Graffiti Terminology:

all city: The state of being known for one's graffiti throughout a city (originally throughout the five boroughs of New York, often through the medium of subway cars).

back to back: Graffiti that covers a wall from end to end, as seen on some parts of the West-Berlin side of the Berlin Wall. Similarly, trains sometimes receive end to end painting when a carriage has been painted along its entire length. This is often abbreviated as e2e. End to ends used to be called window-downs but this is an older expression that is falling from popularity.

backjump: A quickly executed throw up or panel piece. Backjumps are usually painted on a temporarily parked train or a running bus.

Beef: Disagreement or conflict.

Bench: (n) Subway station where writers congregate and watch trains. Benching (v) The act of watching trains.

black book: A graffiti artist's sketchbook. Often used to sketch out and plan potential graffiti, and to collect tags from other writers. It is a writer's most valuable property, containing all or a majority of the person's sketches and pieces. A writer’s sketchbook is carefully guarded from the police and other authorities, as it can be used as material evidence in a graffiti vandalism case and link a writer to previous illicit works.

BLOCK BUSTER: Wide lettered piece stretching from end to end done below window level on subway car.

bomb: To bomb or hit is to paint many surfaces in an area. Bombers often choose throw-ups or tags over complex pieces, as they can be executed more quickly.

bite: To steal another artist's ideas or lettering schemes. Seasoned artists will often complain about toys that bite their work.

BMT: NYC subway division called Brooklyn Manhattan Transit company. Includes J, L, M, N, Q, R, Z subway lines.

buff: To remove painted graffiti with chemicals and other instruments, or to paint over it with a flat color.

THE BUFF: The MTA's graffiti removal program

BURN: 1. To out do the competition.; 2. To ware out.

burner: Typically a large, more elaborate type of piece. The piece could be said to be "burning" out of the wall or train-side. Because they take so much time and effort, burners in downtown areas are more likely to be legal pieces, painted with the consent of the property owner. The early writers of New York also did burners illegally on trains, and adventurous modern writers sometimes still do large scale illegal pieces in heavily-trafficked areas. Alternatively a burner can also refer to a quick chrome bombing or throwup.

cannon(s): A slang term for spray paint cans. This term is thought to originate in Brooklyn, New York.

CAPS: (Fat, skinny, German thin) Interchangeable spray-can nozzles fitted to paint can to vary width of spray.

CLEAN TRAIN: Current term for all New York City Subway cars. They are difficult to hit and rarely go into service with writing on them.

COAL MINE: Older IND and BMT (R1s-R9s) subway cars characterized by a unpainted brown dusty surface. Retired from service in 1976.; See image at NYC Subway Resources.Photo by Doug Grotjahn. Collection of Joe Testagrose

crew: A crew or cru (alternative spelling) is a group of writers or graffiti artists. Some crews are members of gangs, or are associated with gangs (sometimes for procurement of art materials or for protection while painting), but most crews are unaffiliated with gangs. It can happen that an ordinary group of friends suddenly form a crew if they are all interested in graffiti and want to start collaborating. By painting in a crew with the crew name there's a smaller risk of being held responsible for the works if a member gets arrested, because from a legal point of view the name could have been painted by anyone in the group.

CROSSING OUT: To scribble or write on someone else's name. It is considered highly disrespectful.

DEF: Excellent (derived from definite and death).

DESIGNS: Polka dots, checkers stars swirls are placed over the fill-in to in hence and compliment fill-in . Designs are limited only by an artists imagination and technical ability.

D.G.A.: Don't Get Around

DING DONG: Stainless-steel (R-46)subway car, so named for the bell that rings alerting passengers of closing doors.

DOPE: Excellent, of the highest order.

DOWN: Part of a group or action

dress-up: To completly write all over a specific area like a door-way, wall or window that is untouched.

DT: Plain cloths police officer or detective.

5-O: Slang for police. Derived form the television series Hawaii 5-O.

dubs: A term to describe a mostly London/UK style of graffiti piece or tag. It is almost exclusively executed in silver or chrome paint and is done extremely quickly on railway walls or street locations. Crews noted for this style in London include DDS, DTB, FDC, NRS, TKS and the PB aka polar bears crew.

end-to-end (...): The opposite of top-to-bottom - meaning a train-car covered with paint from one side of it to the other. Used as an adjective and non-commonly as a noun.

etch: The use of acid solutions intended for creating frosted glass, such as Etch Bath, to write on windows. In Norway some trains have even been taken temporarily out of service because of the acid tagging, which is potentially dangerous for other people's health.

