Glossary of player terms

“

Hohoho, hohoho! You got owned! Click to listen — The Scout using proper lingo

”

A number of unofficial terms find regular usage in the game. This glossary of player terms lists some of the more common ones players may see:

General terminology

A

Airshot

A projectile that hits an opponent who is in midair, usually following a juggle.

AFK

An acronym for "away from keyboard", used to describe idling.

Airblast

Slang for compression blast.

Amby

Slang for the Ambassador.

Aussie

Abbreviation of Australium weapons.

Autobalance

Refers to being automatically being switched from one team to another to even the number of players on both sides. Can be used as a term to vent frustration when a balanced player is switched to the losing team by chance.

Axtinguish

A colloquialism that describes the critical hit that occurs when a burning enemy is killed by the Axtinguisher.

B

Backcapping

Capturing a control point behind the enemy team, often while that team is attempting to capture a point whose possession changes more slowly. For example, sneaking in to take the final capture point, which on many maps changes possession very quickly, while the opposing team is attempting to retake their second point.

Battle Engie

An Engineer that engages in combat on the frontlines, placing Sentry Guns in unexpected locations and using his primary weapon in an offensive manner. Such an Engineer will likely equip the Gunslinger for its ability to quickly deploy Combat Mini-Sentry Guns.

Battle Med

A Medic that focuses on killing opponents rather than healing teammates. Battle Medics that do not supplement fighting with healing or are otherwise unhelpful to the team effort are often looked down upon by teammates, as Medics are expected to fulfill their role as a support class.

Beam

May refer to:

1. The healing beam emitted from the Medic's Medi Gun.
2. The UFO's beam on Watergate. The Announcer states, "We are in the beam" when a friendly teammate enters the UFO's tracker beam to complete the map objective. The phrase is synonymous with this map and used as a exclamation of excitement within the community.

Bind

Refers to when a player binds a line of text chat to a button in order to spam and flood the chat.

Bird

May refer to:

1. Any cosmetic that adds a bird to the player model, such as the Bird-Man of Aberdeen, Red Army Robin, Archimedes, Compatriot or Ein.
2. A class wearing one of the several Halloween-restricted bird heads, such as the Mann-Bird of Aberdeen, Chicken Kiev, Medimedes or Freedom Feathers.

Bodyshot

An attack where a Sniper kills a player by shooting him in the body with a Sniper Rifle. A player may deliberately go for a body shot because it is more reliable than attempting a headshot.

Bodyshotter

May refer to:

1. A Sniper that repeatedly shoots at the body rather than the head.
2. Slang for the Sydney Sleeper, since the weapon cannot deal headshots normally.
3. Slang for the Machina, which tends to be aimed at the body to take advantage of its piercing rounds.

Bodysnatched

Refers to being killed with Your Eternal Reward. Players may announce their death in either text or voice chat. The term is a reference to the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Bomb

May refer to:

1. A synonym for the cart in Payload maps.
2. The bomb carried by the robots in Mann vs Machine.
3. The act of rocket jumping or sticky jumping over a group of players while bombarding them with as many explosives as possible.

Bonk

May refer to:

1. Short for the Bonk! Atomic Punch.
2. A term used when stunned by the Sandman.

Bonus Ducks

An infamous voiceline spoken by Merasmus whenever the player picks up a rare "Bonus Duck" pickup during the End of the Line Update. It is used as an exclamation for shock or excitement, especially during any Merasmus-related events such as the Carnival of Carnage.

Box Spy / Solid Spy / Box Crab

A Spy who uses the Box Trot to move around the battlefield or blend in among environmental objects. It is possible for an undetected Box Spy to block the capture of certain objectives. The taunt is a reference to Solid Snake.

Buff

May refer to:

1. A charged Buff Banner, Battalion's Backup, or Concheror deployed for use by a Soldier.
2. The state of a player being overhealed by a friendly Medic.
3. Slang for a weapon or item's game mechanics being improved or made stronger.

See also: Buff

Butterknife

Term for when a Spy gets a non-backstab kill with the Knife.

Bushwhack

Term for killing a Jarate-covered opponent with the Bushwacka.

C

Caber

Shorthand for the Ullapool Caber.

Camping

The act of staying in one location that enemies are more likely to pass through to obtain kills easily. This term does not apply to certain situations, such as an Engineer protecting his buildings.

Cannon

Shorthand for the Loose Cannon.

Cannon Jumping

The act of using a delayed cannonball shot from the Loose Cannon to perform an explosive jump that covers long distances.

Cap

Refers to the completion of an objective such as a control point capture or returning the enemy's Intelligence to one's base.

Carrying

When a player or group of players contribute a significantly higher portion towards winning the game objective than their teammates.

Chaincap

Capturing the next point immediately after the previous point has been captured.

Chainsap

May refer to:

1. The placement of Sappers on several buildings at a time.
2. The rapid replacement of Sappers on a single building, preventing the Engineer from repairing it.

Chainstab

Killing numerous enemies in quick succession via the backstab capability of any of the Spy's melee weapons.

