Ever been scrolling through a LEGO® forum and felt like everyone was speaking a different language? Whether you’re new to building with LEGO® sets or MOCs, or if a seasoned AFOL working on your latest MOC, you’ve probably come across terms like SNOT, MILS, BURP, Sigfig, or Greebling and wondered what they mean. This Ultimate House of Bricks LEGO® Fan Dictionary brings together the most common acronyms, fan terminology, building techniques, and community jargon used by LEGO® fans around the world, all in one handy reference guide.
Table 1: LEGO®* Fan Acronyms & Initialisms
| Acronym | Meaning |
| ABS | Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, the plastic used in most LEGO® parts |
| AFOL | Adult Fan of LEGO® |
| ASE | Assistant Set Designer |
| BAM | Build-A-Minifigure |
| BDP | BrickLink Designer Program |
| BURP | Big Ugly Rock Piece |
| CCBS | Character and Creature Building System |
| CMF | Collectible Minifigures |
| EOL | End of Life (retired product) |
| GBC | Great Ball Contraption |
| GOAT | Greatest Of All Time |
| GWP | Gift With Purchase |
| KFOL | Kid Fan of LEGO® |
| LAN | LEGO® Ambassador Network |
| LCP | LEGO® Certified Professional |
| LDD | LEGO® Digital Designer |
| LKC | Lion Knights’ Castle |
| LUG | LEGO® User Group |
| LURP | Little Ugly Rock Piece |
| MIB | Mint In Box |
| MILS | Modular Integrated Landscaping System |
| MISB | Mint In Sealed Box |
| MOC | My Own Creation |
| MOD | Modification of an official LEGO set |
| MSRP | Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price |
| NIB | New In Box |
| NPU | Nice Part Usage |
| OOP | Out Of Print |
| PAB | Pick-A-Brick |
| PF | Power Functions |
| RLFM | Recognised LEGO® Fan Media |
| RLUG | Recognised LEGO® User Group |
| SEC | Someone Else’s Creation |
| SHIP | Seriously Huge Investment in Parts |
| SIGFIG | Signature Figure (a minifig that represents a specific person) |
| SNIR | Studs Not In A Row |
| SNOT | Studs Not On Top |
| SOTS | Studs On The Side |
| STAMP | Sticker Across Multiple Pieces |
| TFOL | Teen Fan of LEGO® |
| TLC | The LEGO® Company |
| TLG | The LEGO® Group |
| UCS | Ultimate Collector Series |
| WIP | Work In Progress |
Table 2: Common LEGO Community Terms
| Term | Meaning |
| Alternate Build (Alt Build) | A different model built using pieces from an existing set |
| Ambassador | Representative for an official LEGO® fan community |
| Anti-Stud | The underside connection point of a LEGO® element |
| Articulation | The movement available in a figure or model |
| Ball Joint | A connection allowing movement in multiple directions |
| Baseplate | A large, thin foundation piece for building that has no stud connection on the bottom of the plate (usually 32×32 studs or 48×48 studs). |
| Battle Pack | Small set containing multiple minifigures and accessories |
| Bigfig | An oversized moulded character such as Hulk |
| Billund | The Danish town where LEGO® was founded |
| Brick | A standard LEGO® building element |
| Brick Separator | Tool used for separating LEGO® pieces |
| Brick-built | Created primarily from standard LEGO® elements |
| Brickfilm | Stop-motion animation made using LEGO® |
| BrickHeadz | LEGO®’s stylised collectible character range |
| Bricklink.com | Marketplace for buying and selling LEGO® parts and sets |
| Brickset.com | Database for LEGO® parts and sets. You can also log the sets you own. |
| Builder’s Block | Lack of building inspiration |
| Cheese Slope | Small wedge-shaped slope piece |
| Clone Brand | Non-LEGO® brand building brick manufacturer |
| Clutch Power | The grip between connected LEGO® elements |
| Diorama | Detailed scene representing a location, event or story |
| Display Piece | A set or creation designed mainly for display |
| Double Jumper | Jumper plate with two centred studs |
| Double-Sided Head | Minifigure head with two printed faces |
| Element | LEGO®’s official name for an individual piece |
| Erling Brick | Modified brick with a stud on the side |
| Fan Designer | A LEGO® fan whose design becomes an official product |
| Fan Event | Brick exhibition, Convention, or Brick Show. |
| Flex Tube | Flexible tubing element |
| FLEGO | Slang for compatible non-LEGO® bricks where the brand has ripped off/copied actual LEGO® designed sets. |
| Friction Pin | Technic connector with extra grip |
| Greebling | Using small pieces to create texture and surface detail |
| Half-Pin | Short Technic connector pin |
