L.A. SPEAK : A Selection of Gang Jargon

bud-- n . marijuana. SYN. bo

bullet-- n . one year in jail. (I did two bullets for popping a cap.)

buster-- n . a wanna-be gang member; person who is all talk and no action. SYN. poohbutt

calo-- n . the slang of a Latino gang. (He don’t know calo, man.)

clika, cliqua-- n . a Latino gang.

dope-- adj . good. (Play that dope tape.)

double deuce-- n. a .22 revolver.

drag-- v . the ability to sweet-talk women. (He can really drag a freak.)

drop a dime-- v. to give information to the police, to snitch.

esseys-- n . what black gangs call Latinos; also how they greet Latino gang members.

freak-- n . an attractive woman.

gat-- n. a firearm. (Yo, get the gat and let’s go blast.)

g-ride-- n . a car stolen for gang activities.

hooptie-- n . a car, often a beat-up clunker.

jacked-- vt . to be stopped and questioned, searched, shaken down, usually by police. (Daryl-Dog was jacked by CRASH (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums, a unit of the Los Angeles Police Department).)

pisto-- adj . drunk.

pop a cap-- v. to shoot someone. SYN. lit up (I lit up a couple of ratas last night.)

rata-- n . a snitch.

smack-- n . the slang of a black gang.