Chievements / Chieves / Cheevos

Slang terms for achievements.

Chokepoint

An area that is relatively narrow, forcing players to group up to pass through. This makes it easier to defend by using weapons that damage a wide area.

Circle strafe

The act of moving around an opponent while keeping your crosshair locked on and attacking.

Civilian

May refer to:

1. The act of abusing certain glitches to make the player go into the reference pose.
2. The Civilian class from Team Fortress Classic that remains unused in Team Fortress 2.

Clutch

May refer to:

1. A crucial moment related to winning or losing a match.
2. The ability to perform under pressure.

Not to be confused with Crutch.

Collateral

Using the Machina to kill two or more enemies with a single fully-charged shot.

Collector

May refer to:

1. A player who collects a large number of one type of item.
2. An item of the Collector's quality.

Combat Class

A class whose health and firepower is greater in proportion to its mobility, often found at the front lines. Classes include the Soldier, Demoman, and Heavy.

Combo

May refer to:

1. A general term for a Medic and his Medic buddy. Can be used in specific context; i.e. a "Heavy Combo" is used to indicate a Medic healing a Heavy.
2. A series of attacks that take advantage of the fast weapon switch capability of either the Degreaser or Reserve Shooter. A Pyro may use the Degreaser to ignite an enemy, then quickly switch to the Flare Gun to finish him with a Critical Hit.

Comp

Shorthand for Competitive play.

CP

Acronym for control point.

Cratering

Dying from fall damage by either falling a great distance or being accelerated into the ground by an explosive.

Crit

Abbreviation of critical hit.

Crocket

A portmanteau of Crit and Rocket.

Crutch

A derogatory term for a weapon that compensates for a player's lack of skill.

Not to be confused with Clutch.

Custom Map

A map that has been made by a member of the TF2 community, yet has not been inducted into the game officially.

D

Deathmatch/DM

May refer to:

1. An unofficial term for Arena Mode.
2. A player that focuses more on obtaining kills rather than the objective.
3. A map that has a difficult-to-capture objective and hence encourages killing without working towards the objective. An example would be Hightower.

Demo

May refer to:

1. A demo recording.
2. The Demoman.

Democrab

A Demoman that imitates the movement of a crab by crouch-walking with the Conscientious Objector or other Saxxy reskins. The term derives from the community fad Spycrab, which also requires the user to crouch walk while holding a specific weapon.

Demoknight

May refer to:

1. A Demoman typically wielding the Chargin' Targe, Tide Turner or Splendid Screen that actively uses their melee weapon. Variations of the term usually refer to their other equipped weapons. Demoknights wielding the Bottle may be referred to as "Bottleknights", whereas Demoknights wielding the Sticky Jumper may be referred to as "Jumperknights" or "Rocketknights".
2. In Mann vs. Machine, a robot Demoman variant that uses the Chargin' Targe and Eyelander.

Demonstration Man

Slang for the Demoman, used in a silly fashion. Derives from the word "demonstration", which becomes "demo" when shortened.

Demopan

A Demoman carrying the Frying Pan, Bounty Hat, Chargin' Targe, and Dangeresque, Too?, referring to a popular community fad.

Demospam

Derogatory term used to describe a Demoman who spams his Grenade Launcher or Stickybomb Launcher without aiming.

DH

Acronym for the Direct Hit.

DR

Acronym for the Dead Ringer. In some contexts, it could be used as a signal that an enemy Spy equipped with the Dead Ringer is nearby.

Dr. Enforcicle

A label for a Spy who uses the Dead Ringer, Enforcer, and the Spy-cicle together. The term is a portmanteau of the latter two weapons, with the Dead Ringer's common abbreviation "DR" used at the beginning.

Drop

May refer to:

1. Any item given to a player by the item drop system.
2. The failure of a Medic to deploy an ÜberCharge before dying, despite being fully charged.

E

Edging

Fighting an immobile target by strafing out of cover, firing, then strafing back into cover, generally at a corner. This tactic is especially effective against Sentry Guns, as the Sentry Gun's slow turn rate makes it easy to shoot at before it can return fire.

Engie / Engi

Abbreviation for the Engineer.

Engineer Nest

Slang term used to describe a location where one or more Engineers have set up multiple Buildings.

EOTL

Abbreviation of the End of the Line Update.

F

F2P

May refer to:

1. A term used to describe new players who do not possess a Premium account.
2. Abbreviation for the Free to Play update.
3. Anything that can be easily acquired by F2P users, E.G. the Ghostly Gibus.

Facestab

A Spy's knife attack that registers as a backstab despite appearing to hit their opponent's front due to lag compensation.

See also: Backstab Issues

FAN/FaN

Acronym for the Force-A-Nature.

Farming

The act of obtaining something more rapidly over time than was originally intended. May refer to:

1. Obtaining achievements through achievement servers or in ways outside of regular gameplay.
2. Using idling or other methods to obtain hats or weapons via the item drop system.
3. Rapidly ranking up a Strange weapon in specific servers or maps that are designed to do so.

