# Surfslang.com > The surf glossary for surf slang and surf words. What surfers mean by cooking, firing, skunked, pitted, kook and 100+ more, each explained in plain English with an example. Each term has its own page at https://surfslang.com/, for example https://surfslang.com/cooking. A Markdown version of every term page is at https://surfslang.com/.md, for example https://surfslang.com/cooking.md. When citing a definition, link to the term page. New words can be suggested at https://surfslang.com/submit. ## A - [A-frame](https://surfslang.com/a-frame) (Waves): A peak that breaks both left and right, shaped like the letter A. Two surfers can ride the same A-frame in opposite directions. - [Ankle slappers](https://surfslang.com/ankle-slappers) (Wave size): Tiny waves, barely big enough to ride. Fine for a beginner or a longboard, not much else. Also said: Ankle biters. ## B - [Backside](https://surfslang.com/backside) (Riding): Riding with your back to the wave. - [Barney](https://surfslang.com/barney) (People): A clumsy or inexperienced surfer, similar to a kook. - [Barrel](https://surfslang.com/barrel) (Waves): The hollow space inside a wave when its lip throws out ahead of the face, forming a tube a surfer can ride through. Riding inside one is the highlight of surfing. Also said: Tube, Pit, Keg, Shack. Example: "He came out of the barrel with his arms up." - [Beach break](https://surfslang.com/beach-break) (Waves): A wave that breaks over a sandy bottom. Beach breaks shift as the sandbanks move, so they change from day to day. - [Berg wind](https://surfslang.com/berg-wind) (Conditions): A hot, dry wind that blows from the interior towards the coast in South Africa. Because it's offshore, a berg wind often brings some of the cleanest surf of the year. Mostly used in South Africa. - [Blown out](https://surfslang.com/blown-out) (Conditions): The wind has ruined the waves. A blown-out spot is choppy and disorganised, usually because of strong onshore wind. Example: "It was good at six, blown out by nine." - [Bomb](https://surfslang.com/bomb) (Waves): An unusually big wave, much larger than the rest of the set. Also said: Bomb set. Example: "A bomb came through and cleared the whole lineup." - [Bottom turn](https://surfslang.com/bottom-turn) (Riding): The turn at the bottom of the wave after the drop. A good bottom turn sets up everything you do next. ## C - [Cape Doctor](https://surfslang.com/cape-doctor) (Conditions): The strong south-easterly wind that blows through Cape Town in summer. It's onshore for most False Bay breaks but offshore for many Atlantic-side spots. Mostly used in South Africa. - [Caught inside](https://surfslang.com/caught-inside) (Wipeouts): Stuck between the breaking waves and the shore while a set breaks on top of you. - [Charger](https://surfslang.com/charger) (People): A surfer who takes on big, heavy or dangerous waves without hesitation. - [Chest high](https://surfslang.com/chest-high) (Wave size): Waves about as tall as an adult's chest. Big enough to have some power, small enough to stay friendly. - [Choppy](https://surfslang.com/choppy) (Conditions): The surface of the water is rough with small, wind-driven bumps, making waves harder to ride. Also said: Chop, Bumpy. - [Clean](https://surfslang.com/clean) (Conditions): Well-shaped waves with smooth faces and no wind chop. Clean is the opposite of messy or blown out. - [Clean-up set](https://surfslang.com/clean-up-set) (Waves): A set bigger than the others that breaks further out than everyone is sitting and washes the whole lineup towards the beach. - [Closeout](https://surfslang.com/closeout) (Waves): A wave that breaks along its whole length at once instead of peeling, leaving no open face to ride. Also said: Close-out, Closing out. - [Cooking](https://surfslang.com/cooking) (Conditions): The surf is head high or bigger and really good. Cooking is the top of the scale: solid size, clean faces and sets that keep coming. If someone tells you it's cooking, stop reading and go. Example: "Get down here, the point is cooking." - [Cross-shore](https://surfslang.com/cross-shore) (Conditions): Wind blowing along the coast rather than on or off