air

en-noun

air (countable and uncountable, plural airs)

airs (plural)
aire (alternative obsolete)
ayre (alternative obsolete)
eyr (alternative obsolete)
ayr (alternative)

→ Jersey Dutch: êr

From Middle English aire, from Old French air, from Latin āēr, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aḗr). Displaced native Old English lyft. More at lift, loft.

err (one US pronunciation or with fair–fur merger)

хӏауа

mixture of gases making up the atmosphere of the Earth

(uncountable, snowboarding, skateboarding, motor sports) The state of being briefly airborne during a jump.

hop

snowboarding, skateboarding: jump in which one becomes airborne


cork

From the traversal path resembling that of a corkscrew.

(snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding) An aerialist maneuver involving a rotation where the rider goes heels over head, with the board overhead.


cork

en-verb

cork (third-person singular simple present corks, present participle corking, simple past and past participle corked)

corks (present singular third-person)
corking (participle present)
corked (participle past)
corked (past)

(snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding) To perform such a maneuver.


cork

→ French: cork

(snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding) Having the property of a head over heels rotation.


(sports, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing) Clipping of 180 (“180° spin”).


(sports, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing) Clipping of 360 (“360° spin”).


(sports, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing) Clipping of 540 (“540° spin”).


(sports, snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding) Clipping of 720 (“720° spin”).


method

(skateboarding, snowboarding) Ellipsis of method air.


tranny

en-noun

tranny (countable and uncountable, plural trannies)

All are shortened forms of the indicated terms + -y.

(slang, skateboarding, countable) A transition between moves.

(slang, skateboarding, uncountable) A style of skateboarding based on transitioning from one move to the next.


alley oop

Borrowed from French allez-hop!, the cry of a circus acrobat about to leap. From allez (“go! let's go!”), 2nd-person plural or formal indicative form of aller, and hop, onomatopoeic.

allee-oops (alternative)
alley-oop (alternative)
alleyoop (alternative)
allez-oop (alternative)
allez oop (alternative)
allez-up (alternative)
ally-oop (alternative)

Do you know what an ollie to frontside 50/50 is? A stale-grab Madonna? A smith-grind to revert? An alley-oop lipslide?... They are all gravity- or death-defying tricks.

1989 November 29, The Guardian, Society, page 46:

(US skateboarding and snowboarding) Involving at least a 180-degree turn.


vert ramp

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(skateboarding) A ramp that transitions from a horizontal surface to a vertical one.


concave

From Middle English concave, from Old French concave, from Latin concavus.

(skateboarding) An indented area on the top of a skateboard, providing a position for foot placement and increasing board strength.


bail out

en-verb

bail out (third-person singular simple present bails out, present participle bailing out, simple past and past participle bailed out)

bails out (present singular third-person)
bailing out (participle present)
bailed out (participle past)
bailed out (past)
bale out (alternative)

(transitive, idiomatic, skateboarding) To fail badly; to fall off a skateboard.


eggplant

en-noun

eggplant (countable and uncountable, plural eggplants)

eggplants (plural)
egg-plant (alternative)

From egg + plant, originally applied only to the white-colored, egg-shaped variety.

(skateboarding, snowboarding) A 180 backside rotated invert in which the front hand is planted on the lip of the halfpipe wall


grommet

grommets (plural)
grummet (alternative)
gromet (alternative)

From obsolete French gromette (“curb chain”) (modern spelling gourmette).