Fat Scout

Refers to a Heavy who primarily uses either the Shotgun, Family Business, or Panic Attack rather than his primary weapon. He may also frequently equip the Gloves of Running Urgently or Eviction Notice.

Flag

Synonym for the Intelligence in Capture the Flag maps.

Field of View / FOV

A term to describe how much a player can see onscreen at a time.

FoW

Acronym for the Fan O'War.

Frag

Synonym for "kill", most often used when the player has been gibbed.

Frag Video

Refers to a video that records a player's kills or gameplay.

Friendly

Refers to the act of not fighting at all. Friendly players may do so out of boredom, frustration due to being on the losing team, or to propose a stalemate. To counteract how overly-friendly behavior stops legitimate games, some servers have a plugin called "Friendly Mode", which turns users into ghosts that cannot harm or be harmed. The most common examples of friendly behavior are:

1. Crouching near an enemy or crouch-walking.
2. Using voice commands in a humorous way {eg. using the "No" voice command to respond to "The Sniper is a Spy!").
3. Giving Sandviches to enemies as a Heavy.
4. Starting a spreadable taunt such as the Conga.

G

GG

Good game, sometimes from a moral or sportsmanship standpoint rather than winning/losing.

GJ

Good job, used often at the end of a game in a manner similar to GG.

GR

Good round. Used when the match is composed of more than one round (like Stopwatch matches on A\D and Payload maps, or "First to X" matches)

Gibus

A shortened version of either the Ghostly Gibus, Ghastly Gibus, Ghastlier Gibus, or Ghastlierest Gibus, often associated with players without a premium account.

Gibusvision

A slang term for wearing a combination of easily obtainable cosmetics (Ghostly Gibus, Pyrovision Goggles, among a few others) whilst playing.

Googly Eyes

Slang for the Sight for Sore Eyes.

Gottam

A slang term deriving from the Engineer voice line, "Gotta move that gear up!"

GRU

Acronym for the Gloves of Running Urgently.

Goomba Stomp

May refer to:

1. A server mod that allows players to kill enemies by jumping on their heads without use of the Mantreads.
2. Killing another player by jumping on their head with the Mantreads.

Griefing

Deliberately causing annoyance to players on the server, whether your team or the enemy team.

Gunshot Bride

A highly exaggerated term for a well-aimed airshot. Originates from a video named 300% skilled airshot, where a Soldier lands a slow-motion airshot on a Demoman while Pendulum-Propane Nightmares plays in the background.

Gunspy

A label for a Spy who uses his primary weapon more than his melee weapon.

G. [name of item]

Genuine items.

H

Hale

May refer to:

1. Saxton Hale
2. The boss in VS Saxton Hale Mode, where the boss can be Christian Brutal Sniper, Horseless Headless Horsemann, Vagineer, or Saxton Hale.

Halo-caust

A slang term used to reference the September 2, 2009 Patch where Valve penalized players who had been using external programs to idle. As a result, some servers (primarily those run by people that didn't get Cheater's Laments) began opting "anti-halo" policies, even going so far as to use mods that changed the Cheater's Lament to form various insults targeting the wearer. The term is derived from the nickname for the Cheater's Lament that non-offending players received, placed in combination with a reference to the Holocaust.

HHH

An abbreviation for the Horseless Headless Horsemann.

HHH Axe / HHHH

An abbreviation for the Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker May sometimes be said as UHHHH, noting the Unusual quality of the item.

Hoovy

Slang term for Heavy, often used in a silly fashion.

Huddah

A simplified translation of one of the Pyro's mumbles.

I

Idler

May refer to:

1. Someone who is present on the server but is deliberately not playing the game for a long period of time to earn items via the item drop system.
2. Someone who uses external idling programs or uses idling servers for the same purpose.

See also: Idling.

Instakill

A kill which is inflicted in a single hit, such as out-of-bounds fall damage, being hit by a Train, or being caught in the Payload explosion.

Intel

Abbreviation for the Intelligence in Capture the Flag maps.

J

Jar

Slang for Jarate.

Juggling

Refers to the use of weapons to suspend enemies in the air.

Jumper

Refers to either the Rocket Jumper, Sticky Jumper, or B.A.S.E Jumper.

K

Katana

Alternative term for the Half-Zatoichi.

K/D and K/A/D

Acronym for "Kill-Death Ratio" and "Kill Assist Death Ratio". May be expressed as a ratio (27:7) or a decimal number (1.75 KDR). Medics will often present their KDR as a ratio of assists to deaths, as kills are not usually accumulated in conventional Medic play.

KGB

Acronym for the Killing Gloves of Boxing.

Kick

May refer to:

1. The act of votekicking a player in the hopes of kicking them out of a server, or if an administrator is present on a community server, immediately kicking.
2. A shorthand version of the Kazotsky Kick.

Knockback

The movement of a player, caused by an outside source. Often associated with weapons such as the Force-A-Nature.

See Knock back.

Kritz

Slang for the ÜberCharge of the Kritzkrieg, or being subjected to one.