FADE: Graduation of colors.

FAMLIES: Rows of throw ups of the same name.

fills: Also referred to as "bombs" "throw ups" or "throwies". Fills describe a piece of graffiti that is either filled in a rush or a solid fill. A fill is also the interior base color of the piece of graffiti.

FLATS: Painted steel subway cars with flat surfaces. (The preferred subway cars of old school writers. During the 1970s the IRT division was composed exclusively of flats)

FLOATERS: Throw ups done on subway car panels at window level.

FREIGHTS: Railroad freight cars.

getting over: to work your reputation or "rep" through graffiti. (see King)

GETTING UP: When proliferation of name has led to high visibility.

going over: To go over a piece of graffiti simply means to paint on top of it. While most writers respect one another's artwork, to intentionally and disrespectfully paint on top of another's work is akin to a graffiti declaration of war. However (due partially to the limited amount of desirable wall-space) most graffiti writers maintain a hierarchy of sorts; a tag can legitimately be covered by a throw-up, and a throw-up by a piece, and this is commonly done without incident. If a piece has previously been slashed (or "dissed"), it is also acceptable for another writer to go over it. To violate these guidelines, or to simply paint lower-quality graffiti on top of a higher-quality artist's work will quickly characterize a writer as an annoyance, or "toy." This is thought to be dangerous as a few remarkable crews are rumored to be physically violent to people not respecting their self-claimed rank in the hierarchy.

GETTING OVER: Succeeding

HAND STYLE: Handwriting or tagging style.

HEAD BUFF SPOT: The portion of wall panels of the subway car interior above the seats located at passenger's head level. The mild though frequent abrasion from passengers heads eventually buffs (removes) tags on these locations.(It is an undesirable location to tag.)

heaven spots (or shorter as heavens): Pieces that are painted in hard-to-reach places such as rooftops and freeway signs, thus making them hard to remove. Such pieces, by the nature of the spot, often pose dangerous challenges to execute, but may increase an artist's notoriety. This term also encompasses a double-meaning as the locations are often very dangerous to paint there and it may lead to death, thus, going to heaven (also known as "hitting up the heavens").

HENRY SHOTS: Photographic technique developed by Henry Chalfant. The camera remains in one spot with automatic film advance while the subject (train) moves. The end result is a straight forward single image built from several frames providing more detail. Though the term is used infrequently the technique has become one of the standards for photo documentation of trains.

HIT: (n) A tag, throw-up or piece (v) the act of writing.

hollows: also referred to as "outlines" and "shells". A hollow is a piece of graffiti that contains no fill. (see fill)

IND: NYC subway division called the Independent. Includes A, B, C, D, E, F, GG subway lines.

insides: Graffiti done inside trains, trams, or buses. In 1970s New York, there was as much graffiti inside the subway trains as outside, and the same is true of some cities today (like Rome, Italy and Melbourne, Australia). While still very common, insides are often less artistic and seldom documented.

INVENT: Shoplifting or stealing. This term was used prior to 1974. The contemporary term is RACK.

IRT: NYC subway division called Interborough Rapid Transit. Includes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 subway lines.

KILL: To bomb excessively.

king: The opposite of toys, kings or queens (feminine) are writers especially respected among other writers. This is sometimes separated into "inside" and "outside" kings. To be a king of the inside means you have most tags inside trains (to "own the inside"), and to "own the outside" means having most pieces on the train surface. One should note that there are kings of style among a variety of other categories and the term is regionally subjective. Self-declared kings will often incorporate crowns into their pieces; a commonly used element of style. However the people must be very self-confident when doing it, since other great writers tend to slash out self-proclaimed kings who have not gained that rank yet in their eyes. Typically a writer can only become a king if another king with that status already has expressed so.

knight: A respected graffiti writer whose skills are still progressing. They are not as good as a king, but are much better then a toy.

landmark: When an individual "tags" on a certain location that becomes very difficult for removal. Can also be a location that won't get noticed too much, therefore it stays on longer.

LAY-UP: A single or double track where trains are parked during off-peak hours. Both tunnel and elevated lay-ups exist.

