Terms S-V
SADIST: One who is aroused, excited, or receives sexual gratification from inflicting pain on another.
SADOMASOCHISM, S&M: Any activity or practice involving the inflicting or receiving of pain; pain play.
SAFE CALL: A practice sometimes used as a safety measure when meeting a new partner for the first time. The safe call is a prearranged telephone call made to a trusted friend at a specific time to let that friend know that everything is okay; may involve the use of special code words to indicate whether or not the person making the safe call is in danger or distress.
SAFE, SANE, AND CONSENSUAL (SSC): A code of conduct which holds that any activity between adults is acceptable as long as it is safe, sane, and consensual. Often held up as a test to whether or not a particular activity is ethical.
SAFEWORD: A predefined "code word" which a submissive can use to stop an ongoing activity if it becomes too much.
SCARFING: Breath control by means of using a scarf or scarf-like object as a ligature around the neck.
SCARIFICATION: A form of body modification involving cutting the skin, often in intricate or elaborate patterns, in such a way that the healing process leaves behind a permanent scar.
SCAT; also SCAT PLAY: Any activity involving feces.
SCENE: 1. A specific period of BDSM activity; 2. The BDSM community as a whole. 3. In the scene: participating in the organized BDSM community.
SCOLD'S BRIDLE: A lockable metal cage which encloses the head, with an integrated metal protrusion which goes into the wearer's mouth, preventing speech. Also called a "brank" or sometimes "branks."
SCOURGE: A specific type of flogger which usually has two or three long, heavy lashes attached to a rigid handle.
SELF-BONDAGE: The act or practice of tying one's self up or otherwise restraining one's self, sometimes as a part of masturbation. Often includes some mechanism by which the person may be freed after a set amount of time, which may include a timer mechanism to release a key or otherwise release the person.
SENSATION PLAY: Any BDSM activity involving creating unusual sensations on a person, who may be blindfolded, as with ice cubes, soft fur or cloth, coarse materials, and the like. Sensation play is much more mild than pain play and may or may not include an element of power exchange.
SERPENT'S TONGUE: 2. An implement for striking consisting of a heavy, wide leather strap with a deep "V"-shaped cut in it, so that it tapers into two pointed triangular tails at the striking end. See related tawse
SERVICE D/S: A specific type of D/s centered around the submissive serving the dominant in practical ways, as by bringing the dominant food or drink and so on. For people involved in service D/s, sexual submission may or may not be a part of the relationship.
SESSION: often used to indicate a scene with a prodomme.
SHIBARI: A type of bondage originating in Japan and characterized by extremely elaborate and intricate patterns of rope, often used both to restrain the subject and to stimulate the subject by binding or compressing the breasts and/or genitals. Shibari is an art form; the aesthetics of the bound person and the bondage itself are considered very important. Also sometimes called kinbaku.
SHINJU: A type of rope harness, originating in Japan, which goes around and over the breasts. A shinju does not restrict motion, and can be worn under clothing; as the subject moves, the ropes shift against the breasts, providing constant stimulation. Often used in shibari.
SHOE FETISHISM: A type of sexual expression centered around a fixtion on shoes, sometimes as part of submission. Submissive shoe fetishism may involve acts such as licking, kissing, or caring for the dominant partner's shoes.
SIGNAL WHIP: A type of small singletail, usually three to four feet in length.
SINGLETAIL: Any of a class of whips having a single lash; most commonly applied to bullwhips and similar implements. NOTE: Can be very dangerous and require training to be utlized correctly
SLAVE: A submissive, usually in a TPE relationship.
SLAVE AUCTION: An event sometimes held at play parties, conventions catering to BDSM participants, and the like, in which submissives are auctioned off for the use by the highest bidder in some context or for a set period of time. Slave auctions are sometimes held at BDSM-related events to raise money for charity.
SLAPPER: An implement used for striking a person, consisting of two thick leather paddles bound together at the handle, such that when the person is struck the two paddles hit one another, creating a loud sound.
SLING: Ain item of furniture, usually made of leather, canvas, or nylon webbing, suspended by chains or cables from the ceiling. A person may sit in the sling and arranged for easy availability to such activities as sexual intercourse, fisting, and the like. Slings may include additional mechanisms to restrain the person within the sling or to keep the legs spread apart. See also fisting sling.
SMOTHERBOX: A lockable box, often padded with leather, designed to be locked over the head of a submissive and used for queening. The smotherbox contains a large opening which exposes the submissive's face, allowing the dominant to straddle or sit on the box. May include a mechanism for affixing the box to the floor or to an item of furniture such as a bed or bench, so that the submissive can not move.
SNAKE: A type of flexible singletail which lacks a rigid handle.
SOFT LIMIT: A limit which is not necessarily be set in stone, but which may be flexible or may change over time. Contrast hard limit.
SOUND: A thin, solid metal rod designed to be inserted in the urethra, often as a part of a medical role play.
SPANK: To strike on the buttocks, either with an open hand or with a paddle.
SPANKING BENCH: A low bench, often padded and often equipped with restraints or tie-down points, over which a person can be bent or tied and spanked or flogged.
