This is a glossary of Davis terms. Feel free to add Davis-specific lingo or slang. This may include phrases commonly used by Davisites or UCD students. Feel free to use humor, but if you want to make an entry just tell people the special word you and your particular circle of friends use for a specific type of fart, please go to Urban Dictionary Dot Com. Regional and non-Anglicized terms for food, locals, and names can also be found on the pronunciations page. UC Davis related acronyms can be found in the UCD Alphabet Soup.
If you're looking for terms specific to Davis Wiki, head over to the Wiki Glossary.
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A
Aggie — n. mistakenly believed to be a kind of horse or cow, but instead is a student enrolled at an agricultural school (or one of the kinds of marbles). usage: When someone says "The Aggie," they generally mean The California Aggie, the UC Davis newspaper. When someone says "An Aggie," they generally mean a particular UC Davis student. If someone says "The Aggies," they generally are referring to one of UC Davis' sports teams. UC Davis shares this lively moniker with several other schools including Texas A&M and Utah State. Note: If you refer to yourself as "An Aggie" anywhere outside of California (and sometimes in state as well), it will be assumed that you went to Texas A&M.
AllCal — 1. adj. Used to describe an idea that NorCal and SoCal are still one state, to remind fellow Californians that people, whether from North or South, are still pretty much the same (as in still are human beings), and to counteract the North vs. South hate spewing from the Two States debate and Norcal Rage. 2 n. All Cal (slightly different) is also the name of a trip that SOS runs, along with all the other UC's to a big-name ski resort out of state. Last year's All Cal was in Whistler, B.C.
Anal — 1. adj. The shortened form of anal-retentive. Ex: I was so anal that I decided to capitalize all the entries in the Dwiki Glossary. 2. (vulgar) n. Shorthand for anal sex.
Ass — n. Sexual activity. usage: "did he get any ass from that chick?" Also refers to the Aggie Student Store.
Asmundson — family name. (OZ'-mund-son) See: Vigfus S. Asmundson, Asmundson Hall, Vigfus A. Asmundson, Ruth Asmundson
B
Back in the Day — adj. phrase Refers to the period in Davis when there was no prohibition on public consumption of alcohol.
BANANA - Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything — the more extreme version of NIMBY.
Beer Bong — n. A long tube filled with beer which uses gravity to help the user drink a large quantity of beer very quickly. Popular among Frat Boys and Bros.
Boner — n. 1. Bro + Stoner = Boner 2. An erection
Box Block — v. To interfere with the courtship of another female. "Dang, Mary totally box blocked Sandra when Mary went and hit on Tommy. Sandra was trying to gettin' her mack on." the female equivalent of cock blocking
Brodiculous — adj. Expressing an extreme or obscene amount of bro-ness
"Man, that party was brodiculous."
Broly — n. related to the word "bro" but different in an intrinsically important way. "Bro" by itself is sometimes used among non-related males when addressing one another. "Broly" refers to the hardcore iron-pumping weightlifters that spend multiple hours a day in the ARC working on those delts, pecs, tris etc.
"Yo broly, you done with that squat rack?"
Bromance — n. A bond amongst Bros that is borderline man-love.
Butt Hurt — adj. the state of being offended or having one's feelings hurt. "Man, I don't know why Jake is getting all butt hurt over this."
C
Cactus Corners — n. The intersection of Russell & County Road 98, so named for the cactus which were planted there many moons ago.
causeway — n. Generically, a long bridge. In Davis parlance, the span of Highway 80 between Davis and West Sacramento.
Cock block — v. To interfere with the courtship of another male. "Man, Joe totally cock blocked me when he went and hit on Lisa. I was gettin' my mack on." male equivalent of box blocking
Crunk — adj. either crazy+drunk, or crusty+punk.
D
"Davis Mount Rushmore", or Mount Rushmore of Davis — n. Famous Davisites, or local legends.
Deadly City — n. A term used to refer to the town of Davis, primarily used by younger townies (especially the punk crowd) (2006)
Delta — n. An abbreviation for Delta of Venus that regulars and/or those fond of the place use in conversation. Ex: "Are you gonna go to Delta tonight?"
Dirty Breakfast — n. 1. A breakfast excursion with your partner from the night before — in the same clothes you were wearing. 2. Any occasion when one go to breakfast in the clothes you were wearing the night before.
Dixie the Dinosaur — n. Dixie is a fifty-foot tall brachiosaur living off Interstate 680 in Benicia. (Dixie used to reside in Dixon, just off the 80, hence the name "Dixie." However, I was under the impression that the dinosaur received a name change upon moving to Benecia. Does anyone know for sure?)
