FURSUIT LEXICON
After fursuiting for a while (and enjoying every minute of it) I thought it would be nice to compile a lexicon of the most commonly used terms in the fursuiting community. After doing some thinking and research and asking around, here's what I came up with.
- Character Wrangler: Same as spotter or lead. The person who does the talking for the critter who can't
- Compression area: an area on a fursuit (such as an arm or knee) that is specially designed to absorb alot of abuse.
- Digitigrade: Putting the entirety of ones weight on the toes and balls of the foot, as opposed to plantigrade, walking with weight evenly distributed between heel and balls of the foot.
- Fat Suit: A padded suit worn beneath the main fursuit to give the fursuit bulk.
- Faux Digitgrade: Type of fursuit design using padding over the knees and calves to simulate an extra joint and digitigrade stance.
- Furpile:A pile of 3 or more fursuiters together hugging and or scritching each other
- Full body fursuit: Fursuit covering the entire length of the body.
- Fursuit: A costume worn at sporting events and at conventions usually in the shape of an animal
- Handler: a fursuiter's assistant. Usually out of costume, helps guide the fursuiter and keep him or her safe.
- Ice Pack (or Cold Vest): Garment worn under a fursuit lined with ice or other cooling material for comfort.
- Lookers: People who get as close as possible to you and try
to see the person inside the suit.
- Montery Mills: Highly popular and recomended brand of imitation fur fabric.
- Partial Fursuit: bits and pieces of animal costume..generally intended to be worn with street clothing
- Pile: The thickness of a furlike fabric.
- Pop the Top: Take off the fursuit head.
- PTS (Phantom Tail Syndrome):This is the wierd little feeling that you still have your tail on after you've gotten out of suit (Rynger Raccon reports that "I get this every time I've ever been in suit, and I know other fursuiters get this too.")
- Prosthetic:An appliance, usually made of latex worn in lieu of a mask
- Scritching (or skritching): to rake one's nails or the paws of a fursuit on the back in greeting
- Slush Cast: A latex casting pulled from a mold.
- Suit up:Put on a fursuit (ex "I'm going to suit up now")
- Spotter: Synonym for Handler
- Walkaround: Another synonym for a fursuit, usually refering to theme park or corporate trademark mascot.
- Zoot: Synonym for fursuit (lesser used).
Of course this lexicon is by no means complete. Should you have any questions, comments or suggestions for additions, please e-mail me. In closing, I wish to thank the talented fursuiters on the Amateur-Fursuit, Fursuit.org and Fursuit Central mailing lists for helping me out in compiling this list.
