Gang Slang

GANG SLANG LEXICON – AN INVESTIGATORS GUIDE

INTRODUCTION Slang (n) 1.very casual speech, informal language. -words, expressions, and usages that are casual 2. language of exclusive group- used by a particular group of people, often deliberately created and used to exclude people outside the group - Encarta Dictionary : English

Currently, there is no definitive meaning given to the term “Gang Slang” by any recognised or accredited source. The language commonly referred to as “Urban Street language” also lacks a dictionary definition. Urban Street language is a slang version of the English language – so relaxed that it has been deemed the “language of the streets” or “street slang”. Far less common and much more complex is a codified version of “Urban Street language” that is “Gang Slang”. Many of the words, terms and phrases of “Gang Slang” have been derived from underground gangster rap or coined by members of Criminal Street Gangs. Because gangs and gang members intermingle and conduct business with their associates, the codified language gang members use amongst their own group becomes learned and adopted in criminal street gang sub-culture and occasionally in the streets. The need for a gang member to understand and speak this codified language is simple. Criminal street gangs or organized crime groups engage in illegal criminal activity. It is essential that in order to conduct business such as drug and firearm trafficking, the planning of assaults, homicides and armed robberies, members of these groups engage in dialogue about these activities. Organized criminal street gangs have become increasingly aware of the intricate investigative tools employed by law enforcement agencies. Wiretap authorizations and undercover operations are examples of complex investigations that are now required to infiltrate and prosecute these criminal groups. Armed with this knowledge, gang members and their associates utilize codified language for the purpose of avoiding detection by anyone including law enforcement intent on disrupting their business.

Project Brazen - Detective Gavin Jansz #5330


GANG RELATED TERMINOLOGY Associated Terms 1. General Criminal Activity

- involving a type of activity, usually criminal in nature when conversation is guarded

flex eg. I got a customer coming in for a $20 flex makin a move We’re making a move for some weed. mission You must complete three missions before becoming a full CRIP. puttin in work 24/7 I’m putting in work for the crew. 2. Carrying a Firearm – terms associated with carrying a firearm holding eg. All my little soldiers is holding…we got the block on lock down. strapped 24/7 I’m stayin’ strapped, Can’t trust no one. walking hard Don’t beef with GTF man dem. All of dem walking hard. walking heavy The boy dem lookin for any soldiers walking heavy 3. Snitching (in terms of degrees)– a.k.a. as ratting, calling out, fink, singing, chirping, and beaksing ratting 1st degree – (v) going out of your way to actually tell someone - regardless of being questioned  “Calling out someone’s name” nd

ratting 2 degree – (v) to indirectly rat someone out, i.e. questioning someone’s actions out loud  “Why are you hitting me?” Someone overhears but “snitch” hasn’t directly told anyone rd

ratting 3 degree – (v) inaction or refusing to deny allegations about another, an indication of accused’s guilt by 3rd party silence  no denial or contradiction to allegations of accused’s guilt

4. Associated with Violence bedtime / bedtime story – (v) to murder  When I get ammo, it’s gonna be bedtime for him. bust / bust up – (v) to shoot (bust off)  I’m gonna bust a cap in his head. fling down – (v) 1. to shoot / shot 2. to cause injury  He took out a knife and fling down a man. jack – (v) rob / steal  The liquor shop got jacked twice today. murk / murked –(v) to kill / murder(ed) picked up – (v) to die shank – (v) 1. to stab with a knife or sharp object (n) 2. homemade sharp pointed or edged weapon touch / touched / touched up – (v) to shoot / to be shot / to be wounded wet / wet up – (v) to shoot / the act of discharging a firearm wet shirt thing – (n) a shooting Project Brazen - Detective Gavin Jansz #5330

