Tattoo Slang

By Ashley M Ford






Believe it or not there are several tattoo slang words used all throughout the tattoo community as well as tattoo parlors all over the United States. A lot of the terms are pretty self explanatory but a lot of them are not.

Just in case you were wondering what some of the words are and what they really mean, refer to the list below.

Tat- short for tattoo.

Sleeve or quarter sleeve-means their whole arm is covered in tattoos or half the arm is covered in tattoos.

Tramp Stamp-referring to a tattoo on a woman's lower back.

Dealers- customers that try to get the tattoo artist to come down on their price.

Meat- locals who hang around the tattoo shop all the time and always have a fresh tattoo.

Showcase - A person who has several of their tattoos done by the same tattoo artist.

Tattoo shark - Someone who steals someone else's tattoo ideas.

Michaelangelo - The know it all artist-types who think they know more about art than the tattoo artist giving them their tattoo.

Slinging ink - Tattooing someone.

Tenderfoot - Someone new at getting tattoos.

Pounding skin - Tattooing someone.

Goo - General term for healing ointment applied to a new tattoo.

Cadaver - customer who refuses or prefers not to talk to the artist during the entire process.

Human Larva - small children running around the tattoo shop.

Pussyball - tennis ball given to the customer who won't stop whining about the pain.

The Look - The tell-all smile when the customer first sees their new tattoo.

Now that you know some of the terms tattoo artists throw around, around the shop you will know what they are talking about.

Your Tattoo Friend

Ashley