October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
First taught this at the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference back in 1998.
This is just a brief sample of some of the slang used by police officers on the street. It is by no
means exhaustive. Many of the terms listed here are unprofessional, but that doesn’t prevent
many officers from using them, and they’ll make your police characters more colourful.
Abba Dabba: A criminal, the implication being that he or she is some sort of evolutionary
throwback.
Artillery: 1) This term was first used in reference to small arms in 1821-22 in Braceridge Hall
and again in Puck in 1885. It became a popular slang term for small arms in stories published in
World War II. 2) A slang term for a hypodermic syringe that became popular circa 1965.
A.V.A.N.H.I.: “Asshole Versus Asshole, No Humans Involved.” Often shortened to N.H.I.
Popular back when I first started police work in the mid seventies.
Badge Heavy: Being overly authoritative and intimidating.
Barfbag: This term was first used in 1966 in reference to an airline air sickness bag. It later
became used as police jargon for a criminal.
Bindle: A small envelope of heroin, morphine, cocaine, etc. Also known as a deck (q.v.). First
appeared in E. Murphy’s Black Candle in 1921.
Black Jack: A hand weapon consisting of a short elastic shaft having at one end a heavy metal
head encased in netting, leather, etc. First mentioned in the Century Dictionary in 1889. Black
jacks were once issued to police in the era before night sticks (q.v.) came into widespread use.
Boogie: A derogatory term for a black person.
Bookie: A bookmaker (q.v.). This term first appeared in 1885.
Bookmaker: A term for a person who takes bets on races which dates back to 1862. Also known
as a bookie (q.v.).
Boost: A term for shoplifting or theft which first appeared in 1909 in Tillotson’s Detective.
Buddha Heads: A derogatory term for Asian people.
Bunco: Originally derived from the name of the card game Banco or Banca. Used in 1873 as a
term for a dice game involving loaded dice in Lening’s New York Life. In 1904 this term was
first used to describe swindling in general.
Bunco Squad: A term first used to describe a police fraud squad in 1949 in W.R. Burnett’s
Asphalt Jungle.
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
Burn/Burned: This term first appeared in the police vocabulary in Mills Report in 1973: “The
ultimate disaster is discovery- in undercover language a ‘burn’. When junkies and pushers…
learn or suspect an agent’s identity, he has ‘taken a burn’.”
Bust: This term originated in 1938 in the New Yorker Magazine (March 12), referring to a
police raid. It later came to be used as a synonym for arrest.
Bustle Rubber: 1) A prostitute. 2) A person that practices frotteurism: touching and rubbing up
against a non-consenting person. Also known as bustle-punching. Bustle is an old slang term
for the buttocks.
By The Nose: Surveillance term. A surveillance vehicle which has the suspect’s vehicle behind
them is said to have the suspect “by the nose”.
Canoe Maker: Coroner.
Cap: 1) To shoot, ie. ‘snap a cap” (1864, S. C. Wilson’s Column South), “pop a cap” (1953,
Wedman et al, The Life), or “bust a cap” (1962, Killens’ Heard the Thunder). 2) A capsule of
heroin or other narcotics. First appeared in this use in 1929 in the 11 October issue of the
Chicago Tribune.
Cat: A slang term for the relatively new and powerful stimulant methcathenone, which is
sometimes substituted for cocaine as it gives a stronger high. First recorded usage on the 10
October 1993 edition of National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”.
Cat Burglar: Originally this was a name for a burglar who enters through upper story windows.
It was first used in this form in 1907 in the Oxford English Dictionary Supplement. Nowadays it
is often used to describe a burglar who strikes at night while the occupants of a home are asleep.
Choir Practice: A police term for an after work “tailgate party” in a park or other secluded place.
Came from Joseph Wambaugh’s 1975 book The Choirboys.
Coconut: A cocaine addict.
Code Two: A police dispatch term for “respond quickly but not with lights and siren”.