GANG SLANG LEXICON – AN INVESTIGATORS GUIDE GANG RELATED TERMINOLOGY

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B.G. – (n) y oung gangster (stands for baby gangstger) B/K – (n) Blood Killer babylon – (n) the power structure; the police bait / baiting things up – (v) drawing attention to baller – (n) gang member making money (high roller) and who is good with the ladies; drug dealer who controls the bulk of the drug deals and profits ballin’ – (adj) having it all bang – (v) to fight, to kill; to be involved in gang activity banger – (n) a gang member, someone associated with gangs and murder

banging – (v) gang activities; fighting or violence base / block – (n) specific location used by a criminal street gang for meetings, storing illegal / prohibited products usually within the gangs turf or neighbourhood be down – (adj) member in good standing beakage – (v) express a story / information by word of mouth (beak refers to mouth) beast – (n) police beat grains – (v) act of shooting beat in – (n) common initiation ritual where a recruit must fight a specified number of gang members for a pre-determined amount of time (15-60 seconds); the assault is intended to gauge the prospective member’s toughness and willingness to endure pain for the group beat it / beating it up – (v) act of discharging a firearm / shooting beat off / beat – (v) shooting beat one – (v) one shot from a firearm beaten out – (v) to be released from a group, may involve the physical assault by others *uncommon beef – (n) crime; infraction; argument or discrepancy between individuals or groups big / bigger mans – (n) members of criminal street gangs that have seniority and status above younger members bills / buildings – (n) units of money in $100’s bird – (n) a person people don’t like because of immature behaviour and getting into other people’s business, like talking big (foolish) and ratting others out bite / booked / hitched – (v) getting arrested blizzock – (n) block box – (v) the action of striking or assaulting boy / po po / heat / feds - (n) police boy dem (from Patois) / boy them – (n) police (derogatory term) brand new sweater – (n) good quality bullet proof vest building – (n) bill (hundred) bummy – (n) feeling upset / angry i.e. bummed out



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bussing (shots) – (v) firing shots – e.g. bussing two-two’s at him butt – (n) butt of a firearm carrying weight – (v) trafficking a large volume of drugs cheese – (n) money chop – (v) sale of material goods, or drugs clapping – (v) shooting a firearm clique – (n) a smaller group within a larger criminal street gang also known as a crew cocked the machine – (v) the action of exposing a firearm to be fired come on road – (v) go outside in the street cop / copping it / cop it – (v)get, purchase or buy something crew – (n) members of a criminal street gang crib / bizzaze / gates / – (n) an individual’s house / home / residence criss – (adj) ok, everything is fine custy – (n) a customer d’ees – (n) detectives deal with his case – (v) delivering a penalty for an infraction dicks – (n) police – specifically Detectives deeks – (n) dimes = $10 dime – (n) a girl or $10 dip / dipset – (v) to leave or get out dirty – (adj) criminal acts dirty – (n) illegal items usually firearms, can also refer to a firearm that has been used in a shooting / homicide d low – (n) down low – information keep quiet or close to particular group / people drama – (n) story drapes – (v) the action of confronting another with aggression including verbal and / or physical assault dropping dimes – (v) providing information to the police d.t. – (n) downtown ducats – (n) money eat / eating / jook - (v) robbery eat em / eat a food - (v) robbery of drugs or a person ends – (n) refers to being on gang turf / territory, can also refer to a neighbourhood everything can happen – (n) anything can happen fake chops – (n) fake drug / gun sales for purpose of robbing the purchaser fams / family – (n) close relationship between members in criminal street gangs / refer to fellow members as family feds – (n) police



