Skateboarding Slang Dictionary

Skate slang isn’t decoration. It’s a signal. It tells people how long you’ve been around, how much you’ve paid attention, and whether you understand the unspoken rules that keep sessions running smooth. In skateboarding, language grows out of effort — landed tricks, slammed attempts, cold fingers, soaked shoes, and showing up again anyway. You don’t learn it first. You earn it.

In the UK especially, slang carries a certain weight. Our scene was built in bad weather, half-lit indoor parks, DIY spots tucked under bridges, and street sessions squeezed between rain showers. The mentality has always been simple: turn up anyway. That attitude shaped how skaters talk to each other — direct, honest, no hype for hype’s sake. If something’s good, it gets called out. If it’s sketchy, people say so. No sugar-coating.

That’s why skateboarding slang works as a kind of shorthand for respect and progression. Saying a trick was clean, bolts, or sketchy instantly tells everyone what just happened without stopping the flow. Calling someone out for snaking isn’t about ego — it’s about keeping the park moving. It’s the same culture whether you’re skating a freezing concrete park in January or sweating through a late summer street sesh.

If you want a deeper look at how that culture developed here — from outlaw roots to nationwide scene — our article on skateboarding in the UK sets the wider context perfectly.

Before you start throwing words around, there are three unwritten rules worth locking in. Ignore them and slang does the opposite of what it’s meant to do.

The 3 Rules Before You Speak It

1) Don’t force it.
Using every new term you’ve just learned in one sentence is the fastest way to sound off. Skate slang should slip out naturally, not feel rehearsed.

2) Don’t correct locals.
Language shifts from park to park. What’s normal in one spot might sound weird in another. Listen first — every scene has its own version of the same words.

3) Skate first, talk second.
No one cares how fluent you sound if you’re not putting in effort. Try the trick. Take the slam. Roll back for another go. The language follows the action.

Once you understand why skate slang exists — not just what the words mean — the dictionary starts to make sense. The next section breaks down the core terms you’ll hear every session, from stance and direction to tricks, terrain, and setup.

This is the foundation. The words you’ll hear every session, at every park, from day one. Learn these and you’ll stop guessing mid-run and start understanding what’s actually happening around you. Keep it simple, keep it moving.

Regular / Goofy

Regular means left foot forward. Goofy means right foot forward. That’s it — no one’s judging which one you are.
Used like this: “He skates regular.” / “I’m goofy, switch feels weird as hell.”

Frontside / Backside

Direction matters. Frontside means you’re facing the obstacle or rotation. Backside means your back is to it. Applies to turns, spins, and grinds.
Used like this: “Frontside 180.” / “Backside grind down the rail.”

Fakie / Switch / Nollie

Three that confuse everyone at first:

• Fakie: riding backwards in your normal stance.

• Switch: riding your opposite stance (like writing with your wrong hand).

• Nollie: popping off the nose instead of the tail.
  Used like this: “Fakie ollie out.” / “That switch flip was clean.” / “Nollie shove was sketchy.”

Ollie

The base of everything. Popping the tail and dragging your front foot to lift the board into the air. If you can’t ollie, everything else is harder.
Used like this: “Just ollie it.”
If you’re still learning, our How to Ollie guide breaks it down step by step.

Pop

The snap of the tail hitting the ground. More pop usually means more height and control.
Used like this: “That board’s got good pop.”

Flick

The way your front foot rolls off the edge of the board during flip tricks. Too weak or too strong and the trick dies.
Used like this: “You’re not flicking it enough.”

Scoop

The motion of your back foot dragging the tail to make the board spin horizontally. Key for shove-its and tre flips.
Used like this: “More scoop, less kick.”

Shuv-it / Pop Shuv-it

A shuv-it spins the board 180° under you without flipping. A pop shuv-it adds pop for height and control.
Used like this: “Pop shuv on flat.” / “Fakie shuv was clean.”

Flip Tricks

Any trick where the board flips along its length. Kickflips flip away from you. Heelflips flip toward you.
Used like this: “Kickflip first try.” / “Heelflip over the gap.”

Ledge

A long, raised edge made for grinding or sliding — usually waxed to death.
Used like this: “50-50 the ledge.”

Curb

Low, rough, and everywhere. Perfect for learning grinds and slappies.
Used like this: “We’ve been skating that curb all night.”

Rail

Metal, round, square — if it’s skinny and sketchy, it’s probably a rail.
Used like this: “Boardslide the rail.”

Gap

Any distance you have to clear. Could be stairs, pavement, or just bad decisions.
Used like this: “That gap’s bigger than it looks.”

Stairs

Exactly what it sounds like. More stairs usually means more risk.
Used like this: “Kickflip the five.”

Coping

The metal edge at the top of ramps and bowls. Where grinds lock in.
Used like this: “Grind the coping.”

Transition

Any curved surface — ramps, bowls, quarters. The opposite of street skating.
Used like this: “I’m better on transition.”

Bank

An angled ramp without a curve. Less forgiving than it looks.
Used like this: “Ollie up the bank.”

Quarter

A quarter-pipe. One curved wall, usually found in parks.
Used like this: “Backside air on the quarter.”

Bowl

Deep transition skating. Fast, loud, and unforgiving.
Used like this: “He rips the bowl.”

