The Dick tionary

The Skater's Dictionary

180
Pronounced 'one-eighty'. One Hundred and eighty degrees. Measure of rotation. Used to describe skateboarding tricks eg. 180 frontside ollie
360
Pronounced 'three-sixty'. Three hundred and sixty degrees. Measure of rotation. Used to describe skateboarding tricks eg. 360 shove-it kickflip
411
Video magazine for skateboarders. Usually released every 2 months
5-0
Pronounced 'five-oh'. Type of grind ie. 5-0 grind. Grinding with the axle of the rear truck on the edge of the object
50-50
Pronounced 'fifty-fifty'. Type of grind ie. 50-50 grind. Grinding with the axles of both trucks on the edge of the object.
A
A measurement for the hardness of skateboard wheels eg. 95A
ACIDDROP
Skating off the end of an object with ollieing or touching the board with your hands
AIR
The name given to the trick of the skateboard and skater when they leave the ground/ramp without ollieing.
AXLE
The metal rod running through the hanger on which both ends you screw on your wheels. Through time they may be known to 'slip'. This causes one wheel to be tight and the
other loose. Taping on the tight side will knock the axle back into place.
BACKSIDE
Originated from surfing, the direction in which you turn if you are travelling up a wave and turn so as you back faces the wave. Used to describe your direction of rotation in
skating. The opposite of 'frontside'.
BANK
An elevated surface. A common urban form of ramp.
BASEPLATE
The flat part of the truck that fixes to the board via four drilled holes for truck bolts. Also has an area to attach a pivot cup and kingpin, ready to attach the rest of the truck.
BEARING
The part of the board that bears the friction of movement. There should be two contained within each wheel.
BIGBROTHER
A skateboard magazine hailing from CA. Produced by Steve Rocco. With regular pictures of naked things and articles on such things as 'how to commit suicide' it continues to
offend certain people (mainly parents).
BIGSPIN
A 360 degree shoveit while turning your body 180 degrees in a backside direction.
BLUNT
Going up over an object and landing with the tail along the edge of the object and the rear two wheels on top of the object. The board should then be pointing in a near vertical
position.
BOARD
Main platform area of a skateboard. Either pro signature models or team boards. Prone to snapping with incorrect landing of skateboarding tricks. Avalible in Slick and Stain.
BONED
Pushing the board out in front and pointing downwards. Performed in mid-air.
BONELESS
Take the front foot off the board and grab the board with your hand. With you back foot still on the board jump up. Then place your front foot back on the board and remove
your hand before landing.
CASPER
With the board upside down, place the front foot underneath the board and backfoot on the tail, pointing the board into the sky.
COMP
Short for competition.
CONCAVE
The contour given to decks. The concave will dip down from the left to right and should be asymmetrical. Provides strength to the board and aids the skater when performing
tricks.
COPER
Protective covering for your truck that attaches to the hanger. Protects your truck against grinding. Pretty non-existant these days. Usually fell off with too much abuse. Not for
the hardcore.
COPING
Metal piping running along the top edge of ramps. Provides a longer life to the ramp plus aids to the range of skateboarding tricks eg. providing a grindable edge.
CURB
What coping is to ramps, is what curbs are to streets. One of the most used and abused objects on the street for skating. Painted curbs provide a smooth grindable edge, though
most can be made this way by applying common candle wax.
CUSHION
Donut shaped rubber components found on trucks. Slotted onto the kingpin. Provide steering and act as shock absorbants. Can be bought in a range of colours and hardness's.
Two are needed per truck, the one thats slightly cone shape fitting furtherest up the kingpin.
DECK
Main platform area of a skateboard. See Deck
DELAM
Damage done to a deck through skating as a layer is chipped from the plywood deck. The thin layer removed is called a 'delam' and the name is also given to the mark left where
it once resided
DISASTER
Placing the rear wheels on top of an object with the rail of the board on the edge. The front two wheels are therefore hanging off the object.
DOWNHILL
Skating as fast as you can down the steepist of hills for the greatest of adrenaline rushes. Has also developed into a seperate area of skateboarding with special boards and
techniques.
DROPIN
As the name suggests. Place your tail on the platform of a ramp with your wheels hanging over the edge ready to drop into the ramp. With your weight on the tail, gradually
move you weight forward till you end up riding down the ramp.