| Headlight Brick | Modified brick featuring a side-facing stud (also known as Erling Brick) |
| Hinge Plate | Plate connection that allows movement |
| Hollow Stud | Stud with an opening in the top |
| Illegal Building Technique | Building method that stresses LEGO® parts |
| Ingot Tile | Decorative tile shaped like a metal ingot |
| Inventory | Complete list of pieces within a set |
| IP-Locked Part | Part restricted to a specific licensed theme |
| Jumper Plate | Plate with a centred stud used for offsets |
| Kitbash | Combining parts from multiple sets into a custom build |
| LEGO House | LEGO®’s visitor attraction and experience centre. A place where AFOL’s from across the globe enjoy gathering at (or pilgrimage to)! |
| Macaroni Brick | Curved brick used for rounded structures |
| Mech | Robot or mechanical suit built from LEGO® bricks |
| Megafig | Very large LEGO® character figure |
| Microbuild | Extremely small LEGO® model |
| Microscale | Building much smaller than minifigure scale |
| Minifig | Short for minifigure |
| Minifig Scale | Scale intended to match minifigures |
| MOCFodder | Pieces purchased mainly for custom building |
| Modular Building | Building designed to connect to other modular buildings |
| Monorail | LEGO®’s single-rail train system |
| Open Stud | Stud with a hole through the centre |
| Parts Pack | Set purchased mainly for its parts |
| Polybag | Small LEGO® set packaged in a bag |
| Purist | Builder who uses only official LEGO® elements |
| Rebrickable.com | Website for alternate builds and custom instructions |
| Retired Set | Set no longer produced by the LEGO® group |
| Reverse Engineering | Working out how a model was built by studying it |
| Rockwork | Landscape detailing designed to resemble rocks |
| Sealed Set | Unopened LEGO® set in original packaging |
| Stickered Parts | Elements decorated using stickers |
| Stud | Circular connection point found on LEGO® brand bricks |
| Studless | Building style with few to no visible studs |
| Studio | Bricklink’s digital building software |
| System | The traditional LEGO® brick-and-plate building system |
| Travis Brick | Modified brick with studs on multiple sides |
| Vignette | Small scene built on a compact footprint |
Table 3: Advanced LEGO® Fan Building & Collector Terms
| Term | Meaning |
| Bar-and-Clip Connection | Common building technique using bars inserted into clips |
| Brick Arithmetic | Using LEGO® dimensions mathematically to achieve precise connections |
| Colour Vomit | Bright internal colours hidden inside a model to aid building and part sorting |
| Core Building | Constructing a strong internal framework before adding details |
| Forced Perspective | Making objects appear larger or smaller through scale manipulation |
| Half-Stud Offset | Shifting elements by half a stud for improved accuracy |
| LEGO® Math (or Brick Math) | Understanding LEGO® element dimensions to achieve advanced geometry |
| Mixel Joint | Small ball-joint connection originally introduced in LEGO® Mixels |
| Mosaic | Artwork created from LEGO® pieces arranged in a flat pattern |
| Nano Scale | Even smaller than microscale building |
| Offset Building | Techniques that shift parts away from the standard grid |
| PAB Wall | Pick-A-Brick wall in Certified LEGO® stores containing loose parts for selection |
| Ratchet Joint | Click-stop hinge connection |
| SNOT Brick | Brick designed specifically to enable SNOT building |
| Stud Reversal | Turning studs in the opposite direction through advanced techniques |
| Microfig Scale | Scale based around LEGO® microfigures rather than minifigures |
| MOC Display Standard | Community standards used for conventions and exhibitions |
| MILS Module | A layout section built using the Modular Integrated Landscaping System standard |
*Disclaimer: LEGO® is a protected trademark of the LEGO® Group of companies. Which does not in any way sponsor or authorise us or this message. Neither do they endorse our website and any of our individual services. House of Bricks is not affiliated or licensed by the LEGO® Group of Companies. And respects LEGO® Trademarks. The LEGO® Company has a set of ‘Fair Play’ rules that we work to abide by to respect their IP.
House of Bricks Education Services
Empower Your Teaching. Engage Every Learner.
From STEAM to Matariki, our workshops make learning meaningful and fun.
Plan your next creative learning day today with us!