride, to keep mounting hardware from loosening, and to prevent wheelbite.
Roastbeef
Grab your heel edge with your back hand, in front of your back leg.
Rocket air
Once in the air, putting both feet on the tail facing lengthwise and grabbing the nose with both hands, keeping one's body as straight as possible so one looks like a rocket.
Roll-in
A smooth convex transition going from a flat platform into a steep transition.
Sack it / Nut it
To land on an obstacle usually a narrow one like a handrail, right on your jewels.
Salad grind
A grind on either truck, with the opposite end of the board pointing forward, up, and towards the obstacle.
Session
Any time a group of skaters get together at a spot.
Sex Change
A body varial while doing a trick.
Shifty / 9090
Shifting your board 90 degrees, with feet still in contact with the board, then bringing it back to starting position.
Shuffle
A sidewards reentry into a transition, which is then turned fakie.
Sick
see gnarly
Skate Camp
A summer camp for skateboarders where street obstacles, ramps, bowls, and banks can be skated without hassle from cops, parents, etc.
Skate Key
Any tool made specifically for a skateboard.
Skatepark
An area, publicly or privately owned, that has a variety of obstacles designed specifically for skating, and where you are safe from tickets (unless the nazis in blue see you padless).
Skate rock
A term coined in the early eighties and made famous by Thrasher magazine, that catagorizes the bands whose members rode skateboards; could be any type of music, but is noted for its generally uptempo beats.
Slam
A hard fall.
Slappie
A grind on a ledge without ollieing.
Slide
Any trick in which any part of the deck is sliding atop an obstacle.
Slob
A mute grab while airing frontside.
Smith grind
A grind on the back truck, with the nose pointing forward, down, and away from the obstacle.
Speed Washers
Small washers placed on the axle on both sides of the wheels to limit friction.
Spin
To spin your board is to make it rotate on its vertical axis as in a pop shuvit.
Spine
A ramp consisting of two quarter pipes back to back with a narrow spine, usually coping, separating the two.
Sponsored
Having your skateboarding supported by someone or some company who gives you discounts or free product.
Sponsor me video
A video made by a kid to send in to a company to see if he has the skills to get sponsored.
Spot
Any place any where that has anything to skate.
Stalefish
Grab your heel edge with your back hand, behind your back leg.
Stall
The act of getting your board into a sliding or grinding position on an obstacle, without sliding or grinding.
Stances
The different ways you can stand on your board.
Stick
To land a trick solid and clean.
Street Course
The part of a skatepark with obstacles that mimic those found while street skating.
Street Skating
Skating which is done using only those objects or obstacles found in the urban environment.
Stress Cracks
Small lengthwise cracks on your deck that extend from the mounting holes and are a result of the stress created by the mounting hardware.
Sugarcane
Ollie and "overrotate a lipslide" so you end up grinding the back truck on cooping with the nose pointing down to the side you came from (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt4seZyxHx0)
Swellbow
When you fall on your elbow and it gets abnormally large.
Switch
You are skating switch when you are not using your predominant foot to initiate a trick.
Tail
The part of the deck in back of the furthest back two mounting holes which is shorter and more mellow than the nose.
Tail Slide
A slide on the tail of the deck.
Tail Grab
Grab your tail with your back hand.
Technical (tech)
Any trick that is usually performed on flat ground or on a fairly low ledge, that involves plenty of technical skill such as combinations of flips/spins and slides or grinds. Also, a skater can be called tech, or a tech dog, if they are partial to these types of tricks. (Daewon Song is a tech dog).
Tic Tac
To pivot left and right on your back wheels, either as a means of acceleration or to keep your balance when landing a trick off center, tic-ing and tac-ing your wheels to the ground.
Tools
To a skater, tools are any of the following: a phillips head, hex key, 3/8" wrench, 1/2" wrench, or 9/16" wrench, or anything else that can be used on a skateboard.
Topsheet
The top ply of the deck.
Tranny
Transition
Transfer
Whenever a skater transfers from one area to another; ex: from one ramp to another, approaching an obstacle from one side and riding away on the other side, etc.
Transition
Any surface for skating that is not horizontal or vertical.
Trick
A trick is any maneuver performed on a skateboard.
Triple set
see Double set, and go from there.
Truck
The axle assembly, made up of the following: hanger, baseplate, axle, kingpin, bushings, axle nuts, bushing cups, and usually speedwashers.
Tuck knee
Grabbing your toe edge right near the back wheel with your back hand and pulling the board back as you push your knees forward.
Tweak
To add style to a trick be exaggerating or contorting it.
Varial / Shuvit
The spinning of the board along its vertical axis, without popping the board in the air.
Vert
Vertical
Wallie
Getting all four wheels on a vertical wall before ollieing.
Wallride
A trick entailing riding your board on a very steep or vertical wall.
Wedge ramp
Two launch ramps, touching at one corner, with a triangle shaped platform between them.
Wheel
Skateboard wheels are made of urethane; four of them let the skateboard roll.
Wheelbite
When too much weight is applied to one side of the board, causing the darkside of the deck to touch a wheel and stop its rotation.
Wheelburn
The marks on the darkside of your deck made by wheelbite scraping the paint off the deck.