AGGROS GET STOKED OVER CLASSICS

This glossary of surfing terms has been gleaned from Jon Severson’s book, “Great Surfing,” San Diego surfing writer Steve Barilotti and from years of personal living along the Orange County coast.

Aggro: A contemporary term imported from Australia meaning aggressive surfing.

Amped: A contemporary term used when surfers are excited about the surf. Also used to describe overly aggressive surfing characterized by jerky motions.

Backpedal: Foot-over-foot walking backward toward the rear of a long board. The short-board revolution pretty much ended walking the board.

Backwash: A wave or current that heads back toward the sea. The condition usually is found on a steep beach at high tide.

Baggies: A style of swimsuit, usually worn large and patterned with Hawaiian floral prints or wide stripes, that first became popular in the 1950s and came back in vogue in the early ‘80s. Bail: To exit a board by jumping off to avoid being knocked off by a wave.

Barrels: Big, cylindrical waves.

Blown out: When the wind blows so hard it makes the sea choppy and undesirable for surfing.

Bombora: An old Australian term used to describe a wave breaking beyond the normal lineup.

Bottom turn: A maneuver in which the surfer turns toward the top of the wave after descending to the bottom.

Bowl: A shallow spot in the wave causing the wave to break a little harder and faster. Surfers either turn wide around a bowl or go through it for a tube ride.

Break: The spot where the waves form, allowing for the maximum ride.

Classic: Used to describe a perfect-forming wave.

Cleanup: A wave that breaks way beyond the normal break line, often forcing surfers to scramble to paddle over it.

Close-out: A wave that breaks all at once without a shoulder--an undesirable condition for surfing.

Cowabunga: An Australian term used as a sort of surfing war cry.

Crest: The highest point of a wave before it breaks.

Curl: The breaking part of the wave.

Cutoff: When one surfer takes off in front of another. The surfer closest to the peak of the forming wave has the right of way. This also is called shoulder hopping.

Deck: The top of a surfboard.

Dig a rail: When the side of the board digs into the wave--like hitting an edge in skiing. The result usually is a loss of balance and the end of a ride.

Ding: When a surfboard suffers a hole or break by a rock or another board.

Down: When the surf is flat.

Dude: Contemporary surf-speak used to address a person who is not known to the speaker. For a woman, it’s dudette.

El espontaneo: Spanish term meaning “the spontaneous one” refers to a maneuver in which a surfer gets into a squatting position and looks back between his or her legs.

Elephant gun: A large, toothpick of a surfboard used for big surf. It often is referred to as a gun or a rhino chaser.

Face: The unbroken front of a wave between the crest and the trough.

Glass off: When the wind dies in the afternoon, changing the conditions to smooth waves that are optimum for surfing.

Goofy-foot: Surfers who ride with their right foot forward on the board.

Green room: The wall inside the section of the wave that forms the tube.

Gremmie: Someone who dresses like a surfer but doesn’t surf. They now are called wannabes.

Kook: A beginning, or bumbling, surfer.

Mushy: A wave without much power behind it.

Peak: The highest point of a wave--the most favorable point at which to catch it.

Pearl: To fall head first because the nose digs into the wave.

Reef break: A rock or coral bottom that helps form waves for desirable rides.

Rubber arms: A condition of being so tired it is difficult to lift the arms to paddle the board.

Set: A group of waves breaking in intervals one after the other.

Shore break: Harsh waves that break right on shore and are most prevalent at beaches such as Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach.

Stoked: A longtime surfing term meaning extremely excited.

Switch-foot: A surfer who always rides facing the wave, whether it breaks on the left or the right.