Alacran Surf

Surfing Dictionary

Most people are aware of the fact that surfers have their own lingo. As with other specialized terminologies (valley girl, internet slang, etc.), some phrases have even been appropriated for general use. These terms are closely associated with surf culture, which gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in Southern California. See which ones in this introductory dictionary (introductionary?) you recognize.Air/aerial: riding the board into the air and then landing back on the waveCaught inside: a surfer who cannot get through the surf to reach the wider oceanCarve: a turnCutback: a turn back toward the breaking waveDrop in: the act of entering the waveDuck dive: pushing the board underwater and diving under an oncoming waveGoofy foot: standing with your left foot in the backGrom/Grommet: a young surferHang ten: putting five toes over the nose; also see “hang five”Hang loose: the meaning of the classic surfer hand signal (thumb and pinkie up, middle three fingers down); means either “catch that wave” or “well done”Kook: unskilled surfer wannabeOff the hook: refers to a good surfspotOver the falls: when a surfer falls off and is carried in a circular motion by the wave lipPearl: accidentally pushing the nose underwaterPop-up: jumping up on the board from a lying-down positionRe-entry: hitting the lip and dropping back into the waveSnake: a surfer who steals a wave from another surferStall: to slow down by shifting weight or putting your hand in the waterSwitchfoot: being able to surf regular foot or goofy footTube riding: riding within the curl of a waveAnd last but not least:Wipe Out: a surfing accident; immortalized in the Surfaris 1963 song of the same name