We’re all familiar with basic Bostonese—you know, “wicked ah-some” or "I'm pah-kin' the cah"—but for the fishermen of Wicked Tuna, they’ve developed a vernacular all their own. From "squeaker" (pronounced: "squeakah") to "googans" (pronounced with disdain), we figured you might need a glossary to get you through this show.
wick•ed adj [wi-kəd] Definition: Of exceptional quality, very, super Example: "Tuna fishing is wicked hard."
piss•er adj [pi-sə] Definition: Either very good or very bad Example: "Did you see that? Wicked pisser!"
sleigh ride noun [slā- rīd] Definition: The event of being dragged by another boat after becoming entangled Example: "That boat's about to go on the Nantucket sleigh ride."
snug•gle transitive verb [snə-gəl] Definition: To anchor one's boat in close proximity to another (successful) boat Example: "Let's just snuggle up next to Dave."
chum noun or verb [chəm] Definition: Chopped fish thrown overboard to attract other fish Example: "These fish are all up in the chum!"
sea rats noun pl [sē-rats] Definition: Sea birds Example: "Goddamn sea rats are eating all our chum."
goo•gans noun pl [güg-əns] Definition: Fishermen who are not professional; aka weekend warriors; part-timers; tourists Example: "Goddamn googans, they're all over the place this weekend."
num•bers noun pl [nəm-bərz] Definition: GPS coordinates where a fishing boat strategically anchors Example: "That goddamn googan is sitting on my numbers!"
drag•ger noun [dra-gər] Definition: A fishing boat that uses a trawl or dragnet Example: "What the hell is that dragger doing getting so close?"
keep•er noun [kē-pər] Definition: A fish that qualifies under the fishing quotas Example: "If the fish is big enough, he's a keeper."
squeak•er noun [skwē-kər] Definition: A fish that just barely qualifies under the fishing quotas Example: "Seventy-four inches? That's a squeaker!"
bleed•er noun [blē-dər] Definition: A fish that bleeds Example: "We got a bleeder!"
sink•er noun [sing-kər] Definition: A weight used on the end of a fishing line Example: "I need a 20-ounce sinker!"
cow noun [kaü] Definition: A really big fish Example: "Holy s***, that's a cow!