This dictionary brings together the main slang, abbreviations, and product terms used in releases, on boxes, in listings and collections, and in conversations about skateboarding, resale, and sneakers. Some terms come officially from brands; others grew out of the community; and some change meaning depending on the era, region, or marketplace.
Follow each entry’s links for examples, distinctions, and buying precautions. The categories below separate condition, releases, sizing, and product terminology.
How to use this dictionary
By category: condition and packaging · releases · resale and authentication · culture · OG, retro, and vintage · sizing · Nike · Nike SB · Jordan.
Alphabetical index: B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | L | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W. Each letter takes you to the first entry with that initial; the remaining terms stay grouped by topic.
Condition, wear, and packaging
DS: Deadstock
Type: community and resale term. DS usually describes an unworn sneaker. Its practical meaning can vary between communities, sellers, and marketplaces: a perfect box, accessories, and tags aren’t part of a universal definition. DS doesn’t prove authenticity, either. Read the complete DS guide.
DSWT: Deadstock With Tags
Type: resale condition. DSWT means Deadstock With Tags, adding the presence of tags to the idea of an unworn pair. Tags aren’t the same as a box and don’t prove authenticity on their own. See the DSWT guide.
VNDS: Very Near Deadstock
Type: condition and resale slang. VNDS describes a pair considered very close to deadstock, but it shouldn’t automatically be treated as DS. It’s subjective: there is no universal percentage or official number of times a shoe can have been worn. Understand VNDS in detail.
NIB: New In Box
Type: sales condition. NIB means New In Box: a new item accompanied by a box. The abbreviation doesn’t guarantee authenticity, age, proper storage, or the structural integrity of an older sneaker. A complete NIB assessment still requires those separate checks.
NWT: New With Tags
Type: sales condition. NWT means New With Tags. Having tags doesn’t automatically mean having a box, so NWT and NIB aren’t synonyms. It isn’t a certificate of authenticity, either. Read the NWT guide.
B-Grade
Type: condition/quality-control designation. B-Grade identifies minor manufacturing imperfections in certain genuine products. There is no single system across all brands and eras. B-Grade doesn’t mean fake, and finding a small defect later doesn’t automatically make a shoe B-Grade. Learn how B-Grade sneakers are classified.
Fake
Type: authenticity term. A fake is a counterfeit: a product presented or produced as a legitimate branded item without the brand’s authorization. Fake isn’t synonymous with B-Grade, custom, or a simple factory flaw. Condition labels such as DS, NIB, and NWT don’t prove authenticity, either. See how to assess suspected counterfeits and respond to a misleading purchase.
Flaking
Type: negotiation slang and a condition term. In a transaction, flaking means abandoning or failing to honor an agreement already made; merely asking the price doesn’t establish a deal. In a physical description, flaking means peeling paint or a surface coating. That second use isn’t automatically the same as hydrolysis. See both meanings of flaking.
Unworn
Type: condition. Unworn means not worn. In listings and marketplaces, it can be a more direct description than DS, but rules about boxes, accessories, and storage-related marks still depend on the seller or platform.
No Box / Replacement Box
Type: packaging terminology. No Box indicates that the listing does not include the product box; Replacement Box means the pair comes with a substitute box. Ask whether the seller includes the original box, a replacement, or only a shipping carton. None of these arrangements determines authenticity on its own.
Releases, drops, and purchases
Drop
Type: release terminology. As a noun, a drop is a product release or the moment it becomes available. In cop or drop, however, “drop” means pass or don’t buy. These are different uses of the same word. See how drops work.
Restock
Type: retail/release terminology. A restock replenishes inventory of a previously available product. It isn’t automatically a new release and isn’t synonymous with retro. Understand restocks in detail.
LPU: Last Pick Up
Type: community slang. LPU means Last Pick Up and is used to show someone’s most recent acquisition. It doesn’t mean “the last sneaker that person will ever buy.” Read the complete LPU guide.
Cop or Drop
Type: community slang. Cop means buy or approve; drop means pass. The expression offers an opinion on a release or asks whether someone would buy it. It isn’t an official SNKRS feature. See the full meaning of cop or drop.
W / L: Win and Loss
Type: release slang. W means win and L means loss. In drops and raffles, W usually means someone earned the right to buy or secured the pair; L means they didn’t. Unlike cop or drop, W/L describes a result. See the W and L guide.
Raffle
Type: release mechanism. A raffle is a drawing or buyer-selection process for products with demand exceeding available stock. Rules vary: entering doesn’t guarantee a purchase, and each store or brand can set its own criteria.
