Communication is at the core of what makes any cooperative venture a successful one and playing competitive Counter-Strike 2 is no exception. Conveying large amounts of information in a short span of time can make the difference between a round win and a round loss. That’s why it’s important to be well versed in the language CS players use.

The general slang or shorthand players use has been developed over two decades, far before the the days of volumetric smoke grenades and the subtick net code. So whether you’re brand new to the game or a veteran looking to brush up on your CS lingo, here’s a list of the most essential slang terms for competitive play. By no means is this list exhaustive, but this is what we deem to be some of the more essential terms to know when playing.

• 1g – Burning to death in your own molotov.
• ADR – Average damage per round statistic.
• Anchor – The primary defender of a bombsite, responsible for the initial defensive efforts when an execute comes in. Anchors are usually alone.
• Anti-eco – A round where a team expects the opposing team to have limited equipment, resulting in a more passive, conservative playstyle.
• Anti-flash – Looking at the ground or into a wall in order to evade or lessen the effect of a flashbang. Usually done preemptively with a teammate in close proximity in order to cover.
• Anti-strat/Counter-strat – A specific strategy or strategies designed to directly counter the enemy team’s strategy or strategies.
• Bait – To intentionally let your teammate take contact before you. Can be used in a derogatory manner, but isn’t always negative.
• Boost – Refers to standing on a teammate’s head, usually to see over map geometry you otherwise would not be able to see over.
• Counter-utility – Refers to utility thrown by CTs in an effort to nullify the advantage given by execute utility thrown by the T side.
• Default – Used to describe the “default” T side strategy which is to spread out and hold the core positions on the map, otherwise known as the “default” positions and grenades. This is done in order to gather information about the defense, making offensive moves less of a gamble.
• Demo – A replay of a previously played match.
• Dink – Hitting a headshot on an armored opponent. Comes from the metal sound and visual effect it creates.
• Dry-peek – Peeking to take an aim duel without use of utility.
• Drop – Giving a weapon to a teammate.
• Eco – Short for “economy”, this is generally used to describe a low buy or a total save round. For example “They’re on eco this round” is something you’ll commonly hear when a player is describing the other team’s equipment buying power.
• Entry fragger – The player who leads the team onto a bombsite or other area, aiming to get an opening frag.
• Execute – Refers to a set, organized effort done by the majority of the T side with the goal of taking control of a bombsite and isolate advantaged aim duels If not rehearsed, it may require a varying degree of spontaneous organization.
• Exit frag – Any kills by a player who is opting to save in a post-plant, done in order to weaken the opponent’s economy.
• Fake – A deceiving series of utility and positioning by a team to obfuscate the true intent of a strategy.
• Force buy – Also just referred to as “force”, a force buy is when a team opts to spend all their money when they may not have enough for a full buy. Usually done when a round is essential to winning the game and saving is not an option.
• FPR – Frags per round statistic.
• Gamble stack – Refers to a CT side strategy that involves guessing where the T side will attack and stacking the majority of your team there.
• Game sense – Refers to a player’s ability to process in-game variables and build an understanding of what’s happening on the map in real time. Can be thought of as “situational awareness”
• Glass cannon – Refers to a player who buys the AWP but has not bought kevlar.
• Gush – Hitting a headshot on an unarmored opponent. Also comes from the blood spray and “gush” sound this makes.
• Hero-AK/Hero Buy – During a round that would otherwise be a half-buy or a save, having one player use a rifle and armor that was either saved from a previous round, or bought for the current round.
• Jiggle peek – Quickly maneuvering out from cover to gather information or bait shots from enemies.
• Legged – Refers to landing a shot on someone’s leg with the AWP, dealing ~70 damage.
• Lit – Used to indicate that an enemy player has taken significant damage.
• Lurk – Playing stealthily, often alone, to catch enemies off guard.
• Ninja defuse – Defusing the bomb while remaining undetected by the enemy team or by way of obfuscating the position of the bomb using a smoke, more commonly called a “smoke defuse”. See: Snax 1vs5 Ninja Defuse Faze vs Virtus.pro IEM Katowice 2016
• Peeker’s Advantage – The inherent advantage an attacking player has when they peek an angle. Can be exacerbated by network latency.
• Pop flash – Refers to a flashbang thrown in such a way that there is no indication to the enemy as to where the flash will explode.
• Pre-aim – Aiming at a specific spot where an enemy is likely to appear.
• Pre-fire – Shooting at a known enemy position before actually seeing the opponent.
• Pre-nade – Throwing a grenade before enemies arrive at a certain position to deal damage or hinder their movement.
• QB Sneak – On T side, sending 4 players to one bombsite while a solo bomb carrier attempts to sneak onto the other site for a plant.
• Quickscope – Quickly scoping in with a sniper rifle and firing almost immediately for a precise shot.
• Refrag/Trade frag – Fragging an enemy shortly after your teammate is killed by them, evening out the number of players eliminated.
• Reset – Forcing the opposing team’s economy back to a weaker state by winning consecutive rounds.
• Retake – Attempting to regain control of a bombsite after it has been taken by the opposing team.
• Rotating – Maneuvering to a different position or bombsite in response to the enemy’s actions.
• Rotator – Players who have more fluid positions. They are the first to rotate if another position on the map needs assistance, and usually don’t play directly on a bombsite.
• Save – Choosing not to engage in combat and keeping weapons and equipment for the next round, or choosing not to buy equipment at the start of a round, opting to have a more comprehensive buy in future rounds.
• Spam – To shoot your weapon rapidly, often into a smoke or to wallbang an opponent.
• Tagged – Hit by enemy fire, usually referring to an AWP or Scout shot.
• Utility – Refers to grenades, such as flashbangs, smoke grenades, and Molotov cocktails.
• Wallbang – Shooting through a wall to hit an opponent.
• Walls – Cheating software that allows players to see through walls.
• Whiff – A particularly embarrassing missed shot.

Those are some of the most common terms you’ll come across during your time playing Counter-Strike 2. Getting acclimated to both hearing and using these terms will make your communication a lot more succinct. Improvement at CS comes down to more than just honing your language though; you have to spend time training all aspects of your game.