A
ABS
Short for “Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene”. The type of plastic that LEGO bricks are made from.
AFOL
Short for “Adult Fan of LEGO”. The most common term used to refer to LEGO fans who are adults. Generally pronounced “ay-foal.” See KFOL and TFOL.
ALE
Short for“Adult LEGO Enthusiast”. Some LEGO fans prefer to be called enthusiasts rather than fans or AFOLs, attempting to avoid the perceived stigma of the word “fanatic.”
ALT BUILD
Short for “Alternate Build”. A different build using only the parts from a LEGO set. See also MOD.
Ambassador
The title given to fan liaisons who represent fan organizations within the LEGO Ambassador Network. See LAN, RLUG, and Fan Media.
Anti-Stud
The indentation in the bottom of bricks and plates which serves as a stud receptacle and is one half of the mechanism by which LEGO pieces interlock. See also Stud.
B
Bignette
A large LEGO creation (larger than a Vignette, but smaller than a Diorama).
Blay or Bley
“Bluish Gray/Grey” refers to the current LEGO gray/grey, compared to the old version “Old Gray/Grey”. Official BrickLink terms are “Light Bluish Gray” and “Dark Bluish Gray”.
Brick
A universal name for a LEGO piece, regardless of shape or color. More specifically, in LEGO element taxonomy, any roughly cubic LEGO piece which is 3 or more plates tall. In technical terms, used to refer a specific piece shape, regardless of color. Contrast with Element and Plate.
Brick-Built
A LEGO creation that is composed of basic LEGO elements, instead of more specialized elements. (For example brick built figures, animals, or objects.)
Builder
A LEGO fan whose primary interest is building MOCs. Contrast with Collector, though many fans are both collectors and builders.
BURP
Short for“Big-Ugly-Rock-Piece”. The larger of two classic pre-fabricated LEGO elements traditionally available in gray. Part number 6082. More experienced LEGO fans often encourage other builders to use brick-built landscaping rather than BURPs, but also frequently use them for internal structures. See also LURP.
C
Cheese Slope
A LEGO part with a 33° slope, 1×1 stud wide and 2 plates high. It is named after the fact that yellow pieces look like a wedge of cheese.
Clone
Construction toys similar and often compatible with LEGO, but cheaper in quality and price, designed to compete with the LEGO brand. They are often poorly received by LEGO-fans. See also Flego.
Collector
A LEGO fan whose primary interest is collecting official sets. Contrast with Builder, though many fans are both collectors and builders.
Custom
A LEGO creation or individual element that uses non-LEGO parts or modified parts, or accessories from third-party vendors like BBG Forge, LifeLite, and BrickForge. Contrast with Purist.
Customizer
A LEGO-fan who is not afraid to modify LEGO parts. Customizing may include painting, cutting, drilling, melting LEGO elements, adding other non-LEGO parts to a creation, or adding details with custom-made stickers and decals. These are all considered heresy by a “purist”.
D
Dark Ages
The period in a LEGO-fan’s life when he/she sets aside LEGO in favor other, non-LEGO pursuits. See also Gray Ages.
Diorama
A very large LEGO scene, larger than a Bignette or Vignette.
Dirty Brickster
A white elephant-styled gift exchange game, where each gift is LEGO-related.
Draft
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. See the Drafting page for more info on ULUG drafts.
E
Element
A universal name for a LEGO piece, usually in a specific mold and color. Contrast with Brick.
Element ID
A number for a specific part mold in a specific color. Even slight changes create new element IDs for nearly identical parts.
F
Fan Media
A bucket term for LEGO influencers and reviewers who are sent early copies of sets as a part of the Lego Ambassador Network. See also LAN.
Filler
Parts used underneath a build for structure that will never be seen, so the colors don’t matter. See also Rainbow.
Flego
Short for “Fake LEGO”. Construction toys similar and often compatible with LEGO, but cheaper in quality and price, designed to compete with the LEGO brand. They are often poorly received by LEGO-fans. See also Clone.
G
Gray Ages
A period in a LEGO fan’s life when they step away from actively building or participating in the LEGO community, but retains interest in LEGO and does not sell their LEGO collection. See also Dark Ages.
Greeble
To add pseudo-technical details to a LEGO creation to enhance its appearance, frequently seen in sci-fi, space and mech creations. Detailing is called “greebles” or “greebling”.
H
Habitat
A stackable build pattern built on an 8×8 plate. The plate is set at a 45-degree angle and the two back edges serve as walls or a background. Habitats combine and stack, making them ideal for small, easy collaborations.
