Graffiti Slang: A Glossary of Writer Terms
Quick answer: Common graffiti terms include tag (a stylized signature), throw-up (a quick bubble piece), piece (a large detailed work), burner (an outstanding piece), toy (an inexperienced writer), king (a respected writer), bite (to copy someone) and buff (removal of graffiti).
Graffiti has its own vocabulary, and a lot of it came out of New York in the 1970s and 80s. Here are the terms you will hear most often, in plain English.
Types of work
- Tag: a writer's stylized signature, usually one color.
- Throw-up (throwie): a fast piece of bubble letters with a fill and outline.
- Piece: short for masterpiece. A large, multi-color work.
- Burner: a piece so good it "burns" the competition.
- Wildstyle: complex, interlocking letters. See what is wildstyle.
- Blockbuster: big, square, easy-to-read letters that cover a lot of space.
- Hand style: a writer's personal way of doing tags.
People
- Writer: the usual word for a graffiti artist.
- Toy: a beginner or someone with poor skills. Often an insult.
- King or queen: a writer with a big reputation for quality or volume.
- Crew: a group of writers who paint together, often under shared initials.
Actions and rules
- Bite: copying another writer's style. Seen as a big sin.
- Go over: painting on top of someone's work. Doing it with a worse piece is disrespectful.
- Buff: removal of graffiti, usually by cleaning or painting over.
- Bombing: painting many tags or throw-ups in a short time.
Gear
- Blackbook: a writer's sketchbook.
- Caps: the nozzles on spray cans. See spray paint caps explained.
Need a name to go with the vocabulary? Try the graffiti name generator.