Crypto slang glossary: terms and acronyms you see on X

Informal shorthand for a wallet address. “Drop your addy” asks someone to share that address. Koinly's glossary records this usage.

Information presented as an edge: an overlooked detail, early discovery or useful lead. Ledger's definition makes the key distinction: information called alpha need not be accurate. In a post, ask what the information actually is and where it came from. A software alpha release has a different meaning: an early version being tested.

A casual way to address a reader or participant, derived from “anonymous.” It can address someone with a known identity too. Koinly describes that broader use.

To buy into a token or project quickly, with little investigation. “I aped” describes the speaker's action; “ape in” urges someone else to act. Ledger's apeing entry explains the association with impulsive buying. The word alone tells you neither the amount bought nor the result.

All-time high and all-time low. In price discussion, these mean the highest and lowest recorded prices. Check the asset, quote currency and data source when comparing claims. Binance Academy's trading glossary covers both abbreviations.

A bag is a holding of a particular asset. A bagholder usually means someone still holding after poor performance; the word often carries frustration or mockery. There is no universal minimum size for a “bag.” Binance Academy distinguishes the holding itself from the bagholder label.

Approval of a statement or attitude, often suggesting that it is confident or uncompromising. It is praise, sometimes ironic, rather than a factual evaluation. See Koinly's usage guide.

A person or view expecting prices to fall. A bear market describes a broader period of falling prices and pessimism. “Bearish on this token” can describe one position, rather than the whole market. Binance Academy's glossary explains the market usage.

“Buy the dip” and its emphatic version, “buy the fucking dip.” A dip is a price decline; the phrase encourages buying it in expectation of recovery. It does not establish where the decline will end. See CoinMarketCap's BTD/BTFD entry.

A deliberate spelling of “build”: an encouragement to contribute to projects and useful products. Binance Academy includes contributions beyond programming, such as testing and education. In a post, look for the specific work behind the slogan.

A person or view expecting prices to rise. A bull market describes a broader rising market. The term can also express enthusiasm about a project's prospects without specifying a price forecast. Compare the bearish reading above; Binance Academy covers the market distinction.

Mocking labels for comforting explanations or hopeful expectations the speaker considers poorly supported. “Copium” leans toward rationalising disappointment; “hopium” toward wishing for a favourable outcome. CoinGecko explains the distinction. Calling an argument copium does not identify which part is wrong.

Crypto Twitter: the overlapping crypto conversations on X, formerly Twitter. It is a community label, not a separate platform or a single group opinion. The Crypto Twitter guide explains who participates and how to follow a claim back to its source.

In memecoin discussion, usually “community takeover”: a community continuing a project after its original team leaves or becomes inactive. In a company announcement, CTO may instead mean “chief technology officer.” The community takeover explainer separates control of social accounts and listings from control of contracts and liquidity.

Short for “degenerate,” used for someone taking substantial speculative risks. It can be criticism, self-mockery or a community identity. Ledger's definition covers this range. It does not give you a reliable measure of someone's skill, wealth or actual exposure.

Holding an asset despite pressure to sell. It often praises conviction, but can also mock stubbornness. Ledger describes both readings. The opposite label is paper hands, covered below; neither label tells you whether holding or selling made sense.

“Do your own research.” It asks readers to investigate a claim for themselves and is also appended to market commentary as a disclaimer. Binance Academy describes both uses. A post ending in DYOR has not necessarily supplied any research for you to examine.

Buyers enabling existing holders to sell. The slang implies late buyers are allowing earlier holders to exit their positions. That is a warning or accusation requiring evidence. CoinMarketCap records this usage.

Usually the hypothetical event in which Ethereum's market capitalisation overtakes Bitcoin's. Writers may also use it for another asset overtaking a rival, so identify the pair and the metric. MoonPay gives the Ethereum/Bitcoin meaning; Koinly notes the broader use.

“Fear of missing out”: the feeling that other people are benefiting from an opportunity you are missing. In market posts, it often describes urgency to join a rising trade. Binance Academy explains the emotional meaning. “I FOMOed in” describes a motive for buying, rather than a reason the asset should rise.

A playful spelling of “friend” or “friends,” used to address fellow participants. It can be warm or ironic and need not imply a personal relationship. Binance Academy's fren entry explains the context.

“Fear, uncertainty and doubt.” Used for negative messaging, rumours or claims portrayed as spreading fear. Sometimes it is used to dismiss criticism. The distinction matters: negative information can be accurate, as Binance Academy notes. Read the underlying claim before accepting either “FUD” or the allegation it labels.

“Good morning” and “good night.” GM commonly opens a conversation or acknowledges other participants; GN signs off. They are social greetings. Ledger covers GM, and Koinly covers GN.

