Patches & Identity
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Colors | A club's insignia worn on the back of the cutoff vest; the club's property and its most sacred object. |
| Cut / Cutoff | The sleeveless denim or leather vest that carries the colors. |
| Three-piece patch | Top rocker (club name), center patch (logo), bottom rocker (territory). |
| Bottom rocker | The lower patch naming the territory claimed; claiming one a rival holds is an act of war. |
| 1% / one-percenter | The diamond patch and identity adopted from the "99% of motorcyclists are law-abiding" claim; a self-declared outlaw. |
| Death Head | The Hells Angels' winged-skull center patch. |
| Charlie | The Outlaws' skull-and-crossed-pistons emblem. |
| Fat Mexican | The Bandidos' emblem — a sombrero-wearing bandit with pistol and machete. |
| Flash / In Memory patch | Small added patches recording rank, dead brothers, or earned distinctions. |
Rank & Structure
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hangaround | An approved associate on the edge of the club, observed but unproven. |
| Prospect | A probationary member doing menial service to earn full colors; "the property of the club." |
| Full-patch / Patched member | A voted-in member with full colors and a vote. |
| President · VP · Secretary-Treasurer | Elected chapter officers running business, money and records. |
| Sergeant-at-arms | The chapter's enforcer — discipline, security and weapons. |
| Road captain | Plans and leads club runs. |
| Nomad | A member or chapter tied to no single territory; often a club's elite or muscle. |
| Mother chapter | The founding or dominant charter that sets the tone for the club (e.g. Oakland for the Angels). |
| Church | The mandatory weekly chapter meeting where business and discipline are handled. |
The Network & the Codes
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Puppet / Support club | A smaller club serving a dominant one — doing front-line crime and pushing money up the chain. |
| 81 | Code for Hells Angels: H (8th letter) + A (1st). Seen on "Support 81" gear. |
| Support gear | Shirts, stickers and patches that raise money and advertise a club's territory. |
| Patch over | When a club absorbs another, replacing its colors with its own (e.g. Angels patching over Montreal's Popeyes, 1977). |
| Red and White | Shorthand for the Hells Angels, from their colors. |
| Green Nation | Shorthand for the Vagos, from their green-and-gold colors. |
| Filthy Few | An elite Hells Angels designation; alleged by police to mark those who have killed for the club (disputed). |
| ADIOS | Outlaws motto — "Angels Die In Outlaw States." |
Discipline, Life & the Street
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Out in good standings | Leaving the club with its blessing. |
| Out in bad standings / Out bad | Expelled in disgrace — stripped of colors, sometimes marked for violence; tattoos may be forcibly removed. |
| Ol' lady | A member's steady partner — under his protection, no standing in the club. |
| Run | An organized club ride, often mandatory. |
| Citizen | A non-member of the outlaw world; an ordinary person. |
| Rat / Snitch | An informant — the worst thing a member can be called, and a death-sentence accusation. |
| Agent / Police agent | A member secretly cooperating with police (e.g. Dany Kane), distinct from an undercover officer. |
| No Surrender Crew | The nickname of the Bandidos' Toronto chapter, destroyed in the Shedden massacre. |