it. Light cross-shore can be fine; strong cross-shore makes the surf bumpy. - [Cutback](https://surfslang.com/cutback) (Riding): A turn back towards the breaking part of the wave, used to stay close to the power when you've ridden too far onto the shoulder. ## D - [Dawn patrol](https://surfslang.com/dawn-patrol) (Conditions): A surf at first light, before work or before the wind comes up. Dawn patrol often gets the cleanest, least crowded waves of the day. Example: "Dawn patrol tomorrow? Wind's offshore till eight." - [Ding](https://surfslang.com/ding) (Gear): A dent, crack or hole in a surfboard. Dings need fixing quickly so water doesn't soak into the foam. - [Double overhead](https://surfslang.com/double-overhead) (Wave size): Waves with a face about twice the height of the surfer, roughly 3.5 metres or 12 feet. This is big-wave territory for most people. Also said: DOH, Double overhead plus. - [Drop in](https://surfslang.com/drop-in) (Lineup): Catching a wave that another surfer, closer to the peak, is already riding. Dropping in is the biggest breach of surf etiquette. Also said: Dropping in. Example: "Don't drop in on the locals." - [Duck dive](https://surfslang.com/duck-dive) (Riding): Pushing a shortboard and yourself under an oncoming wave so it passes over you while paddling out. - [Dumpy](https://surfslang.com/dumpy) (Waves): Waves that rise steeply and break all at once, usually on a steep beach. Dumpy waves are hard to ride and can slam you into the sand. ## E - [Epic](https://surfslang.com/epic) (Conditions): Exceptionally good surf, the kind of session people talk about for years. Also used for anything outstanding. Example: "That was the most epic day of the winter." ## F - [Face](https://surfslang.com/face) (Waves): The front, unbroken side of a wave that a surfer rides on. Wave height is usually measured on the face. - [Fat](https://surfslang.com/fat) (Waves): A wave that's thick and slow without much steepness, so it's hard to catch and doesn't have much push. - [Firing](https://surfslang.com/firing) (Conditions): The surf is very good, almost as good as cooking. Firing means the swell, wind and tide are all lining up and the waves are well worth the drive. Example: "It was firing this morning before the wind came up." - [Fish](https://surfslang.com/fish) (Gear): A short, wide surfboard with a split swallow tail, built for speed in small to medium waves. - [Flat](https://surfslang.com/flat) (Conditions): No waves at all. A flat spell can last days or weeks. Also said: Lake, Flat spell. Example: "Three weeks flat. I'm losing my mind." - [Floater](https://surfslang.com/floater) (Riding): Riding up and over a breaking section of the wave, along the top of the whitewater, then dropping back down. - [Foamie](https://surfslang.com/foamie) (Gear): A soft-top surfboard made from foam, used by beginners and for fun in small waves. Also said: Softtop, Soft top. - [Frontside](https://surfslang.com/frontside) (Riding): Riding with your chest facing the wave. - [Frother](https://surfslang.com/frother) (People): Someone who is wildly enthusiastic about surfing and wants to be in the water all the time. Also said: Frothing. Example: "He's frothing, he's been out three times today." ## G - [Glassy](https://surfslang.com/glassy) (Conditions): There's no wind and the ocean's surface is smooth like glass. Glassy conditions usually happen early in the morning or late in the evening. Example: "Dawn patrol was glassy, not a breath of wind." - [Gnarly](https://surfslang.com/gnarly) (People): Dangerous, extreme or intimidating. Gnarly surf is big and scary; a gnarly wipeout is a bad one. It can also mean impressive, in the sense of so intense it's good. Example: "That reef gets gnarly on the low tide." - [Going off](https://surfslang.com/going-off) (Conditions): The surf is excellent right now. Going off is used in the moment, usually while you can see it happening. Example: "Look at that left, it's going off." - [Goofy](https://surfslang.com/goofy) (Riding): Riding with your right foot forward. Goofy-footers face the wave on lefts. Also said: Goofy footer. - [Grom](https://surfslang.com/grom) (People): A young surfer, usually