EMB
Embarcadero, SF, America. Once the greatest urban mecca for skateboarding. Nowadays you'll more likely end up with a fine than a good days skate.
FAKIE
Travelling backwards. If you where driving a car and put it into reverse, you would be in effect of going fakie.
FAT
Meaning high or far. Used to express a skateboarding trick that is performed over a long distance or to a great height. Also spelt Phat.
FEEBLEGRIND
Grinding with the rear truck while the front truck goes over the top of the edge of the object. Hence the board will be at a slight angle to the direction of movement.
FLIP
Developed from freestyle skating. It involves making your board turn upside down a variation of combinations. A flip is generally when it completely flips over to land back on
the wheels. Flip is also a skateboard company owned by Jeremy Fox born from a british company called Death Box.
FOCUS
Snapping the deck into two pieces. It was once 'fashionable' to do this when you became frustrated, said to be conjured up by a part of the industry who wanted people to buy
more boards by making people think it was cool to focus the board you where riding.
FREESTYLE
An area of skating that has now become part of street and vert skating. Used to be performed on low riding skinny boards. Tricks consisted of numerous balancing tricks, flips
and shove-its.
FRONTSIDE
Originated from surfing, the direction in which you turn if you are travelling up a wave and turn so as you front faces the wave. Used to describe your direction of rotation in
skating. The opposite of 'backside'.
FUNBOX
Usually the highlight of an artificial street course. A platform object with banked sides plus handrail if your lucky
GOOFY
You skate goofy if you skate with your right foot forward. The opposite of regular.
GRAB
Using your hand to 'grab' onto your board.
GRAPHICS
The art work on the bottom of a deck. It helps in telling one deck from another and usually incoporates the signature of the pro skater it is modelled for.
GRIND
Moving along the edge or on top of an object with the axles of both trucks, Variations include 50-50, 5-0, Tail, Nose, K-Grind, Smith, Sausage, Feeble and Slappy.
GRIPTAPE
A sticky back sandpaper material. Usually black but can be bought in a range of colours, even clear. It is used to cover the top of the deck (then trimmed) to enable friction and
therefore aid the skater.
HANDPLANT
A form of handstand where your board is held in the air either by a hand or feet.
HANDRAIL
Common urban feature, used for holding onto while travelling up and down stairs, though used by skaters for a whole range of tricks.
HANGER
Part of the truck. This is the part that gets most abuse. When you grind, you are grinding along the top of the hanger. Contained inside the hanger is the axle.
HEELFLIP
Flipping the board with your heel. Your front foot should move up and across the board flipping it in the opposite direction of a kickflip.
HELMET
Protective equipment for your head. Nearly always used in vert skateboarding.
HIP
When two ramps are placed together so that one is at a slight angle the the other, the part at which the ramps join is called the hip.
IMPOSSIBLE
Freestyle trick invented by Rodney Mullen. Consists of spinning the board around either foot.
INDYGRAB
Grabbing the board in front of you with the rear hand.
JAM
Getting a load of skaters together for a skateboard session.
K-GRIND
Stands for 'Crooked Grind'. Grinding along on the leading truck without having the board over the object.
KICKFLIP
Flipping the board by using the same method as you would if you were trying to kick something.
KICKTURN
Rotating on the rear wheels of the board with the front wheels raised from the surface.
KINGPIN
The bolt that holds the hanger, cushions and baseplate together of your truck. Probably the most likely part of a skateboard to snap. Very cheap to buy and even cheaper if you
get one from a hardware store
KINK
Used to describe handrails. A kink is the changing of the handrails angle. Meaning that a handrail that runs down a set of steps then goes horizontal is a two kink rail.
LAUNCHRAMP
A ramp made for skaters to launch from, hence the name. A portable street ramp. Transitioned without any vert.
LIP
The top edge of a ramp.
LIPSLIDE
Sliding along on the rails of the board with the rear wheels going over the object.
MANUAL
What people commonly call a wheelie. This is travelling along of your board balancing on the two rear wheels.
MCTWIST
540 degree backside air with a mute grab. Invented by Mike McGill.
MELLONCOLLIE
An ollie and ,while in midair, grabbing the board behind you with the leading hand.