(slang, surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding) A young or inexperienced surfer, skateboarder, or snowboarder.


bonk

en-verb

bonk (third-person singular simple present bonks, present participle bonking, simple past and past participle bonked)

bonks (present singular third-person)
bonking (participle present)
bonked (participle past)
bonked (past)

Of imitative origin. Compare English bang, bounce, bump.

onomatopoeic

imitative

(skateboarding, snowboarding) To hit something with the front of the board, especially in midair.


ollie

From Ollie. Named after American skateboarder Alan Gelfand (1963–), via the Floridian skateboarder's nickname.

named-after

In short tutorials, the player learns the basics of skating: reverts, manuals and the ollie […]

2007, Friedrich von Borries, Steffen P. Walz, Matthias Böttger, Space Time Play: Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism, page 124:

(skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding) An aerial maneuver in which one catches air by leaping off the ground with the skateboard and into the air.


half-pipe

half-pipes (plural)
halfpipe (alternative)
half pipe (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-half-pipe.wav

But the kid who washed windows for $2 an hour when he was 8 so he could buy his first snowboard served notice he could be a contender at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics with a silver medal yesterday in men's halfpipe.

2009 January 24, Randy Starkman, “Silver medal eases pain for Batchelor at world championships”, in Toronto Star:

(skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, BMX, rollerskating, kickscootering, etc.) A structure used to perform tricks, approximately semicircular in cross-section, resembling the bottom half of a cylinder lying down.


gremlin

Oxford English Dictionary
Roald Dahl
The Gremlins

Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested:
* A variant of goblin.
* From Irish gruaimín (“gloomy little person”); or from Dutch gremmelen (“to soil, stain; to spoil”), or griemelen, grimmelen (“(obsolete) to abound, teem; to swarm”), but according to the Oxford English Dictionary there is little evidence for such derivations.
The word was popularized, especially in the United States, by the children’s novel The Gremlins (1943) by the British author Roald Dahl (1916–1990), in which gremlins sabotage Royal Air Force aircraft in revenge for the destruction of their forest home to make way for an aircraft factory; the creatures later join forces with the British to fight the Nazis.

der

(surfing, skateboarding, slang) A young, inexperienced surfer or skateboarder, regarded as a nuisance.

keltanokka

young, inexperienced surfer, seen as being a nuisance


skateboard truck

en-noun

skateboard truck (plural skateboard trucks)

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(skateboarding) One of a pair of devices, consisting of a baseplate, cushioned axle and pivot, that allows a skateboarder to turn the board by leaning.


tabletop

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(skateboarding) A fixed item resembling a table, used for performing skateboarding tricks.


quarter-pipe

quarter-pipes (plural)
quarter pipe (alternative)
quarterpipe (alternative)

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(skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, BMX, rollerskating, etc.) A structure used to perform tricks, approximately half the size of a half-pipe, similar in appearance to having a quarter of a circle in cross-section, with the middle of that quarter as the bottom.

(skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, BMX, rollerskating, etc) A ramp, one side of a halfpipe


madonna

Said to be named after the American singer Madonna.

(skateboarding) A one-footed lien-to-tail trick, where the front foot is taken off and kicked out straight down behind the board.


fifty-fifty

fifty-fifties (plural)
50 50 (alternative)
fifty fifty (alternative)
fifty/fifty (alternative)

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fifty-fifty grind
fifty-fifty grind#English

(skateboarding) Ellipsis of fifty-fifty grind, a rail or edge grind, using both trucks to grind along, longitudinally aligned.


ragdoll

en-verb

ragdoll (third-person singular simple present ragdolls, present participle ragdolling, simple past and past participle ragdolled)

ragdolls (present singular third-person)
ragdolling (participle present)
ragdolled (participle past)
ragdolled (past)
rag-doll (alternative)

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(intransitive, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, video games) To be flung about so that the limbs move loosely.


toe touch

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(snowboarding, skateboarding) Any of a plethora of different aerial tricks where one touches the top of one's feet.


hippy jump

(skateboarding) A trick in which the rider jumps above the board, leaving it on the ground to pass under an object the rider is jumping over.


hippy jump

hippy jump (third-person singular simple present hippy jumps, present participle hippy jumping, simple past and past participle hippy jumped)

hippy jumps (present singular third-person)
hippy jumping (participle present)
hippy jumped (participle past)
hippy jumped (past)


Casper

Alternative spelling of Caspar. The slur denoting a white person is an allusion to Casper the Friendly Ghost. The skateboarding term is named after Bobby Boyden, a professional skateboarder who was given the nickname "Casper" as a child because of his pale skin (again in allusion to the friendly ghost).