Shock Drop
Type: release terminology. A shock drop makes a product available with little or no advance notice. Different communities and retailers use the term, and it doesn’t imply a fixed number of pairs.
Exclusive Access
Type: access mechanism. Exclusive Access describes situations where particular users receive early or targeted access to a product. Criteria, timing, and availability depend on the platform or brand and don’t guarantee a purchase.
GR: General Release
Type: release designation. GR means General Release and is used for releases with relatively broad distribution. It doesn’t establish a universal quantity, and GR shouldn’t be used as the base of a supposed official GR < QS < HS hierarchy.
The resale market and authentication
Resell / Resale
Type: secondary-market terminology. To resell is to sell again; resale is that activity or transaction. It can involve new or used sneakers and doesn’t require someone to have bought the pair solely for profit. Resale doesn’t guarantee appreciation, either. See the complete sneaker resale guide.
Reseller
Type: secondary-market terminology. A reseller sells products again. It may be an occasional individual seller, a professional operation, or a store. The term doesn’t automatically imply scalping, profit, or improper conduct.
Price Check
Type: resale terminology. A price check is a request for or estimate of a pair’s market value. Size, condition, region, timing, supply, and demand can change the reference point; there is no “universal official resale price.” See how to do a price check.
LC: Legit Check
Type: authentication. A legit check is an assessment intended to determine whether a sneaker appears authentic. It isn’t a universal certificate or an infallible method; its quality depends on the evidence and the evaluator. Read the legit check guide.
Retail / Retail Price
Type: retail terminology. Retail can identify the selling channel or the price charged by the brand or an authorized primary-market retailer. In release conversations, it can also refer to the original launch price, but sales and price adjustments can change the amount. Retail and resale are different.
Brick
Type: resale slang. Brick informally describes a product seen as a weak seller, sitting on shelves, or having little resale potential. It is subjective community language, not an official classification.
Sample / Prototype
Type: product development. A sample is produced during development, presentation, or evaluation. A prototype may represent an even earlier experimental stage. Not every sample is a valuable rarity, and not every sample matches the final product.
F&F: Friends & Family
Type: distribution. Friends & Family describes products intended for people connected to the project, brand, athlete, or collaborator. It doesn’t mean every HS must be F&F or every F&F must carry an HS designation.
Sneaker culture and community
Sneakerhead
Type: cultural identity. A sneakerhead has a significant interest in sneakers and the surrounding culture. A large collection, heavy spending, reselling, or memorizing every brand’s history isn’t required. See the guide to what sneakerhead means.
Sneakerhead Community
Type: cultural expression. Sneakerhead community broadly describes the people, groups, events, stores, creators, and online spaces connected to sneakers. It isn’t one formal organization. Explore the sneakerhead community.
Heat
Type: community slang. Heat describes a sneaker considered especially desirable, striking, or relevant in a particular context. It’s subjective: there is no minimum price, required rarity, or official list that automatically makes a pair heat. Read more about heat.
Grail
Type: collecting slang. A grail is a sneaker someone especially wants. It can be rare and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be: personal meaning matters more than price, hype, or production quantity. Explore what makes a sneaker a personal grail.
GOAT
Type: acronym/cultural slang. GOAT stands for Greatest Of All Time. It can describe athletes, models, and other cultural figures or reference points. Explore its meaning in sneaker culture; this use is separate from the GOAT marketplace.
Drip
Type: style slang. Drip refers to visual presentation, clothing, and personal style. It isn’t exclusive to sneakers and doesn’t mean a look must be expensive, luxurious, or hyped. Learn more about drip and its origins.
Collab
Type: cultural/commercial abbreviation. A collab is an official collaboration between the product’s brand and an artist, athlete, store, or another partner. It is not automatically limited, rare, expensive, or a grail. See how collabs work.
Colorway
Type: product terminology. A colorway is the color combination applied to a model. The same silhouette can have dozens or hundreds of colorways over the years.
Silhouette
Type: design/product terminology. Silhouette identifies a sneaker’s underlying shape or model, such as the Air Jordan 1, Air Max 1, or adidas Samba, regardless of its specific colorway.
Beater
Type: community slang. A beater is the pair you wear without worrying much about wear, dirt, or preservation. It doesn’t have to be cheap or low-quality; the word mainly describes how it is used.
Kicks
Type: slang. Kicks is an informal word for shoes, especially sneakers. It doesn’t imply exclusivity or value.