LETTER LINES: The IND and BMT divisions of The New York City Subway

legal: A graffiti piece or production that is made with permission.

married couple: Two simultaneous whole cars painted next to each other. Some artists make fun out of term by connecting the two paintings across the car-gap often in a humoristic or obvious way to signal the so called marriage. (Subway cars permanently coupled and sharing a single air-compressor and electrical generator between them are technically married pairs.)

mop: A homemade marker derived from a Kiwi or Bingo dispenser and filled with various inks, used for tagging.

MOTION TAGGING: Writing on subway cars while they are in service. Also referred to as MOTIONING

MTA: 1. Metropolitan Transit Authority Includes BMT, IND and IRT subway divisions as well as surface transit divisions.; 2. Mad Transit Artists Bronx crew from the late 1970s led by CHINO MALO and REE aka OPEL.

NUMBER LINES: The IRT division of The New York City Subway

NEW SCHOOL: Contemporary writing culture (post 1984). This date can vary greatly depending upon who you ask.

OLD SCHOOL: The writing culture prior to 1984. This date can vary greatly depending upon who you ask.

OUTLINE: The skeleton or frame work of a piece FINAL OUTLINE: After fill-in and designs have been applied the outline is re-executed to define the letters.

paint-eater: an unprimed surface such as raw wood or concrete that eats up standard spray paint. If a location has been given the reputation of beng a "paint eater" than in such cases a more thicker paint should be obtained and executed.

PANEL PIECE: A painting below the windows and between the doors of a subway car.

Pichação: Is the Brazilian name for the unique form of tagging found in that country.

piece (short form of masterpiece): A large and labor-intensive graffiti painting. Pieces often incorporate 3-D effects, arrows, and many colors and color-transitions, as well as various other effects. Originally shorthand for masterpiece, considered the full and most beautiful work of graffiti). A piece requires more time to paint than a throw-up. If placed in a difficult location and well executed it will earn the writer more respect. Piece can also be used as a verb that means: "to write".

PIECING: The execution of a piece.

PRODUCTION: Large scale murals with detailed pieces and illustrations. (Contemporary term used mainly for street murals.)

PULL-IN PULL-OUT: This is essentially a five to fifteen minute lay-up. At the end of some subway routes trains park in a tunnel for several minutes before going back into service. During this time the trains are written on. Due to time constraints pull in-pull outs were generally utilized for throw ups. It was one of the more dangerous approaches to writing.

RACK: A store where shoplifting can be done.

racking: Shoplifting or robbing, not limited to but including paint, markers, inks and clothes. Although disputed whether racking is an essential part of graffiti, there are writers who don't consider using legitimately acquired paint or pens as proper graffiti.

RIDGIE: Subway car with corrugated, stainless-steel sides. An undesirable surface for burners. Ridgies ran on the BMT and IND divisions and were preferred by throw-up artists.; See image at NYC Subway Resources. Photo by Steve Zabel. Collection of Joe Testagrose

roller: An enormous piece done with a paint roller instead of aerosol.

run: The length of time graffiti remains up before being covered or removed. If a piece has been up for a year, it is said to have "run for a year".

rusto: Rust-Oleum brand spray paint.

SCRATCHITI: A media coined term for the scratchings rendered on to the windows of subway cars.

scribe: Also called "scratchitti," scribing creates hard-to-remove graffiti by scratching or etching a tag into an object, generally using a key, knife, stone, ceramic drill bit, or diamond tipped Dremel bit. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness determines which stones or other objects will scratch what surfaces. Often accompanied by etch, which is a faster method only applicable on glass surfaces

slam: To paint an extremely conspicuous or dangerous location.

SLANTS: IND R-40 subway cars with slanted face.; See image at NYC Subway Resources.Photo by Doug Grotjahn. Collection of Joe Testagrose

slash: To put a line through, or tag over, another's graffiti. This is considered a deep insult. It is also known as "marking", "dissing" and "capping" (because of an infamous writer called CAP going over almost every piece on every car of the New York transit system in the early 70s and has become sort of a criticized legend because of that). Also referred to as "crossing out", "dissing" or "going over".

sticker: Also referred to as "labels". A sticker (often obtained from shipping companies and name greeting labels) with the writer's tag on it. A sticker can be deployed more quickly than other forms of graffiti, making it a favorite in any public place such as newspaper dispensers, stop signs, phone booths etc. A popular sticker that was used originally was the "Hello my name is" red stickers in which a writer would write his or her graffiti name in the blank space.

straight letter: Also referred to as "straights" and sometimes "simples" are a direct blocky, more readable and simpler style of graffiti. Straight letters can be read by anyone and usually contain only 2 colors.

