HEAD SHOP DICTIONARY (LINGO & TERMINOLOGY)

In this section you will find many of the common terms used to describe glass pipes and other related subjects. People who have been in the glass pipe industry for a long time tend to use a lot of lingo that the average person does not know. Do you ever find yourself confused when talking to someone running a head shop? "What was that? A diffy? What's that?" Well your problems are solved! Learn head shop and glass pipe lingo now! 

10mm / 14mm / 18mm - Most common glass joint sizes. It represents the diameter of the joint. 

    

Ash Catcher - An attachment that you can add to a bong or water pipe. It helps to keep your pipe cleaner. Many ash catchers have a percolator in them and add extra diffusion as well. 

Bong - A large water pipe. The mouthpiece is usually a tube in which your lips go inside instead of over like a traditional pipe or bubbler. The most popular style of bong is a "beaker bong" which has a beaker shaped base. 

Bowl - The area on a pipe where you put your flowers to smoke. Traditional bowls have a single hole, but some newer bowls have multiple holes or even built in glass screens for more airflow.

  

Borosilicate - The type of glass used to make glass pipes. It is strong and durable, but cannot take extreme temperature changes like Quartz can. 

Bubbler - A pipe that has a percolator and uses water. Bubblers are much smaller than bongs. 

Carb - A hole on the side of a pipe near the bowl. It is used to increase airflow at the end of your pipe hit to clear the smoke. 

  

Carb Cap - A device used for dabbing at low temperatures. It is placed over a dab nail or dome to increase the pressure of the airflow through the nail causing the oil on the nail to spread over the entire surface of the nail. This helps to vaporize oil that would have been wasted otherwise. 

Chillum - A small pipe without a carb. Usually shaped like a small cigar with the bowl at the end directly across from the mouthpiece. Also know as a "onie". 

Dab - A portion of oil to be vaporized in one hit. Learn about the types of dabs HERE (coming soon...)

Dabber - A small stick shaped tool often made of titanium used to place a dab on a hot nail for vaporization. They come with different types of tips (ball point, pointed, flat head) which are suitable for different forms of oil.

    

Dab Nail - Used to vaporize concentrates. It is heated up with a torch and then the dab is placed on the surface. There are many types of dab nails. Some go inside of glass joints and need a dome to be used. While others go over the joint and do not require a dome. You can find dab nails made of glass, quartz, titanium, and ceramic.

      

Dab Rig - A bubbler set-up for dabbing oils. Most often equipped with a male joint, dab nail, and dome. 

Diffusion - When water travels through the percolator or diffy of a pipe causing the water to bubble and froth. This is what cools the smoke creating a smooth hit. 

Diffy - The part of a water pipe or bong that makes the water bubble. Short for diffuser. Often refers to the downstem in a pipe.

  

Domeless Nail - A nail for dabbing that does not require a dome to be used. This is the go to choice for most dabbers these days. They are easier to use and can often help your dab rig function even better!

     

Dome - The glass piece that goes over your dab nail. It traps the vapor so it can flow through the joint of the bubbler. It has a female joint on one side and a hole to dab through on the other. 

Downstem - The part of a water pipe or bong that makes the water bubble. Often referred to as a diffy. It can be removable or fixed, but is always in the first chamber of a water pipe. 

  

Dry Pipe - A pipe that does not use water. 

E-Nail - A dab nail that is heated by an electronic heater coil. They come in both analog and digital versions.

Female / Male - Types of joints. Male joints go into female joints. Get it? ;)

Flowers - Refers to the material you put in your bowl to smoke. 

Fume - Gold or Silver baked onto glass. The metal is heated in the torch until it combusts creating a "fume" that is baked directly into the glass. This is how "color changing" pipes are made. 

  

Glass on Glass - A glass pipe that uses ground glass joints to connect pieces together. 

Ground Joint - A glass connection piece made using a machine. Often used to connect a slide and bong.

Hammer Pipe - I style of pipe that resembles a hammer.

Hand Spun - Glass that is made without the use of a lathe to assist with holding and spinning the tubing. 

  

Handworked Joint - A glass connection piece made from scratch and hand spun.

  

Heady Glass - Glass pipes that incorporate glass art techniques and are of high quality.

  

Herbal Vaporizer - An electronic device used to vaporize herbs or flowers. 

  

Lathe Made - Means a majority of the process to make the piece was done on a lathe, which holds and spins the glass for you. Most scientific glass tubes are made on a lathe. 

Linework - Striped colored patterns incorporated into a glass pipe. These stripes are often spiraled or "wig-wagged". 

Mini Tube - A miniature sized bong. 

  

Millie - Images made with colored glass using a technique similar to making patterns in taffy candy. The images are cut into small chips and used to incorporate into glass pipes.

Oil Pen - An electronic portable vaporizer shaped like a pen used for vaporizing oils.

    

Onie - A small pipe without a carb. Usually shaped like a small cigar with the bowl at the end directly across from the mouthpiece. Also know as a "chillum".

  

Opal - A shiny synthetic gem stone used in glass blowing. Often encased inside glass marbles.

Pendant - A piece of glass art made to be worn on a necklace. 

Percolator - The part of a water pipe or bong that makes the water bubble. Learn about the types of percolators here...

Quartz - A type of glass. Unlike pyrex glass, quartz can take extreme temperature changes without cracking. Although, it is not a shock resistant as pyrex, so don't drop it! 

    

Recycler - A water pipe that allows the water that would normally creep into the mouthpiece to drain back to the bottom of the pipe. Instead of the bubbler collapsing on themselves they are "recycled" to the bottom of the bubbler. It creates diffusion that seems to "flow" better than a normal bubbler. Click here for more information on recyclers and to learn about the different types!

  

Reversal - A colorful design of striped colors sharply waving back and fourth with a spiral at each end. Also known a a "wig-wag". A form of "linework".

Sandblasting - A technique used to engrave designs into glass. Sand is blasted at the glass taking off layers of glass on the uncovered areas. 

Scientific Glass - Glass made using scientific glass blowing techniques. Any piece with a percolator. Often made using a lathe.

    

Sherlock Pipe - A style of pipe named after "Sherlock Holmes". The bowl droops down so the mouth piece sits above it.

  

Slide - Also known as a "bong bowl". A bowl that is separate from the main part of the pipe (a removable bowl). They usually connect together via glass on glass joints.

  

Spoon Pipe - A style of pipe named after an actual spoon dues to its similar shape. This is the "classic" glass pipe style. 

  

Vapor Rig - A bubbler set-up for dabbing oils. Most often equipped with a male joint, dab nail, and dome.

Vapor Pen - An electronic portable vaporizer shaped like a pen used for vaporizing flowers or oil.

  

Water Pipe - A pipe that has a percolator and uses water. This is a very generic term and can be used to describe both a bubbler and a bong.

Wig-Wag - A colorful design of striped colors sharply waving back and fourth with a spiral at each end. Also known a a "reversal". A form of "linework".

NOTE: Many head shops do not like it when you use words directly related to cannabis. So refrain from using words like "cannabis" or "weed". Even the word "bong" can be against some head shop rules. Try using words like "flowers" and "water pipe" instead.