OG, retro, and vintage
OG
Type: cultural slang/designation. OG historically derives from Original Gangster/Original Gangsta and has taken on different sneaker meanings. It can indicate an original release, a historical configuration, or a commercial designation. OG doesn’t automatically mean “authentic.” See the uses of OG in detail.
OG Colorway
Type: historical product terminology. An OG colorway is a color combination from a silhouette’s original release period. A model can have several OG colorways; there isn’t necessarily one single “first color.” Understand OG colorway.
Retro
Type: historical/commercial designation. A retro is a later production or reissue of an earlier design. It isn’t a physical example from the original era, although an older retro can also become vintage over time. Read the retro sneaker guide.
Vintage
Type: age/historical description. Vintage mainly describes the age and period of the physical pair. It doesn’t require the sneaker to be used, rare, expensive, a first release, or historically important. See the vintage sneaker guide.
For a direct comparison of the three concepts, see OG, retro, and vintage: what’s the difference?
Size, fit, and size ranges
TTS: True To Size
Type: sizing slang. TTS means True To Size and indicates that, for the person making the assessment, the model fits close to the expected size. It doesn’t mean everyone should buy exactly the same labeled size: width, foot shape, and personal preference affect fit. See the TTS guide.
GS: Grade School
Type: size range. GS means Grade School in the U.S. system and appears on products made for that sizing category. It doesn’t mean fake, a women’s version, or inferior materials by definition. Understand GS and Y sizes.
SZ: Size
Type: informal abbreviation. SZ simply abbreviates size and is common in resale listings and conversations.
Nike abbreviations and product terms
HS: Hyperstrike
Type: historical Nike/sneaker-culture designation. HS is widely documented as Hyperstrike and is historically associated with certain highly restricted Nike releases. However, no universal public Nike rule defines an exact quantity, required audience, or fixed rarity hierarchy. See the history of Hyperstrike.
QS: Quickstrike
Type: Nike designation. QS means Quickstrike and has historically been used for certain releases and distribution channels. It doesn’t define a fixed quantity or belong in a universal rarity hierarchy. Read the Quickstrike guide.
SP: Special Project
Type: Nike designation. SP is associated with Special Project and appears on certain special projects or products. SP doesn’t automatically guarantee a collab, extreme rarity, premium materials, or resale value. See the Nike SP guide.
SE: Special Edition
Type: commercial designation. SE means Special Edition. It distinguishes a particular execution or edition but doesn’t guarantee limited production, greater rarity, superior materials, or high resale prices. Understand Nike SE.
PE: Player Exclusive
Type: athlete-footwear terminology. PE usually means Player Exclusive: a version developed or produced for a particular athlete. Not every athlete-related shoe is a PE, and PE isn’t synonymous with signature shoe. Read the Player Exclusive guide.
HTM
Type: historical Nike project. HTM refers to Hiroshi Fujiwara, Tinker Hatfield, and Mark Parker. The name identifies the project or concept associated with the trio, not a universal official rarity tier or a permanent line. Explore the history of HTM.
LS
Type: Nike/Jordan designation. LS appears historically in certain product names, but it shouldn’t automatically be expanded to “Lifestyle” in every context without checking the specific release. See the full analysis of LS.
NRG
Type: Nike designation. NRG appears in names and codes for certain Nike products or projects, but its literal expansion isn’t consistently documented in public sources. “NRG = Energy” should therefore be attributed to sneaker vocabulary rather than presented as a universal corporate definition or a guarantee of rarity. Read the Nike NRG analysis.
PRM: Premium
Type: Nike commercial designation. PRM is associated with Premium. It can indicate a different execution or positioning, but it isn’t a universal guarantee of better leather, specific materials, rarity, or appreciation. Understand Nike PRM.
NSW: Nike Sportswear
Type: Nike designation. NSW means Nike Sportswear. It identifies part of the brand’s lifestyle portfolio, not a technology, premium certification, or rarity level. See the Nike Sportswear guide.
ISO: In Store Only
Type: Nike SB/distribution designation. “In Store Only” is the most widespread expansion of ISO, historically connected to products distributed through selected skate shops, especially in the Orange Label context. It doesn’t mean online sales are impossible in every era or market. See the full context of ISO.
TN: Tuned Air
Type: Nike technology designation. TN refers to Tuned Air, the technology historically associated with the Air Max Plus. It isn’t simply a nickname based on how the shoe looks. Understand Nike TN and Tuned Air.