MINIRAMP
A ramp (two transitioned banks facing each other with flat bottom and platforms) that does not have any vert. Usually around 6 feet in height.
MM
Millimetres. The standard measurement for the diameter of skateboard wheels.
NOCOMPLY
Old school street skating trick. There are many variations but the basic is to travel along with rear foot on the tail, then place the front foot on the ground and pop the board into
the air.
NOLLIE
Follows the same concepts as an ollie. While travelling along place the front foot on the nose and pop up into the air using the nose (rather than the tail in an ollie). The exact
same as a switch-stance fakie ollie.
NOSE
The part of the deck in front of the front truck. Opposite end to the 'tail'.
NOSEGRAB
Grabbing the front of the board (nose) with the leading hand.
NOSEGRIND
Grinding on the leading truck only.
NOSESLIDE
Sliding along an object using the underside of the nose.
OLLIE
Invented on ramps by Ollie Gelfand and brought to the streets by Rodney Mullen. A air without using your hands. The basis for most skateboarding tricks and the one that
should be learnt first.
PADS
Protective equipment for the kness and elbows. These are mainly used by vert skaters or for competitions with insurance worries. See Rector.
PIVOTCUP
A plastic cup that fits into the baseplate and stops the metal hanger from coming into contact with the metal baseplate.
PLATFORM
An elevated flat surface.
PLY
Short for plywood. The most commonly used material for the deck. Usually seven layer ply.
POPSHOVEIT
A shoveit mixed with an ollie. Enables shoveits to be performed higher.
PRO
A professional. Someone who gets paid by a company to skateboard. Often has his/her own signature model deck of which he/she has a percentage of all sales.
PROJECT
Probably the best skateboard site around (though I would say that). Check it out at http://www.skateboard.co.uk
QUARTERPIPE
Basically one side of a mini-ramp or vert ramp, yet usually with less width and found on street area's at skateparks. Often used for gaining speed on a street course or practising
ramp tricks.
RADLANDS
SkatePark in Northampton, England. Owned by Chris Ince. Location of a yearly major comps in the skateboarding world.
RAILS
On the underside of the board. The edges on the deck running along either side of the board between the trucks. 'Rails' used to be long thin plastic objects that where fixed to
the underside of the board but are now redundant.
RAILSLIDE
Sliding along an object on the part of your deck between the trucks. Also known as a boardslide.
RECTOR
Makers of pads, essential for vert skating...probably the best money can buy.
REGULAR
Nothing to do with how often you go to the toilet. You skate regular if you skate with your left foot forward. The opposite of goofy.
REVERT
Finishing a trick coming out forwards, then quickly sliding round 180 to come out backwards.
RIPGRIP
Thin sticky back sponge material. To be stuck onto the bottom of boards to give your fingers some grip when grabbing. A lot like dinosaurs ie. you don't see them about these
days.
RISER
Usually made from plastic or rubber. Fits between the deck and baseplate of the truck. Helps absord stress on the deck and truck. Two are needed per board.
ROCCO,STEVE
Was famous for being good at freestyle skating and the first to have a signature wheel. Owner of World Industries, Big Brother, etc.
ROCKANDROLL
Ramp Trick. Go up to the lip and push the front truck over it. Stall, then turn 180 back down the ramp.
ROLLIN
To skate along the platform of a ramp, over the lip and down onto the transitions. The part of a ramp that curves onto the platform is also called a roll-in, because of the purpose
it serves.
RUBBER
Another name for bushing. Also, the substance that makes your wheels.
SADPLANT
A variation of a handplant where your grab the inside rail and straighten your front leg.
SANTACRUZ
One of the original skateboard companies. Creaters of the 'slick' decks. Also a place in the US where the company is situated.
SAUSAGE GRIND
Grab your tail while doing a smith grind on your front truck.
SESSION
The act of skateboarding ie. you can session a ramp, have a street session, etc.
SHOEGOO
Liquid rubber that comes in tubes. Buy it then put it over the holes in your shoes and watch it harden.
SHOVEIT
Turning the board without turning your body so as the board spins round under your feet.
SIDEWALKSURFER
UK based skateboard magazine. Developed from RaD magazine.
SKATEBOARD
Sorry, dont know this one.
SKATEBOARDING
Does anyone really know what it means?
