back to back: Graffiti that covers a wall from end to end, also known as e2d though.
bite: An oldschool NYC term for nic, which is to steal other ppl's lettering styles.
black book: A sketch book sometimes we use it for planning what we're going to paint, but also to get tags from toher people as well.
bombing: Going out bombing or to hit a place up is meant by painting a lot of places usualy with tags since they're smaller and don't take much time or paint.
buffing: To remove graffiti with chemicals (such as on the NYC railway cars) but also used as "buff paint" which is used to cover up other graffiti. Ironically, buff paints make spray paint stick better to the surface and also make sure that other paint doesn't show through yours.
burner: Basically a large, elaborate piece, more elaborate than a normal piece. Burners often originate legally, because of the time and effort put into them, but the great early writers of New York also did burners illegally on trains.
characters: The name speaks for itself
crew: A group of writers or graffiti-artists. A lot of crews are thought to be gang members but usually don't do gang activity.
DUB: A piece usually large, done in only two separate colours. Other colours can be used however, on the outside of the piece. Also referring to weed as in a 20 sack ($20) is a dub sack
etch: The use of acid solutions intended for creating frosted gla**, such as Etch Bath, to write on windows.
going over: If a writer goes over or tags upon another writer's piece, it is the same as declaring war against the opponent writer. Most writers respect others' work, and the basic rules for replacing other creations are in this order: tag - throwup - piece. You should only paint over another's work if it has been slashed (or "dissed") already or if you will be creating something better than the original piece. As what constitutes "better" is highly subjective, this often leads to disagreements. If someone breaks these guidelines the person is considered a "toy", or generally an annoyance.
heavens: Pieces that are painted in hard-to-reach places such as rooftops, thus making them hard to remove. Such pieces (also commonly known as giraffiti), by the nature of the spot, often pose dangerous challenges to execute, but may increase an artist's respect.
insides: Tags or bombs done inside trains, trams, or buses. In 1970s New York, there was as much graffiti inside the subway trains as outside, and the same is true of some cities today (like Rome, Italy and Melbourne, Australia). While very common, insides are often less artistic and seldom documented.
king: The opposite of "toys," kings are writers especially respected among other writers, sometimes separated into "inside" and "outside" kings. To be a king of the inside means you have most tags inside trains (to "own the inside"), and to "own the outside" means having most pieces on the train surface. One should note that there are kings of style among a variety of other categories and the term is regionally subjective. Self-declared kings will often incorporate crowns into their pieces; a commonly used element of style.
nic: To steal another artist's ideas or lettering schemes. Seasoned artists will often complain about 'toys' that nic their work.
painteater: Surfaces coated with a certain chemical that causes spraypaint to be consumed.
piece: A large image, often with 3-D effects, arrows giving flow and direction, many colors and color-transitions and various other effects. A piece needs more time than a throw-up. If placed in a difficult location and well executed it will earn the writer more respect. Piece can also be used as a verb that means: "to write".
scratchitti: Scratchitti is a technique that involves making purposely hard-to-remove graffiti by scratching or etching a tag into an object, generally using a key or another sharp object such as a knife, stone, ceramic drill bit, or diamond tipped Dremel bit.
slash: To put a line through, or tag over, another's graffiti. This is considered an insult. It is also known as "capping", "lining", "marking", "buffing", and "dissing".
sticky: A sticker (often taken from a post office) with the writer's tag on it. A sticker can be deployed more quickly than other forms of graffiti, making it a favorite in especially public places like newspaper dispensers.
tag: A stylized signature; the terms tagger and writer refer to a person who "tags". A tag can be distinguished from a piece by its relative simplicity. Tags are usually comprised of a single color that contrasts sharply with its background. Tag can also be used as a verb which means "to sign". Writers often tag their pieces following the tradition of signing masterpieces.
throw-up: A throw-up or "throwie" sits between a "tag" and a "piece" in terms of complexity and time investment. It generally consists of an outline (like black) and one layer of fill-color (like silver). Easy-to-paint bubble-shapes often form the letters. A throw-up is designed for quick execution, to avoid attracting attention to the writer. Throw-ups are often utilized by writers who wish to achieve a large number of tags while competing with rival artists. Sometimes Throw-ups can be made with a drop-shadow, of the same colour as the outline, if more time is available.
chromic: A throw-up done in chrome (silver) or done with a chrome fill.
top-to-bottom: Pieces on trains that cover the whole height of the car. A top-to-bottom, end-to-end production is called a whole-car. A production with several writers might cover a whole-train, which means the entire side of the train has been covered.
toy: An inexperienced or unskilled writer. More experienced graffiti artists use this as a derogatory term for new writers in the scene.
up: Writers become up when their work becomes widespread and well-known. Although a writer can "get up" in a city by painting only tags (or throw-ups), a writer may earn more respect from skillfully executed pieces or a well-rounded repertoire of styles than from sheer number of tags.[/b]
