back jump
n.— «One way of getting to tag trains was a method called doing a “back jump.” This when you hide near a station or lay up, wait til a train pulls in, then quickly do as much painting as you can before the train rolls out again. It’s quite dangerous as it in- volves crossing tracks and being around moving trains. There was a kid killed last year at Acton doing this sort of thing.» —“Blood on the tracks” by Esther Addley Guardian (United Kingdom) Jan. 20, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Fernando in San Antonio, Texas, is curious about the use of the term holiday to mean a space on a wall that’s been covered unevenly and requires repainting. This usage goes back to the shipbuilding industry of the 1700s, when workers tarring...
Victoria from Tallahassee, Florida, weighs in on our discussion about terms for an extremely quick bath. When Victoria was young, her great-great grandmother from Poland, when checking if Victoria had indeed washed herself, would ask...