Published May 13, 2022
If it interests you to know more about how prisoners communicate and the most common terminology they use, we have created a prison slang dictionary to help you understand what they are saying.
Prison Slang Dictionary
Some prison slang has explicit themes and language. If you’re under 18y/o, ask permission from your parent or guardian before you begin reading this material.
A
AB — Aryan Brotherhood. A well-known white supremacist gang.
AGITATOR — Those who go out to start fights for sheer enjoyment.
ALL DAY — Life sentence.
ALL DAY AND A NIGHT — Life sentence with no parole.
B
BATS — Cigarettes.
BACK DOOR PAROLE — Dying in prison.
BB FILLER — Body Bag Filler; a very sick prisoner.
BEAN SLOT — The jail cell door food delivery slot.
BID — Prison sentence.
BINKY — A homemade syringe made out of an eyedropper, a guitar string, and a pen shaft.
BLUES — Prison outfit.
BO-BOS — Prison-issued sneakers.
BOOKS — 1. Stamps. In some facilities, books of stamps are utilized as cash. 2. An inmate’s trust account, state-held money for commissary purchases.
BOSS — Officers working as guards.
BRAKE FLUID — Psychiatric medications.
BROGANS — State-issued work boots.
BROWNIES — Kitchen workers who often wear brown outfits.
BULLET — A year of a prison sentence.
BUNDLE — A small package with drugs or tobacco.
BUNKIE — A cell roommate.
BUCK ROGERS TIME — A prison sentence with parole far in the future.
C
CADILLAC — Coffee with cream and sugar; an inmate’s bunk.
CADILLAC JOB — A coveted work assignment.
CAGE — A prison cell.
CALLING THE COPS — To attract the attention of prison guards.
CAR — A prison clique.
CATCH A RIDE — To get high from a friend’s drugs.
CATCHING THE CHAIN — An inmate in the process of leaving the jail.
CELLIE — A cellmate.
CELL WARRIOR — An inmate who only acts tough when locked in his cell.
CHALK — Moonshine.
CHATTED OUT — Those who lost their mind in prison.
CHIN CHECK — Punching someone in the jaw to see if he’ll fight back.
CHOKE SANDWICH — A peanut butter sandwich.
CHOMO — A Child Molester.
CHOW — A prison meal.
CHRONIC — Chronic Discipline Unit.
CLAVO — Dangerous contraband.
C/O — A correctional officer. A guard.
COWBOY — A correctional officer new on the job.
CROSSED OUT — An unfair removal.
CTQ — Confined to Quarters.
D
DANCE ON THE BLACKTOP — Getting stabbed.
DAP — A prison greeting.
DIAPER SNIPER — An accused of child molestation.
DING WING — A mental health ward.
DIME — A 10-year prison sentence.
DINNER AND A SHOW — When inmates fight while other inmates eat in the food hall.
DOBIE — A biscuit.
DOING THE DUTCH — Suicide.
DOTTED UP — An inmate having tattoos.
DROP A SLIP — Snitch on other inmates by reporting them in writing and then placing them in the same box as other requests for assistance.
DROPPED — When a guard has to forcibly tackle a prison to the ground to restrain them.
DRY SNITCHING — Ratting out another inmate by talking loudly about their bad behavior in front of prison staff.
DUCK — A correctional officer who is know to be gullible, easily bribed, and may help smuggle in contraband.
DUMP TRUCK — An overweight and lazy inmate.
E
EDUCATION — The place for prisoners can take college classes or GED, use a typewriter, make photocopies, go to the library, or check out books.
ERASERS — Pieces of processed chicken.
EYEBALL — When someone is staring at you or your things, they are said to be “eyeballing” you. Likely with nefarious intent.
F
FAIR ONE — A fair fight without any weapons.
FIEND — A person who’s addicted to something, whether it be drugs, sex, food, or another vice.
FISH — The term used for new prisoners.
FISHING LINE — Usually made from torn strings or sheets and used to pass contraband into other cells.
FISHING POLE — Made from rolled-up paper, with a piece of a paper clip at one end. It is used to collect items from the runs in front of their cells.
