Prison slang

Clink Street, London. Site of Clink Prison, one of England's oldest prisons and origin of the slang "In Clink". Now home to a museum of the prison, the remains of Winchester Palace and a Starbucks.

Prison slang is an argot used primarily by criminals and detainees in correctional institutions. It is a form of anti-language. Many of the terms deal with criminal behavior, incarcerated life, legal cases, street life, and different types of inmates. Prison slang varies depending on institution, region, and country. Prison slang can be found in other written forms such as diaries, letters, tattoos, ballads, songs, and poems. Prison slang has existed as long as there have been crime and prisons; in Charles Dickens' time it was known as "thieves' cant". Words from prison slang often eventually migrate into common usage, such as "snitch", "ducking", and "narc". Terms can also lose meaning or become obsolete such as "slammer" and "bull-derm."

Examples

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Prison slang, like other types of slang and dialects, varies by region. For that reason, the origins and the movement of prison slang across prisons are of interest to many linguists and cultural anthropologists.

Some prison slang are quite old. For example, "to cart", meaning to transfer to another prison, has been in use in Glasgow since 1733.

A two-year study was done by Bert Little, Ph.D. on American English slang with the main focus being in the coastal plain region of the Southeast U.S. His study published by The Trustees of Indiana University on behalf of the Anthropological Linguistics journal goes on to provide an extensive glossary of common prison slang terms that he found circling through the prison systems. Studies by Alicja Dziedzic-Rawska from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Poland describe prison slang as "extremely rich and creative" with new words being formed on a daily basis. These are mainly used as a means of security against unauthorized parties receiving a certain message and, in some cases, can be a way to ensure a prison inmate's survival within the cells.

Australia and New Zealand

Term Definition
Bang A drug injection (other terms include 'fix', 'hit' or 'shot').
The boneyard Protective custody
Booshwa/fit Syringe
Bupe/subbie Buprenorphine/subutex
Can A can of soft drink used as a commodity
Cellie Cellmate
Chief The title prisoners are expected to use to address prison officers
Cockatoo An inmate tasked with alerting other inmates that prison officers are approaching
Crim Criminal/inmate
Dog An informant
Greens Prison clothing
Laggon Prison sentence
The pound Solitary confinement
Red light 'Red light' is the code-word used by inmates to warn that prison officers are approaching
Rock spider Child sex offender
Screw Pejorative term for prison officer
Scrim Pejorative term for inmates who work in clerical positions within the prison. Portmanteau of 'Screw' and 'Crim'.
Segro Segregation wing
Shiv Makeshift stabbing weapon
Spinner An inmate acting strangely, highly associated with mental health issues
Sweeper An inmate paid by the prison to do domestic duties
Turtles The Squad. Specially trained and heavily equipped prison officers tasked with searching cells and riot control
Uncle Bully An inmate convicted of child sex offences; a reference to a character from the film Once Were Warriors.

United Kingdom

Term Definition
All-dayer A prisoner serving a life sentence
Batts / Burn Cigarettes / tobacco
Chokey Category A prison
Bacon Nonce (sex offender). Rhyming slang from 'bacon bonce'
Bird Doing time. Rhyming slang from 'bird lime'
Cell warrior Someone who acts tough in their cell but is cowardly in person
E-man Someone who has tried to escape from prison
Nicker Prison Chaplain
Pompey Northern England slang for a prison, possibly originating from a notorious prison ship named HMS Pompee, that was anchored in Portsmouth Harbour in the early nineteenth century
Porridge One time main meal (alleged) used as term for doing a prison sentence. Popularised by the popular BBC series Porridge – which in turn popularized many prison slang words
Screw Prison Officer
Snitch / Grass An informant
Stir Serving a sentence (literally 'prison' in "in stir" or "doing stir")
Shank An improvised stabbing weapon
Vanilla A judge. Rhyming slang from vanilla fudge

United States

Term Definition
Bagman In organized crime, one who is charged with "collecting or distributing the money involved"
Bang A drug injection (other terms include 'fix', 'hit' or 'shot')
Books Inmate cash account. Alternatively books of postage stamps which can be used as currency
Bitch An institutionally taboo epithet suggesting an inmate's femininity, helplessness and sexual submissiveness
Bunkie A cell mate
Cell warrior A prisoner who acts like a tough guy when locked in his cell, but is cowardly in person
Cho-Mo Inmate incarcerated for child molestation
Cop / C.O. Correctional Officer
Fish A new or inexperienced inmate
Gassing Throwing feces or other bodily fluids at a prison staff member or other inmate
The Hole A separate, isolated unit with reduced privileges (such as payphones, television, games); alternately, solitary confinement
Hoop or hooping Storing items or contraband in an inmate's rectum
Iced A term for killing another inmate or prison guard
Jailhouse lawyer An inmate who provides legal advice, possibly unqualified or specious, or an inmate who represents themselves
J-Cat A disruptive inmate who causes disorder through highly irregular behavior in a jail module or prison yard, typically associated with those with drug or mental health issues.
Kite A contraband note written passed to others.
Longjohn A person who is not incarcerated and is having sexual relations with an inmate's wife
O.G. 'Original Gangster'; an older inmate
P.C. Protective custody
Punk An inmate perceived by other prisoners to not be masculine enough; may be used to refer to homosexuality but not necessarily
Rat An Informant (an inmate who informs prison officials of any illicit activity within the prison system including prisoners and guards), also "snitch"
Shank/Shiv An improvised stabbing weapon
Slop An institutionally prepared entrée consisting of bland or poorly prepared vegetables
Take Flight To initiate a fight with or jump another inmate
Ticket A disciplinary report
Wham Whams / Zoo Zoos Sugary treats like cookies and candy

