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// CARLIFE GLOSSARY

All things Carlife in words.

Understand the talk behind the builds. From "Ricer" to “JDM,” this glossary breaks down the terms every car head, tuner, and track rat needs to know.

A

4

A Dipper

A deposit.

A Gorilla

£1,000

A Left Hooker

Left-hand drive vehicle.

Autotragic

A derogatory term for automatic transmissions, implying less engagement than manual.

B

22

Bagged

A car equipped with air suspension to adjust the ride height.

Banger

An old car in poor condition; also refers to a four-cylinder engine.

Beater

A car in poor condition, often used for daily commuting.

Bellflower Tips

Straight chrome exhaust tips that appear behind the rear wheels and run parallel to the end of the car.

Bellybutton

A somewhat derisive nickname for a small-block Chevy, particularly when used in an engine swap.

Big Rim

A car customized with oversized wheels.

Big Wheel

A car customized with oversized wheels.

Bird-Dog

A friend, family or customer who brings you buyers, usually in exchange for some kickback.

Blown

An engine that uses forced induction, typically via supercharger.

Bolt Action

Refers to a stick shift transmission.

Bomb

A lowrider from the 1930s to the ’50s, often fitted with period-correct accessories.

Bondo

A brand of body filler used for car repairs; also refers to a DIY fix.

Bones

Car deals worked by management and given to a salesman to deliver.

Boost

The amount of compressed air being forced into the combustion chamber, done through exhaust gases.

Boosted

A car equipped with a turbocharger or supercharger.

Box

Refers to a square-bodied car, typically from the 1980s.

Boy Racer

A young person who drives in a fast and aggressive manner.

Breakdown

When a car stops functioning properly, often requiring roadside assistance.

Bubble

Refers to a round-bodied car, typically from the 1990s.

Bucket

An old, worn-out, or cheap car.

Bugs Bunny

Cockney rhyming slang for “money.”

Build

Refers to a project car and the progress and process of building it.

C

6

Cager

A term for someone who drives a car, as opposed to a motorcycle rider.

Channeled

Lowering the entire body over the frame by raising the floorboards.

Chop Shop

An illegal garage where stolen vehicles are dismantled for parts.

Chopped

Lowering a car’s roof by removing a horizontal section of sheet metal.

Clunker

An old, unreliable, or poorly performing car.

Crawling

Driving very carefully and slowly over difficult terrain, often in off-roading contexts.

D

9

Dab of Oppo

A term for applying opposite lock on the steering wheel when the car's rear starts to slide.

Danny Marr

Cockney rhyming slang for “car.”

Decked

Removing trim from the trunk.

Digger

A term for a dragster.

Donk

A 1970s car with oversized wheels and raised suspension.

Drift Missile

A car used mainly for drifting, often with cosmetic damage.

Drop Top

A convertible car.

Duck or Mallard

A customer who pays the sticker price without negotiation.

Duel Fuel

A car that will run on more than one fuel, usually LPG/petrol or electric/petrol.

E

2

Elephant

Nickname for the second-gen Chrysler Hemi. The 426 was the only factory displacement offered.

End Can

A derogatory term for someone who replaces only the last silencer or exhaust tip, making the car noisy without performance gains.

F

5

FAR

Front arm rest.

Flat Spot

A section on a tire that has become worn unevenly.

Flush

Refers to wheels that are level with the fenders, often associated with the stance scene.

Form over Function

A build that's main focus is for looks rather than performance.

Function over Form

A build that's main focus is for performance and practicality rather than looks.

G

9

Garage

A place where cars are repaired and serviced.

Garage Queen

A car kept in pristine condition and rarely driven.

Gas/Fart Can

A term for an amplified exhaust, often making a car extremely noisy.

Goose's Neck

Cockney rhyming slang for “cheque.”

Granny Gear

The lowest gear in a vehicle’s transmission, used for towing or hauling.

Green Pea

New, inexperienced salesperson.

Grip

The traction a car has on the road.

GT (Grand Tourer)

A two-door, high-performance car meant for fast cruising in style and comfort.

Guts

Refers to the interior of a car.

H

8

Haddock and Bloater

Cockney rhyming slang for “motor.”

Hardtop

A coupe without a B-pillar.

Hi-Riser

A type of heavily-customized automobile with large wheels and increased ground clearance.