FLICK — A photograph or picture taken from a magazine.
FRESH MEAT — A delivery of new inmates into the prison.
FREQUENT FLIER — Someone who is regularly incarcerated.
FUNKY — An inmate who does not bathe and often smells.
G
GEN POP — General Population inmates.
GETTING BUZZED — Getting a prison tattoo.
GOING PSYCH — Severe mental illness.
GOT A BODY — To have killed someone.
GRAPES — Information or gossip.
GREEN LIGHT — Permission to kill a person or gang affiliate on sight.
GUMP — A homosexual inmate.
GUNNING — Masturbating in front of a correctional officer.
H
HEAT WAVE — The attention to a group of inmates, often for doing something wrong (fighting or contraband).
HIGH CLASS — Another term for Hepatitis C.
HOE CHECK — A communal beating given to prisoners to see if they will stand up for themselves.
HOLE, (THE) — Another term for solitary confinement.
HOOCH — A homemade, fermented alcoholic drink.
HOOP — To hide contraband in a bodily cavity.
HOT ONE — A term for a murder charge.
HOT WATER — A prison guard is nearby; a warning to stop inappropriate behavior.
HOUSE — A prison cell.
I
IN THE CUT — Hiding in a hidden area, away from surveillance cameras and the eyes of the guards.
IRON PILE — Weightlifting equipment.
J
JACK BOOK — Any magazine containing pictures of women. Doesn’t necessarily have to be pornography.
JAIL — A verb meaning to do time correctly and competently without getting in trouble.
J-CAT — An inmate with mental issues.
JIT OR JITTERBUG — A young, loud, disliked inmate who causes trouble with gossip.
JODY — A person who is sleeping with a prisoner’s wife/girlfriend outside of the prison.
JUICE CARD — An inmate’s influence on guards or other prisoners.
JUNE BUG — A weak prisoner considered to be a slave to other inmates.
K
KEISTER — To smuggle firearm or contraband inside one’s anus.
KICKSTAND — Another term for a life sentence.
KITE — A contraband note that was written on a small piece of paper that’s folded and passed to others through secretive means.
KITTY KITTY — Term used by male inmates for a female correctional officer.
KUNG FU JOES — Poorly constructed, state-issued prison shoes.
L
LAME DUCK — A weak inmate standing in the prison yard.
LA RAZA — Unaffiliated Mexican inmates in facilities that have lots of gang activity.
LOC — “Loss of Commissary.”
LOM — “Loss of Personal Mail.”
LOR — “Loss of Recreation.”
LOV — “Loss of Visits.”
LOCKDOWN — When some kind of disturbance causes prison staff to lock all inmates in their cells indefinitely until the situation calms down.
LOCK-IN-A-SOCK — A weapon made by putting a combination lock inside of a sock and swinging it. Also known as a Slock.
L-WOP — Life without the possibility of parole.
M
MALINGER — To walk slowly.
MANDO — Short for mandatory.
MEAT WAGON — A hospital ambulance that takes sick or dead inmates out of prison.
MOFONGO — In prison, it’s a meal that’s a mixture of chips, ramen, instant rice, mackerel, pre-wrapped “sausages,” and seasoning.
MOLLY WHOPPED — To beat someone up or get beat up in a fight.
MONKEY MOUTH — A prisoner who talks a lot but who isn’t very interesting.
MONSTER, THE — Another term for HIV/AIDS.
N
NETTED UP — An inmate who experiences a mental breakdown in prison.
NEW BOOTIES — Inmates in jail for the first time.
NEWJACKS — New, inexperienced correctional officers.
NICKLE — A 5-year prison sentence.
NINJA, THE — HIV/AIDS; occasionally used to describe STDs in general.
NINJA TURTLES — Prison guards wearing a riot gear.
O
O.G. — Acronym for “original gangster.”
ON PAPER — Parole or probation.
ON THE COUNT — A warning to prisoners to get in line for an official head count.
ON THE DOOR — Preparing to leave your prison cell.
P
PAPA — A prison snack made from crushed potato chips, cheese sauce, and hot water.