Zimbabwe

Term Definition
Base Mattress
Bomb Explosive or banned commodities
Boma Prison
Bongirlfaya Translates to the word "wildcat," means "peeping" (in reference to a cat's vision and sly behavior)
Cash Money/bathing soap (due to soap being a commodity)
Chitima Translates to the word "train," means "inmates who water the garden in a 'line' form"
Chikepe Translates to the words "boat" or "ship," means "escaping from prison" (an allusion to a lonely ship smoothly sailing in a large sea)
Chikopokopo Translates to the word "helicopter," means "tractor" (an allusion to a tractor's noise in a quiet environment)
Chibhonda A person who was homeless or living on the streets before they arrived to prison
Chibhengebhenge Translates to "useless person," means "noise" (an ideophone of a person's unproductive speech)
Dambarefu Translates to "long play," means "a life sentence or a sentence that is ten years or longer" (in reference to the Long Play Record)
Dzokufa Translates to "beans," means "the dead ones" (in reference to dried beans)
Gavhunga Roughly cut green vegetables
Gumbakumba Translates to "UD Nissan truck used to transport prisoners," means "collect" or "grab" (in reference to the Shona idiom that a person or animal that is not picky collects anything and everything)
Gozhla Groceries
Ginyabvu Translates to "an inmate charged with rape," means "to force" or "forcefully take"
Getsi getsi pascreen Translates to "opening statement when someone is telling a story or movie," means "power" or "light on the screen"
Jega mudhuri Translates to "leaning on the wall when the officers are counting prisoners in the cells," means "to carry the wall"
Kaza Car
Kule A respectful way of saying "grandfather" or "uncle"
Kudhonza tambo Translates to "pretending to be sick", means "to pull a string" (in reference to wasting time)
Kucheka Translates to "sexual intercourse," means "to cut" (could be in reference to homosexual sex, painful sex, or could be used by inmates to throw off officers from its original meaning)
Makadhibhokisi Translates to "an inmate who leaks information to prison officers," means a snitch (in reference to the image of leaking)
Mwana Translates to "child" (in reference to a man taking a female role)
Matabawo Tablets/medication
Mutsara Translates to "line," means "meat" (in reference to meat being a scarce commodity, thus becoming a "line" to opportunities)
Musoro wechitima Translates to "head of the train," means "gang leader"
Munyoro Translates to "soft one," means "a new inmate"
Muchini Translates to "machine," means "needle"
Mbuya A respectful way of saying "grandmother" or "aunt"
Mavhiri mudenga Translates to "wheels in the air," means a beating underneath the feet
Mari Translates to "money," refers to commodities that can be traded
Ngayaya Marijuana
Nzondora Translates to "chicken feet," refers to homosexual (in reference to chicken feet being a delicacy, could be in reference to enjoying something pleasurable)
Noczim Cooking oil (in reference to the acronym for National Oil Company of Zimbabwe)
Ndege Maniac or mentally-challenged
OK (Supermarket) Rubbish pit
Panze Outside
Police A snitch (in reference to an inmate cooperating with the police who is then considered an ally of the police)
Razor A small space where an inmate sleeps on
Stodart Story telling or movie watching
Seridha Cell
Shop dambu Translates to "breaking a shop," means shoplifting (in reference to breaking into a shop and shoplifting)
Thornhill Maniac or mentally-challenged (in reference to the Thornhill Airbase, an allusion to an airplane)
TV (television) Window
TM (Supermarket) Rubbish pit
Whiters Fresh or sour cow's milk
Zvibhezhi A hospital, clinic, or dispensary
Zviwanikwa Translates to "discoverable," means illegal items (in reference to valuable commodities)

References

  1. 1 2 Mayr, A. 2012. Prison Language. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics.
  2. 1 2 3 Newman, John G.; Dossena, Marina; Łodej, Sylwester (2015-12-31). Token: A Journal of English Linguistics (Volume 4). Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Little, Bert (Summer 1982). "Prison Lingo: A Style of American English Slang". Anthropological Linguistics. 24 (2): 206–244. JSTOR 30027838.
  4. ↑ Dziedzic-Rawska, Alicja (2016-07-27). "Linguistic creativity in American prison settings". Lublin Studies in Modern Languages and Literature. 40 (1): 81. doi:10.17951/lsmll.2016.40.1.81. ISSN 0137-4699.
  5. ↑ Hildebrand, Joe (April 28, 2017). "Your complete guide to prison slang". News.com.au. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "24 Prison Slang Terms That You Need To Know". PrisonPhone. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Why is Portsmouth called Pompey?". The Guardian. Retrieved June 17, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ "Meaning of bagman in English, Cambridge English Dictionary".
  9. ↑ Devlin, Angela (1996). Prison Patter: A Dictionary of Prison Words and Slang. Waterside Press. ISBN 9781872870410.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Delgado, Adam. "Prison Slang: The Complete Guide". communitylawfirm.com. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
  11. ↑ Sharon Shaley (2009). Supermax: Controlling Risk Through Solitary Confinement. Willan Publishing. p. 73. ISBN 978-1134026678.
  12. ↑ Sabao, Collen; Gohodzi, Isheanesu; Phiri, Fiona Mtulisi (2019). "Zimbabwean prison argot". JULACE: Journal of the University of Namibia Language Centre. 4 (1): 29–48. doi:10.32642/julace.v4i1.1423. ISSN 2026-8297.