I have a community of friends that happen to have coined a rather large amount of terms and phrases. I believe they use these terms and phrases in order to feel like a more intimate group, and one that has distinguished itself from outsiders (which is why I don’t typically use these terms or phrases; that and they sound a bit contrived when I try). Some examples of the terms/phrases and their meanings…
“Tease it out” – this is a term used when one is telling someone else to use finesse when handling whatever situation/object they are currently dealing with
“Let’s talk about it” – typically used on the phone… it means to come over to the location of wherever the speaker currently is (it’s not exactly an invitation because the speaker only says this once they have established that the person is in fact coming over; however, it is not a farewell either because the speaker still says a farewell following the statement)
My friends also have a nickname for almost every person we know (except for me and my roommate Grant – this is not because they like us any less… I think it’s because Grant and I are the only two in our group that refuse to refer to these people by their nicknames and they have therefore understood that we do not want nicknames ourselves)
Some examples…
“Hot Sauce” – my roommate Jonson
“Squirley McSquabblesome” – our friend Shirley (hence the beginning)
“Diesel” – our friend Cody – it started as Codice (dice as in “niece”) and eventually transformed to “Diesel”
Most of my friends grew up together in Colorado Springs. Consequently, I do not know the origin of most of these terms and phrases, and have included the origin in the definitions of the few that I do
Apart from my friends, I also skateboard from time to time and there are many terms and phrases associated with it. However, I am only going to list the more general terms because every trick has a term itself and I do not want to list all of them. But here are some examples…
“Primo” – Primo is a position on the board in which the skater is standing on two wheels while the board is on its side… this position is sometimes purposefully incorporated into tricks, but sometimes it is an accidental position you land in when attempting flip tricks and can be incredibly dangerous and painful
“Flip tricks” – a trick that involves flipping the board perpendicularly to the ground for at least one complete rotation (different than a spin, which is when the board remains parallel to the ground throughout)
“Sketchy” – I feel like this term is used by a lot of people; however, it is used when one is making and observation or trying to discourage someone from attempting a trick that involves a potentially dangerous outcome (e.g. considering doing a trick down a 12-stair)
“12 stair” – figured I might as well explain this term next… a 12-stair is a stair set with 12 steps and any number can be placed before stair and the meaning changes accordingly
“Manual” – a trick that involves balancing the board on either the front or back trucks
“Shin-slap” – a bit more painful than it sounds… this is when you fall off your board while attempting a grind and proceed to bang your shin(s) on the ledge or rail you were grinding (can be very, very painful… I once had trouble walking for about a month because my shins swelled up so badly… you couldn’t tell where my knee-caps ended and the bruises began)
That’s about it for skateboarding, apart from the hundred or so tricks which all have unique names that I don’t care to mention.
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2 comments:
your post was very interesting. It was easy to read because of common interests. I have skated since I was very young so reading all of the terminology was familiar. I also have friends who insist on nicknaming each other. This kind of "insider language" can be fun for a bit but can easily get old. As I said I enjoyed reading your language investigation and look forward to reading more.
That was a really good post that fit the assignment perfectly. I used to skate a lot and still snowboard all the time, so I recognized the terms, and some I even used, like sketch, when describing some of my freinds' snowboard lingo. That was a great post that just flowed really well, like using twelve stair to describe sketchy, then going on to use twelve step as a word too. Can't wait to see more!
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