Gang and slang glossary

back-dooring: having an affair with a person’s partner behind that person’s back

beak: judge

bent: corrupt

clams: money

coffeehousing: poker term for talking in an attempt to mislead other players about the strength of a hand

crispy: burnt

dead cat bounce: financial term for a slight recovery enjoyed by a plummeting stock during its continual demise

dockethead: known criminal with a long list of prior convictions or ‘dockets’

dog: police informant/witness (particularly a criminal)

fizz: informant

fuzz: police

gopher: errand boy as in ‘go for’

’hood: neighbourhood

ice: smokable methamphetamine

in boob: in jail

jacks: police

London to a brick: gambling parlance for absolute certainty; would bet London to win a brick

lumps: as in ‘take your lumps’ – to suffer or endure your bad fortune or punishment for actions

meth: methamphetamine (or methylamphetamine)

mouthpiece: lawyer

on the lam: on the run/at large

plastics: derogatory police term for the Australian Federal Police; shortened from plastic fantastics, also sometimes fantastic plastics

plebs: plebeians; low-level, unimportant operators; see skrotes

pseudo: pseudoephedrine

silk: senior barrister, such as Queen’s counsel (QC), now senior counsel (SC)

skrotes: derogatory shortening of scrotum, similar to plebs

Soggies: Special Operations Group police

speed: amphetamine/methamphetamine

squarehead: non-criminal; straight person

staunch: reliable, trustworthy, won’t sing to police

stooks: hidden places to store cash away from scrutiny

tinny: lucky

supergrass: special police informant

toe-cutters: police-speak for internal affairs bodies such as the Ethical Standards Department (ESD) who police police, based on brutal methods used by robbers who rob robbers

trannies: transsexuals/transvestites

walk and talk: method of discussing sensitive matters while avoiding fixed bugs

wifebeater: blue singlet