187
n.— «The number 187 is frequently used in gang graffiti around the United States, and represents the number of the California Penal Code for homicide. Graffiti which includes 187 is literally making a death threat.» —“The Newspaper of the Streets” by Janene Rae National Alliance of Gange Investigator Associations , 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Samantha Harvey’s novel Orbital is a sensuous, exhilarating meditation about the strangeness of life on a space station, with its mix of tedious tasks and jaw-dropping views. And: a musician who rode the rails in his youth shares the slang he...
Steve, a singer-songwriter from Rock Springs, Wyoming, shares some slang he picked up while months riding the rails and busking. Spanging refers to panhandling, from asking for “spare change.” The term bull refers to a type of security...