Cyclist Slang
Steven Bodzin
newsgroup, which seems refreshingly flameproofed. Hopefully this
crossposting won't annoy anyone too deeply.
Does anyone have a deeper etymology for me than what I've got on the
following bits of cyclist slang? Some is specifically messenger slang,
which is more likely to comingle with urban and drug cultures, while some
is general cyclist slang, with a broader class and geographic base. All of
it seems to comingle with surfers and motorcyclists.
beater: cheap bike for use around town [Joe Clark claims it comes from
Minnesota, where it's been used to refer to cars for at least 20 years]
biscuit (adj.): cheap or lousy, in reference to parts or to a whole bike.
[I first heard on streets summer '93, unknown derivation]
proj: marijuana [poss. from late 1980's pot drought in San Francisco, when
messengers went to housing projects to buy dope]
skid lid: helmet [1950's motorcycle slang]
trackstand: standing still balanced on a bike [poss. from velodrome
events, aka track events, where riders stand still at the beginning of the
race]
face plant: Falling down face-first, often spectacularly [from
skateboarding? no known early use]
endo: Flying over the handlebars [I suspect this one is from
"end-over-end", can't find early use]
skull bucket: helmet [?]
hammer: (v) to ride especially hard
header: a crash over the bars [originated in the early 1900's, thinks
gran...@crl.com (Snuggle Bear)]
dab: Placing a toe down turning a trick, especially in "observed trials"
of virtuosic riding. [from motorcycle trials? no early use reference, even
anecdotal]
sag wagon: a vehicle that follows a group of cyclists, carrying spare
tires and food. [two competing etymologies: I think it's an acronym for
supplies and gear. Les Earnest (l...@cs.stanford.edu) claims it was a
spoonerism of a name: Wagner (Wag) Sagan. Apparently, someone by that name
worked the Tour de France up to 1914. Les also claims that Wag's good
jokes are what led to "wag" getting taken to mean "joker." Any ideas?]
Input of other bike-related slang would be appreciated.
--Steven
Donald Fisk
: Input of other bike-related slang would be appreciated.
One that I was amused by was "bonk", to collapse of dehydration.
In the other sense of the word, I'm rather fond of bonking.
: --Steven
--
Le Hibou (mo bheachd fhe/in:my own opinion) Email: don...@info.bt.co.uk
"Well, I have an English father and a Scottish mother. Which means
I'm both stuck-up *and* mean." -- Angus Deayton
Daniel von Brighoff
Steven Bodzin <s...@sirius.com> wrote:
>A brief discussion at rec.bicycles.soc led me here to your scintillating
>newsgroup, which seems refreshingly flameproofed. Hopefully this
>crossposting won't annoy anyone too deeply.
All I can say is, all posters to sci.lang should be this clear,
charming, and concise.
>beater: cheap bike for use around town [Joe Clark claims it comes from
>Minnesota, where it's been used to refer to cars for at least 20 years]
I think it may be pan-Midwestestern. It's common where I come from (East
Central Missouri), but I've only heard it used in reference to automobiles.
--
Daniel "Da" von Brighoff /\ Dilettanten
(de...@midway.uchicago.edu) /__\ erhebt Euch
/____\ gegen die Kunst!
Susan L. Jones
1984, when I was teaching in Culpeper County (VA)... it was
middle school slang for ... I'm not sure what! But most often
I heard "Didn't you feel like a biscuit?" when somebody did
something publicly humiliating. Once I heard "Felt like a
black, burnt biscuit on a hot summer day," which may be
enlightening... but it's a good one to say - somehow covers it
better than "Boy, I put my foot in my mouth." Please, somebody
enlighten!
Lawrence Graham
(Steven Bodzin) wrote:
> Input of other bike-related slang would be appreciated.
> --Steven
Steven, a friend of mine dropped this in my folder the other day. Probably
a repost, but I thought it would be relevant:
auger v. to involuntarily take samples of the local geology, usually with
one's face, during a crash. (See also: face plant)
bacon n. scabs on a rider's knees, elbows, or other body parts.
bail v. to jump off in order to avoid an imminent crash.
biff n. a crash. Syn. involuntary dismount, wipeout. v. "I biffed and
then wiped away the blood."
boing-boing n. a bike with full (front and rear) suspension.
bolt-on n. a woman with breast implants. Derived from the term for
after-market bicycle parts that are literally bolted on.
bonk v. to run out of energy or grow exhausted on a ride. "I bonked so
early it was embarrassing."
bring home a Christmas tree v. to ride (or crash) through dense bushes,
so leaves and branches are hanging from your bike and helmet.
bunny hop v. to lift both wheels off the ground by crouching down and
then exploding upward, pulling the bike with you. Useful for clearing
obstructions, such as curbs, potholes, logs.
buzz n. euphoric feeling. Commonly used after a particularly hard
passage is successfully completed. "I got such a buzz after that uphill
grunt."
carve v. to ride with great speed around the corners of a twisting fire road.
cashed adj. to be too tired to ride any farther.
chain ring tattoo n. the dotted-line scar you get from gouging your shin
on the chain ring.
chainsuck n. condition when the bike chain gets jammed between the frame
and the chain rings.
clean v. to negotiate a trail successfully without crashing. "I cleaned
that last section."
crotch-testing n. sudden impact between a male rider's private parts and
something very hard and pointy, such as a handlebar stem or seat.
curb grind n. expensive erasure of low-hanging, shiny parts of the bike
on a curb or rock.
curb slide v. to place the front wheel up on a curb and allow the rear
tire to scrape along the curb, usually resulting in a loud tearing sound.
dab v. to put a foot down in order to catch your balance on a difficult
section of trail. "I made it without crashing, but I had to dab once."
death cookies n. fist-sized rocks that knock your bike in every direction
but the one you want to proceed in.
death march n. a ride that turns into an investigation of your endurance
limit. "The bridge was out, and I had to go all the way back the way I
came. So the morning's nice, easy ride turned into a Bataan death
march."
dialed in adj. when a bike is set up nicely and everything works just right.
drillium n. any part with lots of holes drilled in it to make it lighter.
endo n. the maneuver of flying unexpectedly over the handlebars, thus
being forcibly ejected from the bike. Short for "end over end." "I hit
that rock and went endo like nobody's business." Syn. superman. Also
refers to intentionally applying the front brake and allowing the back
wheel to come off the ground; this "front wheelie" is the basis for many
tricks.
face plant n. hitting the ground face first. "Joe hit a tree root and
did a spectacular face plant." Syn. soil sample, spring planting.
first blood n. credit to the first rider in a group who crashes and
starts bleeding as a result.
foot fault n. when a rider can't disengage his cleats from the pedals
before falling over. Rel. horizontal track stand: when this happens at a
stop sign.
fred n. a person who spends a lot of money on his bike and clothing, but
still can't ride. "What a fred -- too much Lycra and titanium and not
enough skill." Syn. barney.
giblets n. all the colorful parts and pieces that you can add or change
out on a bike.
gonzo adj. treacherous, extreme. "That vertical drop was sheer gonzo."
granny gear n. the lowest gear available on a bike, which only a
grandmother would need to use; designed for steep uphill climbing, but
extremely easy to pedal in on flat ground.
grunt n. a very difficult climb, requiring use of the granny gear.
gutter bunny n. a bicycling commuter.
hammer v. to ride fast and hard. n. someone who hammers.
HOHA n. Hateful Old Hikers Association. "HOHA members hate mountain
bicyclists with a fervor exceeding that of rabid wolverines."
kick-out n. a bunny hop in which the rider pushes the back tire to one side.
line n. the desirable path or strategy to take on a trail.
male blindness n. when a male rider watches a beautiful female ride over
rough terrain and stares intensely at all the jiggling parts, making him
too dizzy to see straight when it's his turn to ride the same terrain.
mantrap n. hole covered with autumn leaves, resembling solid earth and
effective at eating the front wheel of the unsuspecting rider.
mo n. momentum. "If you don't get in gear at the bottom of that hill,
you'll lose your mo."
mojo n. charm or icon worn by a biker or attached to the bike.
mud diving n. what happens when a bike slows abruptly in mud, throwing
the rider into wet goo.
nirvana n. the state of being in absolute control and totally in tune
with your bike, the trail, and your physical strength. "I was just doing
it all so smoothly and delicately and quickly, it was nirvana!"
over-the-bar blood donor n. a rider who is injured while doing an endo.
pogo v. to bounce on a full-suspension bike like a pogo stick. Also, for
a full-suspension bike to bounce annoyingly and uncontrollably.
powerslide n. a two-wheel sideways slide, with the foot opposite the
direction of travel kept on the ground.
rag dolly v. to wreck in such a way that one's person is tossed like a
flimsy scrap of cloth. "Did you see me rag dolly back there? I think I
pierced my ear on a tree branch."
retro-grouch n. a rider who prefers an old bike with old components and
isn't fond of new, high-tech equipment.
'rhoid buffing n. going down a hill so steep that your butt touches the
rear wheel.
roadie n. pejorative term for a rider who sticks to paved surfaces only.
"That roadie is a lower life form."
road rash n. large abrasions on a rider's legs and body caused by a
crash, particularly on cement.
rocket fuel n. the mandatory pre-ride coffee.
rookie mark n. chain grease on a rider's pant leg. "Give that guy extra
points for his rookie mark. It's even on the wrong leg!"
roost v. to go fast or accelerate quickly. or coming to a complete and
sudden stop
Example: "Whoa, did you see that guy roost on that log over there?"
singletrack n. trail wide enough for one person or bike. Rel.
doubletrack: rutted road made by vehicles, with the ruts creating two
parallel singletracks.
skid lid n. helmet.
sky v. to jump extremely high.
snake bite n. a double puncture of an inner tube, caused by hitting an
obstacle too hard or by under-inflation of tires.
snowmine n. an object hidden by snow on the trail. "Be careful of the
snowmines -- you know, rocks, logs, hibernating bears...."
spuds n. Shimano-manufactured "SPD" clipless pedals.
table-top n. a jump made over a hill that reaches a plateau and goes back
down. Also, a jump in which the rider throws the bike sideways in
mid-air.
taco v. to bend a wheel over on itself, in the shape of a taco. "I
taco'd my wheel, and it cost me a hundred bucks."
tea party n. when a whole group of riders stops and chats, and nobody
seems to want to ride on.
technical n. a section of trail that is difficult to ride because of
rocks, tree roots, steep drops.
techno-weenie n. a rider more concerned with how many milligrams a
certain component saves off the bike's total weight than with how to be a
better rider. Syn. weight weenie. Also, a rider who buys lots of gadgets
to add supposed iotas of performance to the bike.
three-hour tour n. a ride that looks like a piece of cake at the outset
but turns out to be a death march. Derived from the theme song to
"Gilligan's Island."
trail swag n. equipment or accessories dropped by other bikers and found
on the trail.
tricked out adj. when a bike has the latest and hottest components.
tweak n. a jump during which the rider twists the handlebars back and
forth in mid-air, the more times the better. v. to slightly injure a
part of the body or the bike in a crash. "I tweaked my wrist when I
fell."
unobtanium adj. describing a bike or accessory made from expensive,
high-tech material. A play on "unobtainable" and "titanium."
vegetable tunnel n. a singletrack that is heavily overgrown with foliage,
so a rider must duck and bend to get through it.
washboard n. small undulations of the soil surface that make for a very
rough ride.
wash out v. to have the front tire lose traction, especially while going
around a corner.
wild pigs n. poorly adjusted brake pads that squeal in use.
wonky adj. not functioning properly. "I bailed, and now my wheel is all
wonky and all I hear are wild pigs."
yard sale n. a horrendous crash that leaves all your various "wares" --
water bottles, pump, tool bag, etc. -- scattered as if on display for
sale.
Compliled from the ravings on rec.bicycles.off-road by:
Jerry Dunn
jer...@rain.org
--
dut-dwee, dut dut dut dwee-dow!
Sherilin Heise
ride to help with flats and makes sure everyone is accounted for.
--
Sherilin Heise
Sherilin Heise
against at all costs. Some tape the name on the top tube to
protect it when leaning the bike against walls, etc.
--
Sherilin Heise
Sherilin Heise
wheelies.
--
Sherilin Heise
John Clifford Wilke
My favorite line (from Davis Phinney I believe):
"Honk bobo...lets drop this fred!"
:-)
What about:
bonk, biff, perf, & yard sale?
jw