wila
n.— «At the county level, gang members use letters on tiny scraps of paper called wilas, a slang term that translates to tiny writing. The wilas are hidden in all sorts of places—shoes, clothing lining, body cavities—and move between facilities as inmates are transferred, ultimately serving as updates that let gang supervisors know what’s happening in the county’s jails. Members who get in trouble with the gang can be required to use wila-style writing to pen essays with topics ranging from gang histories to instructions on how to be a better gang member, Teso said. “Some people snort wilas and keep them in their sinus cavity and hawk it up later when they get where they’re going.”» —“Gangs Sear Jail Atmosphere” by Ty Phillips Modesto Bee (California) Apr. 17, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Imagine telling someone how to get to your home, but without using the name of your street, or any other street within ten miles. Could you do it? We take street names for granted, but these words are useful for far more, like applying for a job or...
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...