- See Dixie the Dinosaur for expanded description of Dixie. I think most people in Davis still refer to her as Dixie, but I'm sure some in Benicia refer to her as Bennie. Most of the sites I saw said Bennie didn't really stick. In any case, look at the ref page for expanded info — rumor is that Dixie/Bennie is currently in storage —AlphaDog
Dormcest — n. The act of "relations" (in the biblical sense) between persons of the same dorm building. Sometimes even between neighbors. Though "convenient," this practice has been determined by leading scientists and theologians alike to be "sick and wrong," and has been proven to lead to higher instances of owning three-legged dogs, living under tin roofs and having screen doors (among other things) later in life.
- I totally agree, dormcest is often risky behaviour, but no matter how much you warn people, it still happens-RohiniJasavala
- There are a lot of people still hung up about sex. Proving that sexual liberation of the 60's didn't get far.
Dorms — n. As elsewhere, short for "dormitories" i.e. university-owned student residences, but at UC Davis these are almost exclusively occupied by freshmen, thus "when I was in the dorms" means "when I was a freshman".
- Dorm culture is mystifying and strange to Transfer Students. -aec
Dos — n. Familiar term for Dos Coyotes, a local Southwestern restaurant.
Duder-n. A term used to refer to friends. Can be used in the singular or plural. Similar to "dude". Ex: "S'up, duders?"
Dwiki - n. Short for Davis Wiki, for lazy bums who can't be bothered to say/type the whole thing. The domain dwiki.org mirrors daviswiki.org (while the domain daviswiki.com takes you to a lousy portal site.)
E
Emptyprize — n. A less-than-complimentary name for the local newspaper, which can be lacking in content.
Eskiho — n. Slang for girls (though certainly not limited to just them) that wear short skirts with Uggs, even in the middle of winter. They often wear the puffy jackets with the fake fur-lined hoods.
Essence of Davis — n. The wonderful aroma of backdoor cow matter.
F
Fast 'n Sleazy, The — n. Synonym for the downtown Fast and Easy Mart, the best place to buy forties and flavored wine. The other Fast and Easy Mart at the Chevron Station in South Davis is less sleazy because, presumably, they have a car wash.
Freshman Stripe — n. The marking that distinguishes someone's first winter in Davis, when they don't yet know bikes need fenders here. Generally in the form of a pointillistic muddy stripe down the back.
Fruit Cocktail — n. A canned blend of fruits developed by William Vere Cruess, UC Davis professor & cofounder of the field of food science.
Forty — n. A 40oz bottle of beer, usually cheap beer or malt liquor. popular among homeless people and college students.
G
Guad, The — n. The affectionate name given to Taqueria Guadalajara
Grad, The — n. Longtime shorthand for The Graduate, a sports bar/restaurant/nightclub located just north of campus in University Mall. Also to be noted, the name of a movie where a recent graduate sleeps with Mrs. Robinson and falls in love with her daughter.
H
Hecka/Hecca — adj. Synonymous with "hella" below. Use of this version is believed to indicate a likelihood of also committing dormcest (see "dormcest" above), with all its related consequences. Reputed to be popularized by conservative Christian children, where all profanity/swear words are replaced by similar-sounding words.
Hella — adj. A word which will cause shock and confusion among many incoming freshmen from SoCal It's short for "a hell of a...", and can be used to modify any adjective. Find an in-depth definition of its uses and history here.
hipster — n. One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool. The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream.
Hoopies — n. Coopies + Hippies = Hoopies
Hybrids — noun, Davis has much more of these vehicles than most towns.
I
Indie — adj. music that is the exact opposite of pop music. If indie music is played on the radio it automatically loses it's indie title. It is also a way of life in which one pursues being totally different than anyone else.
IMO - Internet slang for "In My Opinion" variations include IMHO - "In my honest opinion." Some prefer "in my humble opinion." Note that this did not originate in Davis (it's from BBS' of the 1980's, and then used on Usenet), but appears in the Wiki a number of times. There's also IMNSHO - "In my not so humble opinion," if you feel like being blunt.
J
Jawas — n. Campus slang for people who salvage technology from loading docks. Deriv. from Star Wars
Jock — (1)v. To like, usually in a sexual context. (2)n. Someone who partakes in contact sports other than hockey.
K
Korean gangster—for a person who happens to be Korean, as well as a gangster. By Korean, it is not meant as a label indicating citizenship or nationality, but rather cultural or racial descent. One does not have to be born in Korea to be a Korean gangster. However, this contention may be argued. It is said that Korean gangsters never smile or dance.
L
Lamargate — n. The illegal endorsement of political candidates by ASUCD.
Local politics — n. The political forces that determine the quality of students' lives on a day-to-day basis. While theoretically students could mobilize and literally control or strongly influence local politics, most students are uninclined to change their voter registration for unknown reasons.
