The world of stock and crypto trading has a language all its own. It all started with the explosion of retail trading during the pandemic-fueled market surge of 2020. Platforms like Robinhood made it easier than ever for everyday investors to jump into the market, and communities on Reddit, Stocktwits, and TikTok gave rise to a new kind of market culture. With it came a rapidly growing dictionary of slang—humorous, aggressive, emotional, and often deeply insightful in its own chaotic way.
From the meme-stock mania of 2021 to the AI-fueled rallies of 2025, trader slang has evolved into a fast-moving, emoji-laced dialect that blends humor, sentiment, and sharp market instincts. Whether you're deep in the Reddit trenches, lurking on Stocktwits, or scrolling FinTok, this ultimate glossary will help you speak the language of modern markets.
The A-Z List of Trader Slang
Apes 🦍
Self-nickname for retail traders, often united on meme stocks.
Example: “The apes aren’t selling $GME—apes together strong!”
Apes Together Strong 🦍🤝
Rallying cry of meme-stock traders, based on the movie Planet of the Apes.
Example: “Hold the line, apes together strong!”
Bagholder 🎒📉
Someone stuck in a losing position after hype fades.
Example: “I bought $BB at the top… now I’m just a bagholder.”
BTFD 🔥📉💰
“Buy the F***ing Dip”—buy when prices drop sharply.
Example: “$NVDA down 5%? Time to BTFD.”
Blown Account 💣📉
A trading account that’s been wiped out due to losses.
Example: “Went all-in on zero-day calls… account’s blown.”
Bull Trap 🐂📉
A fake rally that lures in buyers before crashing.
Example: “That pop above resistance was just a bull trap.”
Chop / Choppy 🌊🔁
Sideways price action with no clear trend.
Example: “I’m staying out—market’s too choppy today.”
Clapped 🔫💀
Got hit hard by a bad trade.
Example: “Those earnings FDs clapped me.”
Cooked 🍳💸
A hopeless position or trade.
Example: “$TSLA broke key support—this position’s cooked.”
Crayon Drawing 🖍️📉
Mocking term for sloppy technical analysis.
Example: “Nice crayon drawing bro, but that’s not a real breakout.”
Cult Stock 🔥🧠
A stock with an obsessive retail following.
Example: “$TSLA is no longer a stock—it’s a cult.”
DD (Due Diligence) 📊🧐
Research or analysis shared in trading communities.
Example: “Here’s my DD on why $PLTR is undervalued.”
Diamond Hands 💎🙌
Holding through volatility with conviction.
Example: “Still holding $AMC—diamond hands, baby!”
Echo Pump 📈📢
Late-stage hype rally after the main move.
Example: “This $AI run feels like an echo pump.”
FD (Full Degenerate / Far-Dated) 🎰💣
High-risk options, often weekly and OTM.
Example: “YOLO’d $300 on $SPY FDs. Let’s go!”
Fintok 📱💬
Finance community on TikTok, known for hype and meme trades.
Example: “Saw this play on FinTok—instant 50% gains.”
Fintwit 🧠🐦
Finance Twitter (now X). Fast-moving and often sharp analysis.
Example: “Fintwit is buzzing about $SOUN today.”
FOMO Candle 🕯️😱
Large green candle caused by fear of missing out.
Example: “That breakout wasn’t news—it was a FOMO candle.”
Flippening 🔄⚖️
When one asset overtakes another in market cap.
Example: “ETH is nearing the flippening with BTC again.”
FUD 😱🧠
Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt—often meant to shake weak hands.
Example: “Ignore the FUD—company fundamentals are strong.”
Gamma Squeeze 🌀📈
Options-fueled rally from dealers hedging call exposure.
Example: “$NVDA is caught in a gamma squeeze.”
Ghost Candle 👻🕯️
A breakout that instantly reverses—fake move.
Example: “I chased that ghost candle and got wrecked.”
GPU Trade 🎮📈
Stocks surging due to AI or chip hype.
Example: “Another GPU trade—$AMD popping off the $NVDA news.”
HODL 🙌📈
“Hold On for Dear Life”—hold despite volatility.
Example: “It’s been ugly but I’m still HODLing.”
