The latest prison slang fresh from inside the federal prison system.

2014 Editio
n. Inspired by, Fifty Prison Slang Words to Make You Sound Like a Tough Guy, by
Matt Soniak.
Ad Seg - n. Administrative Segregation, a SHU status deemed non-disciplinary.
ADX - n. the secret Administrative Detention prison in Florence, Colorado: a sup
er-maximum security prison, no human contact is had by inmates, it
is an underground facility with artificial light only.
ain't built like that - adj. used to describe someone overstepping his rank in t
he food chain.
board - n. a gambling pool for sports betting; usually 100 squares randomly assi
gned on a sheet of paper.
books - n. a book of stamps, commonly used as currency.
behind the wall - n. an out of sight place to fight; usually the far side of a h
andball court.
bar - n. a tablet of benzodiazepine; a recreational drug.
blood on the wall - phrase. colorfully describes match point.
BOP - n. acronym for Federal Bureau of Prisons. (also: Backwards on Purpose, use
d to describe staff obfuscation.)
break it down - vb. to explain specifics to the unknowing.
bucking - vb. to refuse to obey command/order/program.
bug - n. an inmate constantly looking out the window of his cell door, a watcher
, usually with mental problems or an informant.
burnt out - adj. to describe not having one's mental faculties from being in pri
son for an extended period. (also: fried, shot out.)
cadillac - n. a dustpan for a broom job, like cleaning the compound.
car - n. a small group of inmates engaged in an activity: cooking, exercising, d
rinking, socializing.
cell extraction - vb. an offensive military action taken by prison staff to remo
ve/secure non-compliant inmates in a cell.
chapstick cap - n. unit of measurement for contraband(mostly marijuana). (ex. $5
0 chapstick cap.)
check - vb. to verbally and/or physically challenge another's actions/language o
r behavior. (see also: pull his card, selling wolf tickets, ain't bui
lt like that.)
chomo - n. short for child molester/child pornographer. Ranks very low on the fo
od chain.
clear - n. grain alcohol distilled from prison wine. (rel.: honey bear.)
cliched up - adj. to have joined a gang/organization.
commissary - n. the official prison store where inmates buy goods.
controlled movement - n. a 5-10 minute time period where inmates are permitted t
o travel between secure areas.(ex. rec yard to housing unit)
copout - n. form used to communicate with prison staff; used by informants to pr
ison staff.
count time - n. a headcount of inmates conducted by prison staff; usually 5x dai
ly.
D-Bo - vb. to forcefully take something or impose one's will on another. A refer
ence to the character, D-Bo, in, Friday.
demo - n. abbreviation of "demonstration," used to refer to a cell phone or othe
r contraband item.
dippin' 'n dodgin' - vb. to avoid another person.
dog and pony show - n. the charade of a prison inspection by outsiders, where in
mates and prison staff work to deceive the inspection team. (ex. ACA - Am
erican Corrections Association.)
down - adj. to be in prison. (ex. How long you been down? A dime.)
duck - n. an individual that is not sharp/astute/street smart. (syn. square, lam
e, herb.)
duckin' rec - vb. to avoid a challenge of sport/game.
fade - n. a fight, hand-to-hand combat, a "head-up" fade - one on one fight, not
common in prison.
feelin' himself - adj. to be very confident in one's ability.
flicks - n. pornography.
fire in the hole - phrase. used to announce police presence. (also: clapping, wo
op-woop.)
foot on his neck - vb. to dominate another individual in some event.
for real for real - syn. seriously (emphatic). Common use of repetition for emph
asis: okay okay, alright alright, hey hey.
freeze out - n. to intentionally turn the air temperature down below normal indo
or range/a passive method of inmate punishment or torture by pri
son staff. (also: sweat out - n. " hot air temp.)
fuck with - vb. to interact with in some social or business capacity. (ex. I onl
y do favors for people I fuck with.)
gettin' it in - vb. to engage in a necessary activity(i.e. sleep, eat, exercise)
.