“Gonna make it,” expressing confidence that someone will succeed. It belongs to the same family as WAGMI and NGMI. Binance Academy describes these as expressions of sentiment, not investment assessments.

To hold an asset through market swings; a hodler is the person doing so. The spelling appears in GameKyuubi's “I AM HODLING” post, dated 18 December 2013. “Hold on for dear life” is a later expansion, as Binance Academy explains. HODLing by itself does not mean staking or earning yield.

“If you know, you know.” Signals an inside reference, sincerely or ironically. See CoinMarketCap.

“Key opinion leader”: someone whose views influence a community's attention. The term can describe a recognised commentator or a creator hired for promotion. The crypto KOL guide covers compensation, KOL rounds and how to evaluate the material behind the reputation.

Lamborghini, used as a joke about becoming wealthy from crypto. “Wen Lambo?” asks when those hoped-for gains will arrive. See CoinMarketCap's Lambo entry.

In celebratory crypto posts, “let's fucking go,” or the milder “let's freaking go.” It expresses excitement. In gaming, it can mean “looking for group”; in Terra-related material, it can name Luna Foundation Guard. Binance Academy's LFG entry covers the different readings. The surrounding topic decides which fits.

Short for “maximalist”: a committed advocate of one cryptocurrency or approach, often dismissive of alternatives. “Bitcoin maxi” is a familiar example in MoonPay's glossary. Read it as a position or affiliation, rather than proof of expertise.

Language for a large price rise or the hope of one. “Mooning” describes a move the author sees; “to the moon” may simply express enthusiasm. Neither specifies a target or timeframe. Ledger explains the metaphor.

“Not financial advice,” a disclaimer attached to an opinion or market post. It does not verify the post's claims. See CoinMarketCap.

“Not gonna make it.” A prediction of failure, insult or self-deprecating joke, often directed at a decision the speaker dislikes. It is the negative counterpart of GMI/WAGMI. Binance Academy covers the contrast.

Someone portrayed as outside crypto's online culture. It can sound dismissive. MoonPay records that usage. It says little about the person's knowledge of finance, technology or anything else.

A critical label for selling quickly under market pressure, contrasted with diamond hands. Ledger's comparison explains the opposition. Calling a seller “paper hands” supplies a judgment about their behaviour, not their reasons for selling.

Often ironic understatement: the speaker wants you to think a development matters. CoinMarketCap records this reversal of the literal meaning.

A pump is a sharp price rise; a dump is heavy selling or a sharp fall. A pump-and-dump scheme is a more specific allegation: promotion or other manipulation inflates the price before the organisers sell. Ledger explains the scheme. A chart going up and down alone does not establish that coordination.

“Player versus player” and “player versus environment.” In crypto-market commentary, PvP suggests competition over existing buyers or capital; PvE suggests an expanding opportunity, or sometimes building useful products. These are interpretations. In a game, they can describe literal modes. The PvP and PvE guide works through actual usage and disagreement over the metaphor.

“Wrecked”: hit by a severe loss or failure. It can describe a trader, an asset or a protocol. Ledger documents the range. Being rekt does not necessarily mean being liquidated; ask what actually happened.

A rug pull is a scam in which project insiders extract value and leave other participants with losses, for example by taking funds or draining liquidity. Ledger's definition describes the core meaning. “Rugged” also gets used loosely for disappointing outcomes. A falling price alone does not establish a rug pull.

A reassurance that funds are safe, often used jokingly. SAFU is also the name of Binance's Secure Asset Fund for Users. Binance Academy explains the distinction. A stranger calling a project “safu” does not establish that it is protected by that fund.

A playful form of “sir,” used to address someone, sometimes sarcastically. See CoinMarketCap.

To promote a token or project enthusiastically, often with a personal financial interest. It may refer to paid promotion or a holder talking up their own position. CoinMarketCap's shilling entry covers promotion and incentives. The accusation alone does not prove that someone was paid. The shilling guide works through a real promotional statement.

A derogatory label for a cryptocurrency the speaker considers worthless or lacking merit. It is a judgment, not a technical asset category. See CoinMarketCap's definition.

“We're all gonna make it.” Collective optimism, solidarity or a joke about them. As Binance Academy explains, it expresses community sentiment. It does not mean that everyone in a trade can expect a profit.

“When,” deliberately misspelled. It asks about a release, event or hoped-for outcome: a launch date, for example. MoonPay describes its use in project discussions. See also “wen Lambo” above.

A person or organisation with a large holding relative to the asset being discussed. The threshold depends on context. Ledger's whale entry explains the size-based label. It does not establish that the holder is informed, profitable or responsible for a particular price move.