ACG: All Conditions Gear
Type: Nike line. ACG means All Conditions Gear and identifies Nike’s line focused on the outdoors and varied conditions. It appears here because the abbreviation is common among sneakerheads, although its story belongs more directly to Nike history. Explore the history of Nike ACG.
Nike Air
Type: Nike technology platform. Nike Air is a cushioning platform based on pressurized units, not an abbreviation for rarity or condition. The term frequently appears in product names and on boxes, but it should be understood separately from commercial designations. Learn how Nike Air cushioning works.
Nike SB and skateboarding
Nike SB: Skateboarding
Type: Nike division/line. SB means Skateboarding. Nike SB is Nike’s skateboarding line and wider ecosystem; it isn’t a technology and doesn’t simply mean “a Dunk with a thick tongue.” The SB Dunk is just one of the best-known families in that history. Read the updated Nike SB guide.
Jordan Brand
Jumpman
Type: Jordan Brand visual identity. Jumpman is the name of the Michael Jordan silhouette used as Jordan Brand’s central symbol. It isn’t a sneaker silhouette or a cushioning technology. Explore the origins of the Jumpman.
CO.JP
Type: historical Nike/Jordan designation. CO.JP is connected to the history of the Concept Japan program and releases intended for Japan. It shouldn’t be reduced to “Japan Collaboration.” See the history of Jordan CO.JP.
Style, construction, and language
High
Type: silhouette designation. High identifies a higher-cut version within a product family. It doesn’t automatically mean more support, comfort, or value.
Mid
Type: silhouette designation. Mid describes a mid-height cut. The actual construction varies from model to model.
Low
Type: silhouette designation. Low indicates a low-cut version. It isn’t synonymous with lifestyle: low-tops exist in skateboarding, basketball, running, and other categories.
Deubré
Type: component/accessory. A deubré is the small decorative or functional piece positioned over the laces on certain models, especially associated with the Air Force 1. “Lace tag” is a similar generic description, but deubré has become the recognized term for this component.
Tonal
Type: design terminology. Tonal describes a composition dominated by one color or closely related shades. It doesn’t determine material, rarity, or product category.
Custom
Type: customization. A custom is a product modified or created through personalized work. Custom doesn’t automatically mean fake: the central distinction is not passing off a customization as an official brand edition when it isn’t one.
SKU / Style Code
Type: product identification. SKU is an inventory identifier that may be assigned by the retailer; style code is the manufacturer’s style identifier. They can match in a listing, but they aren’t necessarily the same code. In sneakers, the style code is especially useful for distinguishing models and colorways and avoiding confusion in searches and listings.
Gum Sole
Type: outsole construction/aesthetics. Gum sole describes the appearance and rubber compound normally associated with a natural gum color. It doesn’t, by itself, mean the sneaker is made for skateboarding or basketball, or that it is more durable.
Terms that sound alike but aren’t
DS vs. VNDS
DS usually means unworn; VNDS is a subjective assessment of a condition very close to deadstock. VNDS isn’t an official percentage of “how new” a pair is.
NIB vs. NWT
NIB refers to a box; NWT refers to tags. A product can be NWT without its original box, and neither abbreviation proves authenticity.
OG vs. Retro vs. Vintage
OG relates to origins or a historical configuration; retro is a later production of an earlier design; vintage mainly refers to the age or period of the physical pair.
Heat vs. Grail
Heat is a cultural judgment about desirability or relevance. Grail is personal: the pair someone especially wants. Neither has to meet a minimum price.
Cop or Drop vs. W/L
Cop or drop expresses an intention or opinion. W/L describes the result of a purchase attempt, raffle, or drop.
Fake vs. B-Grade
Fake means counterfeit. B-Grade can describe a genuine product classified outside the regular standard because of manufacturing or quality-control issues.
QS vs. HS vs. SP
These are different designations used in Nike contexts, but there is no public, universal, unchanging hierarchy that places every release in the brand’s history into GR < QS < SP < HS.
TTS vs. GS
TTS is a fit assessment; GS is a size range. One describes how the model fits; the other identifies a sizing category.
Keep exploring sneaker culture
Sneaker language combines official brand terms, retail abbreviations, condition descriptions, and community-created slang. It also changes over time: a rule used by one marketplace shouldn’t automatically become a universal definition for the entire culture.
Use this dictionary as a quick reference and the individual guides to explore each concept in more depth. For the history, people, and movements behind this language, continue to History and Culture.