L

Lag

The effect experienced by players who display erratic movement due to a poor framerate or server connection.

See Lag compensation.

Last

Shorthand of "Last Control Point". Used on both Payload and Control Point maps.

Lft

Abbreviation of "Looking for team". Often added behind a player's name (e.g RobinWalker lft) to advertise that they are interested in joining a competitive team.

Lucksman

A term used for the Huntsman, typically when referring to kills obtained due to its arrows having abnormally large hitboxes.

M

Mann Up

Short for Mann Up Mode in Mann vs. Machine.

Marked

Used to signal teammates that an enemy has been hit by the Fan O'War.

Market Garden

Refers to the act of using the Market Gardener for its intended purpose. The term is significantly popular due to the difficulty of actually landing a melee attack while rocket jumping. The term sometimes refers to doing a similar airborne melee attack as another class.

Meat

Refers to either the Buffalo Steak Sandvich or the Ham Shank.

Meatshot

When all of the pellets fired from spread weapons such as the Shotgun or Scattergun hit the target, thereby doing massive damage. The term was made famous by Daniel "carnagejohnson" Sturdivant.

Meem

Slang for "MEDIC", often used in a silly fashion.

Mic/Mike

A microphone, used for communication over voice chat.

Micspam

Originally described as the act of repeatedly playing sounds, music, or generally abusing the game's voice chat feature. It has since grown to include all manner of sound playing. Third party software is often used to accomplish this, including HLDJ, Virtual Audio Cable, and Manycam. Micspam can be considered either entertaining or griefing, depending on the server.

Positive aspects of micspam may include:

1. Playing music for the server.
2. Playing comedic soundbites from TV shows, movies, standup acts, and more.
3. Playing appropriate sound files on specific occasions for humorous effect.

Negative uses of micspam may include:

1. Repeatedly playing the same audio file to intentionally cause annoyance.
2. Playing sounds that are high in bass/volume and can potentially damage other people's speakers.
3. Creating noise by singing, blowing into the microphone, or simply talking incessantly in order to disrupt others.
4. Using voice modification software to manipulate one's voice to sound either extremely high pitched or robotic in order to disrupt others.

Mid

Shorthand for the middle control point. Used most commonly on 5 point Control Point maps.

Mmph

May refer to:

1. A simplified translation of one of the Pyro's muffles.
2. The MMPH meter, a meter on the Phlogistinator that fills based on fire damage.

MvM

Short for Mann vs. Machine.

N

Nerf

A term used to describe a weapon or item that has been downgraded or had its capabilities reduced. Typically weapons are "nerfed" for gameplay balance reasons, i.e. the item is significantly overpowered or provides too great an advantage over other players.

Ninja

May refer to:

1. A Spy wielding the Conniver's Kunai.
2. Colloquial of stealing something; generally a capture point or a typed response.

See also: Back-capping

Ninjaneer

May refer to:

1. An Engineer who tries to get behind enemy lines, then secretly builds a nest of buildings to teleport teammates in and lock the enemy team inside their base.
2. An Engineer who uses the Eureka Effect to escape from the front lines when in trouble. He may try to return to the enemy base via a hidden Teleporter Exit shortly afterwards.

Noscope

Killing an enemy as a Sniper with the primary weapon (excluding bows) without zooming in. Commonly associated with the Classic.

Noob

General gaming slang for an inexperienced or new player. "Noob" and its homophones are generally considered to be more offensive, denoting someone with a lack of skill attributable to a deeper level than simple inexperience.

O

OMGWTFBBQ

A Pyro Achievement, where the Pyro must kill an enemy with the Hadouken taunt.

OP

General acronym for Overpowered, used both seriously and jokingly to describe a powerful weapon.

P

P2P

Short for "Pay to Play", used to describe a user with a Premium account. Used jokingly to suggest that Premium accounts may have an advantage over others.

Peaceful

See Friendly.

Point

Slang for Control Point.

Phlog

Slang for Phlogistinator.

Pimp Hat

Slang term for the Hustler's Hallmark cosmetic for the Demoman.

Pipebomb / Pipes / Pills

Alternate name for the projectiles fired by the Grenade Launcher.

Piss

Slang for Jarate.

Pissrifle / Pissgun

Slang for the Sydney Sleeper.

Pocket

May refer to:

1. A player who is the primary healing target of a Medic.
2. A Medic who primarily heals one particular ally.

Pootis

A slang term deviated from the Heavy quote: "Put Dispenser here".

PoV demo

A recorded demo that has been recorded from the player's point of view.

Pro

May refer to:

1. A term used when a skilled move has been executed.
2. An accomplished player, often one who specializes in competitive play.

Pub

May refer to:

1. A player who plays TF2 in the default manner.
2. A default server usually run by Valve.

Pub stomp

A practice in which one or more experienced players join a public server with the intention of winning in a spectacular fashion.

Puff

Slang for compression blast.