STEEL: Any type of train. New school term used to distinguish train and wall work.

STYLE WARS: 1. Competition between artists to determine superior creative ability.; 2. Documentary film on Hip Hop by Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver.Proved to be an extremely inspirational element for the New School.

tag (scribble): A stylized signature, normally done in one color. The simplest and most prevalent type of graffiti, a tag is often done in a color that contrasts sharply with its background. Tag can also be used as a verb meaning "to sign". Writers often tag on or beside their pieces, following the practice of traditional artists who sign their artwork. A less common type of tag is a "dust tag", done in dust by writers wishing to practice. The verb tagging has even become a popular verb today in other types of occasions that are non-graffiti-related. Tagging first appeared in Philadelphia, with spraypainted messages of "Bobby Beck In '59" on freeways surrounding the city. The first "king" was also crowned in Philly: Cornbread, a student who began marking his nickname around the city to attract the attentions of a girl. In New York City, TAKI 183 inspired a newspaper article about his exploits, leading to an explosion of tagging in the early seventies.

TAGGING-UP: The execution of a signature.

THE SYSTEM: The New York City Subway system

throw-up: A throw-up or "throwie" sits between a tag and a piece in terms of complexity and time investment. It generally consists of a one-color outline and one layer of fill-color. Easy-to-paint bubble shapes often form the letters. A throw-up is designed for quick execution, to avoid attracting attention to the writer. Throw-ups are often utilized by writers who wish to achieve a large number of tags while competing with rival artists. Most artists have both a tag and a throw-up that are essentially fixed compared to pieces. It is mostly so because they need to have a recognizable logo for others to identify them and their own individual styles.

top-to-bottom: Pieces on trains that cover the whole height of the car. A top-to-bottom, end-to-end combined production is called a whole-car. A production with several writers might cover a whole-train, which means the entire side of the train has been covered. In the U.S. this term can also be used as a single noun instead of only an adjective.

toy: Used as an adjective to describe poor work, or as a noun meaning an inexperienced or unskilled writer. Graffiti writers usually use this as a derogatory term for new writers in the scene or writers that are old to the scene that still do not have any skill or reputation. The act of "toying" someone else's graffiti is to disrespect it by means of going over it (see "slash"/"going over").

undersides: Tags or signatures painted on the under carriage of passenger trains. Undersides are normally marked in the yard after painting the train panel, most undersides will last somewhat longer than the original piece, as the railway workers primarily focus on the most visible things and sometimes don't have resources to clean everything.

up: Writers become up when their work becomes widespread and well-known. Although a writer can "get up" in a city by painting only tags (or throw-ups), a writer may earn more respect from skillfully executed pieces or a well-rounded repertoire of styles than from sheer number of tags. Usually the more spots a writer can hit, the more respect he or she gains. A writers ups is determined by how much prolific graffiti he/she has accomplished and that is actively running.

WALL PAPER: Repetition of a name written making enough coverage so that a pattern develops, much like wall paper.

WAK: Substandard or incorrect.

whole car: A single or collaborative piece that covers the entire visible surface of a train car, usually excluding the front and rear of the train. A whole car is usually worked upon by either a single artist or several artists from the same crew and is completed in one sitting.

whole train: All train cars (usually between four and eight or more, regardless of the train length) completely covered with paint reaching the far end of the train on one or both sides. Such demanding actions are often done by multiple artists or crews and with a limited variation of colors - commonly in black and silver - because of the stressing time limitation they are facing when painting in the train yards (very often less than 30 minutes). However the more artists who participate, the better works can come out of it and the cars are done quicker too. This type of graffiti, if finished successful, is one of the most respected forms amongst other writers, but is also rarer due to the higher risk of getting caught.

WILD STYLE: 1. Bronx crew from the 1970s led by Tracy 168.; 2. A complicated construction of interlocking letters.; 3. Classic film on Hip Hop culture directed by Charlie Ahearn.

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Graffiti Terminology: