Smuggling Slang For Beginners
08 Nov 2020JB Threepwood
Hello, Prospect, and welcome to Jamaica Inn Movement.I've had a lot of new pilots say they don't understand what some of the old boys are saying over the Comms Systems so I'd like to send you all this cheat-sheet. The reason we use this sort of slang is to keep our business to ourselves in case there's any nosey bastards about.
Please keep this page linked and I'll keep it updated.
Lucky Numbers,
Wing President JB Threepwood.
(Smuggler Slang Terms)
"2 Double-Skulls/ 2 Double-Balls"- Popular patch/ tattoo amongst smugglers. 200 being the speed you need to exceed to avoid being scanned.
"Alpha to Omega"- From collection to delivery.
"Amistad"- Slave trader's ship
"Back Door"- Rear ship in a convoy.
"Back Yard"- Local systems near home base.
"B.A.N.D.I.T./ Bandit"- (B)ait (AN)d (DI)straction (T)eam. Fast pilots who run as a decoy for convoys or slower ships.
"Barefoot"- Unengineered.
"Barn Owl"- Drug Smuggler/ Dealer.
"Bass Reeves"- Bounty Hunter.
"Bear"- Any Law Enforcement Agent.
"Bear Bite"- A fine.
"Bear In The Air"- Police spotted low-waking locally.
"Bed Wetter"- One who 'pisses the bed'.
"Benny"- Benefactor. Whoever's paying for the job.
"Bicentennial Man"- A smuggler who speeds to avoid being scanned. Term comes from going over 200.
"Bindle"- Small amount of contraband. Small enough to carry on your person rather than cargo.
"Bob Howler"- Pilot who has a reputation for damaging their ships by flying too close to stars whilst jumping.
"Bobtail"- Empty cargo ship.
"Boomsticks"- Guns
"Bridesmaid"- A system you're not in control of but (due to a truce with the controlling faction) you're permitted to control the rest of the stations in that system to maintain harmony between factions.
"Brush your teeth and comb your hair"- Fly carefully so's not to attract police attention.
"Bull Buster"- A pilot who enjoys fighting Law Enforcement.
"Butcher's, A"- To scan a ship. To give something a once over.
"Bundled Out"- A ship at full cargo capacity.
"Can put the cat out"- Is good in a fight.
"Cargo Bay 4"- Stashed in the butt. From the medical slang Code F.O.U.R (Foreign Object Up Rectum).
"CC Rider"- A smuggler who speeds to avoid scanners. From going over 200... CC being Roman numerals for 200.
"Chatted Out"- When someone's lost their mind.
"Chin Check"- To shoot or bump system security to get them to engage with you.
"Chicken Truck/ Fuck Truck/ Drag Queen"- A flashy ship with shiny paint and body kit.
"Choke 'n' puke"- Terrible diner.
"Chump Dumping"- Jettisoning passengers.
"Cinderella"- A pilot who drops some of their cargo to distract a pursuer so they can escape.
"Clean Under Your Nails"- Make sure you don't have anything illegal on you.
"Cockerfart"- Pilot who has grown old without accomplishing anything.
"Colours"- Gang/squadron/faction tattoos or uniform.
"County Mountie"- Local Faction Security.
"Coyotes"- Scavenger smugglers. They tend to lurk around battlegrounds collecting dropped cargo. It's generally thought of as an underhanded practice.
"Crop"- Delivered cargo.
"Dibble"- Law Enforcement.
"Dingle"- Someone who has lost their mind and attacks pilots for no reason.
"Dog Town"-Dogmaa, Wolfberg.
"Doing Bird"- Serving a prison sentence.
"Dragonfly"- A ship whose engine isn't powerful enough to boost.
"Drop Anchor"- After boosting the slot, dropping your throttle whilst engaging your landing gear/ scoop/ dropping pips/ any or all of these measures to slow your ship down.
"Eastbound And Down"- Carrying illegal cargo.
"Eats Alone"- Pilot who does jobs mainly for themselves rather than for The Organisation.
"Eyeball/ Eyeballed"- To watch something. To be scanned.
"Fingerprint"- Load/ unload cargo.
"Fire On The Line"- Police spotted. (More common when on a station)
"Flip-flop"- Return journey.
"Fox In The Henhouse"- Undercover cop.
"Free Trader"- Smuggler
"Front door"- Lead ship in a convoy.
"Geronimo/ Gone full Geronimo"- Lunatic... as in "he's off the reservation".
"Gophers"- Limpets. "Go for this, go for that".
"Graffiti"- Gang/Prison tattoos.
"Grandma's House"- Home Station.
"Grapes"- Second-hand information. Rumour.
"Groceries"- Legal cargo
"Halfback"- As part of a wing, the Halfback is a fast ship that carries the illegal/ sought after goods... the other ships in the wing are usually combat ships sent to protect the cargo.
"Hammer, The"- The throttle control.
"Hammer Down"- Full throttle.
"Has The Keys"- Whoever's calling the shots on a group run. Similar to Rubberduck.
"Heartbreak Highway"- Any popular slaving run, usually one through Imperial space.
"Hot-Boxing"- Being high whilst on a multiple jump journey, resulting in getting too close to stars and overheating the ship.
"Hundred Jump Joe"- Extremely strong coffee.
"In Off The Cushion"- Whilst boosting into a station, bumping the slot on purpose as a way to slow down.
"J-Cat"- Someone who has lost their mind and attacks pilots for no reason.
"Jersey Tilt"- Take an enemy out with a single round of shots.
"Keep Dog"- Keep an eye out for police whilst someone performs an illegal act.
"Keep the left door closed"- Non-stop journey.
"Kennels"- When a passenger ship strips out their "1" slot and puts in a cargo rack in case it wants to scoop up a "Stray Dog".
"Kenneth The Destroyer"- A pilot (or ship) that has an over the top tough-guy callsign even though the pilot's low ranked, its a non-combat ship or simply not good enough to live up to it's absurd name.
"Left-Handed"- A way to describe someone who's crooked or untrustworthy.
"Ligger"- A substandard bounty hunter that lets system security take down a wanted criminal, but gets a couple of shots in themselves so they can claim the bounty.
"Lucky Numbers"- To wish someone good luck. The numbers 3, 7, 8, 13 and 200 are all believed to be lucky within smuggling gangs. It's also popularly used as a toast
"Moody"- Counterfeit.
"Officer Duck"- Law Enforcement Agent on your payroll that gives info on police activity.
"On your donkey"- On your tail. Following you.
"Pissed the bed"- To use heat sinks and silent running to sneak into a station instead of boosting. Derogatory term that alludes to a child wetting the bed then sneaking their sheets into the washer. (Not to be mistaken for 'Shit The Bed')
"Pebble-Pusher"- Derogatory term for a miner.
"Pebble-Pusher's Parking Lot"- Fleet Carrier. Derogatory term that implies they're only available to miners.
"Penguins"- Members of a gang that aren't pilots... because they can't fly.
"Pickle Park"- Area within the docks of trashier stations (usually near the pilot's lounge) where prostitutes can be found.
"Play the Dutchman"- Commit suicide.
"(Get Some) Poles-In-Holes"- Instruction to take some R&R. Sexual hook-ups being the main activity during shore leave.
"Prison Pocket"- The butt. Not a common choice for smuggling but historically a common way to hide contraband in prison.
"Pull her pigtails"- Intentionally attract the attention of another pilot so they'll engage in combat.
"Put her to bed"- Once landed, get your illicit cargo below the surface to avoid security.
"Pyjama Party"- Overnight stay in a police holding cell, usually for a drunk and disorderly charge.
"Railroading"- Getting slaves to safety.
"Rat Rocket"- A fast ship that is left to look worn down and beat-up so it's speed is underestimated.
"Rattlesnake"- Trashy, easy woman. Because they're cold, emotionless and rattle with cheap jewellery.
"Red Ass"- Prospect. Newest member of a wing.
"Riding Dirty"- Traveling with illicit cargo aboard your ship.
"Rocking chair"- Any ship, other than the front or back, in a convoy.
"Rubber Duck"- Pilot who calls the shots with a convoy. Often it's the 'Front Door' but can also be one of the protective wings or 'Bandits'.
"Running Touchdown"- Making a delivery whilst being heavily pursued.
"Rupert"- Imperial. Usually a posh, highly ranked, entitled one.
"Saint Malverde"- Patron Saint of Smugglers.
"Self loading cargo"- Passengers.
"Semi-Pro"- A trader who works with smugglers but doesn't smuggle, or only dabbles in it.
"Shake the bushes"- Scout ahead to check for police.
"Shit the bed"- To start something too early. (Not to be mistaken for 'Piss The Bed")
"Shoemaker"- Derogatory term for someone who uses limpets to do their collecting instead of scooping. From 'Elves And The Shoemaker' where the elves do all the hard work whilst the shoemaker sleeps.
"Sick note"- Sometimes called "Got a note from his mom". The pathetic, trying-to-act-macho excuses given for using an Auto-Docking Computer (I.E. piss break, fresh beer, karate kicking ninjas) that couldn't wait the 30 seconds it takes to manually land your ship.
"Smokey"- Any Law Enforcement Officer.
"Snidey"- Counterfeit. Can also mean untrustworthy if talking about a person.
"Snowflake"- Derogatory term for someone who uses heat sinks or cold running to hide from security.
"Squid"- Young pilot with more confidence than ability.
"Stray Dog/ Walking A Stray Dog"- Contraband that was scooped or bought without a pre-planned location to take it to, with the hopes of finding somewhere to palm it off.
"Suicide Jockey"- Someone who transports explosives or potentially dangerous goods.
"Swift"- Female smuggler. (S)ister (W)ho's (I)nto (F)ree (T)rading.
"Threading The Needle"- Boosting the slot in a large ship.
"Tin Openers"- Hatch Breakers.
"Tiger in your tank/ Tiger engine"- Originally from other "zoo" related terms... a ship whose regular top speed is over 200 without boosting.
"Tonto/ Gone Tonto"- Someone who has lost their mind, usually from long spell out in The Black.
"Trip to the zoo"- Smuggling job.
"Turkish Paul"- Slave Trader.
"Turn and burn"- Fast return trip.
"Turns into a pumpkin at (given time)"- Time the job is no longer viable after.
"Tweaked"- Engineered.
"Two-Jump Chump"- Pilot who won't venture far from Grandma's House.
"Uncle Jim/ Sneaky Jim/ Old Sneaky"- Jamaica Inn Movement, smuggling faction.
"Wall to wall bears"- A huge police presence.
"Yampy"- Unhinged. Prone to erratic and dangerous behaviour.
"Zoo"- Looks like 200... most Zoo terms relate to travelling over 200 to avoid being scanned.
(Slang for different cargo)
Beer- Gatter/ John Barleycorn
Bootleg liquor- Mountain Dew/ Moonshine
Liquor- Sauce
Narcotics- Clang/ Tackle
Onion Head- One-Five-Eight
Tobacco- Snout
Wine- Plonk
Explosives- Skeleton Key/ Key
Nerve Agents- Mustard
Tritium- Dwarf Ale
Performance Enhancers- Rooster Juice
Slaves- Blackbirds
Biowaste- Night Soil
Battle Weapons- Bundooks
Land mines- Mouse Traps
Non-lethal Weapons- Sex Toys/ Attitude Adjusters
Personal Weapons- Straps
Reactive Armour- Tuxedos
(Slang names for ships)
Adder- Karen/ Soccer Mom
Anaconda- Garbage Barge
Beluga- Moby/ Tail-Dragger
Corvette- Stretch
DBX- Booster Butt
Eagle- Tw'underbird
Dolphin- Flipper
Federal Dropship- Cockroach
Federal Gunship- Jessie
Fer-De-Lance- Dil-Do-Lance
Hauler- Wheelbarrow
Keelback- Swing-Wings
Krait- Pancake
Type 6- Coffin
Type 7- Lucky Truck
Type 9- Golden Graveyard
Type 10- Dime Bag
Orca- Willy
Python- Boring Bus
Sidewinder- Prom Date
(Comms codes- first 10s can be dropped for more shorthanded versions)
"10-1"- Comms aren't working well.
"10-2"- Comms are working fine.
"10-3"- Keep radio silence.
"10-4"- Acknowledged.
"10-5"- Pass on message.
"10-6"- Busy, stand by.
"10-7"- Signing off.
"10-8"- On my way.
"10-9"- Please repeat.
"10-10"- Just listening in. (Also 'In the wind')
"10-20"- Location.
"10-100"- Toilet Break.
"Belay That"- Ignore last transmission.
"PING"- A written poke meant like a radar ping. A short way to check up on someone or ask for an update.
"Red Line/ Green Line"- Green Line means you can talk freely, Red Line means there's people around so keep it above board.
"Wall To Wall And Treetop Tall"- I can hear you loud and clear. (Also '5 by 5')
Additional Contributions Thanks To
CMDR Wulthus