Half-Stud Offset
A building technique that allows building without regard to the standard alignment of studs on a plate, usually achieved with a jumper plate.
I
Illegal
LEGO building techniques that break the “rules” for connections between LEGO elements used by official LEGO set designers – particularly connections that stress the LEGO elements.
Inventory
The list of LEGO elements included in an official LEGO set. Several LEGO fan sites host set inventories, including Peeron, BrickLink, or BrickSet.
J
Jumper Plate
A 1×2-stud LEGO plate with only 1 stud in the center. Useful for half-stud offset building.
K
KFOL
Short for “Kid-Fan-of-LEGO”. The LEGO Group’s primary target demographic aged 5-12. See also AFOL and TFOL.
Knolling
The process of arranging a series of elements next to each other in an aesthetically pleasing manner, without the pieces being connected. The parts are often arranged in rows by color, size, shape, or all three. Knolling is often done as a sorting method prior to building a set, or as a way of displaying the inventory of a set or model.
Kragle
Glue used to permanently attach LEGO parts together (typically discouraged). The name comes from a plot element from The Lego Movie.
L
LAN
Short for the “LEGO Ambassador Network”. The LEGO Company’s official outreach program for adult fans. LEGO recognizes fan media and local groups and grants an ambassadorship with access to the LAN. See also Ambassador, Fan Media, and RLUG.
LBR
Short for “LEGO Brand Retail”. A brick and mortar LEGO store.
Legal
LEGO building techniques that follow building guidelines for official LEGO set designers.
Legos
Don’t say that! Technically, LEGO is an adjective to describe bricks or elements and doesn’t have a plural. In conversation, AFOLs use “LEGO” as both a singular and plural noun, like one might with moose or sheep.
LGMS
Short for “L-Gauge Modular System”, which is a set of standards for interconnecting LEGO train layouts. See LGMS.org for more details.
LUG
Short for “LEGO-Users-Group”. Local or regional LEGO clubs that regularly meet in-person for collaborations and events. Many LUGs are sponsored by LEGO as a part of the Lego Ambassador Network. See also LAN.
LURP
Short for “Little-Ugly-Rock-Piece”. The smaller of two classic pre-fabricated LEGO elements traditionally available in gray and frequently included in LEGO castle sets. Part number 6083. More experienced LEGO fans often encourage other builders to use brick-built landscaping rather than LURPs. See also BURP.
M
Microfig
Small figures (half the size of regular minifigs) from the LEGO Games series.
Microscale
Refers to builds that are smaller than minifig scale.
Midi-Scale
Refers to builds that are between miniature and minifig scale. They do not include minifigures, but are much more detailed than mini sets.
MILS
Short for “Modular Integrated Landscaping System”. Landscaping system to use in collaborative displays with LEGO elements. See the MILS website for more details.
Mini-doll
The thin, curved figures featured in LEGO Disney Princess, Elves, and Friends themes. First introduced in 2012, the design is a trademark of The LEGO Company.
Minifig
Short for Minifigure. The blocky miniature figures featured in most LEGO sets. First introduced in 1978, the design is a trademark of The LEGO Company.
Minifig Scale
A LEGO creation built for the scale of standard LEGO minifigures.
Miniland Scale
A style and scale of building in which figures are approximately 10 bricks tall and most studs are left exposed. The name derives from the popular “Miniland” attractions at LEGOLAND theme parks which employ this style.
MOC
Short for“My-Own-Creation”. A LEGO creation designed and built by a LEGO-fan without instructions. Pronounced as “mock.” Learn more on the ULUG MOCs page.
MOD
Short for “Modification”. A LEGO creation that is made by customizing an official set or another builder’s creation. See also Alt Build.
Note that MOD is used by model train groups to mean a section of a display, and this term is sometimes heard from ULUG members in that context (short for “module”).
Modular
Refers to either the technique of building in combinable units, or to the specific line of “modular” building sets released by LEGO (for example, the Cafe Corner).
MSRP
Short for “Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price”. The official price for a LEGO set as established by the LEGO Group for a particular market. Individual retailers may set their own prices higher or lower than MSRP, and MSRP may vary from country to country.
N
NLSO
Short for “Non-LEGO Significant Other”. Refers to partners or spouses of AFOLs who don’t play with LEGO.