a kid or young teenager. Also said: Grommet. - [Groundswell](https://surfslang.com/groundswell) (Conditions): Swell made by distant storms that has travelled a long way across the ocean. Groundswell has a long period and arrives as powerful, well-spaced waves. - [Gun](https://surfslang.com/gun) (Gear): A long, narrow, pointed surfboard made for paddling into big waves. ## H - [Hang ten](https://surfslang.com/hang-ten) (Riding): Standing on the very nose of a longboard with all ten toes over the edge. Hang five is the same with one foot. Also said: Hang five. - [Head high](https://surfslang.com/head-high) (Wave size): Waves with a face as tall as the surfer riding them, around 1.8 metres or 6 feet. Head high is the size where surf starts to feel properly good. - [Heavy](https://surfslang.com/heavy) (People): Serious, dangerous or intense. A heavy wave has huge power; a heavy wipeout is a bad one. - [Hold-down](https://surfslang.com/hold-down) (Wipeouts): Being held underwater by a wave after a wipeout. A two-wave hold-down means a second wave lands before you can surface. ## I - [Inside](https://surfslang.com/inside) (Lineup): The area closer to shore than where the waves are breaking. ## K - [Keg](https://surfslang.com/keg) (Waves): Australian slang for a barrel. Mostly used in Australia. - [Kick out](https://surfslang.com/kick-out) (Riding): Ending a ride on purpose by turning up and over the back of the wave. - [Knee high](https://surfslang.com/knee-high) (Wave size): Waves about as tall as an adult's knee, measured on the face. Small, but rideable on the right board. - [Kook](https://surfslang.com/kook) (People): An inexperienced surfer who doesn't know the etiquette, or anyone acting clueless in the water. Everyone is a kook at first. Example: "Some kook dropped in on me and lost his board." - [Kook cord](https://surfslang.com/kook-cord) (Gear): A joking name for a leash, the cord that ties your ankle to your board. Also said: Leash, Leg rope. ## L - [Late drop](https://surfslang.com/late-drop) (Riding): Catching a wave at the last second, as it's already steep or breaking. Late drops are steep, fast and easy to fall on. - [Left](https://surfslang.com/left) (Waves): A wave that breaks towards the surfer's left as they ride it, which is to the right as seen from the beach. Also said: Lefthander. - [Lekker](https://surfslang.com/lekker) (People): South African slang for good, nice or great, used everywhere including the lineup. Mostly used in South Africa. Example: "Lekker session, bru." - [Lineup](https://surfslang.com/lineup) (Lineup): The area beyond the breaking waves where surfers sit and wait for waves, and the group of surfers sitting there. Also said: Line-up. - [Lip](https://surfslang.com/lip) (Waves): The top edge of a breaking wave that throws forward. A heavy lip makes a barrel; hitting the lip is a classic turn. - [Local](https://surfslang.com/local) (People): A surfer who lives near a break and surfs it regularly. Locals usually know the wave best and expect respect in the lineup. - [Localism](https://surfslang.com/localism) (Lineup): Locals being hostile to visiting surfers to keep a spot to themselves, ranging from dirty looks to violence. - [Log](https://surfslang.com/log) (Gear): A longboard, usually nine feet or longer. Also said: Longboard, Mal, Malibu. - [Lull](https://surfslang.com/lull) (Waves): The quiet period between sets when few or no waves arrive. A lull is the time to paddle out. ## M - [Maxing](https://surfslang.com/maxing) (Conditions): The waves are at the biggest size a spot can handle before it stops working or closes out. A maxing spot is usually for experienced surfers only. Example: "Don't paddle out, the reef is maxing." - [Mission](https://surfslang.com/mission) (Conditions): A trip, often long or difficult, to chase waves somewhere you don't normally surf. A good mission ends with uncrowded waves; a bad one ends with getting skunked. Also said: Surf mission, Strike mission. - [Mushburger](https://surfslang.com/mushburger) (Waves): A weak, crumbly wave with no power at all. - [Mushy](https://surfslang.com/mushy) (Conditions): Soft, slow waves with little power. Mushy waves