The
Basic Lingo: and additional
slang
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All-City: To
go all over the city. The effort to cover the
most, with the best.
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Bite: To
copy another style, to take someone's style
and claim it as your own.
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Black
Book: A writers sketchbook,
sometimes referred to as a piece book.
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Blockbuster: Huge
block letters that take up an enormous amount
of space. Larger than throw-ups and used
many times to cover up another writers work.
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Bomb: The
action of doing graffiti. Painting or marking
surfaces with ink and/or paint. Putting up
your tag. ie "Jimmy is going to bomb
that wall." In these politically charged
days, this can take on a whole new meaning.
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Bombing: To
go out and write graffiti art. ie "Jimmy
is bombing that wall." Again in these
days be very careful who hears you speaking
like this.
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Bubble
Letters: Balloonish
styled letters, easily rendered, very basic.
Often used for throw-ups.
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Burner: A
full fledged piece. Fully rendered letters
with multiple color fills and backgrounds,
characters ,etc.
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End
to End: A
train painted from one end all the way
to the other. Can be done as a massive
throw up ,blockbuster, or a burner.
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Fill-in: A
throw up with a filled in center, or simply
thought of as the colored areas inside of
letter patterns.
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Flix: Pictures.
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Getting
up: The
action of going out and tagging. Sometimes
used interchangeably with "bombing".
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Going
Over: Crossing
out someone else's work with your own ,with
the idea that your work is better.
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King: The
highest compliment given to a graffiti writer.
A person who has mastered the form and established
his dominance.
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Mad: Crazy,
very advanced styles or lots...ie "Jimmy
has mad styles." or "Jimmy has
mad spray cans at the crib."
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Rack: To
steal.
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Sick: Very,
very good at technique and has great individual
style. Usually pronounced as "siiiick!" ie
Johnny has sick style. Meaning Johnny is
very good.
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Tag: A
writers signature, his "nom de plume".
For example "Scape" is my tag.
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Throw
up: Your
name in big bubble letters. Done VERY quickly...Used
primarily to simply cover space and grab
attention. Done in no more than three minutes.
Proving you were there.
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Toy: An
inexperienced writer, or a writer that
has not progressed. A term of disrespect.
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Up: A
writer that is active and has a lot of work
in circulation.
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Westside: A
common phrase shouted from many a parking lot,
designating an affiliation or allegiance to
The West Coast of the US. Was formerly a calling
for and by gangbangers of the westside of Los
Angeles. Made popular by rap records and now
tends to lean on an affiliation of all things
West Coast Hip Hop.
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Window-Down: A
piece that only goes from the windows down
on a subway car.
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Whole
Car: A
train car that is painted from top to bottom,
and end to end. Covering all available
surfaces, windows, etc.
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Writer: Someone
who practices the art of graffiti.
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