Puff'n'Sting

A technique whereby a Pyro lights an enemy on fire with the Degreaser, uses the compression blast to knock them into the air, and then takes advantage of the Degreaser's switch time to kill the opponent with his melee weapon. Switching to his secondary weapon to finish off opponent is instead known as a "Puff'n'Shoot".

PUG

Acronym for "Pick Up Game" (also known as a lobby) in which players will organize to play a match following the competitive format of Highlander, 6v6, or 4v4 games.

Push

May refer to:

1. The act of advancing the cart.
2. An organized attack in which several players simultaneously move into enemy territory and attack in an attempt to overpower an enemy's defenses and complete an objective, such as capturing a control point or advancing the cart. Often accompanied by an ÜberCharge.
3. The CTF map Push from Team Fortress Classic.

Pybro

A Pyro who helps friendly Engineers by checking for Spies, airblasting projectiles away from buildings, and removing Sappers with the Homewrecker or the Neon Annihilator.

Pyrocar

Synonym of W+M1. The term was created after a player decided to play Pyro with a steering wheel peripheral, literally becoming a "Pyro car" [1].

Pyrosharking

A term used for Pyros who use the Neon Annihilator to attack enemies whilst underwater.

Q

QQ

General gaming slang originating from Warcraft 2 where 'alt'+'Q'+'Q' would quit the client, but is nowadays interpreted as an emoticon with a pair of crying eyes. Often used in a deriding manner, e.g. "QQ more".

Quickscope

Zooming in and instantaneously headshotting with any of the Sniper's primary weapons that are capable of doing so.

R

Rage

May refer to:

1. The "Rage" meter a Soldier builds up when using the Buff Banner, Battalion's Backup, or Concheror unlock.
2. The Knockback Rage ability the Heavy may buy as an upgrade in Mann vs. Machine.

Rage Heavy

A term used for a player who uses the Heavy as a last ditch effort after a losing streak or bout of frustration, hoping to use his large firepower to gain kills easily.

Can also be used with other classes; i.e. a player might "Rage Pyro" after suffering a streak of backstab deaths.

Random Crits

Commonly used description to describe when a player receives critical hits that are not due to a weapon's bonus attributes. Can be used as an acknowledgement when a fight may be prematurely over between two players attempting to fight fairly.

Reflect

A term used when the compression blast is used to send enemy projectiles back towards the enemy team.

Revving

May refer to:

1. Spinning up the Heavy's Minigun using the alternate-fire button.
2. The delay experienced when the Minigun spins up prior to shooting using the primary fire button.

RNG

Abbreviation for "Random Number Generation." Used to describe situations that are heavily dependent on luck such as random critical hits or Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Roll The Dice

An unofficial server plugin that allows players to "roll the dice" using a command. Upon rolling the dice, players are granted some form of benefit or handicap, such as unlimited crits or being frozen in place for a short period of time.

Rock The Vote

An unofficial server plugin that allows players to change the map if a certain percentage use the command.

Rush

The practice of attempting to complete an objective quickly with all the players of one team playing as the same class. A "Scout Rush" would make use of entirely Scouts.

1. See Rush.

Revengineer

An Engineer who uses the Frontier Justice to fight after his Sentry Gun has been destroyed.

S

Salt

A term used to describe frustration or overreaction.

Sap'n'Stab

Slang for a technique wherein a Spy lures an Engineer to a building by sapping it, then killing him as returns to repair it, often with a backstab.

Scoot

Slang term for Scout, often used in a silly fashion.

Scramble

Refers to a random rearranging of teams in order to prevent team stacking.

Scrub

A generalized term for someone who is inexperienced at the game. May be spelled as "Skrub" to use as a casual insult.

SF

Festive weapons of Strange quality (e.g. "SF Scattergun").

Sidestab

An alternate name for a spinstab.

Snoipah

Slang for the Sniper, often used in a silly fashion.

Solly

Slang for the Soldier.

Spam / Spamming

May refer to:

1. The act of deliberately concentrating firepower within particular area in an attempt to get kills or deter enemy players from entering an area.
2. Wanton firing of weapons such as the Grenade Launcher with little or no deliberate aim.
3. An unwanted abundance of something such as chat messages, a specific class, or a certain tactic.

See Spamming.

Spawn

The area in which the player initially spawns and any area where they respawn.

Spawncamping

A situation in which one team manages to secure the area around the other team's spawn point. This results in the latter team being killed upon leaving spawn without coordination or significant firepower.

See Camping.

Spec

Abbreviation for spectate.

Specs

Refers to a weapon's attributes.

Spah / Shpee

Slang term for a Spy, often used in a silly fashion.

Spycap

A strategy where a Spy will lurk near a locked control point with the intention of capturing it as soon as it is unlocked, before the enemy team has time to retreat from defending the previous point. This is usually performed at the final point of a map due to the accelerated control point timing.

See Chaincap.

Spycheck / Spy checking

The act of checking if "teammates" are disguised enemy Spies or checking an area for Cloaked enemy Spies. Because there is no friendly fire, Spy checking can be performed by firing upon a teammate or area with any weapon. The Pyro's Flamethrower excels at doing so.

