The Slang Glossary

Maintained by the Blicks Wiki editorial desk — an independent team, not credentialed academics. Corrections welcome via the contact page.

A documentary glossary of terms from hip-hop, trap, and drill — currently 46 entries and growing — the vocabulary you actually run into decoding lyrics or reading about the scenes. Entries note the usual meaning, the scene where the term is strongest, and how usage shifts. Slang moves fast; where a word means different things in different places, we say so.

Blick — gun

A firearm — most often a handgun. The word gives this wiki its name. Widely used across UK drill and US rap; "blicky" is the common diminutive. Often paired with verbs of carrying or drawing ("on me," "in the pole").

Blicky — gun

A handgun; the affectionate diminutive of blick. Sometimes specifically a pistol with an extended magazine. Popularised in US drill and trap and echoed heavily in UK drill.

Glizzy — gun / hot dog

Two very different meanings by context. In rap, a Glock or handgun (from "Glock" → "glizzy"). Separately, in general internet slang, a hot dog. Lyrics almost always mean the firearm; food memes mean the sausage.

Opp — opposition / rival

Short for "opposition" — a rival, enemy, or member of a rival group. "Opps" is the plural. Central to drill's us-versus-them narrative. "Opp block" is a rival's neighbourhood.

Choppa — automatic rifle

An automatic or semi-automatic rifle (e.g., an AK- or AR-pattern weapon), named for its rapid fire. Also spelled "chopper." A staple boast term in trap and drill.

Stick — rifle / gun

A long firearm, typically a rifle; sometimes any gun. "On stick" can mean armed. Regional; UK and US usage overlaps.

Slide — to attack / drive to confront

To travel — often by car — into rival territory to confront or attack someone. "Slide through" or "go on a slide." One of the most consequential terms in drill; documenting it is not endorsing it.

Drill — a rap subgenre / to attack

1) A subgenre of rap born in Chicago (early 2010s), later reshaped in the UK (Brixton) and Brooklyn, marked by sliding 808s, dark tone, and confrontational lyricism. 2) As a verb, to attack a rival. The music and the verb share roots.

Trap — drug-selling spot / a rap subgenre

1) A place where drugs are sold (the "trap house"). 2) A subgenre of Southern hip-hop (Atlanta) built on hi-hats, 808s, and street narratives. "Trapping" = selling.

Plug — supplier / connect

A source or supplier, originally of drugs, now broadly anyone who can get you something scarce. "The plug" is your connect. Mainstream enough to appear in memes and marketing.

Pack — quantity of drugs / a bundle

A quantity of drugs for sale, or more generally a bundle of something. "Move a pack" = sell product.

Cap / No cap — lie / no lie

"Cap" means a lie or to lie; "no cap" means "no lie / I'm serious." The backwards-cap emoji is shorthand for "that's cap." Now thoroughly mainstream online.

On God — I swear

An oath — "I swear it's true." Also "on gang," "on my mama," and many regional variants that all function as emphasis or a vow of truth.

Smoke — conflict / trouble

Beef or a willingness to fight. "There's smoke" = there's conflict; "catch the smoke" = face the consequences. Distinct from cannabis "smoke," which context makes clear.

Gang — affiliation / general intensifier

Can denote actual group affiliation, or function as a general term of solidarity or emphasis ("gang gang") with no literal meaning — similar to "bro." Context and delivery separate the two.

Demon time — late-night reckless activity

Late-night hours associated with reckless or aggressive behaviour; popularised broadly during 2020. Usually hyperbolic in casual use.

Sturdy — moving with confidence / a dance

To move boldly or "walk it down"; also tied to a specific Detroit dance and Detroit's own fast-paced scene. Meaning leans positive/energetic.

Op / Opp block — rival's territory

The neighbourhood or block associated with rivals. Naming an opp block in a lyric is a direct provocation and is one reason drill lyrics have drawn legal scrutiny.

Whip — car

A car. Long-standing hip-hop slang, now general. "Whip" can also mean to drive.

Bands — money (thousands)

Money, specifically thousands of dollars bound by a band. "A band" = $1,000. "Racks" is a near-synonym.