Code Three: A police term for responding with lights and siren.
Code Four: A police term for pursuit.
Code Seven: Meal break.
Connection: Originally the act of purchasing drugs, first appearing in 1927-28 in Tasker’s
Grimhaven. Later referred to the drugs purchased or to the drug dealer.
Cop: A slang term for a police officer which first appeared in Matsell’s Vocabulary in 1859.
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
Crash: 1) A slang term for sleeping that first appeared in 1943. A crash pad is a place where
criminals go to sleep. 2) To return to a normal state after being high on drugs. First recorded
usage in J. B. Williams’ Narcotics and Hallucinogens in 1967.
C.U.B.O.: “Conduct UnBecoming an Officer”. Called “cue bow” by cops.
D.B.: Dead body.
Dealer: A person who sells drugs. First recorded usage in 1931-34 in Clemmer’s Prison
Community.
Deck: A small envelope containing heroin, cocaine, or other drugs. First appeared in 1921.
Dicks: A derogatory Canadian slang term for detectives that first appeared in 1908 in Sullivan’s
Criminal Slang.
Dime Bag: $10 worth of drugs. First appeared in Droge’s Patrolman in 1958
Dine and Dash: To order and consume a meal in a restaurant and then leave without paying for
it. Also known as “eat no pay” (q.v.).
D.O.A.: Dead On Arrival.
Doing The Chicken: Tremors in an unconscious person. Refers to the death throws of a
decapitated chicken. Police officers using vascular restraint holds to render a fighting suspect
unconscious are said to be “making them do the chicken.”
Dope: In 1891 it was first used to describe opium in Darkness and Daylight by Campbell, Knox,
and Byrnes. It was used as a term for a drug addict, referring to the fact that a person was stupid
(“a dope”) for being one, in A. H. Lewis’ Sandburrs in 1900. Nowadays it is used in reference
to any sort of illegal narcotic.
Dope Fiend: A drug addict. See dope.
Eat No Pay: See Dine and Dash.
End of Watch: Also referred to as E.O.W. Originally meant the end of a shift, but has become a
slang term for the death of a police officer, often as a result of a suicide.
E.O.W.: See End of Watch.
Fighting Ghosts: Trying to catch burglars.
F.I.G.M.O.: “Fuck It, Got My Orders.” A police slang term borrowed from the military.
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
Fink: This term was first used to describe a person who betrayed their associates in 1902-3 in
Ade’s People You Know. By 1926 it was being used as a verb describing the act of informing to
the police.
Fit: A hypodermic syringe, short for “hypodermic outfit”. First appeared in Spear’s Drugs and
Drink in 1959.
Fix: A slang term meaning to use drugs, first used to describe opium use in Dai’s Opium Addicts
in 1936.
Flim Flam: To swindle a victim by short changing them. First appeared in the National Police
Gazette 12 November 1881.
Floater: A corpse found floating in a body of water. First appeared in this usage in 1890 in Riis’
Other Half.
Four Fifteen Personality: 415 is the California Penal Code section for disturbing the peace. A
cop with a 415 personality is a cop who regularly turns peaceful calls into brawls, a troublemaker
who enjoys inciting riots.
Fruit Hustler: A male prostitute. First appeared in 1959 in Rechy’s Big Table. Also used to
describe a man who robs or extorts money from homosexuals.
F.U.B.A.R.: “ Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition.” A police slang acronym borrowed from the
military.
Funny Place: Derogatory term for a mental hospital.
Ganja: Also Ganje. Originally an Indian term for marijuana. First used in America to describe
marijuana in the International Journal of Addiction in 1971.
Gat: This slang term for a gun is probably derived from the Gatling Gun, a crank operated,
multibarrel machine gun invented by Richard Gatling in 1862. It was later referred to by its
operators as a “Gat”, an example of this usage being seen in print in 1907. The earliest use of
this slang term for a gun other than a Gatling gun may be found in J. London Reports in 1897 in
which it was used in reference to a shotgun. It was used in reference to a hangun for the first
time in the Saturday Evening Post in 1913.