See Spy checking.

Spycrab / Spycrabbing

May refer to:

1. A Spy that imitates the movement of a crab by crouching and looking up while having the Disguise Kit equipped. It has then became a popular fad. The Spy has a corresponding taunt which rarely occurs when taunting with the Disguise Kit, a reference to the original movement.
2. A form of gambling in which participants are Spies and continuously taunt with the Disguise Kit. If the player performs the "Spycrab" taunt, they lose, continuing until there is only one person left.

Spygineer

May refer to:

1. Portmanteau for a Spy disguised as a Engineer.
2. A short-lived bug in which the Spy was able to build Dispensers.
3. See Ninjaneer.

Spyper

Portmanteau for a Spy disguised as a Sniper.

Spyro

May refer to:

1. Portmanteau for a Spy disguised as a Pyro.
2. A Pyro who uses the Backburner.

Squeaker

Refers to a younger player who uses their microphone often, usually annoying others with a higher-pitched voice.

SR / ScoRes

Acronym for the Demoman's Scottish Resistance.

Stab'n'Sap

Slang for a technique whereby a Spy backstabs an Engineer from behind, then immediately switches to the Sapper and saps the Engineer's Sentry Gun before it kills him.

Stacking

Refers to one team being composed of players who work together or are more skilled than the other. The most common case is on a public server, having one team of skilled players against one that is less experienced or poorly organized.

Stairstab

The act of jumping over another player's head from an elevated height as a Spy and backstabbing them before they can respond. One method for doing so is for the Spy to bait the victim into following him up a flight of stairs.

Stickies / Sticks

Slang for Stickybombs.

Sticky Spam

The act of continuously firing Stickybombs into enemy lines and immediately detonating them, as opposed to setting up carpets or traps.

S. [name of item]

Strange items.

T

Targe

May refer to:

1. Short for the Chargin' Targe.
2. The charge ability offered by the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner.

TC

An acronym for the Team Captain cosmetic.

Tele

Shorthand for the Teleporter.

Telefrag

Portmanteau of teleport and frag – killing an opponent by teleporting into them when they are standing on a teleporter exit. The term comes from id Software's seminal first-person shooter Doom.

See Telefrag.

Tour

May refer to:

1. Tour of Duty missions, played on a Mann Up server in the Mann vs. Machine gamemode.
2. The number of tours a player has played in Mann vs. Machine, which can be used to estimate their level of experience.

Trickstab

A term referring to when a Spy takes advantage of the terrain to outmaneuver and backstab an enemy who has discovered his true identity. There can be many variations of the term based on the context, including:

1. Stairstab - Jumping down a flight of stairs to land behind and backstab a chasing enemy.
2. Cornerstab - Waiting around a corner to backstab an enemy who runs by the Spy.
3. Leapstab - Jumping from an elevated position and backstabbing an enemy upon or before landing on the ground.
4. Matador - While in melee combat, backstabbing an enemy who charges past the Spy.

See Backstabbing Techniques.

Trolldier

Portmanteau of "Soldier" and "troll." Commonly refers to a Soldier seeking to fight with primarily the Market Gardener. He may also wield the Rocket Jumper or Mantreads.

Turtling

"Digging in" and employing extremely defensive tactics. May also refer to Engineer setting up a Sentry Gun and Dispenser next to each other, and then remaining in close proximity for a substantial period of time while constantly repairing the buildings.

Typefrag / Typekill

Killing an opponent that is typing in chat.

Tryhard

Derogatory term for a player who puts significant effort towards winning regardless of the in-game situation.

U

Über/Invuln/Charge

Abbreviation for ÜberCharge.

Übered

Someone who is being ÜberCharged.

V

Vanilla

May refer to:

1. A loadout consisting entirely of Stock weapons.
2. A server without any mods installed, hence playing the game "the way it was designed".

Volvo

Slang for Valve, typically used in a silly fashion. Originates from the similar pronunciations of Volvo and Valve.

VRH

Abbreviation of the Virtual Reality Headset.

V. [name of item]

Vintage items.

W

W+M1

Literally, "Forward (Default key W) and MOUSE1" - a derogatory term applied to a suicidally aggressive Pyro, often connotative of a lack of skill. It refers to Pyros who rush mindlessly (W) and fire their primary weapon (M1) without trying to flank or strategize with teammates. It can apply to a Heavy that plays in the same manner, moving forward and continuously firing his Minigun without thinking about teammates.

W+M2

Literally, "Forward (Default key W) and MOUSE2" - derived from "W+M1", the term is similarly used to refer to Pyro players who only use the compression blast ability to reflect projectiles or shove enemies around without actually using the Flamethrower's primary fire attack.

Warp/Warping

An extreme form of Lag compensation in which a player seems to be teleporting from place to place due to extreme latency.

Weapon heckling

Using a class's repositioning abilities, such as the Scout's speed, to continuously force an opponent to use a disadvantageous weapon. For example, a Scout can maintain a safe distance from a Pyro, forcing the Pyro to equip the Shotgun, which is then outdamaged by the Scattergun at close range.

