Glossary

This is a glossary of frequently used Santa Cruz and UCSC terms. Feel free to add Santa Cruz-specific lingo or slang. This may include phrases commonly used by students or Santa Cruzians. 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.

B40 — n. Shortened form of Branciforte, and can refer to any object or place bearing that name, but usually refers to the Branciforte area of town.

Baytree — n. shortened name of the Baytree Bookstore

Bowl — n. usually short for "a bowlful of marajuana," in reference to the bowl portion of a pipe. Usage: "I smoked 3 bowls last night with my RA."

Core, the— n. The shuttle at UCSC that serves the center of campus.

Eastside, the— Area of Santa Cruz to the east of Seabright Avenue. Usage: "I live on the Eastside."

Forty — n. A 40oz bottle of beer, usually cheap beer or malt liquor.

Grip — n. A lot of something, as in "I just bought a grip of grapefruits."

Havajava — prop. n. Old name of Oakes Cafe.

Hecka/Hecca — adj. Synonymous with "hella" below.

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 or here

Kiva — prop.n. Short for Kiva Retreat House, a clothing-optional sauna and community spa in Midtown. For a more traditional definition of the term, click here.

Kombucha — n. A non-alcoholic fermented drink made using a bacteria culture (sometimes called a "kombucha baby") and sweetened tea, often attributed with numerous health-promoting qualities. This drink is available in many grocery stores in Santa Cruz, and some people even brew their own. Click here for the Wikipedia Article

Lane, the — n. Refers to Steamer Lane, a popular surf spot

Locals — n. See Locals.

Loop, the— n. The shuttle on the UCSC campus that serves the whole campus in one big, well, loop.

Mate — n. (pronounced Mah-tay), also called Yerba Mate. An plant from South America, from which a tea-like beverage is made. Mate is typically drunk out of a Calabash gourd and is sipped out of a bombilla. Click here for the Wikipedia Article

Midtown — The upper area between Downtown Santa Cruz and the Eastside, generally designated as the area between Pacific Avenue and Seabright Avenue. The lower portion of this area is often called Seabright, and the area directly adjacent to the coast is called East Cliff.

NorCal — Northern California.

RA — n. Short for "resident assistant," or the students in each dorm who are employed by the university to help/monitor dorm residents. In some colleges, the same definition applies for the terms "neighborhood assistants" (NAs) and "community assistants" (CAs)

Saturn — Short for Saturn Cafe, a wacky local restaurant.

SoCal — n. Refers to Southern California.

Tranny — n. Often used by locals as a slang word for "transplant", referring someone who is not from the area originally. In other cases can be a short form of "transvestite" or "transient".

Weed — n. Marijuana

Yerba mate— see "Mate"

Zombie — nickname for the Zami Co-op

• The ABC's of UCSC

Comments:

2008-03-18 14:55:40   stoked!!! brah. —75.35.118.211

2009-10-20 10:11:23   Absolutely NO ONE who is a Santa Cruz local would EVER, EVER!!!! say the word hella. That word gets brought over from the "trannys" over the hill. That's how you REALLY know someone isn't a local- if they say "hella" UGH! —63.192.194.189