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first – (n) 1st degree murder five-o-five boys / streetcar – (n) police i.e. here comes the 505 streetcar flipping – (v) action of robbing and selling / reselling food – (n) in robberies, can include anything of value freshie – (adj) someone new to the country from any island full touchdown – (v) complete the shooting task – murder G / G note / gino / note – (n) a thousand dollars (grand) G code – (n) the gangster code of silence G’s – (n) a gang member / gangster general – (n) leader of a group within the structure of a criminal street gang get / got me dirty – (v) caught with illegal items / substance greazy – (adv) behaviour that is dirty, immoral, unsavoury, usually criminal in nature green boy – (n) $20 bill grilling – (v) posturing aggressively, a hard, aggressive stare, similar to “mad doggin” or “screwface” grimey – (adj) nasty grizzind – (v) grind have it up – (v) to be armed and ready to shoot head busters – (v) shooting someone in the head (n) killers / hitmen / enforcers heat – (n) attention / or causing attention to the police heatbag – (adj) someone who attracts attention holding down – (v) ability to manage or control Criminal activity in relation to gang turf / gang controlled territory holler – (v) to call, greeting homi – (n) homicide hood is talking – (v) people in the neighbourhood / turf are talking in general or to the police or openly discussing I only have a full – (n) only having one full revolution of shots, full clip jakes – (n) police jook – (v) to rob keep’n it grimy / gully – (v) repp’n the hood, loyalty to the gang kick away the football – (v) disposing of a firearm kick off the house – (v) police executing a forced entry or describing the execution of a search warrant kicking it up – (v) causing a commotion / disturbance knocked – (v) got arrested leaving footprints – (adv) leaving your mark to make a statement or leave an impression about the criminal activity let it off - (v) discharging / shooting a round of ammunition



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lick – (v) the action of hitting or striking, also shot lick him out – (v) shooting someone dead lick one – (v) shooting a round of ammunition line / liline – (n) telephone line up – (v) arrange, set up, facilitate link – (v) contact via telephone links – (n) contacts or suppliers of goods little men – (n) younger members of a criminal street gang – also derogatory to describe members of rival gangs mad greazy – (adj) very dirty, nasty, generally bad or negative, can also refer to an individual’s behaviour or actions man dem (from Patois) – (n) a fellow member of a criminal street gang or associate gang men – (n) members / associates of a criminal street gang big mens– (n) senior or ranking members of a criminal street gangs moss – (n) hide (normally used in the context of incriminating evidence) moving deep – (adj) gang movement / activity in numbers moving greazy – (adv) dirty (filthy), slippery (sly) and suspicious behaviour (actions), is also paralleled to criminal activity moving militant – (adj) characterization in the term of militant soldier, the role of enforcers within a criminal street gang my mom’s end – (n) area where the mother resides, may be a gang turf, but can also simply refer to the turf she resides in my team – (n) a person’s street gang, crew, clique nizza – (n) n*gga not clean – (n) an unclean police record, used in criminal activity i.e. firearm on house – (n) house arrest one – (n) everything is ok (v) bye phizzone – (n) phone pop off / let off – (v) fire shots push it – (v) act of selling material goods ray, ray, ray – (n) blah, blah, blah, a term used in place of “and so on”, also used if the speaker is attempting to limit revealing information about a particular topic, yet hopes the person he is speaking to understands what is being said recent come out – (v) being released from jail road – (adj) to be out of custody rock a jaw – (v) assault at varying levels roll proper – (n) conducting business / criminal activity while being armed with a firearm roll with me – (v) belonging to my gang (crew)



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rolling deep – (n) large number of gang members moving in a group rolling heavy – (v) carrying a firearm while on the move rub him – (n) assault safehouse – (n) a location unknown to police used as a hideout and / or to store illegal goods show – (v) tell, inform or advise sitting on their shoes – (v) not using their firearms soft – (adj) wimpy, weak soldiers – (n) members of a criminal street gang spitting out his grill – (v) talking / providing information squashed – (v) to be finished, over squeeze – (v) the act of discharging a firearm by squeezing the trigger squillers / scrilla – (n) money standing six / six – (v) acting as a lookout suck him – (v) being apprehended or confronted by force suck it / suck – (n) robbery suck off – (v) to get taken sucked off – (v) taken off the streets (i.e.boy dem suck off a man dem) sweep that two shoes – (v) take / steal two firearms takin’ it dry – (adv) letting someone treat you badly / screw you over team – (n) a crew – clique – or subset of a criminal street gang touch inside – (v) to go to jail touch road – (v) to get out of jail touchdown – (v) shoot down or murder tracey – (n) police as in Dick Tracey t-shirt – (n) bullet proof vest turf – (n) territory claimed by a criminal street gang undees / uc’s – (n) undercover police Versace – (n) a Criminal organization weed man’s house – (n) a marihuana growers / distributors property – often found to be a marihuana grow operation