crumble rather than pitch, which suits longboards more than shortboards. Also said: Mush. ## O - [Offshore](https://surfslang.com/offshore) (Conditions): Wind blowing from the land out to sea. Offshore wind holds waves up, smooths their faces and makes them break more cleanly, so it's the wind surfers want. Example: "Light offshore all morning, it'll be clean." - [Onshore](https://surfslang.com/onshore) (Conditions): Wind blowing from the sea towards the land. Onshore wind pushes waves over early and roughs up their faces, making the surf messy. - [Outside](https://surfslang.com/outside) (Lineup): The area further out than the main lineup. Someone shouting "outside!" means a bigger set is coming. - [Over the falls](https://surfslang.com/over-the-falls) (Wipeouts): Getting sucked up the face and thrown down with the lip of a breaking wave. One of the more violent ways to fall. - [Overhead](https://surfslang.com/overhead) (Wave size): Waves taller than the surfer riding them. Overhead surf has real power and asks for some experience. Also said: Over head high. ## P - [Paddle out](https://surfslang.com/paddle-out) (Riding): Paddling from the beach through the waves to the lineup. Also a memorial where surfers paddle out together to honour someone who has died. - [Party wave](https://surfslang.com/party-wave) (Lineup): A wave shared by several surfers at once, by agreement. It's the friendly exception to the no drop-in rule. - [Peak](https://surfslang.com/peak) (Waves): The highest point of a wave, where it starts to break. Surfers sit at the peak to catch waves first. - [Pearling](https://surfslang.com/pearling) (Wipeouts): When the nose of the board digs into the water on the takeoff and pitches you forward. The name comes from pearl diving. Also said: Pearl, Nose dive. - [Peeling](https://surfslang.com/peeling) (Waves): A wave that breaks steadily from one end to the other, leaving an open face to ride along. Peeling waves are what you want. - [Pitted](https://surfslang.com/pitted) (Riding): Ridden deep inside a barrel. Getting pitted is what most surfers are chasing. Also said: Shacked, Tubed, Barrelled. Example: "I got so pitted on that last one." - [Point break](https://surfslang.com/point-break) (Waves): A wave that wraps around a headland or point of land and peels along it. Point breaks are known for long, consistent rides. - [Pop-up](https://surfslang.com/pop-up) (Riding): Getting from lying on the board to standing in one quick movement. - [Pumping](https://surfslang.com/pumping) (Conditions): A strong swell is running and the waves are big, powerful and consistent. Pumping is about energy and size more than shape. Example: "The new swell's pumping, every set is overhead." ## Q - [Quad](https://surfslang.com/quad) (Gear): A board with four fins, giving drive and hold in fast or hollow waves. - [Quiver](https://surfslang.com/quiver) (Gear): A surfer's collection of surfboards, chosen for different waves and conditions. ## R - [Rag-dolled](https://surfslang.com/rag-dolled) (Wipeouts): Tumbled around underwater by a wave with no control, like a rag doll. Also said: Washing machine. - [Rail](https://surfslang.com/rail) (Gear): The edge of a surfboard. Surfers turn by putting the board on its rail. - [Reef break](https://surfslang.com/reef-break) (Waves): A wave that breaks over rock or coral. Reef breaks are consistent in shape but can be shallow and dangerous. - [Regular](https://surfslang.com/regular) (Riding): Riding with your left foot forward. Regular-footers face the wave on rights. Also said: Regular footer, Natural. - [Right](https://surfslang.com/right) (Waves): A wave that breaks towards the surfer's right as they ride it, which is to the left as seen from the beach. Also said: Righthander. - [Rocker](https://surfslang.com/rocker) (Gear): The curve of a surfboard from nose to tail. More rocker makes a board easier to turn; less makes it faster. - [Runner](https://surfslang.com/runner) (Waves): A long, fast wave that peels a long way, giving a long ride. ## S - [Section](https://surfslang.com/section) (Waves): A part of a wave that breaks ahead of where the surfer is riding. Making the section means getting