Surf Slang (Nor Cal Surfers needed!!)

[jordandean]

Okay guys, before you disregard this understand that I am just a fellow surfer looking for help from another fellow surfer (preferably No Cal surfers) I am in the process of trying to write a paper on the dialect of surf slang within California and am trying to split the state into regions from No Cal/Cent Cal/ So Cal and am in the need of Nor Cal opinions. So this was the e mail I have sent to all the other participants of what exactly to do, but it pretty much is just a survey of seeing how many words from this list people from each region know. So if you had some time to look this over that would be awesome if not, no worries i understand life is busy for everyone. So thanks again fo simpy reading this and any help would be muchly appreciated.

OKay Guys I think I got the list down. It is compiled of about 80 words and I am hoping there are some you haven't heard. So this is all I am asking of you guys:
1. Just specify either
- Yes (for I have heard this word used in thecommunity of surfers where i reside)
- No ( I have possibley heard the word before but it is not commonly used in the surf community where i reside)
- Never (Reading this word or phrase today is the first or maybe second time I have heard this word)
So if you guys could narrow your answers down to these 3 categories it would be so helpful. Just right your answer right after the definition and try to make it noticably different, either a different color, highlighted or bold. This shouldn't take too much of your time and should actually be fun to look over all these words ands terms and realize there a lot out there that are either new of just used in specific societies. And that is precisely why I am doing this research. I want to figure out if surf slang changes as we go down the coast of California. So the second thing I need from you guys is:
2. Specify the community in which you woud say you have most knowledge in terms of surf slang. I know many of you have lived and maybe surfed all over California but try to narrow it down to one of the three, So Cal, No Cal and Central Cali. I am breaking the state into 3 parts and am currently am in need of some more Central and Northern Cali surfers the the third thing I am asking of you guys is:
Well i think thats it. When you are done if you could just attached your list with your answers that are hopefully highlighted or colorful (to help with confusion), and just e-mail it back to this address- JDJ3B872006@YAHOO.COM!!!!!!
Thanks so much guys!! You don't understand how much this helps. Good luck to you all and I hope you GROMs have some fun with this.


1. Amped: Overdoing it; excited; stoked.
2. Ankle Busters: Small waves.
3. Ace: To be alone or in a solitary state of mind.
4. Aggro: Australian word for aggressive behavior, usually in the water.
5. Bitchin: Very good; tops; excellent.
6. Babalaas: A hangover of the worst kind.
7. Bammerwee: When something is just okay, not all that good.
8. “Caught in a fish net”: When a surfer is just having a bad day and can’t seem to stay on the surf.
9. Chinese Wax Job: When you get wax on the bottom of your board. Usually being packed or stacked against another waxed board.
10. Choka: Cool, awesome, gnarly etc.
11. Clidro: Description of process by which a surfer is turning up and down the face of the wave as he/she surfs down the line. Also used to describe the technique for gaining speed as a surfer goes across the face of the wave.
12. Clucked: Afraid or intimidated by a wave.
13. Doggers: Multicolored swimming trunks.
14. Dankster- Someone usually between the ages of 13-20 who spends most of their time hanging out at surf shops.
15. Dode: Similar to “dude” but of derogatory meaning. Used when describing someone who is a poser.
16. Dick Dragger: A boogey Boarder.
17. Epic: beyond the usual or ordinary but used usually in a positive sense to describe something as cool, awesome or sweet.
18. Eskimo Roll: a technique used by surfers to get through a wave.
19. F.O.G: Fricken’ Old Guy. Would use this usually when you see the old school surfers paddling out with their longboards to basically take most of the waves.
20. Frube: A surfer who doesn’t catch a wave the whole time he is out.
21. Festy: totally wicked, sick, gruesome.
22. Firing’: Used to describe the condition of really good surf.
23. Gidget: Originally coined to indicate a female surfer of diminutive stature.
24. Grommet/Grom: A young surfer.
25. Goat Boater: A kayaker riding the surf and getting in the way.
26. Gun: A word for a surfboard that is usually long, narrow and pointy at both ends and used for big waves. Usually thick and heavy ranging from 7’ to 10’.
27. Hodad: A non-surfer, usually someone who just hangs around the beach.
28. Hanging Ten: When a surfer is surfing to far to the front of his board that his toes are hanging over the edge.
29. Hell munched: To be totally smashed by the wave during a wipeout.
30. Hella: Awesome or sweet, or some time used in the place of “really” such as “that is really sweet” would be substituted as “that is hella sweet”
31. Iced: To execute a wave perfectly
32. Jag: The rest period after a long or intense surf session.
33. Junkyard Dog: A name for a surfer who is used to surfing small junky waves. Usually has poor style.
34. Jonesing: Used to describe the action of really wanting something. “I am jonesing for some food right about now.
35. Keg: The barrel/tube of a wave.
36. Kook: An inexperienced or beginning surfer.
37. Lull: Time spent waiting for a wave.
38. Land Lord: great white shark
39. Land sharks: groups of posers who spend the majority of their time on the beach rather than in the water.
40. “Lighting it up”: a phrase used to describe a surfer who is surfing very well.
41. Mondo: Another word used as an adjective to express something as being cool, awesome or sweet.
42. Mutton head: a surfer who is day dreaming while surfing and never pays attention including looking out for fellow surfers.
43. Mushburger: a very slow and non-powerful wave.
44. Moose: A fat girl/or guy who cannot surf.
45. Maytagged: whipping out or getting crushed by a wave.
46. Men in grey suits: Sharks
47. Nar Nar: Super awesome or super rad.
48. Nectar: Totally sweet or awesome.
49. Noodled: Exhausted
50. No sunshine: A term used to describe when a surfer is so far inside a tube that he/she cannot see the sun.
51. Opuu: an extremely large and powerful swell.
52. Off the Richter: used in regards to the Richter scale and used to describe something as out of the ordinary and usually used in a positive sense.
53. Pearl: Driving the nose of a surfboard under water to stop or slow down the ride. The term is borrowed from "pearl diving."
54. Prone: Ride with your belly on the board. The most common and easiest way to ride.
55. Powned: to be beaten by someone or usually used when a wave does the beating.
56. Paddlepuss: Someone who just stays in the shallow riding and white water.
57. Party Wave: When more than one person is riding on one wave usually close together.
58. Pumping: A term used to describe a good, powerful, above average type of swell.
59. Park off: Chill out or relax.
60. Petting the Cat: The act of surfing down the line and dragging ones hand down the face of the way.
61. Quebee: female surfer
62. Quantum: Another word that describes things as sweet, or awesome.
63. Sponger: Somebody that body boards.
64. Surf Bunny: A surfer's girlfriend; a female surfer (also see "Beach Bunny").
65. Shibby- Anything from an act to something that’s cool is said to be “shabby”.
66. Shubie- A tourist who buys surfing gear and dresses like one, but has never actually surfed.
67. Skeeps- people who have little to no regard for the environment. Typically leave trash on the beach for someone else to clean up.
68. Sketchy- not a sure thing. The possibility that something won’t occur as expected or desired. Also used to describe conditions.
69. Scraps- Used in a negative way to describe the water you will leave behind along. Used by a cocky surfer who thinks he is all that and that no one else will get in his way. “You are going to be surfing my scraps all day”
70. “Talking to the seal”: vomiting. “I got sick this morning and started talking to the seals.
71. Tanker/Tank: A very old and heavy longboard.
72. Tea bag: Body boarder with a leash.
73. Ted: bloated from eating too much. “Dude I’m ted.”
74. Uncle Fester: derogatory term for an old surfer. Named after the pale, bald-headed man with rings under his eyes in the television series, The Adams Family.
75. Val: A derogatory term for a person that lives inland or from the “valley” who comes to the beach.
76. Wag: a jerk loser non-surfer.
77. Washing Machine: An analogy for what it feels like to get held under and tumbled beneath a wave, like getting caught in a rinse cycle.
78. Woofy: polluted water.
79. Yak slappers: a derogatory word for kayakers.
80. Zonked: Excited or exhausted.