whip / vehics (sounds like leeks) – (n) a motor vehicle / car whole of them – (n) all of them win the game – (v) to complete the task yard / yardie– (n) an individual’s residence / Jamaica (back home) you done know – (v) you already know you n*ggers better stand – (v) advising crew they must stand up and rise to whatever zeen – (v) seen ? i.e. do you understand ?



FIREARMS RELATED TERMINOLOGY GENERAL TYPES 9th floor – (n) a firearm 9th o’clock – (n) a firearm big things – (n) large calibre i.e. 45 cal or 357 cal biggest shoe - (n) largest calibre firearm burner – (n) firearm cassette – (n) firearm cd – (n) firearm drill – (n) firearm dummy – (n) malfunctioning / broken firearm fizzie – (n) firearm football – (n) firearm gat gauge – (n) shotgun girl / girlfriend / bitch – (n) specific firearms hammer hand / hand burner / hand thing – (n) hand gun heater / heat – (n) firearm juby – (n) gun or girl kizzy – (n) firearm little ones – (n) small calibre i.e. 22 cal mach / mash / mosh – (n) machine gun or generally a firearm machine / chine / mach – (n) firearm matic – (n) automatic or semi-automatic firearm one / two size down – (n) one or two calibres down in size from the largest calibre piece pumps – (n) shotgun resolve – (n) firearm shoes – (n) firearms shottie – (n) shotgun six-spinner – (n) six chambered revolver sixteen shooter – (n) a firearm capable of storing and discharging sixteen rounds of ammunition snub – (n) snub nose revolver snubby – (n) short barrelled firearm snuggy – (n) firearm spinner – (n) revolver


GANG SLANG LEXICON – AN INVESTIGATORS GUIDE GENERAL TYPES

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spitter / spitta – (n) auto / semi-auto action firearm – usually a machine pistol/ak47 etc strap streetsweeper – (n) high capacity / Rapid fire strizzie suzy wong – (n) firearm (possibly Smith &Wesson) thing / ting / brand new thing – (n) firearm tool – (n) firearm twin – (n) shotgun video / video game – (n) firearm whore – (n) firearm wife / wifey – (n) firearm

SPECIFIC to MAKE / MODEL / CALIBRE 12 o’clock / 12 cents – (n) 12 gauge shotgun ak – (n) AK 47 beretta – (n) brand name beretta firearm bird – (n) desert eagle firearm browns / browning / brown skin / brown girl – (n) browning firearm deuce deuce – (n) .22 cal eagles – (n) desert eagle (all calibres) eighty – (n) .380 rifle fifth – (n) .45 cal fiftharoo - (n) .45 cal fifty-seven – (n) .357 cal five seven / seven shooter - seven chambered .357 cal revolver five-seven - (n) .357 cal fo fo – (n) .44 cal forty – (n) .40 cal four / four zero / four point zero - (n) .40 cal four fifth - (n) .45 cal four five - (n) .45 cal four fizzle / forty five - (n) .45 cal four four / double four - (n) .44 cal four O - (n) .40 cal