gettin' money - vb. to engage in high-quality exercise.
gettin' rec - vb. to engage in recreational activities, or combat.
glove - vb. to win five consecutive games.
going hard - vb. to be pushing the limit.
go up top - vb. to voluntarily check into protective custody. (also: check in.)
green - adj. a new prisoner, naive. (also: fresh fish, fresh off the street.)
gunner - n. inmate that masturbates overtly or covertly at sight of female staff
members.
hang it up - vb. suicide by hanging. (also: bleed out - suicide by razor.)
hit - adj. to be in an unfortunate position. (ex. Your connect got knocked off.
You're hit.)
hold court - vb. to mediate a conflict between inmates by inmates; a function of
prison politics.
honey bear - n. a plastic bottle of prison grain alcohol, usually sold in empty
honey bottles in the shape of a bear. (ex. $40/honey bear.)
hooch - n. improvised prison wine. (also: buck, wine.)
in his feelings - adj. to be angry/upset. (also: in his body, hot.)
jackin' rec - vb. to ruin another's fulfillment/enjoyment of recreational activi
ty.
jack it off - vb. to intentionally get in trouble to initiate a transfer to anot
her prison.
joint - n. the male genitals.
kickin' the bobo - vb. to socialize leisurely with another.
keep it 100 - vb. to be completely honest.
knocked off - adj. to be caught by the law. (syn.: hemmed up.)
laced up - adj. to be prepared for combat. (ex.: shoes tied.)
leave leaking - vb. a sentence carried out by other inmates where the convicted
must leave the prison compound bleeding/need medical atte
ntion.
like that - adj. to describe high quality. (also: 1000, on point.)
lockdown census - n. a headcount method where inmates are counted in place, not
permitted to move to another area.
lock in a sock - n. a combination lock tied to or placed in a sock to use as a w
eapon in combat. (also: pistol.)
mainline - n. time period when general population eats at the chow hall.
man up - vb. to accept responsibility for one's actions/possessions. (also: be 2
1.)
meat gazer - n. inmate or staff that watches inmates while disrobed.
mush - vb. to forcefully open-palm push another inmate's face in an effort to in
timidate/dominate; similar to a football stiff arm.
my son - n. offensive term to describe a competitor one dominates in sport.
neck lick - n. a stab to the neck.
next thing smokin' - n. refers to the next vehicle leaving the prison with inmat
es outbound.
paper - n. refers to a term of probation or supervised release. (ex. He has four
years of paper.)
paper uniform - n. paper clothing issued during transit, similar to hospital scr
ubs.
PC - n. a SHU status given to inmates that fear for their safety, or that have b
een the victims of violence/threats.
peel - vb. to remove one's shirt in effort to show off muscular physique or inti
midate another inmate.
politics - n. the political relations/hierarchies between factions of inmates, u
sually racially divided.
pull his card - vb. to check someone who has overstepped his boundaries as it pe
rtains to the evolutionary food chain.
punk - n. a prison homosexual, usually of the submissive/receiver variety, also:
gump.
put 'em on blast - vb. to broadcast verbally the unfavorable acts or facts of an
other individual. (ex. being a chomo, snitch, or punk.)
put in work - vb. to commit acts of physical violence against another individual
; whether for business or personal. (syn.: put in work.)
rec - vb. to engage in recreational activity. (ex. rec'ing)
rec jacker - n. an individual that ruins another's enjoyment/fulfillment of recr
eational time.
rec yard - n. the recreational area where inmates are authorized to exercise (in
door or outdoor). (syn.: yard, rec.)
restraint chair - n. a heavy-duty chair with velcro straps and helmet used to co
mpletely immobilize a non-compliant inmates; often followed with tazing res
trained individual.
road dog - n. a friend or associate that one socializes with, eats with, works o
ut with, often in the same car. (also: running partner, homeboy, in the c
ar.)