SKATECAMP
An american invention. An offshoot of Summer Camp except Skate Camp is dedicated to skaters, with comps and skate facilities at hand for everyone.
SKATEPARK
A place dedicated to skateboarding of artificial means.
SKETCHY
Just about landing tricks. Someone who lands a trick, wobbles about and generally just about lands the trick is sketchy.
SLALOM
Doing the thing that skiers do, except on hard ground with usually a dedicated skateboard.
SLAM
Its basically another word for falling off your board and hurting yourself.
SLAPPY
Doing grinds along such things as curbs without ollie-ing onto it.
SLICK
Special plastic layer fixed to the bottom of a deck supposed to aid slidding. Created by Santa Cruz skateboards.
SMITHGRIND
Grinding with the rear truck, while the front truck does not go over the top of the object but runs along the side of it. The center of the board my also be touching the edge of the
object due to the nature of the trick.
SNAKE
If your skating an object in which only a limited number of people can skate, a snake (or snaker) is the person that seems to have more goes than anyone by jumping the
naturally occuring 'queue'.
SNAKERUN
Twisting path with banked sides. Looks like a snake from above, hence the name. Popular 70's skatepark facility.
SPACER
A small hollow cylindrical object, usually made from metal, placed between two bearings inside a wheel. Used to give bearings a longer life if used correctly.
SPINE
If two ramps are put back to back and do not have a platform at the point of connection, the upside down 'V' shape is called the spine.
STALEFISHGRAB
Grabbing the board behind you with the rear hand (round the back of the rear leg).
STAIN
Normal deck without a slick bottom
STANCE
Either regular of goofy. The way in which you stand on your board. See also the art of 'switchstance'.
STOKED
The feeling of doing something well.
STREET
Most commonly used terrain of skateboarding, this has lead to the banning of skateboarding in certain area's.
SWITCHSTANCE
The art of skating the stance that you are did not learn to skate with. This means if you do tricks skating goofy, to skate switchstance you perform tricks with a regular stance
and vice-versa.
SURFING
Without it, skateboarding may not exist. Skateboards where made by surfers when the waves where too small to practise, and ramps where created to form an artificial wave.
TAIL
The part of the deck behind the rear truck. Opposite end to the 'nose'.
TAILGRAB
Grabbing the rear of the board (tail) with the rear hand.
TAILSAVER
A piece of plastic that attaches to the underside of the tail. Designed to prevent wear and tear on the tail from such activities as ollies. Very redundant these days.
TAILSLIDE
Sliding with the tail of the board upon the object and the rest of the board hanging off the object, without having gone over it.
TECHNICAL
The name given to complex skating ie.freestyle. Involves flipping and shoveit-ing your board in all manners of directions.
THRASHED
The wear and tear of an object due to skateboarding.
THRASHER
Skateboard magazine that has been running since the start of time. Loads of ads with some music thrown in for good luck.
TOSS
Such as 'product toss' or 'sticker toss'. An event usually found at sponsored competitions where products are thrown to the crowd.
TRANSITION
Part of a bank/ramp that inclines in an upward direction.
TRANSWORLD
Great skateboarding magazine known for amazing photos and quality feel.
TRUCK
Fixes to the board, and the wheels fit to the truck. Two needed (a pair) per skateboard. A complete truck is made up of a baseplate, hanger, axle, kingpin, cushions, 2 special
washers and 2 bolts for the axles.
TRUCKBOLTS
Four used per truck. Keeps the truck attached to the board.
TWEAK
To point the board in a different direction than normal.
VERT
Part of an inclined surface that is vertical in gradient.
WALLIE
Skating onto, up and over a street object.
WALLRIDE
The act of skating up a vertical wall.
WAX
Used to make objects increasingly slidy for skateboard tricks. Can be seen as a black residue on objects that have been skated after being waxed.
WHEEL
Four of these things are needed per skateboard. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, hardness and colours.
WHEELSLIDE
The technique of slowing down without putting your feet down. It is what people may commonly call a skid. Can be done frontside/backside 90/180/360/etc.
WOOD
The material used for decks. If someone refers to a deck as being a 'wood' or 'stain', it usually means that there is no 'slick' layer on it.
WRISTGUARD
Protective equipment for the wrist. A type of glove containing a plastic/metal splint running along the underside of the wrist onto the palm of the hand.