Wep

Abbreviation for weapon, used in trading discussion.

Wrenching / Wrenched

The act of repairing/upgrading a building with the Wrench.

The act of killing a Spy with the Wrench.

Y

YER

Acronym for the Spy's Your Eternal Reward.

Competitive terminology

These are some of the terms which players use in competitive gameplay.

#

4s / 4v4 / 4vs4

Shorthand for a competitive format where there are only 4 players per team. All classes can be used, but there can only be one of each class at a time. Additionally, the Heavy and Medic are banned from being used at the same time. The standard line up tends to consist of a a Scout, a Soldier, a Demoman, and a Medic. This format tends to promote more offclassing.

6s / 6v6 / 6vs6

Shorthand for a standard competitive format where there are six players per team, commonly consisting of two Scouts, a Soldier who stays with the Medic (referred to as a "Pocket"), a second Soldier that focuses on utilizing alternate routes to attack the enemy (referred to as a "Roamer"), one Demoman, and one Medic.

B

Bombing

A term referring to when a Soldier or Demoman explosive jumps above the enemy and shoots at them from above.

C

Comms

Short for communication. This refers to players communicating to each other either by using the in-game text chat or through voice chat, or more commonly an outside voice over IP (VoIP) program such as Mumble or Ventrilo.

D

Destroyed

Similar to Lit, players use this term to describe that an enemy player has taken a bunch of damage and is low on health.

Dry Push

Term that describes when an attacking team rushes the defending team's last point without having an ÜberCharge ready. Usually attempted when the defending team also doesn't have an ÜberCharge and the attackers outnumber the defenders.

E

ETF2L

Acronym for European Team Fortress 2 League. It is the central hub of the European competitive TF2 scene.

See ETF2L.

ESEA

Acronym for E-Sports Entertainment, a paid 6's league in North America. Generally, the highest skill players are in this league.

See ESEA.

F

Force / Force pop

To damage a Medic or his heal target enough to urge a Medic to deploy his Übercharge in self-defense, rather than using it to push. The alternate form incorporates the usage of "pop" to refer to the usage of an Übercharge.

H

Have / Has

Indicates that a team's Medic has a full Übercharge ready to deploy.

Highlander / HL / 9s / 9v9 / 9vs9

A competitive match type wherein the nine-player roster of each team consists of one of every class.

L

Lit

To be low on health. Commonly used to point out enemy players that can be easily finished off, although priority friendly classes such as the Demoman and pocket will use this term when calling for a Medic.

Lobby

A synonym for "pug" ("pick-up-game"), popularized by the website TF2Lobby. Since TF2Lobby is no longer active, lobbies are primarily organized and played on TF2Center.

O

Offclassing

A technique involving deviation from the standard competitive class roster, often to accomplish a specific objective or eliminate a specific enemy player.

M

Maincalling

Coordinating and giving directions to your team. Mostly used in matches before pushing.

P

Pop

A synonym for "Use an Über". The phrase "They popped" means "They used their Über". Can also be used in phrases such as "Pop the Über" or "Pop it!".

PUG

Acronym for "pick up game/group", referring to a private game with team compositions determined by out-of-game communication (as opposed to a clan match or pub).

Pick / Picking / Picked

The act of focusing on and killing an enemy with minimal help.

R

Roamer

Refers to the Soldier that watches flank routes.

Roll / Rolling / Rolled

Figurative language describing a very fast completion of the game's objective after it begins, often in relation to a "crushing defeat".

Rollout

The specific path that a player takes on the way to the middle capture point. It is designed to get the player to that point as quickly as possible or to reach an advantageous position.

S

Scrim

Short for "scrimmage", referring to a practice match between two teams.

Sticks

Stickybombs.

U

UGC

Acronym for United Gaming Clans. It is a league that hosts competitive TF2 tournaments.

Trading terminology

These are some of the terms which players use when Trading.

B

B/O

Abbreviation of Buyout. Refers to the price a seller is aiming to sell their item for.

Bills

Shorthand name for the Bill's Hat.

Bot

Automated player accounts that complete trades by an order-type basis. Examples include bots from scrap.tf, which trade players for weapons and other items.

BP

Abbreviation for Backpack. Some servers have a !bp command that allow users to view inventories of others in-game.

Buds

Shorthand name for Earbuds, a previously strong currency in the trading community.

C

C/O

Abbreviation of Current Offers. Refers to a list of the current highest or "best" offers according to the seller.

Clean

Slang for items that are worth standard market price or higher due to certain factors that make them more appealing, such as

1. An item that is craftable.
2. An item with no previous owners or history of scammers.

D

Dirty

Slang for items that are worth lower than market price for certain reasons, such as

1. An uncraftable item that can usually be obtainable through crafting. Such items may have been crafted from uncraftable materials (eg. an uncraftable Refined Metal), or bought from the Mann Co. Store before the November 29, 2012 Patch.
2. Expensive items such as Unusuals that have been in the account of a scammer or duplicated by Steam Support. Users can check the histories of an item through certain trade websites, and the above mentioned will be considered a lower value.