roughed off - vb. an offensive act of disrespect and intimidation(ex. cutting in
line, theft, mushing, verbal disrespect)
see - vb. to challenge another, whether for sport or combat. (ex. You tryin' to
see me? You can't see me.)
selling wolf tickets - vb. the act of purporting to be someone dangerous, but bl
uffing.
shank - n. an improvised sharp object used for stabbing or slicing. (syn. shiv,
bethlehem.)
shit on a shingle - n. a side of biscuits and gravy.
shit sniffer - n. inmate or staff that smells/watches inmates defecate.
shook - adj. to be scared/frightened. (also: shell shocked.)
short - adj. to have little time left in prison.
shot caller - n. an inmate that leads a cliche, gang or race group of inmates.
showin' his ass - vb. acting shamelessly, without regard.
SHU - n. the Special Housing Unit, 24-hours locked in a cell. (also: hole, solit
ary confinement, hueco, oyo.)
sidebar - n. to have a private conversation away from the group.
skunk - n. a final score 7-0 in handball. (also known as: chicken, pollo, changa
.)
smoke and mirrors - n. the use of distraction, manipulation, and deception by pr
ison staff to institute their hidden objectives.
snuff - vb. to physically harm an individual. (ex. Them people snuffed me.)
soap-on-a-rope - phrase. a joke about keeping soap on a rope (non-existent) so t
hat you don't drop it in the shower and get raped as you bend over to pic
k it up.
some ass behind you - adj. to have a gang on your behalf, discouraging predators
away from you.
spot - n. refers to a prison. (i.e. You transferred from another spot? How was i
t? It was straight.)
stamps - n. postal stamps used as a form of hard currency in prison amongst inma
tes for illicit commerce.
straight - adj. used to describe good prison conditions. (also: wide-open, sweet
, some shit, fucked up.)
stinger - n. an improvised heating device used by inmates to heat foods/liquids.
stole - vb. to strike an inmate that is unaware of the impending attack.(ex. Dud
e stole me. He got that off.)
store - n. an illegal retail enterprise run by an inmate, or "store man," for a
profit.
suitcase - vb. to place an item inside one's rectum for concealment purposes.
take it - vb. to forcefully rape another. (ex. You was just gon' take it.)
that life - n. the gangster life. Similar to: "live by the sword, die by the swo
rd." (ex. I'm 'bout that life. (i.e. Exclaiming one's dedication to the gan
gster life.)
that issue - n. murder. (ex. He's 'bout that issue.(i.e. He's a killer.))
the restraint chair - n. a heavy-duty chair used to strap inmates into as a tort
ure device, immobilizing the entire body, then the inmate gets tazed.
them people - n. a group of heavily armored officers equipped with SWAT-type gea
r: stun shields, beanbag guns, tazers. (also: the goon squad.)
the street - n. the world outside of prison. (syn. free world, the outside.)
they gon' kill you - phrase. used to describe the result of taking one's prison
behaviors/actions to the outside world.
throw up a flag - vb. use of an action to communicate alarm to another.(i.e. Tak
ing one's shirt signals a fight to the prison guards.)
tickets - n. gambling receipts used by inmates to place sports bets with a booki
e.
time - n. references a position/attitude toward something. (i.e. "Geographic tim
e" means cliches are arranged according to geographic regions. Ex. You on
joke time? You playin' games? I ain't on that type of time.)
to the door - phrase. references one's release date from prison.
tough - adj. to be an exception(used for both good and bad.) (ex. You see that c
hick? She's tough.)
try - vb. an offensive action against an individual to observe his reaction, ret
aliation.
up the river, up north - adj. to describe someone in prison. (also: locked up, d
oing time, in the joint.)
USP - n. United States Penitentiary, a high-security federal prison.
war daddy - n. dominant prison homosexual, commonly very possessive of, and enga
ging in war, over their partner.
wear out - vb. to dominate one's competitor until he is weak.
western union - n. wire service often used to wire money to inmates accounts, or
pay other inmates for large sums.
zombie - n. an inmate on thorazine, lithium or other anti-psychotics.