(skateboarding) Ellipsis of Casper flip.


kickflip

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(skateboarding) An ollie where the board is rotated 360 degrees along its axis.


pop shove-it

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(skateboarding) A trick, combining an ollie and a shove-it, where the board rotates 180 degrees while in mid-air.


shove-it

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(skateboarding) A trick where the board is rotated 180 degrees under the rider's feet.


benihana

Named after the Benihana restaurant chain, from Japanese 紅花 (“safflower”).

(skateboarding) An aerial trick where one hand grabs the tail of the board, and the back foot is released from the board.


fakie

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(skateboarding, snowboarding) The riding backwards of the board, in the opposite stance.


hangtime

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(skateboarding, American football) The length of time something can stay in the air.


mongo

push mongo

(skateboarding) A manner of pushing oneself on a skateboard with one's front foot as opposed to one's back foot.


layback

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-layback.wav

From lay + back (presumably from confusion between lay and lie).

(skateboarding, snowboarding) A trick where the boarder leans back while on the lip of the ramp, or down a rail.


wall ride

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(skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX) A trick where the rider makes the bottom of the board or bicycle touch the side of a wall.


boardslide

boardslides (plural)
board-slide (alternative)
board slide (alternative)

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(skateboarding) A slide trick where the boarder stands on the center of the board, on the rail between the two axles.


heelflip

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(skateboarding) A flip trick where the skateboarder kicks the board in order to make it flip 360 degrees along its long axis.


pole jam

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Named in honor of Pearl Jam, a rock group popular in the 1990s.

(skateboarding) A trick where the skateboarder skates over a bent pole.


power slide

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(skateboarding) The act of pushing the skateboard sideways.


lipslide

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(skateboarding, snowboarding) A manoeuvre in which the board slides along a structure on its front or back lip


yard-sale

en-adj

yard-sale (comparative more yard-sale, superlative most yard-sale)

more yard-sale (comparative)
most yard-sale (superlative)

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(skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing) Pertaining to a yardsale (bad crash).


nose grind

(skateboarding) Alternative form of nosegrind.


nosegrind

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(skateboarding) A trick where the skater grinds with only the front truck of the board.


noseslide

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(skateboarding) A boardslide performed on the nose.


nollie

Gagnon’s final run might have been better, but he fell on his last trick, a nollie heelflip 360.

2007 August 6, Matt Higgins, “No Snow, but White Still Provides the Sizzle”, in New York Times:

(skateboarding, snowboarding) A variation of the ollie where the rider uses the front foot to pop the nose down and the back foot to scrape backwards to achieve lift off of the ground.


funbox

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(skateboarding, snowboarding) A feature of a skatepark consisting of a tabletop connected to ramps and sometimes other features.


handplant

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(skateboarding) A move in which the skater balances on his hand after skating up to the top of a halfpipe.


slappy

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(skateboarding) A grind on a curb without doing an ollie.


antirocker

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(skateboarding) A wheel configuration where the inside wheels are smaller than the outside ones.


Caballerial

/ˌkæbəˈlɛɹiəl/

Blend of Caballero + aerial, after Steve Caballero, who invented the trick in the early 1980s.

(skateboarding) A 360-degree ollie while riding fakie.


hardflip

(skateboarding) A trick that combines a frontside pop shuvit with a kickflip.


airwalk

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(skateboarding) A trick in which the skater holds the board and kicks out both feet while in the air.


no comply

en-noun

no comply (plural no complys or no complies)

no complys (plural)
no complies (plural)

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(skateboarding) A trick in which the skater plants the front foot and pops the board using only the back foot.


varial

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(skateboarding) An aerial move during which the skater rotates the board.


switchfoot

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(surfing, skateboarding) Riding with one's wrong foot forward, i.e. opposite to one's usual natural/goofy preference.


heelie

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-heelie.wav


Miller flip

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Introduced by skateboarder Darrell Miller.