Dupe

Shorthand for Duplicate. Duped hats or items were lost through scamming or glitches, but returned by Steam Support. They will have the same original ID as the original item, and will often be considered lower valued by traders.

E

Effect

Used to describe an Unusual hat's particle effect.

Escrow

Trade holds that prevent traders from obtaining their items on Steam until a few days later. Used in the trading community to describe whether they have activated Steam Mobile Authenticator, as trades can be held up to two weeks if either party is deactivated. Generally used in a distasteful tone by the community due to the complications that may arise.

G

Gen

Abbreviation of Generation. Used to describe Unusual effects found from standard Mann Co. Supply Crates in order of their release: first generation effects can be unboxed from Crates #1 to #25, second generation from Crates #26 to #57, and so on. Generally, early generation effects are often the most expensive and sought after, while later generations are worth less.

H

Halloween

Used to describe Halloween-only Unusual effects.

Highball

To propose a relatively higher-valued offer when trading items.

History

A term describing an item's previous owners. Can be inspected through backpack websites, and can determine whether scammers were formerly in possession of the item.

HOUWAR

Abbreviation for the Hat of Undeniable Wealth And Respect.

I

ID (Item ID)

A specific number generated for every item in TF2, used to keep track of items in the game. Changes every time an item leaves an inventory or is modified (through name/description tags, paint, killstreaks, etc).

ID (Original ID)

An ID given to an item when it is first created (eg. crafted, bought). Does not change unlike Item ID, which can be used to track the item's history such as whether it is duped.

K

Key

Shorthand for a standard Mann Co. Supply Crate Key, a currency in trading.

KS / Spec KS / Pro KS

Shorthand for the Killstreak quality of a special weapon, from the order of Killstreak, Specialized Killstreak, and Professional Killstreak.

L

Lowball

To propose a relatively lower-valued offer when trading items. The term "Lowballer" is often used to describe players who attempt to trade weapons for expensive items due to lack of knowledge of the trading economy.

M

Max

Abbreviation of Max's Severed Head.

O

Overpay

Paying an excess in addition to the offer made to meet the standards of the seller. Usually occurs when a buyer is offering items instead of purely currency such as keys. (i.e. If a seller is selling an item for 10 keys in pure, he would accept 10 keys in items assuming 10% [another key] is added in overpay to compensate for not paying in keys)

P

Pure

Paying in trade currency, such as Keys or Metal. Most sellers prefer selling their items for pure, as it is easier and less time-consuming to buy other items they want with pure keys or metal, as opposed to having to resell the items gained from a trade for pure. More expensive items such as Australium weapons or Max's Severed Head will suffice as pure for even larger buyouts, as they have a comparably balanced price compared to Unusual hats.

R

Rec

Shorthand for Reclaimed Metal.

Ref

Shorthand for Refined Metal.

Robo-effect

Unusual effects unboxed from a Robocrate.

S

Scammer

A player or bot that trades with others in the hopes of stealing a player's item free of charge or at a lower price than usual.

Scrap

Shorthand for Scrap Metal.

Scrapbanking

Refers to the practice of trading two unwanted, craftable weapons in exchange for one scrap, and vice-versa.

Set

A term to describe selling multiple items in a single, themed set. Each item may be named or have unusual effects that match the motif of the set (eg. a entirely white Scout cosmetic set with a Blizzardy Storm hat, to fit with a Snowboarder motif). Oftentimes, this is used to quickly sell off an entire valuable set instead of one at a time, although in most cases it takes significantly longer to sell due to buyers only wanting a single part of the set.

Signed

An item "autographed" by a player using Gift Wrap. These items are typically signed by an influential figure in the Team Fortress 2 community (eg. popular Youtuber, trader, or competitive player) in order to raise the price of it due to fan demand.

Sparkle

Used to describe rare items with the Community Sparkle effect, such as a "Sparkling Vintage Lugermorph".

Sweets

An item or set of items designed to either increase the value of one's offer or otherwise entice the seller to part with his goods more easily (eg. adding several keys along with an Unusual). May alternatively be known as "Adds".

T

Theme

Used to describe Unusual effects that supposedly "fit" with a hat, in order to increase appeal and improve its selling price. Such examples include a Stormy Storm Hard Counter (an umbrella hat with rain) or a Massed Flies Ol' Snaggletooth (a dead crocodile's head with flies).

Tier

An unofficial classification of rank when considering the pairing of Unusual hats with their effects. Sought-after hats with expensive effects are considered high tier and sell for very high prices, with some considered "God Tier" due to their rarity (eg. Burning Team Captain), while the opposite is true for unpopular hats or effects (eg. Nuts and Bolts Dread Knot).

Trader

Term used to describe a player who trades more often than playing the actual game, or is heavily involved in the trading community. Usually associated with players that wear Unusual hats.

Trade Hold

See Escrow.

External links

• Internet slang on Wiktionary
• urbandictionary.com