Hold the Line 🛡️📉
Stand firm—don’t sell during panic.
Example: “Everyone’s red but we hold the line!”
IV Crush 📉💨
Options losing value fast after a big event.
Example: “$NFLX earnings hit—now comes the IV crush.”
Lettuce Hands 🥬🙌
Weaker than paper hands—sells at first drop.
Example: “You sold at -2%? Lettuce hands confirmed.”
Marge Called 📞💥
Forced liquidation due to margin requirements.
Example: “Got marge called this morning. Brutal.”
Meme Momentum 📈📲
Price action driven by social media hype.
Example: “$CORZ running again—pure meme momentum.”
Mooning 🚀🌕
A sharp and sustained price rise.
Example: “$UBER is mooning off that PT upgrade.”
Omega Launch 🚀🌌
Beyond a normal moon shot—parabolic rally.
Example: “$NVDA just went omega launch after earnings.”
Paper Hands 🧻🙌
Sells quickly under pressure.
Example: “I had paper hands—sold before the bounce.”
Pumpanomics 💸🧪
Tokenomics (often in crypto) designed to inflate price.
Example: “That coin’s entire model is just pumpanomics.”
Rekt ☠️💥
Wrecked—heavy losses from a trade.
Example: “Tried scalping CPI reaction—got rekt.”
Rug Pull 💨📉
A sudden drop, especially in sketchy projects.
Example: “Classic rug pull—down 40% in minutes.”
Scalping ✂️📉📈
Quick in-and-out trades for small gains.
Example: “Just scalped $QQQ for 1.5%—easy.”
Sentiment Shift ⚖️📊
Change in collective trader mood.
Example: “There’s been a sentiment shift—everyone’s suddenly bearish.”
Sniper Entry 🎯🕵️♂️
Perfectly timed trade entry.
Example: “Sniper entry on the retest—now riding it up.”
Solana Summer 🌞📈
Seasonal rally in altcoins, especially Solana.
Example: “It’s Solana Summer again—alts waking up.”
Stacking Sats ₿₿₿📈
Accumulating small amounts of Bitcoin.
Example: “Market’s choppy, I’m just stacking sats.”
Stonk 📈🐸
Humorous version of “stock,” used in memes.
Example: “Stonks only go up!”
Swinging 🗓️📈📉
Holding a trade over days/weeks.
Example: “I’m swinging $AAPL through earnings.”
Tendies 🍗💵
Slang for profits.
Example: “Just closed for 100%—tendies secured.”
Theta Decay ⏳💸
Time decay eroding options’ value.
Example: “That option’s dead from theta decay.”
Toilet Bowl 🚽📉
A chart that spirals down like a flush.
Example: “$LULU’s chart is a total toilet bowl today.”
To the Moon 🚀🌕
Expecting a big upside move.
Example: “$BTC is going to the moon!”
Vol Bomb 💣📊
Sudden spike in implied volatility.
Example: “Fed speech dropped a vol bomb on $SPY.”
WAGMI / NGMI 🙌🔥 / 😓📉
“We’re All Gonna Make It” / “Not Gonna Make It”
Example: “Still holding? WAGMI. Sold at the bottom? NGMI.”
Whale 🐋
Investor with a huge position, can move markets.
Example: “A whale just scooped 1M shares of $TSLA.”
Wizard Buy 🧙♂️📈
Legendary, well-timed dip buy.
Example: “That $90 dip was a wizard buy—already up 15%.”
Xperts 🧠😏
Sarcastic term for self-proclaimed experts on X.
Example: “All the Xperts were wrong again.”
YOLO 🎯🔥
You Only Live Once—go all-in on one trade.
Example: “YOLO’d my last $500 on $SPY calls.”
Whether you're new to trading or already fluent in FinTok and Fintwit lingo, mastering this terminology will help you quickly decode the already fast-moving world of modern markets. But while slang and sentiment can offer clues to crowd psychology, it's critical to pair that knowledge with data-backed research, technical indicators, and fundamental analysis. Social media hype can ignite moves, but disciplined strategy and credible sources are what sustain long-term success. Save this list, share it with your trading buddies—and remember: memes may move markets, but smart decisions keep you in the game.