Ultimate Guide to Tattoo and Piercing Slang

If a tattoo virgin stumbles upon a parlor, he or she may quickly realize shop talk can be hard to understand. Select key words and phrases are as common as tribal tats to typical parlors. This wayward language is intrinsic to the tattoo industry and, over the years, both artists and collectors have become fluent in the native tongue. This inked dialect is what we dub tattoo slang.

A noob (newbie or tenderfoot) is sure to get lost in this ocean of communication confusion. If you happen to be one, don’t fret. This feature is for you. A collection of the most commonly used tattoo and piercing slang terms is laid out below. Read up and soak in the slang. We all have to start somewhere, don’t we?

Ultimate Guide to Tattoo and Piercing Slang

Airbrushing – This term refers to the rebound ink that sprays all over your pants. Funny how they can come up with terms for such mundane issues.

B-back – This refers to a customer who chickens-out during a tattoo session. The most commonly used excuse is: “I gotta run to the ATM, I’ll be back.” But he never returns.

Been needled – This is another way to say: “been tattooed.”

Cadaver – This term refers to a customer who refuses to talk to the tattoo artist during the entire process of getting inked. It is likely that the customer is a noob or just too scared about the whole process to find the energy to speak.

Closers - This refers to those annoying customers who know fully well that you close at 10pm, and take your last customer at 9pm, but they walk in at 9:45pm anyway, expecting you to accommodate their 2-hour tattoo request.

Dealers – These are customers who haggle down the tattoo price like they are attending a body art auction. They intend to pay less than what regular customers normally pay.

Engraved – This is another term for “tattooed.”

Geeking - This refers to acting stupid, or ignorant, or out of place, without regard to how you appear to others. Tattoo artists tend to use this term to refer to their clients who do not know how to follow instructions, especially in matters related to taking care of their tattoos.

Getting inked – Is another way of saying, “getting tattooed.”

Goo - This pertains to the cool, healing ointment tattoo artists apply to a new tattoo.

Grinding - A term similar to “creating,” as in what “grinding out some tribal tattoos” suggests.

Gun - This is a general slang term for a tattoo machine. In some cases, this term may have a negative connotation in association with hackers or scratchers.

Hacker - Beware of the hacker. No, he doesn’t hack into computer systems; this term refers to an unskilled tattoo artist who tends to cause the client more pain and swelling than necessary. Also called a scratcher.

Human Larva – This pertains to little children running around a tattoo shop. Poor kids.

Ink - This is synonymous with the word tattoo. As a verb, “to ink” can also mean “to get a tattoo.”

Inked - Refers to a person with many tattoos. It also pertains to the act of getting tattooed.

Irons - Another term for tattoo machines with a positive connotation. Irons are tattoo

machines used only by tattoo artists.

Kickin’ it into third – A phrase used by tattoo artists that describes the way they pick up the speed on the fill, because they know you can handle it.

Know you’re getting a tattoo – A phrase used by tattoo artists to refer to the act of tattooing the underside of the arm. Ouch, that’s going to hurt.

Meat - A local tattoo enthusiast who always has a fresh tattoo healing always has meat. This type of collector frequents the tattoo shop, getting a tat or two in short intervals.

Michaelangelo – Tattoo artists coined this ironic term out of frustration towards certain clients who think they know better. They are the ones who ask for “victory red” or “purple passion” and tell the artist where and how to shade. Think: back seat driver.

Pounding skin – Refers to “tattooing someone.” To a virgin, this term can sound more brutal than necessary.

Pussyball – Pertains to the “tennis ball” given to the customer who won’t stop whining.

Scratcher – Similar to hacker.

Show your ink – Another way of saying “show your tattoo.”

Showcase – Refers to a collector who has a ton of tattoos inked by the same tattoo artist.

Sleeve – A tattoo, or series of tattoos, that cover the arm is referred to as a sleeve. It may not really fully cover the arm; a sleeve can cover half or three-quarters of the arm.

Slinging ink – Similar to pounding skin.

Squicked - Refers to being grossed out or disgusted. This describes the way you feel when you look at a new piercing while imagining the amount of pain the person must have gone through in the process. A Prince Albert might give you this kind of reaction.

Tat or tatt – An abbreviation term used to refer to tattoo.

Tattoo flash – Refers to tattoo designs or samples usually displayed on a tattoo studio’s wall.

Tattoo shark – Pertains to someone who has a habit of stealing other people’s tattoo ideas.

Tattoo worthy – This term describes a band (yeah, music group) that is not only talented, but whose talent and iconic reputation will last forever (just as tattoos last forever).

Tenderfoot - Body art newbies.

The Look – This describes the tell-all smile when the customer first sees his new tattoo.

Works - The needles and tubes used for the art of tattooing.

Wrastler - This is a person who, after fainting in the tattoo chair, still decides to finish what he started.

Yo-Man – A potential tattoo customer who walks in the shop saying, “Yo man, I got $20. What can I get?”

Tips to Improve Your Tattoo Lingo

As languages evolve, we can expect more and more terms will enhance, or at least elongate, the dictionary of tattoo slang. In order for you to keep up with the talk trends, here are things that you can do to stay abreast with shop talk.

If the situation allows, hang out at a tattoo shop and listen to conversations between tattoo clients and artists. Unfamiliar words and phrases are sure to pop out. Take note of them and have someone explain their meanings. If possible, you can be bold enough to ask someone directly about it.

Another way of expanding your tattoo vocabulary is to attend tattoo conventions and ink-related gatherings. Joining an assembly of tattoo enthusiasts, coming from different parts of the country (or even the world), is a tremendous opportunity for learning tattoo slang. Geographical differences might induce differences in meaning or connotations of certain tattoo slang terms. Not only will you learn a new set of tattoo slang terms, but you also get the rare chance to understand different perspectives of the inked dialect.

Read tattoo articles from tattoo magazines. Tattoo articles are written by experts in the field, so they are bound to contain technical terms only a true-blue tattoo addict might understand.

Read books about tattoos and tattooing. You can also include tattoo guidebooks in your reading list. Not only will these books help you better understand the details of the industry, they will also ensure you soak in your fill of tattoo slang terms.

The Internet offers an endless database of tattoo and body art information. Search around to find interesting tattoo and piercing websites that provide the latest in what’s hot and what’s not in the body art industry. RankMyTattoos.com is a good place to start.

These very practical tips will help erase your Noob status in no time.

What did we miss? Leave your favorite tattoo and piercing slang terms – you’re your best definitions – in the comment area below!

Inspire your slang memory by browsing through new RMT user tattoo photos here. The main article photo is from RMT user Koi – check out Koi’s profile here.

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