Trucks

The metal axles under your deck. They turn, grind, and take the abuse.
Used like this: “Tighten your trucks.”

Bushings

The rubber pieces inside your trucks that control turning. Softer = looser.
Used like this: “Swap the bushings, they’re dead.”

Grip

Grip tape on top of your deck. More grip means more control — and more damage to shoes.
Used like this: “That grip’s brutal.”

Razor Tail

When your tail gets worn down from too much popping. Makes tricks harder over time.
Used like this: “This board’s got razor tail.”

Wheelbite

When your wheel hits the deck mid-turn and sends you flying.
Used like this: “Loosened my trucks and got wheelbite.”

These are the words that build everything else. Once they click, park talk starts making sense — and the next sections dive deeper into skatepark etiquette and culture slang that separates beginners from people who’ve put the hours in.

This is the language that matters most when you’re actually at the park. Not tricks. Not setup. Social survival. These are the words you’ll hear when sessions are busy, tensions are low (or high), and everyone’s trying to get clips without chaos. Learn these and you’ll avoid the fastest way to get side-eyed by the whole park.

Snake / Snaking

Cutting in on someone’s turn or jumping into a line that isn’t yours. Accidental snakes happen. Repeated ones don’t go unnoticed.
Used like this: “Oi, you snaked me.” / “Don’t snake the line.”

Line

A planned run using multiple obstacles in one go. Once someone’s in a line, you wait.
Used like this: “I’ve got a line through the bank to the ledge.”

Sesh

Short for session. A chunk of time skating one spot or park.
Used like this: “Indoor sesh tonight?” / “That was a heavy street sesh.”

Local

Someone who skates that park or spot regularly. Knows the flow, the lines, and the etiquette.
Used like this: “He’s a local — he’s got next.”

Grom

Usually a young skater or beginner. Mostly affectionate, sometimes chaotic, rarely malicious.
Used like this: “The groms are killing it today.”

Bail

Jumping off a trick to avoid eating concrete. Smart, not weak.
Used like this: “Had to bail — board shot out.”

Slam

A heavy fall. No style points, just impact.
Used like this: “That was a bad slam.”

Sketchy

Barely landed, out of control, or risky in a way that made everyone tense up.
Used like this: “You rode away, but that was sketchy.”

How to Not Get Called Out (Quick Checklist)

• Watch before you drop. Every park has a rhythm — clock it before you roll in.
• Make eye contact. A nod goes a long way when it’s busy.

• One trick at a time. Don’t camp an obstacle while ten people are waiting.
  
  

None of this is about gatekeeping. It’s about keeping sessions flowing so everyone gets a go — especially in the UK, where indoor parks are packed all winter and street spots are always borrowed time. If you’re still finding your feet, our Skateboard Tips section has solid advice on park flow, progression, and avoiding beginner mistakes without killing your confidence.

Get these terms right and you’ll feel it immediately: smoother sessions, fewer awkward moments, and more respect without saying a word. Next up, we get into culture slang — the words that carry hype, criticism, and style far beyond the park.

This is the language that doesn’t just describe skating — it feels like skating. These are the words that get shouted from the sidelines, muttered after a heavy fall, or dropped quietly when something’s done right. You won’t learn these from rulebooks. You pick them up by being around the culture, watching clips, standing in the cold, and sticking around for one more try.

Stoked

Pure excitement. Earned happiness. The feeling when something finally works.
Used like this: “I’m so stoked on that make.”
If someone’s stoked, it doesn’t need explaining — you can hear it.

Hype

Energy around a trick, a session, or a moment. Hype can come from the crew or the crowd.
Used like this: “Everyone was hyped after that.”
Hype fuels sessions — especially when progress feels slow.

Gnarly

Heavy. Intense. Sometimes amazing, sometimes brutal. Context matters.
Used like this: “That slam was gnarly.” / “That line was gnarly.”
Same word. Very different meanings.

Sick

High praise. Simple and universal.
Used like this: “That was sick.”
If someone calls your trick sick, take it and roll on.

Rad

Old-school, but still alive. Pure skate heritage.
Used like this: “That spot’s rad.”
Retro doesn’t mean outdated — it means it survived.

Steezy

A mix of style and ease. When something looks effortless and correct.
Used like this: “That kickflip was steezy.”
You can’t fake steeze. It shows up when you stop forcing tricks.

Shredder

Someone who actually rips. Not loud, not showy — just consistently good.
Used like this: “She’s a proper shredder.”
Respect is implied. No hype needed.

Poser

This one gets misunderstood. A poser isn’t a beginner — it’s someone pretending to skate without putting the work in.
Used like this: “Don’t be a poser.”
The fix is simple: don’t cosplay it. Just skate. Progress beats image every time.

Mall Grab

Carrying your board by the trucks, grip facing your leg. Internet jokes made this bigger than it is.
Used like this: “That’s a mall grab.”
Truth is, nobody serious cares — but now you know why it gets laughed at.

Culture slang isn’t about sounding cool. It’s about shared understanding. These words carry encouragement, criticism, humour, and history — all without breaking the flow of a session. Whether you’re pulling up to a park in a hoodie on a grey afternoon or heading out for a street sesh in a battered tee, this is the language that travels with skating wherever it goes.