L.A. SPEAK

A list of slang used by bicycle messengers pedaling around downtown Los Angeles:

pins n. Pedestrians. “A lot of pins were stacked up along Hope Street this morning.”

bowling n . An event in which one or more pins are knocked down. “I went bowling along Hope Street this morning and hit three pins.”

peg v . Nudging a pin without knocking it over. “You should have seen the expression of the pin on high heels I pegged today.”

bulldog n . An ornery security guard. “That bulldog snarled when he told me to move my bike away from the building.”

ghost time n . A period of time phoned into a dispatcher that is longer than the time a delivery actually took. “I stole some ghost time today just so I could eat lunch.”

face plant n . Landing face down on asphalt. “I took a nasty face plant the other day near Spring and Temple.”

bunny hop v . Jumping off a raised surface, which produces flight. “I crashed after I bunny hopped a park bench.”

lunar lane n . The strip of Broadway between 1st and 7th streets notorious for potholes. “I took a trip down lunar lane an hour ago and nearly lost my lunch.”