(skateboarding) A frontside invert in which the rider cartwheels into the fakie position.


method air

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From method + air. From being a method to make it appear that the person has achieved a higher altitude than they actually have.

(snowboarding, skateboarding) A trick where the boarder grabs the heel edge of the board with their front hand, between their feet, and then pulls the board towards their back, while arching their back and bending knees.


Cab

French: Cab

Clipping of Caballero. From Steve Caballero, professional skateboarder. From Spanish Caballero.

(skateboarding, snowboarding) A type of aerial spin; a switch frontside rotation.


stalefish

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(skateboarding) A grab in which the rear hand holds the heelside edge of the skateboard.


underflip

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(skateboarding) A flip trick, the flipping of a skateboard by flicking the underside of the board, while riding on the board.


gremmy

(surfing, skateboarding, slang) Synonym of gremlin (“a young or inexperienced surfer or skateboarder”).


gremmie

(surfing, skateboarding, slang) Alternative form of gremmy (“a young or inexperienced surfer or skateboarder”).


double grab

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(skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, motorcycling) A trick that involves grabbing the board, skis, or motorbike with both hands during a jump


jump box

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(skateboarding, BMX) A ramp or incline for riders to gain air and perform tricks.


nosegrab

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(skateboarding) An aerial maneuver in which the skater ollies, then pops the back foot off board and grabs the nose (front) of the skateboard.


jump ramp

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(skiing, snowboarding, cycling, skateboarding) A ramp used to be jumped from, and do tricks on the skates/board/skis/bike etc.


misty flip

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(skateboarding, snowboarding, sports) An off-axis backside 540° rotation performed in freestyle sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, and trampolining.


grind up

en-verb

grind up (third-person singular simple present grinds up, present participle grinding up, simple past and past participle ground up)

grinds up (present singular third-person)
grinding up (participle present)
ground up (participle past)
ground up (past)

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He's grinding up the skate park.

(transitive, skateboarding) To skateboard on a surface or in a location.


nosebone

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(skateboarding) An ollie in which one pushes the front part of the skateboard down after the top of the arc.


tailgrab

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(skateboarding, snowboarding) The act of reaching down and grabbing the tail of the board while in the air, typically during a jump or an ollie.


tail stall

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(skateboarding) The act of placing the tail of a skateboard on an edge or obstacle, such as a ramp or ledge, while the front of the board is lifted off the ground.


body jar

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(skateboarding) A trick in which a skateboarder uses their body to push the skateboard off the ground while simultaneously jumping or twisting in the air, often landing back on the board after the maneuver.


frogstand

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If children begin to experiment with frogstands and headstands as inverted balances, it is then time to teach them the proper mechanics for assuming and maintaining these positions .

2001, Shirley Ann Holt-Hale, On the Move: Lesson Plans to Accompany Children Moving, page 216:

How long can you hold a headstand, frogstand or handstand?

2004, Michelle Nemec, Darryl Buchanan, Andrew Watt, Jump Into PDHPE, page 19:

Of course, it will be much easier if you can master the frogstand itself before you start learning how to do the frogstand to handstand.

2020 September 1, Michael & Yannick, “How to do the Frogstand to Handstand”, in Calisthenics Family:

In vert, you do all kinds of fun, carzy shit. Like shifties and frogstands, ollies and gazelle flips, up and down ten-foot ramps.

2021, James Patterson, Till Murder Do Us Part:

A frogstand, sometimes referred to as the "crow pose", is a calisthenics exercise that builds finger and wrist strength while placing a notable demand on the shoulders and triceps.

2024, “Frogstand Calisthenics Skill Tree”, in We Do Calisthenics:

(gymnastics, exercise, skateboarding) A position that involves balancing on one's hands with the knees tucked towards the chest, resembling the posture of a frog.


blue-tile fever

(skateboarding, slang) The adrenaline rush and excitement associated with skating in a pool, often with the blue tiles of the pool as a defining visual element.