PC — Protective Custody.
PERMANENT POCKET — A term for a person’s anus.
PLAYING ON ASS — Gambling when you don’t have any money.
PORCELAIN TERMITE — A prisoner who breaks their toilet/sink in the cell when they get angry.
PORCH — Small standing area outside of a person’s cell door.
PRISON POCKET — Another term for a person’s anus.
PRISON SAFE — The safest place in your cell to keep drugs, shanks, and other contraband during cell inspections and transfers.
PRISON WOLF — A straight prisoner who engages in sex with men while in prison.
PROGRAMMER — An inmate who spends most of their time attending classes and trying to grow as a person.
PRUNO — A homemade alcohol left to rot under a cot for three days made from fruit, bread, and anything with sugar.
PUMPKINS — Gang members who were initiated by beaten that their heads swelled like pumpkins. A new inmate.
Q
QUIET TIME — When the guards turn off the lights in the cells and common areas.
R
RATCHET — A common term for a nurse.
REC — Short for recreation; the one hour per day when prisoners can leave their cells.
RIDE LEG — To suck up to prison staff to get favors.
ROBOCOP — Guard who writes up every infraction, even minor ones.
ROLL CALL — 1. A gang meeting. 2. A new shift for prison staff.
ROAD DOG — Prisoners who walk the track together during recreation periods; can also mean a close friend.
ROAD KILL — Cigarette butts brought back to the facility and rerolled with toilet paper.
ROLL UP YOUR WINDOW — Asking a prison to stop eavesdropping on another prison’s conversation.
S
SANCHO — The man, your wife/girlfriend, is with outside of the prison.
SHAKEDOWN — When prison staff rips apart inmates’ cells looking for contraband.
SHANK — Homemade prison knife.
SHIV — Another term for a homemade prison knife.
SHOT CALLER — A shot caller is a high-ranking prisoner. Often the leader of a gang.
SKID-BID — A short prison sentence when the prisoner is in and out of jail so quickly that they leave skid marks.
SKIPPIES — Thin, state-issued shoes for prisoners. Essentially white Keds without laces.
SLEEP ON STEEL — Having your sheets and blankets taken away, usually due to suicide risk.
SLOCK — Another term for a lock-in-a-sock.
SLOP — Prison food consisting of a loose casserole, regularly tomato-based. Considered very insulting to prison kitchen supervisors.
SLUG — Someone who rarely leaves their prison cell.
SIX-FIVE — A verbal warning that a guard is approaching.
SPIDER MONKEY — An inmate doing a hard time.
STAINLESS-STEEL RIDE — Another term for lethal injection.
STINGER — A rigged heating element created out of metal, made to boil water.
STORE — Commissary.
STRAPPED — When someone is carrying a weapon.
STRESS BOX — Another term for a pay phone.
SUCKER DUCKER — Someone who goes out of their way to stay away from people who cause trouble.
T
TAKE FLIGHT — To attack a person using just your fists.
THREE KNEE DEEP — To stab someone so that they’re injured but not killed, often as some form of warning.
TICKET — A disciplinary report.
TICKETRON OR TICKETMASTER — A guard who is known to write many tickets or disciplinary reports.
TIME TO FEED THE WARDEN — Wanting to go to the bathroom.
TOOCHIE OR TUCHIE — Synthetic marijuana.
TUCK — To place contraband in one’s vaginal or anal cavities to smuggle it into prison.
TURTLE SUIT — A padded gown held together by Velcro used for suicide prevention.
TVP — Texturized Vegetable Protein.
U
UA — A drug test.
V
VAMPIRE — People who draw blood during a fight.
VIC — An abbreviated term for an inmate being victimized by another inmate.
VIKING — An inmate who is lazy and unwilling to keep their living space or themselves clean.
W
WOLF TICKETS — False promises.
WHAM WHAMS — Sweet treats like cookies and candy.
Y
YARD — The yard is a nickname for a fenced-in area for outdoor recreation.
Z
ZOO ZOOS — Another term for sweet treats like cookies and candy.
