Issue 74: Nikolai Piombo’s Dictionary
Photos by Sam Muller.
Language barriers exist between cultures, nations, geographies, and skateboarders.
What might mean ‘good’ in LA could be ‘fuck you’ in Atlanta. What means ‘sick’ in Japan might mean ‘literally sick’ in France. Skateboarding breeds a language elevated above the stuffy confines of the Oxford dictionary and from that language, its own dialects. WKND pro and style icon Nikolai Piombo has better switch game, higher pop, a nicer crook, and a way with words. He is on the cutting edge of skateboarding dialectics. He is an innovator in the world of manualing out of grinds as well as urban linguistics. One of our favorite skaters, Nikolai’s reputation for innovation is legendary, but leads many to confess, ‘I understand it but I don’t speak it,’ which is where this handy list of Piombo-provided definitions come into play. Speak the language of skateboarding, bitch.
Get your hands on issue 74, here.
Bitch
(noun): used to address your friends (not used towards women in any sense).
Ex: ‘Bitch, what we on today?’
Twin
(noun): one of two children or animals born at the same birth.
(noun): a term of endearment used to identify a friend.
Ex: ‘Twin slid.’
Za
(noun): weed.
Ex: ‘I found za.’
On God
(exclamation): an agreement / emphasizing a fact.
Ex: ‘Literally, on God.’
Chief
(adjective): valid, exactly right.
(verb): to do something perfectly
Ex: ‘Nah, he’s chief for that.’
Slide
(verb): to do something with extreme precision or style.
Ex: ‘Nah, he slid, that was fire. (He snapped.)’
OD
(adjective): to do something that is crazy or extra, an over-dose amount of something.
Ex: ‘That trick was OD.’
Bop
(noun): a large inconvenience.
Ex: ‘The store is a bop and a half away (that means it’s deep).’
Breesh
(noun): money.
Ex: ‘That fool got breesh.’
Type (shit)
(exclamation): an agreement or affirmation.
Ex: ‘Q: Did you get some za today? A: Type shit.’
Nerf
(verb): to lower one’s ability to perform.
Ex: ‘He’s too good at skating, he needs to be nerfed.’
XP
(noun): experience points.
Ex: ‘That dude skates every day, he has too much XP.’
