Welcome to the ultimate crypto glossary for the “wait… what does that mean?” moments. No tech degree needed — just curiosity and maybe a cup of tea.

Let’s bust some crypto jargon wide open, shall we?

🚀 To the Moon

Meaning: When a coin’s price is expected to skyrocket.
Use it like: “I just bought some ETH. Hope it goes to the moon!”

🌝 Spoiler: The moon is metaphorical. Please don’t wait outside in a spacesuit.

🐳 Whale

Meaning: A person or entity holding huge amounts of a coin — big enough to move the market.
Example: “A whale just sold 10,000 BTC and crashed the price.”

Think of them as the elephants of crypto — heavy, powerful, and a bit unpredictable.

✊ HODL

Meaning: A typo of “hold” that stuck. Now means “Hold On for Dear Life.”
Use it like: “Market’s down but I’m HODLing!”

A rally cry for believers. Bonus points if you say it dramatically.

⛏️ Mining

Meaning: The process of validating transactions and creating new coins (for proof-of-work coins like Bitcoin).
Analogy: Imagine your computer solving puzzles to earn rewards.

🔥 Gas

Meaning: A fee you pay to process transactions on a blockchain (especially Ethereum).
Use it like: “Gas fees are crazy right now!”

It’s not actual gas, so no need to wear a hard hat.

🌊 Liquidation

Meaning: When your leveraged position drops too low and the exchange force-sells it to cover losses.
Use it like: “I got liquidated in that flash crash 😭.”

Don’t borrow more than you can afford to lose.

🐂 Bullish / 🐻 Bearish

Bullish = You think prices will rise 🟢

Bearish = You think prices will fall 🔴

Picture a bull charging up and a bear swiping down. Nature’s very financially involved.

🎢 Volatility

Meaning: How much a coin’s price swings up and down.
Use it like: “Crypto’s too volatile for my heart rate.”

It's why people love and fear crypto at the same time.

🪙 Bitcoin Halving

Meaning: Happens roughly every 4 years; the reward for mining BTC is cut in half.
Why it matters: Less BTC being made = more scarcity = possible price increase (maybe).

🌴 Altseason

Meaning: A magical time when altcoins (non-Bitcoin cryptos) start pumping like crazy.
Use it like: “We’re in altseason, baby!”

Often happens after Bitcoin gains start to cool off.

📉 Going Short

Meaning: Betting the price of a coin will go down.
Going Long: Betting the price will go up.

You’re not buying shorts, and “going long” doesn’t mean taking a stroll.

🗣️ Shilling

Meaning: Hyping up a coin (often for personal gain), regardless of whether it’s any good.
Use it like: “That influencer is totally shilling that token.”

Spot the red flags and DYOR (do your own research)!

🔗 Pegging

Meaning: When a stablecoin or asset is tied to the value of something else, like the US Dollar.
Example: “USDT is pegged to the dollar.”

If it loses its peg, things get... dicey.

📊 CME Gaps

Meaning: Price gaps that appear on Bitcoin charts when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closes for the weekend.
Traders believe: These gaps often get “filled” later, meaning price may return to those levels.

It’s technical — but basically: ghosts on charts that spook traders.

🧱 Support and Resistance

Support: The “floor” where prices tend to bounce back up

Resistance: The “ceiling” where prices often get stuck

Crypto's version of limbo — how low (or high) can it go?

🧪 DYOR (Do Your Own Research)

Meaning: Don’t just take someone’s word — look into a project before investing.
Why: Because the internet is full of hype and hope... and scams.

🧼 Rug Pull

Meaning: A project looks promising, then vanishes with your money.
Use it like: “That token was a rug pull.”

Common in DeFi — always check if the team is real and the code is audited.

💥 Pump and Dump

Meaning: A group hypes a coin, pumps the price, then sells it off to leave others holding the bag.

Basically: the worst kind of group project.

🐢 Slow Rug

Meaning: Like a rug pull, but sneakier — the devs slowly pull funds over time.

Sneaky snakes pretending to be turtles.

💸 Airdrop

Meaning: Free crypto, often given as a promotion or reward.
Note: Not all airdrops are safe — watch out for phishing!

🔐 Cold Wallet

Meaning: A crypto wallet not connected to the internet (aka safest storage).
Hot Wallet: Online and easier to use — but riskier.

📈 Market Cap

Meaning: The total value of a cryptocurrency (price × number of coins).
Why it matters: Helps you gauge how “big” a coin really is.

Check out this list of Crypto Tools for Beginners.