Crypto Jargon phrases and words in English

The actual language of Crypto Twitter, Discord servers, and 4am degen group chats — half finance, half religion, all cope. Drop one and sound like you've been ape-ing into JPEGs since 2017, holding through three winters, praying for the next bull.

31 phrases · meanings & example sentences

“HODL”

Born from a drunk 2013 typo of 'HOLD' the internet kept — now the religion of buying and never selling, no matter how bad things look. Backronymed as 'Hold On for Dear Life.' Used for any situation requiring gritted teeth and a refusal to give up.

She watched his stories for six months without unfollowing. Pure HODL.
Bought the flat in 2008, refused to sell through every crash since. HODL.
Three years into the failing startup, still showing up Monday morning. HODL behavior.

“Diamond hands”

The badge of honor for anyone who refuses to sell through huge losses and repeated chances to bail. Diamond, because the pressure only makes them harder. Used for holding firm to anything — a position, a plan, a person — long past the point most people would fold.

He kept the apartment, the dog, and his pride after the breakup. Diamond hands.
Held the same shares since 2016 through every meltdown. Diamond hands.
Stayed at the company through the layoffs, the rebrand, and the new CEO. Diamond hands.

“Paper hands”

The opposite of diamond hands — the one who folds at the first dip, sells the bottom, then watches it soar without them. Used for anyone who quits anything one inch before it pays off.

She left the company two months before the IPO. Paper hands of the century.
Sold his bitcoin at $300 in 2014. Now he just doesn't talk about it. Paper hands.
Dumped the relationship the first time she ran late to dinner. Paper hands.

“WAGMI”

We're All Gonna Make It — the chant of every group chat when morale needs a defibrillator. Group-coded optimism: doesn't matter if the project, the night, or the hangover seems hopeless, we ride together. Said unironically and with full belief.

Three of us hadn't slept, the deck was unfinished, the demo was broken. Bro — WAGMI.
Hungover, late for the flight, lost the passport at security. WAGMI.
Dinner party of six, oven broke at 7pm, three pizzas on the way. WAGMI.

“NGMI”

Not Gonna Make It — the surgical dismissal for anyone who fundamentally doesn't get it. The guy still printing his boarding pass, the friend who replies-all to everything. Final verdict, no appeal.

He's still printing his boarding pass at the airport in 2026. NGMI.
She forwarded the meme as an email attachment with a subject line. NGMI.
Asked the barista to recommend a non-coffee drink, then ordered a Coke. NGMI.

“FOMO”

Fear Of Missing Out — the creeping anxiety that something fun, important, or life-changing is happening somewhere you're not. A universal modern condition: you made a choice, but what if the other option was better?

Skipped the festival to save money, then watched everyone's stories all weekend. FOMO hit hard.
The team went for drinks after work and didn't say anything. Classic FOMO next morning.
She booked the trip she'd been on the fence about for months. Purely FOMO — zero regrets.

“Got rugged”

When someone pulls the support out from under you overnight with no warning, leaving you with nothing. From crypto founders who drain funds and disappear — now used any time a person, plan, or business yanks the rug out at the worst moment.

Booked the Airbnb, flew to Lisbon — host had cancelled an hour earlier. Got fully rugged.
She said yes on Tuesday, ghosted by Saturday. Got rugged.
Promised the promotion, then announced a hiring freeze the next morning. Got rugged.

“Ape in”

To commit with maximum conviction and zero research, like a primate slamming the button with both fists. Used for any decision made on pure vibes and adrenaline — relationships, jobs, restaurants, moves.

Met him on Tuesday, moved in by Sunday. She fully aped in.
Quit the job, sold the car, started the podcast that afternoon. Aped in.
Walked past the bakery, walked back, bought four. Aped right in.

“Degen”

Short for degenerate — the one who makes reckless bets at 4am, knows it's unwise, and posts the screenshot anyway. Worn as a badge. Used for anyone making a choice they fully know is a bad idea, eyes open, smile on.

Booked the redeye to Tokyo with no hotel and a maxed-out credit card. Pure degen energy.
Ordered the tasting menu, then a second tasting menu at midnight. Degen.
Triple espresso at 11pm before the eight-hour drive home. Degen behavior.