Local Yokels — n. While the term "yokel" derogatorily refers to a hick, a bumpkin, or a hillbilly, "local yokel" drops this negative connotation. It is merely a quirky term used to refer to the locals, or long-term residents of Davis. These folks are also known as townies. These are the people you go to if you really want to know something about the city or its history. UCD students are generally not eligible for local yokel status (but see tenured students for an exception).
M
Man-Whore — n. A man who freely gives his sexual attentions to a wide variety of people. Man-Whores can provide a useful service, but do not expect more than a single encounter with any one individual. The Man-Whore can easily be spotted at such Davis institutions as G Street Pub.
Mack - v. 1. heavy flirting 2. making out
Malamanteau - n. 1. a neologism for a portmanteau created by incorrectly combining a malapropism with a neologism. E.g. "DavisWiki," "WikiSpot"
Monkey Farm, the — n. Derogatory term for the California National Primate Research Center
Meh - n. 1. The sound sheep make. 2. A sound one makes to indicate indifference or boredom
Milk Chicken — n. A White person who is trying to act like they are Black, and won't admit it. This term was big in Holmes and Emerson junior highs in the early 90s, and an example is easily seen in Vanilla Ice. (I attended Holmes Jr. High during the hey-day of the milk chicken phenomenon and the story goes that Kyle Pruitt got up in the middle of Mrs. Kings algebra class and asked to nobody in particular, "What the hell does M.C. stand for anyway, milk chicken???" Apparently, the rest was history. —jefftolentino)
MU — n. widely used abbreviation for the Memorial Union.
N
New — adj. 1) Used by townies to refer to anything built within the last ten years, e.g. the new Nugget, or the new movie theater. 2) Used by students to refer to something that happened a week ago or less.
Noise permit — n. They only work till midnight, but they will keep the cops at bay when used in conjunction with holy water.
Noise violation — n. A citation issued by police to the occupants of a residence for noise levels above the limits mandated by the city.
O
Old-timer — n. someone who's lived in Davis long enough to comment on city affairs. Examples can often be seen in the local newspaper in the letters column. Just look for letters that start off, "I've been a Davis resident for [x] years..."
P
Prius — noun. A Toyota Hybrid Vehicle, this town is chock full of them!
PELP — noun, verb. To take a quarter off from UC Davis to enjoy the finer things in life such as wildflowers and Adventures Outside of Davis.
Q
Quad, the — The large rectangular area of grass and trees just south of the MU.
R
Reg Card — n. Your UCD Registration Card. Very useful.
S
Scene — adj. very cool in an independent music, listens to The Faint sort of way. "Man, he's so scene." Guys who wear girl pants and eye liner fit this category pretty well.
Skank — n. A female reputed to have almost non-existent standards for those she sleeps with, or someone whose dress suggests a desperate need for sexual attention ; also adj. skanky
Sorostitute — noun. A degrading fusion of "prostitute" and "sorority." Head down Frat row on a Friday night to find lots of these.
Spamtastic — adj. News so wonderful that someone feels inclined to email everyone in their address book about it. Some people think the wiki is spamtastic when they first use it.
Stacking — verb. Ritualistic partying on Haystacks.
Studentia — noun. A disparaging term that refers to UC Davis' student population.
T
the — art. Placed in front of highway names by Southern California natives. This really pisses off people from up here. usage: "I took the 5 instead of the 99". Click the link to find out more about the controversy and add your own two cents.
The Hoff—n. A neutral yet humorous term used to refer to Larry Vanderhoef, UC Davis Chancellor.
Tight — adj. cool, or good friends with. often used in conjunction with hella "Man, the show last night was hella tight." or "Yeah, me and Randy are tight."
Transients — noun, plural. The politically correct term used to describe the homeless people of Davis. Ironically, some of these "transients" have lived here longer than most students will.
Tweaker — n. A habitual methamphetamine user. Also slang for a catapult.
Two States — n. The belief that California should be divided in two, north and south. This seems to be more popular with NorCal folks than with their Southern counterparts.
U
V
W
Walk of Shame — n. 1. The walk across campus in the same clothes as yesterday after you slept with someone and spent the night in their dorm room. 2. Walking home in the same clothes as the day before after spending the night at someone else's apartment. Usage: Scott: hey man, nice hair - you doin' the walk of shame? Dan: what, me? ah... no... I, um, fell asleep in the library...
Weed — n. Marijuana
Wicked — adj. 1. Used to indicate the utter coolness of something, commonly used by residents of Boston. Also may be used in conjunction with other descriptors, i.e. "Bro, that calculus study party was hella wicked-cool." 2. Someone/something that is inherently evil, such as the "wicked witch of the west" from the Wizard of Oz, or TAPS.
X
Y
Yapper — n. 1. A person who constantly feels the need to talk. 2. The mouth of the person who is constantly talking. 3. the jabber coming from the mouth of the person talking.
Z
Zero Growth — n. The position to take to effect slower growth.