NPU
Short for “Nice Parts Usage”. It refers to when builders use a LEGO element in a creative or unique way. Classic examples include the various uses of frogs in sets like the bonsai tree set or the crossaint as architectural detailing in the Parisian Restaurant modular building set.
P
PAB
Short for“Pick-A-Brick”. Buy individual bricks in the quantities you want form LEGO’s online store or LEGO brand retail stores. See also PAB Wall.
PAB Wall
The Pick-A-Brick wall at LEGO brand retail stores. See also PAB.
Parts Pack
A set purchased only for the parts inside, not to build as instructed.
Plate
Any LEGO piece which is 1/3 the height of a Brick. See also: Brick.
Polybag
A small LEGO set sold in sealed plastic bags, instead of in a box.
Purist
A LEGO-fan who only uses official LEGO elements, or a LEGO creation that only contains official LEGO elements with no custom parts. Contrast with Custom.
R
Rainbow
Parts used underneath a build for structure that will never be seen, so the colors don’t matter. See also Filler.
RLUG
Short for “Recognized LEGO Users Group”. These LUGs are members of the LEGO Ambassador Network. See also Ambassador, LUG, and LAN.
S
S@H / SAH
Short for “Shop at Home”, it refers to the LEGO online store at www.lego.com.
SHIP
Short for“Seriously Huge Investment in Parts”. Sometimes Super or Significantly Huge Investment in Parts. A very large LEGO creation — particularly a LEGO space creation. As used in the LEGO space fan community, a SHIP is generally at least 100 studs long.
Sigfig
Short for “signature minifig”. The minifig version of a LEGO-fan used as an online avatar or representation of themself.
SNOT
Short for “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.
Sprue
Small plastic connector between elements when molded. When removed, a “sprue mark” is often left behind. Many builders try to hide as many sprue marks as possible while building.
STAMP
Short for “Stickers-Across-Multiple-Pieces”. Rarely seen in sets, this practice is typically discouraged as it makes reusing the parts difficult.
Stud
The distinct cylindrical bump or knob on the surface of LEGO bricks which fits inside an anti-stud and serves as one half of the mechanism by which pieces interlock. Studs are frequently used as a unit of measurement: e.g. a model is 40 studs long. See also Anti-Stud.
Studless
A building style in which visible studs are minimized or, ideally, eliminated. Usually accomplished by a combination of tiles and SNOT techniques.
Swooshable
A quality that allows a LEGO creation to be picked up and flown around a room as the builder makes flying and/or shooting noises.
T
Tablescrap
A small, clever build that doesn’t stand alone as a completed creation. From “table scraps,” i.e. leftovers. A tablescrap may be a simple exploration of a technique (such as an interesting way to combine several elements to make an odd shape), or may be a recognizable item that’s just too small to merit presentation on its own (such as a minifigure chair). Many builders set aside their tablescraps and save them for use in future creations.
TFOL
Short for“Teen-Fan-of-LEGO”. See also AFOL and KFOL.
Tile
Any LEGO plate which is devoid of all or most studs, giving it a smooth upper surface.
TLG
Short for“The LEGO Group”. The privately held parent company for all LEGO-related brands and companies worldwide
Token
A small built, printed part, or sticker left by a build at a convention as a way to show appreciation for the build.
Travis Brick
A modified 1×1 brick with studs on 4 sides. Named for Travis Kunce, a deceased fan who was known for his enthusiasm for the piece. Part number 4733. A common piece used in SNOT building.
U
UCS
Short for“Ultimate Collector’s Series”. A series of large LEGO Star Wars sets designed for older teens and adults. They are larger than minifig scale.
V
W
WIP
Short for “Work-In-Progress”. A MOC that is not finished.
#
6-wide
Refers to the width of train locomotives and rolling stock as 6 studs wide in packaged sets that LEGO produces. Some builders stay in this scale to build their MOC trains. This terminology is also becoming popular with other vehicles, like Speed Champion cars.
8-Wide
Refers to the width of train locomotives and rolling stock as 8 studs wide which roughly translates to 1:48 scale. This is the most popular LEGO train scale among enthusiasts. This terminology is also becoming popular with other vehicles, like Speed Champion cars.
10-wide
Refers to the width of train locomotives and rolling stock as 10 studs wide which roughly translates to 1:38 scale and matches scale with the width between standard LEGO train track elements. Builders in this scale are often referred to as 10-Wide Master Race because of their elitist attitudes towards other scales. Nicknamed “The One True Scale”, 1:38, or the least popular LGP (L-Gauge Proto).