“Floor”

The cheapest available price — what something is worth on a bad day. Now used as the universal term for any minimum baseline: a salary, a rent, a standard, a dating requirement.

What's the floor on a half-decent two-bed in Lisbon these days? She said 800k.
Floor for a junior product role in London is what now — 75k? Used to be 50.
Her dating app bio said 'six-foot floor.' Brutal but honest.

“Bag holder”

Someone still clutching a losing position long after they should have cut it, telling themselves it'll come back. Used for anyone holding any lost cause past the point of dignity — a stock, a relationship, a dead gym membership.

Still defending the ex three years later in front of new dates. Total bag holder.
Hung in at the failing startup eighteen months past the obvious. Bag holder.
Renews the gym membership every January and never goes. Pure bag holder.

“Whale”

A player big enough to move the whole market with a single move. Now used for any oversized presence in a room: the table that ordered three bottles, the guest who handed over a five-figure check.

She tipped the bartender four hundred dollars on her first round. Whale alert.
He bought everyone a round, then bought the next round too. Whale at the table.
One guest at the wedding handed over a five-figure check. Whale spotted.

“Probably nothing”

The ironic understatement deployed any time something massive is clearly happening — a hint, a leak, a move too big to be coincidence. Said with a knowing smirk. Shorthand for 'this is everything, but I'm playing it cool.'

She liked his 2019 post, commented on his story, then sent a 'u up?' at midnight. Probably nothing.
CEO moved his entire calendar around one Tuesday meeting with legal. Probably nothing.
Mum deep-cleaned the whole house at 7am the day before he visited. Probably nothing.

“Rekt”

From 'wrecked' — total destruction of your account, your plans, your weekend. The default outcome word for any wipeout: a hangover, a breakup, an exam, a tasting menu that ran 400 euros.

Did the chef's table at Jiro and skipped lunch all week to afford it. Fully rekt.
Five tequilas at the office Christmas party. Monday morning — rekt.
Twelve-hour exam on three hours of sleep. Walked out fully rekt.

“Anon”

Short for anonymous — a persona that reveals nothing, used as a direct address or a vibe. Now used for anyone whose handle, face, and intentions stay delightfully unclear.

She matched, left a one-word bio, opened with 'gm anon.' I'm in love.
His handle is just three numbers and a frog. Pure anon.
She paid the entire bar tab and slipped out before anyone caught a name. Anon behavior.

“Up only”

The bullish prayer chanted by those convinced things will never go down again — almost always right before a crash. Now used, mostly with irony, for any moment you commit to the delusion that something can only ever get better.

Joined the 5am running club Monday, told everyone at brunch, posted three reels. Up only this week.
First three dates went perfect, already planning the summer trip. Up only.
Closed two deals before lunch, posted the screenshot. Up only Monday.

“Bullish”

Convinced something is about to rise. You're bullish on a coin — or, out in the wild, on a person, a restaurant, a new hire, an idea. Half conviction, half flex. Pair with 'bearish' to grade anything from two angles.

Three dates in, she's already met the friends. I'm bullish.
New head of design joined last week and shipped twice already. Bullish.
Tried the corner bakery — bullish on the croissants, bearish on the coffee.

“Bearish”

Convinced something is about to fall or fail — the opposite of bullish. A quick, half-joking way to call your low expectations out loud, without having to fully commit to pessimism.

Three cancelled plans in a row — I'm bearish on this friendship.
New manager hasn't made a single decision in a month. Bearish.
Bearish on the weather holding for the barbecue Saturday.

“Shill”

To aggressively promote something past subtlety — the friend who won't stop about CrossFit, the colleague pushing their startup at every dinner, the cousin selling oils. Originally a planted hype-man; now anyone who just won't let it go.

She mentioned her new candle brand four times in one coffee. Pure shill.
He sent the same link to three group chats. Shilling hard.
Cousin opened Easter dinner with a pitch deck. Full shill mode.

“Buy the dip”

When the price collapses, that's the moment to load up, not flee. Now the universal logic for any moment a person, brand, or place is having a rough patch and you lean in instead of running.

