Glossary of LEGO Terms
We get it, LEGO enthusiasts have their own language (most of which is based on acronyms) and we can be very hard to talk to. Well there is good news, Charm City LUG has compiled a list of some of the common LEGO terms you will hear at our meetings and LEGO fan events around the country. Check out the definitions below, and join us for an upcoming meeting to demonstrate your LEGO lingo!
*Please note, while the definitions on this page are often recognized within the AFOL community, this resource page is available in jest. Don’t take it anything to seriously, we are just having fun.
AFOL
[ey-fool]
noun, plural ‘AFOLs’
- Adult Fan of LEGO. Refers to a LEGO enthusiast who is over the age of 18.
AFFOL
[uh-fool]
noun, plural ‘AFFOLs’
- a Female Adult Fan of Lego. (See also FAFOL, FFOL, and SHEFOL)
baseplate
[beys-pleyt]
noun, plural ‘baseplates’
- the common foundation for most builds. a thin plastic plate, usually quite large in surface area, that you can build on top of. These are distinct from ‘plates’ in that they have no bottom connections. Some baseplates are very simple, with just studs to connect other pieces to, while others are more complex with outlines of roads, intersections, rivers, lakes, and other geographic features. In addition, there are special baseplates with raised features resembling rocks, hills, and other landscaping.
bignette
[big-net]
noun, plural ‘bignettes’
- a large LEGO creation (larger tan a Vignette, but smaller than a Diorama).
Billund
[Byllundt]
proper noun
- Billund, Demark. Headquarters and primary design center for The LEGO Group.
blay/bley
[bley]
adjective
- Blueish Gray/Grey. Refers to the current official LEGO color for gray/grey, which differs in tone from the prior color recipe for gray/grey.
brick
[brik]
noun, plural ‘bricks’
- the heart-and-soul of LEFO is the basic brick. They come in many sizes and colors. You can attach other parts with studs on both on the top and the bottom of a brick.
brick-built
[brik bilt]
adjective
- a LEGO creation that is composed of basic LEGO elements, instead of more specialized elements. (For example brick built figures, animals, or objects).
brickee
[brik-ee]
noun, plural ‘brickees’
- a trophy awarded for a MOC by AFOL peers at a LEGO fan event or convention, acknowledging superior build techniques, creativity and expression through the LEGO medium. Trophies can be standardized by the event, or be personalized by the event organizers depending on the award category.
BURP
[burp]
noun, plural ‘BURPs’
- Big Ugly Rock Piece. We said what we said.
cheese slope
[cheez slohp]
noun, plural ‘cheese slopes’
- a LEGO part with a 33° slope, 1×1 stude wide and 2 plates high. It is named after the fact that in yellow, the piece looks like a wedge of cheese.
clone brand
[klohn brand]
noun, plural ‘clone brands’
- refers to construction toys similar and often compatible with LEGO, but cheaper in quality and price, designed to compete with The LEGO Group.
CrackLink
[krak lingk]
adjective
- another name for BrickLink, a website that allows individuals to buy and sell LEGO, similarly to Ebay. This is a reference to the addictive nature of this website due to the ability to buy individual LEGO parts and minifigs in whatever quantity you want.
custom
[kuhs-tuhm]
adjective
- describes a LEGO creation or individual element that uses non-LEGO parts or modified parts, or accessories from a third-party vendor.
dark age
[dahrk eyj]
noun, plural ‘dark ages’
- the period in a LEGO fan’s life when they set aside LEGO in favor of other, non-LEGO pursuits.
decorated
[dek–uh-rey-tid]
adjective
- refers to when bricks, plates, tiles or other parts have printed designs on them. They can also be referred to as ‘printed’.
diorama
[dahy-uh–ram–uh]
noun, plural ‘dioramas’
- a very large LEGO scene, larger than a Bignette or Vignette.
draft
[drahft]
noun, plural ‘drafts’
- 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
[dee es es]
noun, plural ‘DSSs’
- Dreaded Sticker Sheet, referencing the general preference amongst most AFOLs for printed parts over stickers.
FAFOL
[fah-fool]
noun, plural ‘FAFOLs’
- a Female Adult Fan of Lego. (See also AFFOL, FFOL, and SHEFOL)
FFOL
[ef-fool]
noun, plural ‘FFOLs’
- a Female Adult Fan of Lego. (See also AFFOL, FAFOL, and SHEFOL)
GBC
[jee bee see]
noun
- Great Ball Contraption. A LEGO machine which receives LEGO soccer balls or basketballs from one module and passes them to another module giving the impression of a Rube Goldberg machine. Details about the GBC build standard can be found here.
greebles
[greeb-uhlz]
noun, plural ‘greebling’
- a pseudo-technical detail added to a LEGO creation to enhance its appearance, but adding various elements of the same color in a section of the build to give the illusion of texture. Frequently seen in LEGO space and mecha creations.
half-stud offset
[hahf stuhd awf-set]
noun
- a building technique that allows building without regard to the standard alignment of studs on a plate, usually achieved with a jumper plate.
illegal
[ih-lee-guhl]
adjective
- LEGO building techniques that break the ‘rules’ for connections between LEGO elements used by official LEGO set designers. Specifically characterized as connections that apply unwanted stress on a LEGO elements, which may result in permanent damage according to the quality control standards of The LEGO Group.
jumper plate
[juhm-per pleyt]
noun, plural ‘jumper plates’
- a 1×2-stud LEGO plate with only 1 stud on the top center. Useful for half-stud offset building.