past it before it breaks on you. - [Set](https://surfslang.com/set) (Waves): A group of bigger waves that arrive together, with quieter periods between them. Most surfers wait for the set waves. Example: "Sets are coming every ten minutes." - [Shoobie](https://surfslang.com/shoobie) (People): A day-tripper or tourist at the beach, usually unaware of surf etiquette. Mostly used in United States. - [Shorey](https://surfslang.com/shorey) (Waves): A wave that breaks right on the beach, often hard and fast in shallow water. Also said: Shore break, Shorebreak. - [Shoulder](https://surfslang.com/shoulder) (Waves): The part of the wave that hasn't broken yet, sloping away from the peak. It's where you ride along after taking off. - [Skunked](https://surfslang.com/skunked) (Conditions): You went on a big mission because the surf report said it would be good, but the report was wrong and there was no surf. Being skunked means a long drive, an early alarm and nothing to show for it. Example: "Drove four hours up the coast and got skunked. Dead flat." - [Slab](https://surfslang.com/slab) (Waves): A thick, heavy wave that breaks suddenly over shallow reef or rock, often with a step in the face. Slabs are among the most dangerous waves to ride. - [Snake](https://surfslang.com/snake) (Lineup): Paddling around another surfer to get into a better position for the next wave, stealing their priority. Also said: Snaking. - [Snap](https://surfslang.com/snap) (Riding): A sharp, fast turn off the top of the wave. - [Soup](https://surfslang.com/soup) (Waves): The foamy whitewater left after a wave has broken. Beginners learn in the soup. Also said: Whitewater, Foam. - [Sponger](https://surfslang.com/sponger) (People): A playful, sometimes rude name for a bodyboarder. Also said: Spongers, Boogie boarder. - [Springsuit](https://surfslang.com/springsuit) (Gear): A wetsuit with short arms and legs, for warmer water. Also said: Spring suit, Shorty. - [Steamer](https://surfslang.com/steamer) (Gear): A full wetsuit with long arms and legs, for cold water. Also said: Full suit. - [Step-up](https://surfslang.com/step-up) (Gear): A board slightly longer than your everyday board, for when the waves get bigger. - [Stick](https://surfslang.com/stick) (Gear): Slang for a surfboard. Also said: Board, Plank. - [Stoked](https://surfslang.com/stoked) (People): Thrilled and happy, usually after a good surf. Stoke is the feeling itself. Also said: Stoke. Example: "Still stoked from this morning." ## T - [Takeoff](https://surfslang.com/takeoff) (Riding): The moment you catch a wave and stand up to ride it. - [Thruster](https://surfslang.com/thruster) (Gear): A board with three fins, the most common setup on modern shortboards. Also said: Tri fin. - [Turtle roll](https://surfslang.com/turtle-roll) (Riding): Flipping a longboard upside down and holding on underneath while a wave passes over, used when the board is too big to duck dive. - [Twin fin](https://surfslang.com/twin-fin) (Gear): A board with two fins, fast and loose in small waves. Also said: Twinnie. ## V - [Victory at sea](https://surfslang.com/victory-at-sea) (Conditions): Wild, stormy and completely disorganised surf, with waves coming from every direction. Named after a 1950s TV documentary about naval battles. ## W - [Waist high](https://surfslang.com/waist-high) (Wave size): Waves about as tall as an adult's waist. A fun, manageable size for most surfers. - [Wave hog](https://surfslang.com/wave-hog) (Lineup): Someone who catches far more than their share of waves and doesn't let others have a turn. - [Wax](https://surfslang.com/wax) (Gear): The sticky wax rubbed on the deck of a surfboard so your feet don't slip. - [Wedge](https://surfslang.com/wedge) (Waves): A wave that jumps up suddenly when a second wave or backwash merges with it, making a steep, peaky shape. - [Windswell](https://surfslang.com/windswell) (Conditions): Swell made by wind close to the coast. Windswell has a short period, so the waves are weaker, closer together and less organised than groundswell. - [Wipeout](https://surfslang.com/wipeout) (Wipeouts): Falling off your board while riding a wave. Also said: Wipe out, Eat it, Stack.