She got dumped, cancelled her plans, deep-cleaned the apartment. I'm buying the dip.
Restaurant got two bad reviews this week. Tables wide open. Time to buy the dip.
He hit a rough patch at work, then asked for the promotion the same Friday. Buying the dip.

“FUD”

Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt — the catch-all for any negative talk that spooks people off something, whether the doubts are real or planted. Used for anyone spreading panic: 'ignore the FUD,' 'stop spreading FUD.'

Her mum keeps texting scary headlines about the neighbourhood. Pure FUD before the move.
One bad review and the whole team's spiralling. It's just FUD.
He spent dinner listing everything that could go wrong with the trip. Peak FUD.

“To the moon”

The destination of every asset its holders believe in — straight up, no limit. Now used for anything taking off fast and vertically: a career, a song, a side project, a crush that's escalating quickly.

Her bakery's TikTok hit a million views overnight. To the moon.
Two promotions in one year — his career's going to the moon.
Started posting workouts in January, already coaching others. To the moon.

“Cope”

Short for coping — the stories you tell yourself to survive a loss you won't admit. 'That's cope,' said the second someone explains away an obvious defeat with a flimsy rationalization.

'I didn't even want the job anyway.' Mate, that's cope.
He says he prefers being single now. Heavy cope.
'The restaurant was overrated anyway.' Cope — you just couldn't get a table.

“Exit liquidity”

The people who buy at the top so the early ones can cash out — unknowingly providing the easy exit for someone else's win. Now used for anyone left holding the bag: the final investor, the rebound, the buyer of a lemon.

He sold her his old car the week before it died. She was pure exit liquidity.
Last one to join the group trip, stuck booking everyone's flights. Exit liquidity.
She was the rebound and didn't know it. Exit liquidity.

“DYOR”

Do Your Own Research — a polite brush-off telling someone to go check the facts themselves instead of leaning on your word. Used any time you'd rather hand over the homework than make the call for somebody.

She asked if the dentist was any good. I sent two reviews and said DYOR.
He wanted my read on the new manager. Two weeks in, mate — DYOR.
Don't book those movers off my say-so. DYOR first.

“ATH”

All-time high — the highest point something has ever reached. Lifted from price charts, now used for any personal peak: a mood, a streak, a number, a day that simply couldn't have gone better.

Closed two deals, hit the gym, cooked a real dinner. Today was an ATH.
Her follower count hit an ATH after the recipe blew up.
Payday landed the same morning as the promotion. Mood at ATH.

“Pump and dump”

To hype something hard, cash in on the excitement, then bail the second it stops being useful — leaving everyone else holding it. Used for any fad, person, or plan that's loudly boosted and then quietly abandoned.

Everyone raved about the new café for a week, then never went back. Classic pump and dump.
He sold the whole team on the side project, then quit by month two. Pump and dump.
The influencer pushed the supplement nonstop, deleted every post a month later. Pump and dump.

“Wen”

A deliberately misspelled 'when', used to needle someone about a promise they keep dangling but never deliver. Impatience compressed into three letters, usually with a raised eyebrow.

You've been promising that dinner for three months. Wen?
The team keeps teasing the new feature. Wen ship?
She said the raise was 'on its way.' Wen, exactly?

“Maxi”

Short for maximalist — someone so fanatically all-in on one thing they won't entertain anything else. Tack it onto any obsession to name the true believer who's taken it past all reason.

He only drinks single-origin pour-over now. Total coffee maxi.
She won't watch anything that isn't A24. Film maxi.
Won't train anything but deadlifts. Strength maxi.

“LFG”

Let's Freaking Go — the battle cry before something exciting, scary, or long-overdue. Three letters of pure forward momentum, used to punctuate any moment of commitment or launch.

Quit the job, booked the flight, bought the one-way ticket. LFG.
Just got the green light on the pitch. LFG.
She stepped up to the podium, looked out at the crowd, and whispered 'LFG.'

“Based”

Holding an opinion, style, or take without apology — immune to social pressure, doing exactly what you want regardless of what anyone thinks. Used as pure respect for someone who owns their choices fully.

He wore the same old jacket to every party and just didn't care. Based.
She told her boss she wouldn't reply to emails after 7pm. Based.
He quit the group chat and said he prefers phone calls. Genuinely based.