KFOL
[key-ful]
noun, plural ‘KFOLs’
- Kid Fan of LEGO. The LEGO Group’s primary target demographic, children aged 5-12. See also YFOL.
LEGO
[leg-oh]
proper noun, plural ‘LEGO brand building bricks’ or ‘LEGO’
- a brand name for interlocking plastic building bricks used as construction toys, and related products and services. Be aware, that the plural of LEGO IS NOT LEGOs. The official plural form for more than one LEGO element is ‘LEGO brand building bricks’. Recognizing that that is a bit ridiculous, most LEGO fans refer to one or more bricks as ‘LEGO’, following the grammatical convention of ‘fish’ and ‘sheep’. Please note LEGO should be fully capitalized.
LUG
[luhg]
noun, plural ‘LUGs’
- LEGO User Group. Local or regional LEGO clubs that meet and interact primarily in an offline or ‘real world’ context, although many of them now have an online presence as well.
LURP
[lurp]
noun, plural ‘LURPs’
- Little Ugly Rock Piece
MF or minifig
[min-ee fig]
noun, plural ‘MFs’ or ‘minifigs’
- an official LEGO minifigure, one of the world’s most recognisable toys for kids 6+ and adults. Refers to the LEGO element ‘person.’ A full size minifig (excluding any hat/hair elements) is the exact same height as 4 stacked brick.
microfig
[mahy-kroh fig]
noun, plural ‘microfigs’
- small figures (half the size of regular minifigs) found in many LEGO sets. Originally introduces as part of the LEGO Games series.
midi scale
[mid-ee skeyl]
adjective
- 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 introduced midi versions.
minidoll
[min-ee dol]
noun, plural ‘minidolls’
- an official LEGO figure that differs from the traditional minifigure, and is designed to represent a more feminine form. Introduced as part of the LEGO Friends theme. Minidolls are around 5mm taller than a standard minifigure.
minifig scale
[min-ee fig skeyl]
adjective
- a LEGO creation built for the scale of a standard LEGO minifigure.
MOC
[mok]
noun, plural ‘MOCs’
- My Own Creation. A LEGO creation designed and built by a LEGO fan without instructions.
NLP
[en el pee]
noun, plural ‘NLPs’
- Non LEGO Person. Referring to those unfortunate ‘outsiders’ who don’t play with LEGO.
PAB
[pik ey brik]
noun
- Pick-A-Brick. Buy individual bricks in the quantities you want from LEGO’s online store or brick-and-mortal stores. See online PAB here.
plate
[pleyt]
noun, plural ‘plates’
- thinner than bricks (but not as thin as baseplates). 3 plates stacked on top of each other is equivalent to the height of one brick. They can connect to other parts with studs both on the top and the bottom just like bricks.
purist
[pyoor-ist]
adjective
- A LEGO-fan who only uses official LEGO elements. Also can be used to describe a LEGO creation that only contains official LEGO elements with no modifications or custom parts. Contrast with Custom.
S@H or SAH
[shop at hohm]
noun
- Shop at Home. Refers to purchasing LEGO from their online store here.
sigfig
[sig fig]
noun, plural ‘sigfigs’
- the minifig or minidoll version of a LEGO fan that they use in online communities as an avatar, or a “signature minifig”.
SNOT
[snot]
adjective
- 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.
stud
[stuhd]
noun, plural ‘studs’
- a singular ‘bump’ on the top of a LEGO element. These are one of the common attributes responsible for LEGO ‘sticking’ together when placed on top of one another.
TFOL
[tee-fool]
noun, plural ‘TFOLs’
- Teen Fan of LEGO. Usually refers to LEGO fans between the age of 12-18.
tile
[tahyl]
noun, plural ’tiles’
- thin elements, like plates but without any studs on top. They are excellent for creating a smooth surface. They have connection points on the bottom but not on top.
TLC
[thee leg-oh kuhm-puh-nee]
proper noun
- The LEGO Company.
TLG
[thee leg-oh groop]
proper noun
- The LEGO Group. The privately held parent company for all LEGO-related brands and companies worldwide.
UCS
[yoo see es]
adjective
- Ultimate Collector’s Series. A series of large LEGO Star Wars sets designed for older teens and adults. The are often larger than minifig scale.
vignette or vig
[vin-yet]
noun, plural ‘vignettes’
- a small scene recreated on a small plate.
WIP
[wurk in prog-res]
noun, plural ‘WIPs’
- Work in Progress. Refers to a LEGO build that is not yet complete.
YFOL
[wahy-fool]
noun, plural ‘YFOLs’
- Young Fan of LEGO. See also KFOL.
*Definitions adopted from “Learn to speak LEGO! – ADVANCED TERMS” published by TheBrickBlogger.com