prison slang
Behind-bars lingo
Prison slang refers to the specialized vocabulary and expressions that develop among incarcerated people, used both for in-group communication and to discuss aspects of prison life without being easily understood by guards or outsiders.
Terms vary by institution and region but commonly cover topics like contraband, violence, hierarchy, and daily routines.
He picked up a lot of prison slang during his stretch.
Much of this vocabulary eventually filters into broader criminal argot and sometimes mainstream speech.
- doing timeServing a prison sentence
- lockdownEnforced restriction on movement
- solitary confinementIsolated imprisonment in cell
- hoochIllicit liquor, slangily
- shankLower leg segment
stash · dry cell · argot · cant · snitch · breakout · seg · OG · commissary · green light · hole · fish · shakedown · beef · bid · on the inside · cell block · yard bird
- slangjargon, lingo, argot, cant, vernacular
- criminal slangcriminal code, cant, numbers racket
- jargonjargon, lingo, legal jargon, buzz words, legalese
- secret slangargot, cant, secret language, code words, twin language
- Slang Typesleetspeak, stan culture
- prisoncell block, inmate, jail, prisoner, warden
prison slangproper English
Correct, formal language usage
Queen's English · legal language · official language · legal terminology · diplomatic language
prison slangplain English
Unadorned, accessible wording
common parlance · everyday language · universal language · public discourse · accessible language