Hole in the Roof

A sunroof or moonroof.

Hoon

A person who drives recklessly to provoke a reaction.

Hooptie

An old, unreliable, or inexpensive car.

House Deal

A car deal from someone in the management team, usually friend or family, that nobody gets commissioned on.

House Mouse

Salesperson who gets a lot of house deals, usually a kiss-ass.

I

2

ICE

In-car entertainment, anything from a CD player to a TV and video.

It Takes 2 Feet to Drive It

Refers to a stick shift transmission.

J

3

Jam Jar

Cockney rhyming slang for “car.”

JDM

Japanese Domestic Market; refers to vehicles and parts produced for Japan.

Junker

A car that is practically worthless, usually beyond repair.

K

2

Ken Boon

Cockney rhyming slang for “4-door saloon.”

Kinky

Used to describe someone who might do something sketchy to steal a commission.

L

2

Lead Foot

A driver who tends to accelerate aggressively or drive too fast.

Lot Rat

Someone who's always sniffing around car lots, usually a time-waster, but sometimes a buyer or bird-dog.

M

5

Maven

Similar to a bird dog, but will sit and work the deal with you; can bring a lot of business.

MOT

An annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness, and exhaust emissions required in the UK.

Motor

A general term for a car.

Mouse Motor

A nickname for Chevrolet's small-block V8 engines.

Muscle Car

An American car with a powerful engine designed for high-performance driving.

N

2

Nickel

$500; used in dealership slang to denote a $500 amount.

Numbers Matching

A restored or original vehicle with all serial numbers matching.

O

1

OBD

Stands for “on-board diagnostics” the way a car’s computer tells you what's going on.

P

3

Pony Car

A compact, stylish sports car.

Pothole

A hole in the road surface, often causing damage to vehicles.

Pro Street

A street-legal custom car built to imitate a pro-street drag car.

R

8

Rat Motor

A nickname for Chevrolet's big-block V8 engines.

Resto-Mod

A classic car restored with modern parts and technology.

Revhead

A person obsessed with engines and car performance.

Ricer

A car modified primarily for looks rather than performance; often derogatory.

Rockford

A driving maneuver involving a 180-degree turn while reversing.

Roller

A car body without an engine.

Rubber

Slang for tires.

Rubbernecking

Slow driving to view something, often causing traffic delays.

S

20

Sausage and Mash

Cockney rhyming slang for “cash.”

Service

Regular maintenance work carried out on a vehicle.

Sewer'd

Describes a bad mood or situation in dealership slang.

Shaker

Hood scoop mounted to the engine that protrudes through an opening in the hood and moves with the engine.

Skin and Wind

Leather upholstery and air conditioning.

Slab

A heavily customized car, often associated with Houston's hip-hop culture.

Slammed

A car modified to sit very low to the ground.

Slap Stick

Mopar trade name for its ratcheting floor-shifter for the TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

Sleeper

A car that appears unassuming but has significant performance upgrades.

Speed Shifting

Shifting a manual transmission while keeping the engine at full throttle.

Stage 1

Buick term for its optional, more powerful engines.

Staged

When a car is positioned at the starting line of a dragstrip.

Stance

A customization style emphasizing low ride height and wide wheel setup.

Stereo Stripes

Muscle car slang for the dual body stripes on 1968-1971 Chevelles and early Camaros.

Stock

A car that has no modifications done to it, exactly how it came out of the factory.

Styled Steel Wheels

Upgraded, more stylish wheels made with stamped steel centers.

Super Duty

High-performance Pontiacs built by the factory for stock car and drag racing.

Super Sport

Chevrolet's primary term for high-performance models.

Supercar

Premium muscle cars with the biggest, most powerful engines.

Supercharger

A device that compresses air and forces it into the combustion chamber, driven by the engine crankshaft.

T

5

That'll Buff Right Out

A phrase used to downplay the amount of damage to a car, often humorously.

Tin Lizzie

A slang term for an early Ford Model T car.

Torque Monster

An engine with high torque output.

Tuner

A person who modifies cars for performance.

Turbo Lag

The delay before a turbocharger provides boost.

W

3

Whip

A car; originally referred to the steering wheel but now denotes any vehicle.

Woodie

A car that incorporates natural finished wood into its body panels.

Wrench

To work on one’s own car.