Geez/Geeze: An injection of drugs. First appeared in 1967 in Maurer and Vogel’s Narcotics
and Narcotics Addicts.
Geezing: Injecting drugs (see Geez).
Gravy Train: This expression first appeared in Handy’s Blues Treasury in 1914 in reference to a
source or condition of undeserved ease, advantage, or profit. In a police context it refers to a
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
case file that promises to be lucrative in the way of overtime. The detective assigned often
figures out creative ways to get as many officers involved in the case as possible to “share the
wealth”.
Gumshoe: Originally a term for sneakers, which had gum rubber soles. It first appeared as a
term for a plain clothes detective or private investigator in 1889-1900 in Cullen’s Tales. It also
refers to the act of sneaking about quietly while searching for something.
Gunsel: Derived originally from the Yidish term “gendzl”, meaning “goose” or “raw youth”
back in 1910. In 1941 it had become a term for a gunman or thug in J. Huston’s classic The
Maltese Falcon.
Half A Piece: Half a gram of drugs.
Handbook: A small bookmaker (q.v.) who takes bets on horse races. First appeared in 1894.
Hang Six: To act as a lookout (see six).
Hangtoughs: A term for criminals which first appeared in Wambaugh’s The Blue Knight in
1972.
Head: A term for an addict which first appeared in Leadbitter and Slaven’s Blues Records in
1930. Variations include hash head, pot head, dope head, coke head, etc.
Heat: 1) First appeared as a verb describing intense police activity or harassment in 1925 in the
8 August edition of Collier’s. In 1930 it was listed as a slang term for a police officer in
Conwell’s Professional Thief. 2) First used as a slang term for a hangun in Finerty’s
Criminalese in 1926.
Holding: In possession of drugs.
H.P.: An acronym for the expression “half price”. A police slang term for places that offer
discounts to police officers.
H.U.A.: “Head Up Ass”. A term usually used to describe inept motorists by police officers.
Hugger Mugger: A prostitute who acts as a decoy for a mugger or who herself robs victims.
First appeared in Wambaugh’s The New Centurions in 1970.
Hype: First used as an abbreviation for a hypodermic syringe in 1910 in the November edition
of Adventure. It was first used to describe an addict in 1924 in G. Henderson’s Keys to
Crookdom.
I.A.D.: Internal Affairs Department.
I.E.D.: Improvised Explosive Device.
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
I.I.S.: Internal Investigation Squad.
Jailhouse Tattoos: Homemade tattoos made with pencil lead shavings and spit or ballpoint pen
ink. A jailhouse tattoo of a cross made at the base of the thumb indicates a person who has been
a convict.
Joint: 1) First appeared in 1877 as a slang term for a place set up to do a swindle. 2) First used
to describe an opium den in 1881. 3) First used to describe a brothel in 1894. 4) First used to
describe a prison in 1933. 5) First used as a slang term for a homemade hypodermic syringe in
1935. 6) First used to describe a hand rolled marijuana cigarette in 1942.
Juke: A term of Afro-Caribbean origin first listed in 1877 in Cassidy’s Dictionary of Jamaican
Slang. It is a verb meaning “to poke, stab or prick”. Later it became a slang term for stabbing.
Junk: A term first used to describe heroin in 1918.
Junkie: A person who uses junk (q.v.). First appeared in N. Anderson’s Hobo in 1922.
Key: A slang term for a kilogram which first appeared in Spear’s Drugs and Drink in 1966.
Kick Pad: A drug or alcohol rehabilitation center. The expression”to kick a (drug) habit” dates
back to 1958.
Laughing Academy: A derogatory term for a mental hospital.
Lid: An ounce of marijuana. First appeared in 1964-66 in R. Stone’s Hall of Mirrors.
Lightweight: A small time crook.