Racks — money (thousands)

Stacks of cash, thousands of dollars. "Racks on racks" emphasises quantity. Interchangeable with bands in most contexts.

Wave — a trend / a mood / drill aesthetic

A trend or vibe ("catch the wave"); in UK slang also an aesthetic or mood. Broadly positive.

Ā (Akh) / Akhi — brother (from Arabic)

"Brother," borrowed from Arabic (akhi) into UK road slang across communities. A term of camaraderie, not necessarily religious.

Wagwan — what's going on (greeting)

A greeting — "what's going on?" — from Jamaican Patois, embedded in UK slang. Reply often "nm" (nothing much) or "cool."

Peng — attractive / high quality

Very attractive, or high quality (of a person or thing). UK slang from Patois roots. "Peng ting" = an attractive person.

Ends — neighbourhood

Your local area or neighbourhood ("my ends"). UK usage; equivalent to US "the block" or "the hood."

Skeng — weapon (UK)

A weapon — in UK drill most often a knife, sometimes a gun. From Jamaican Patois. "On skeng" means armed. One of the defining words of the UK scene.

Shank — knife / to stab (UK)

A knife, or the act of stabbing. Long-standing British slang that predates drill but is central to its vocabulary. "Shank" and "ching" overlap in meaning.

Ching — to stab / a knife (UK)

To stab, or the blade itself. Onomatopoeic. UK drill uses it heavily; documenting it is not endorsing it.

Rambo — large knife (UK)

An oversized knife, named after the film's survival knife. A specific, recurring image in UK drill lyrics.

Wap — gun / to shoot

A firearm, or to fire one. US and UK usage. "Wappin'" = shooting.

Draco — AK-style pistol

A Draco — a compact AK-pattern pistol, a real manufactured firearm — referenced constantly in US drill and trap as a status/threat image.

Corn — ammunition / bullets

Bullets or ammunition. "Corn" fills the "stick" or "choppa." UK and US usage overlap.

Duppy — to kill / a ghost (Patois)

From Jamaican Patois, a duppy is a ghost; as a verb in drill, "to duppy" means to kill. A stark example of Patois embedded in UK drill.

Mandem — the crew / group of guys (UK)

A group of men — your crew, or guys generally. From Patois pluralisation. "The mandem" = the group. Broadly social, not inherently criminal.

Roadman — someone in street life (UK)

A young person immersed in UK road/street culture and its fashion and slang. Sometimes worn as identity, sometimes used dismissively; not a synonym for criminal.

Ting — a thing / a girl / a weapon (UK)

Extremely versatile UK slang: a thing, an attractive woman ("peng ting"), or, in context, a weapon. Meaning is entirely context-driven.

Bando — abandoned house / trap

An abandoned building, often used as a place to sell or store drugs (a "trap"). From "abandoned."

Work — drugs to sell

Product — drugs held for sale. "Put in work" has a separate, older meaning (to do labour, or in gang context, to carry out an act); context separates them.

Fein — drug user / to crave

A drug user or customer (from "fiend"), or the verb to crave something intensely ("feining for it"). The craving sense is now general slang.

Drip — style / expensive fashion

Fashion, especially expensive, coordinated, eye-catching clothing and jewellery. Fully mainstream now. "Dripping" = well-dressed.

Ice — diamonds / jewellery

Diamonds or diamond jewellery. Long-standing hip-hop term, now general. "Iced out" = covered in diamonds.

Guap / Bread / Cheese — money

Several interchangeable terms for money: guap, bread, cheese, paper, cheddar. Each is casual and broadly used across scenes.

Sus — suspicious / suspect

Suspicious, untrustworthy, or (recently) generally "off." Massively mainstreamed by internet culture, drifting far from its street origins.

Baited — obvious / likely to get caught (UK)

Obvious or conspicuous, especially in a way that invites trouble or detection. "That's baited" = that's too obvious.

Op / Ops — enemies (US)

US-scene shorthand for opps/enemies, and by extension law enforcement in some contexts. Overlaps with the UK "opp."