[Choked out Surfer]

rock dance , to get out to the waves over rocks,coral eyc,
grubbing, to eat
green room, to be locked in
raked over, to be smashed while paddeling out by sets
snakemaster, someone that shoulder hops anyone
rail bang, hit in the nuts with your board
clownd out , making a fool out of yourself

[Beachbumhippie]

Common language in the line up, My WAVE, Move, Mine, Ass5oleeeee, Alright mate, Morning etc, Do you know what the time is, Cold is`nt it, How much for the board mate, Is that your van on bricks

[Bub]

Pretty fun topic!

Bitchin' - Does anyone actually use that term anymore? That was late 70's/early 80's slang

Jonesing - I don't know if this originated in Cali. I think this may have originated in New Jersey, PA area somewhere. I live in Maryland and no one uses that term around here, but I know some PA guys whom I work with who use it quite frequently.

I think alot of those slang terms on your list are "surfer universal" as I hear alot of them on this board used by anyone from Australia, US and UK and elsewhere. Internet has made our world alot smaller.

Hey I learned some new terms to describe myself....I'm somewhere in the kook/ frube /junkyard dog status...perhaps a tinge of landshark since I'm usually spent after a 1 hr session but spend alot of time sitting on the beach watching my fellow surfers! I perfer junkyard dog...sounds the least derogatory.

Dick Dragger....now that's a good one!!!!

[Beachbumhippie]

Commonly known as Crap surfer

http://www.crapsurfer.com/

[greg@hoodatsurfco]

Uhhhh Pearl in the 60's-70's was a term that we now know as duck diving..

Hella is used more like "hell of a" so saying hella is like saying "a lot" its nothing to do with good or bad specifically.. for example i could say "damn that hella hurt me!" or "thats hella cold" "thats hella weird" etc etc..

[f150209305]

greg hit it on the nose with what hella means.. i grew up in nor cal (aptos/central valley) and hella was the most abused word ever .
now i live in south florida and i get odd looks when i say it

[tomcat360]

I still say pearl, as in when you nose dive.....unintentionally.

I think half of those were from Rocket-Power or Brink. US kids show/movie for those who don't know.

[justloafing]

I still say pearl, as in when you nose dive.....unintentionally.

I think half of those were from Rocket-Power or Brink. US kids show/movie for those who don't know.

Yep that(pearl) is what is used here too. I thought it was universal.

[justloafing]

Commonly known as Crap surfer

http://www.crapsurfer.com/

BBH.........way to funny!!

[Bub]

FYI, I was watching the Monday night show "Rules of Engagement" and David Spade used the term "Jonesing" on that show. If the term has found its way into Hollywood script, it must be fairly univeral now.

[jamez]

Dream team, well nine times out of ten up til gold level, you give me the 7 or 8 best middle infielders from each age group, mix in a corner power hitter maybe, pitcher/catcher, and that is your dream team.

[jaffa1949]

Dream team, well nine times out of ten up til gold level, you give me the 7 or 8 best middle infielders from each age group, mix in a corner power hitter maybe, pitcher/catcher, and that is your dream team.

Calm down read the post take the bat from your corner power hitter and powerhit yourself several times with it, continue until you realise this is a forum about surfing.
Aussie slang for this guy is "a sandwich short of a picnic." "as silly as a two bob watch."

[oldmansurfer]

My resurrection thread for the slang