Learn How to Speak LEGO®

Want to learn to speak LEGO fluently like a true AFOL? Here is a detailed LEGO Glossary containing Terms and Acronyms often used in the LEGO hobby. Learn to use them, so if you end up going to a wonderful LEGO convention you won’t feel like a stranger in a strange land, listening to a strange language!

A

• AFOL: “Adult-Fan-of-LEGO”. Pronounced to rhyme with “hay-foal”.
• AFFOL: “Adult-Female-Fan-of-LEGO” (See also FAFOL and SHEFOL.)

 B

• Bignette: a large LEGO creation (larger than a Vignette, but smaller than a Diorama).
• Billund: Billund, Denmark. Headquarters and primary design center for The LEGO Group.
• Blay/Bley: “Bluish Gray/Grey” refers to the current LEGO gray/grey, compared to the old version “Old Gray/Grey”.
• Brick-Built: a LEGO creation that is composed of basic LEGO elements, instead of more specialized elements. (For example brick built figures, animals, or objects.)
• BURP: “Big-Ugly-Rock-Piece”.

C

• CC: “Classic Castle”. A LEGO castle fan site.
• CC: “Cafe Corner”. A very popular LEGO set with adult fans.
• Cheese Slope: a LEGO part with a 33° slope, 1×1 stud wide and 2 plates high. It is named after the fact that yellow pieces look like a wedge of cheese.
• Clone Brands: construction toys similar and often compatible with LEGO, but cheaper in quality and price, designed to compete with the LEGO brand. They are often greatly despised by LEGO-fans.
• Cracklink: a descriptive name referring to its addictive nature due to being able to buy individual LEGO parts and minifigs in whatever quantity you want.
• CSF: Classic-Space Forum. An online LEGO space fan community.
• Custom: a LEGO creation or individual element that uses non-LEGO parts or modified parts, or accessories from third-party vendors. Contrast with Purist.
• Customizer: a LEGO-fan who is not afraid to modify LEGO parts. Customizing may include painting, cutting, drilling, melting LEGO elements, adding other non-LEGO parts to a creation, or adding details with custom-made stickers and decals. These are all considered herecy by a “purist”.

D

• Dark Ages: the period in a LEGO-fan’s life when he/she sets aside LEGO in favor other, non-LEGO pursuits.
• Diorama or Dio: a very large LEGO scene, larger than a Bignette or Vignette.
• Draft: an activity common at LEGO club meetings, in which LEGO-fans each bring a copy of a LEGO set, sort out all of the LEGO elements, and take turns picking the parts they want. An easy way to get the parts you want in larger quantities without buying multiple copies of the set yourself.
• DSS: “Dreaded-Sticker-Sheet” (See also STAMP.)

F

• FAFOL: “Female-Adult-Fan-of-LEGO”. (See also AFFOL and SHEFOL.)
• FBTB: “From Bricks To Bothans”. A LEGO Star Wars fan site and online community.
• FFOL: “Female-Fan-Of-LEGO”. An other acronym for female fans. (See also AFFOL, FAFOL and SHEFOL.)

G

• Greebles: pseudo-technical detail added to a LEGO creation to enhance its appearance, frequently seen in LEGO space and mecha creations.

H

• Half-Stud Offset: a building technique that allows building without regard to the standard alignment of studs on a plate, usually achieved with a jumper plate.

I

• Illegal: LEGO building techniques that break the “rules” for connections between LEGO elements used by official LEGO set designers – particularly connections that stress the LEGO elements.
• Inventory: the list of LEGO elements included in an official LEGO set.

J

• Jumper Plate: a 1×2-stud LEGO plate with only 1 stud in the center. Useful for half-stud offset building.

K

• KFOL: “Kid-Fan-of-LEGO”. The LEGO Group’s primary target demographic – boys aged 5-12.

L

• Legal: LEGO building techniques that follow building guidelines for official LEGO set designers.
• Legos: Don’t you say that! The official plural form for more than one LEGO element is “LEGO® brand building bricks”. That’s ridiculous, though, so most LEGO-fans refer to one or more bricks as “LEGO”, following the grammatical convention of “fish” and “sheep.” 
• LUG: “LEGO-Users-Group”. Local or regional LEGO clubs that meet and interact primarily in an offline or “real world” context, although many of them now have online presence as well.
• LURP: “Little-Ugly-Rock-Piece”.

M/N

• MF: Minifig
• Microfig: small figures (half the size of regular minifigs) from the LEGO Games series
• Midi Scale: refers to sets that are between miniature and minifig scale. They do not include minifigures, but are much more detailed than mini sets. So far only Star Wars sets have midi versions.
• Minifig Scale: a LEGO creation built for the scale of standard LEGO minifigures.
• MOC: “My-Own-Creation”. A LEGO creation designed and built by a LEGO-fan without instructions. Pronounced as “mock.”
• MSRP: “Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price”. The official price for a LEGO set as established by the LEGO Group for a particular market. Individual retailers may set their own prices higher or lower than MSRP, and MSRP may vary from country to country.
• NLP: “Non-LEGO-Person” or “Non-LEGO-Parent”. Referring to those unfortunate “outsiders” who don’t play with LEGO. 

P

• PAB: “Pick-A-Brick”. Buy individual bricks in the quantities you want form LEGO’s online store or brick-and-mortal stores.
• PAB Wall: Pick-A-Brick wall at LEGO stores.
• Purist: A LEGO-fan who only uses official LEGO elements. Or a LEGO creation that only contains official LEGO elements with no modifications or custom parts. Contrast with Custom.

S

• S@H or SAH: Official Online Lego Stores
  
• SHEFOL: “She-(Female)-Fan-of-LEGO”. (See also AFFOL and FAFOL.)
• Sigfig: the minifig version of a LEGO-fan that he/she uses in online communities as an avatar, or “signature minifig.”
• SNOT: “Studs-Not-On-Top”. A building technique that places LEGO elements on their sides or even upside down to achieve the shape or structure the builder wants in their creation.
• STAMP: “Stickers-Across-Multiple-Pieces”.  (See also DSS.)

T

• TFOL: “Teen-Fan-of-LEGO”
• TLC: “The LEGO Company”
• TLG: “The LEGO Group”. The privately held parent company for all LEGO-related brands and companies worldwide
• TRU: “Toys‘R’Us”. TRU is a great source for LEGO products. They frequently have LEGO sets earlier than any other retailer (including LEGO’s own stores), and their selection is one of the largest. However their prices are often inflated.

U

• UCS: Ultimate Collector’s Series. A series of large LEGO Star Wars sets designed for older teens and adults. They are larger than minifig scale.

V/W

• Vignette or Vig:  a small scene recreated on a small plate.
• WIP: “Work-In-Progress”

Y

• YFOL: “Young-Fan-of LEGO”. See also KFOL.