GANG SLANG LEXICON – AN INVESTIGATORS GUIDE MAKE / MODEL / CALIBRE continued… fours - (n) .40 cal g-lock – (n) glock heather / hector – (n) brand name heckler & koch firearm lock – (n) glock luger – (n) brand name luger firearm mac – (n) MAC 10 nina – (n) .9 mm nine - (n) .9 mm nine o’clock - (n) .9 mm nino / neeno - (n) .9 mm nizine - (n) .9 mm nizzle - (n) .9 mm nizzy / nizi - (n) .9 mm number five - (n) .45 cal plastic – (n) glock pistol plastic hammers - (n) glock remington – (n) brand name remington firearm ruger – (n) firearm specifically of the make seven - (n) .357 cal sixteen – (n) m16 smith & wesson – (n) brand name smith & wesson firearm sniper thing – (n) sniper rifle state – (n) .45 cal (as in state trooper) tech / tek – (n) tech 9 ten – (n) mac-10 firearm three finger deuce / three deuce / three two – (n) .32 cal three odd odd - (n) .357 cal three zero – (n) .30 cal three-eight – (n) .38 cal trey-deuce – (n) .32 cal twelve / twelve gauge – (n) 12 gauge shotgun twenty-five cents – (n) .25 cal twins / two deuce / deucy - (n) .22 cal two two - (n) .22 cal ultra – (n) brand name ultra firearm walter – (n) brand name walther firearm



AMMUNITION GENERAL TERMS boxes – (n) box of ammunition charger – (n) ammunition or a clip clizzy / clizzip – (n) clip or magazine for a firearm copper heads – (n) copper tipped bullets copper tip – (n) ammunition eight boxes of food – (n) ammunition ordered in boxes (one box = 50 rounds) food / food for ting – (n) bullets / ammunition grains – (n) bullets / ammunition hollow / hallow point / hawks – (n) black Talon hollow point ammunition holls for nizzy – (n) hollow point .9 mm ammunition klizzy – (n) clip laces – (n) bullets ninos – (n) .9 mm ammunition nizi hollows – (n) .9 mm hollow point ammunition nizzy - (n) .9 mm ammunition pebbles – (n) ammunition rice – (n) ammunition shoelace - (n) bullets / ammunition silver heads – (n) lead tipped bullets sleeve – (n) magazine clip teeth – (n) bullets / ammunition those things – (n) ammunition three-eight hollows – (n) .38 cal hollow point ammunition three-eights – (n) .38 cal ammunition



ILLICIT DRUG TERMINOLOGY DRUG TERMS ‘dro – (n) hydroponic marihuana - chinese drizzo – (n) hydroponic drugs cess – (n) marihuana chron – (n) chronic – drugs chronic – (n) mixture of cocaine and hydroponic marihuana corn – (n ) crack (kernels) E – (n) ecstacy food – (n) typically used to describe crack cocaine/ drugs / marihuana grades – (n) describing high grade marihuana, weed usually meaning better than “DRO” grains / greens – (n) marihuana hard – (n) crack cocaine high grade – (n) good quality marihuana (high level of THC) ice cream – (n) cocaine snow – (n) powder cocaine soft – (n) powder cocaine trees – (n) marihuana uncut – (n) uncut cocaine yard-cess – (n) natural grown higher quality

TERMS ASSOCIATED TO DRUG TRAFFICKING ball – (n) 3.50 grams / 1/8 oz bird – (n) package cocaine (usually one bird = 1 kilogram of cocaine) brick – (n) kilogram of cocaine carrying weight – (v) trafficking a large amount of drugs chicken / ½ chicken – (n) small quantities chippin / chippin off – (v) selling crack cocaine choppin / chops – (v) selling crack cocaine cook / chef up – (v) process by which powder cocaine is cooked to form crack cocaine cuban – (n) quarter pound of drugs custie – (n) drug customer deego – (n) $10 worth of drugs eat him food – (v) rob for his drugs fiend – (n) crack cocaine user Project Brazen - Detective Gavin Jansz #5330


ASSOCIATED TO DRUG TRAFFICKING continued… key / ki – (n) kilogram of cocaine lb / elbow – (n) weights nine pack – (n) quarter kilogram of cocaine onion – (n) ounce oz - (n) ounce P – (n) pound QP – (n) quarter pound / cube weight – (n) large quantity / pounds (weed)

* These terms must be analysed in the context of the conversation to truly define the use of the word or phrase relating to criminal activity.


Gang Slang

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