Mainline: To inject drugs directly into a major vein in the arm or leg. Dates back to 1931.
Man, The: 1) First used to describe a prison warden in 1918. 2) First used to describe a prison
guard in 1930. 3) First used to describe a cop in 1933.
Markers: A bookie’s (q.v.) records of money owed.
Milking: Milking a call is failing to clear a call that you are on in order to do other things that
you want to do without the dispatcher or supervisor bothering you.
M.O.: See Modus Operandi.
Modus Operandi: Often shortened to M.O. A Latin term referring to a criminal’s mode of
operating.
Mugger: A criminal who strong arms his victims.
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
Narc: A slang term for a narcotics squad officer which first appeared in Zap Comix in October
1967.
Narc Ark: An unmarked police car (see Narc).
Narco: A term for narcotics which first appeared in 1954 in J. Blake’s Joint. A year later it was
first used to describe a drug squad officer.
N.H.I.: See A.V.A.N.H.I.
Nightstick: A wooden or synthetic club carried by police officers since the beginning of the 20th
century. The name seems to refer to its use as a means of protection by police officers patrolling
on foot on the night watch.
Nine Irons: A derogatory term for Asian people. It refers to the slant of their eyes (the head of a
nine iron is slanted).
Paddy: A white person. Derives from the slang term for people of Irish descent.
Paddy Wagon: A slang term for a police wagon used to transport prisoners. Derives from the
slang term for people of Irish descent. At the time that this expression was coined in the early
20th century in New York, the majority of the police officers were of Irish descent.
Paper: A small envelope containing drugs (see deck, bindle).
Phone Spot: Also known as a relay or a relay spot. The connection that a bookie calls his
betting action into. The relay person writes the bets down on a blackboard or white board which
can be wiped clean if cops bust the relay.
Piece: 1) A gun. 2) A slang term for one gram of drugs.
Pigeon Drop: Two suspects flim flaming an old man.
Pill Head: A person addicted to prescription drugs.
Pinch: 1) First used as a synonym for the verb “steal” in 1656. 2) First used as a verb meaning
“arrest” in 1837.
Piss Kid: Rookie cop.
Pogue: Originally a term used to describe a youthful homosexual male. During the Vietnam war
it became used as a term describing a despicable boy or young man. It was later absorbed into
police slang to describe an officer who “sucks up” to his superiors.
Pop: 1) First used as a verb describing the injection of illegal drugs in 1935. 2) First used as a
verb meaning to “arrest” in 1960.
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
Pot: First used to describe marijuana in 1938.
Pusher: 1) First used to describe a prostitute in 1923. 2) First used to describe a drug dealer in
1935.
Quiet Air: When the radio is quiet (nobody is transmitting). A quiet shift.
Rabbit: To take off running.
Rat: A term first used to describe a police informant in 1902.
Rat Jacket: To “get a rat (snitch) jacket” or “get a jacket” means to become known as a police
informant.
Rig: A hypodermic syringe.
R.I.N.: “Rap In the Nuts”. Self explanatory.
Roach: Originally used to describe a cigarette butt in 1938. Now typically used to describe the
butt of a marijuana cigarette.
Roscoe: A handgun
Roust: A term meaning to rough up or harass which first appeared in 1904.
R.T.O.: “Return To Office.” An expression used to describe heading in at the end of shift.
Originated in surveillance: the supervisor would transmit to his officers to head in at the end of
the day by coming over the air and telling them to “R.T. O.”
Ruby: A surveillance term used to describe a red light. A suspect vehicle stopped for a red light
is broadcast as: “Suspect stopped for a ruby.”
Sam Browne Belt: Named for British Army officer General Sir Samuel J. Browne (1824-1901).
A belt with one or two diagonal shoulder straps used to carry a pistol.
Sap: A club or short staff. The term first appeared in 1899. In the early days of policing, police
officers were sometimes issued saps. I was issued a short rubber sap in 1977.
Sap Gloves: Gloves with pouches of powdered metal (usually lead) or sand in the palms and
padded knuckles to make them more effective for punching or striking.
Scag: A term for illegal drugs that first appeared in 1970.
Score: 1) First used as a synonym for stealing in 1914. 2) First used to describe a purchase of
illegal drugs in 1951.
Scottish Handshake: A head butt. This is an old rugby term adopted by police.
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
Scrotes: A term for criminals (derived from the word “scrotum”) popularized by Wambaugh in
The Choirboys in 1975.
Scumbag: First used to describe a condom in 1967. In 1971 it was first used as a derogatory
term for an unwholesome person.
Secret Service Money: Money supplied by the department to pay informants or buy drugs.
Set Up: A term first used to describe a stake out (q.v.) in 1968.
Shag: 1) An arrest. 2) Sexual intercourse.
Shim: Originally referred to a thin wedge of metal or wood used to fill a gap. Later became used
to describe a thin metal or plastic probe used to open the locks of windows or doors.
Shit: First used as a synonym for drugs in 1950.
Shooting Gallery: First used to describe a place where people gather to inject drugs in 1951.
Shooting Up: First used to describe the act of injecting drugs in 1914.
Shoulder: A d-methamphetamine high.
Six, Sixing: To keep watch. To act as a lookout.
Skipper: A methamphetamine addict or “speed freak” (q.v.). Refers to their pacing and
uncoordinated movements (ataxia).
Slim Jim: A metal or plastic probe used by wrecker drivers (and thieves) to open car doors.
Slopes: A derogatory term for Asians.
Snitch: A slang term for an informant that came into used in the late 18th and early 19th
centuries.
Speed Ball: A mixture of cocaine with heroin or morphine. First appeared in 1909.
Speed Freaks: A term first used to describe methamphetamine addicts in 1967.
Spike: A slang term for a hypodermic needle dating back to 1934.
Stake Out: Also referred to as a set up (q.v.). First used to describe police surveillance in 1942.
Stickup: A slang term for an armed robbery dating back to 1846.
Stuff: Originally a slang term for medicine which appeared in 1819. By 1890 it was being used
to describe alcohol and tobacco. In the early 20th century it became a slang term for illegal drug,
especially heroin.
© Charles Ennis
October 26, 2010 [GLOSSARY OF POLICE SLANG]
Taxi Dancing: Prostitution.
Team Policing: A very popular term which means different things in different police
departments. Wambaugh described it as “deployment as often as possible of the same man in a
given radio car district, making these men responsible not only for uniform patrol in that district
but for helping the detectives with their follow up investigation.”
Till Tappers/Till Punch: A theft committed by reaching quickly over the sales counter, punching
the till open and grabbing money out of the till.
Tracks/Track Marks: Bruise marks that appear as long lines along the veins in the arm or leg
caused by the injection of illegal drugs. This term first appeared in 1964.
Turn: This is an abbreviation of the expression “turn coat”, a popular term for a traitor or
informant in the 1800s. In the mid 19th and early 20th century this had mutated into “turn cur” or
“turn dog”, which first appeared in Edward Dyson’s The Gold Seekers in 1901. In the early 20th
century “turn copper” became a popular term for an informant. Eventually “turn” became a verb
describing the act of turning into an informant. Variations include “turned that guy”, “turn states
evidence”, and “turn him in”.
Tweaking: Using depressants such as alcohol or heroin to overcome dysphoria due to heavy
methamphetamine use.
V.C.B.: Surveillance slang meaning “Visual Contact Broken”. Another way of saying “I lost
sight of the suspect.”
Watering the Vegetables: Slang expression for keeping a brain dead person alive even when
recovery is hopeless.
Weed: First used as a slang term for tobacco in 1606. First used to describe marijuana in 1929.
Weinie Waggers: People who expose their genitals in public.
Wino: A term first used to describe an alcoholic in 1915.
© Charles Ennis