SPANKING GLOVE: A glove, often made of leather or heavy rubber and frequently (though not always) fingerless, designed to protect the wearer's palm as the wearer spanks another person.
SPECULUM: A medical instrument commonly consisting of two or occasionally three probes designed to be inserted into lower orifices together with a mechanism intended to spread the probes apart, opening them. Sometimes used in medical role play scenarios.
SPENCER PADDLE: A specific type of oblong wooden paddle, allegedly invented by an American schoolteacher named Harold Spencer in the 1930s, that has a rounded end, is generally about fifteen to twenty inches long, and has a number of holes drilled in the striking surface. The holes are intended to prevent the formation of a cushion of air between the paddle and the person being paddled, which Spencer reasoned might soften the blow.
SPREADEAGLE: A posture in which a person is bound or restrained with the legs spread apart and the arms spread wide with the hands over the person's head.
SPREADER BAR: An implement consisting of a rigid bar or rod, often with attachment points for restraints built into it at each end, designed to be attached to a person's feet or ankles so as to hold the person's legs spread apart. May be adjustable in length.
SQUICK: A feeling of disgust, repulsion, or similar negative emotional reaction to the idea of an activity which does not appeal to someone. Also, verb to feel disgust or revulsion at an idea;
ST. ANDREW'S CROSS: A popular type of bondage furniture consisting of an X-shaped cross, commonly made of wood but occasionally made of metal or other materials, to which a person can be bound and flogged, whipped, and so on.
STING: A sensation of quick, sharp pain. The feeling caused by being struck by a flogger is usually described in terms of thud or sting.
STOCK: A device used for bondage consisting of a vertical wooden post or a wooden frame atop which is set two heavy wood planks which close around a person's neck and wrists.
STRAITJACKET: A heavy jacket, often made of canvas, whose sleeves end in long straps, which are wrapped around the jacket and buckled in place. A person confined in a straitjacket has very little freedom of motion; freeing one's self from a straitjacket is virtually impossible.
STRAP: An implement used for striking a person, consisting of a long, flat piece of heavy leather. Also, verb to strike with a strap.
STRAP-IN: A d***o designed to penetrate a person and then to be held in place by a strap or harness, sometimes equipped with a lock to prevent it from being removed.
STRAP-ON: A d***o attached to straps, a harness, or some other mechanism designed to be worn around the waist.
STRAPPADO BONDAGE: A specific bondage technique in which a person's hands are tied behind his or her back, then a rope is tied to the wrists and attached to an overhead fixture or pulley tightly enough so that the bound person is forced to bend over with his or her arms in the air. Note: potentially dangerous, use caution.
SUB FRENZY: A very strong, sometimes overwhelming, desire to find a dominant partner or to become immersed in BDSM-related activities, sometimes seen in people who identify strongly as submissive, particularly peope who have either just newly discovered their submissive side or who have not partaken in BDSM-related activities for a long time. People in the grip of sub frenzy may sometimes make unwise or unsafe choices.
SUBMISSIVE: One who assumes a role of submission in a power exchange relationship. A submissive is a person who seeks a position of or occupies a role of intentional, consensual powerlessness, allowing another person to take control over him or her.
SUBSPACE: A specific state of mind that a submissive may enter, particularly after intense activities and/or (depending on the person) intense pain play, characterized by euphoria, bliss, a strong feeling of well-being, or even a state similar to intoxication. Thought to be related to the release of endorphins in the brain. The euphoria associated with subspace may last for hours or sometimes even days after the activity ceases.
SUBMIT: To give up power or control. A person who gives up power or psychological control to another is said to submit to that person.
SUKARANBO; also, SUKURANBO: In shibari, a type of rope harness which wraps around the buttocks and upper thighs and passes between the legs and over the genitals, passing between the labial lips of a female wearer. The rope may feature a knot at the place where it touches the clitoris. A sukuranbo does not restrict motion, and may even be worn under or over clothing; as the wearer walks or moves, the ropes slide over the genitals, causing sexual stimulation.
SUSPENSION: Any form of bondage in which the person bound is suspended partially or completely off the floor, often by ropes affixed to an overhead point (as with a kotori in shibari), or by means of a rigid bar with attached suspension cuffs.
SUSPENSION BAR: A short bar, often made of metal and which may be straight or slightly curved, with a mounting point in the center and additional mounting points designed for rope, chain, or suspension cuffs on each end. A person is bound to the suspension bar, which is hung from an overhead point by means of a cable or chain connected to its centeral mounting point. May often be used in conjunction with a lift, winch, or pulley system such that a person may be bound to the suspension bar and the bar may then be raised or lowered.
SUSPENSION CUFFS: Any restraints designed to encircle the wrists, ankles, hands, or feet and designed in such a way as to distribute the wearer's weight so that the wearer may be partially or completely suspended from the cuffs. Some suspension cuffs contain an integrated panic snap.
SUSPENSION FRAME, or SUSPENSION RACK: Any frame, rack, or similar structure designed for the purpose of suspension. Common configurations of suspension frames include an open "box" with mounting points along its upper edges, in which a person can be suspended so that the person hangs horizontally within the box; a rectangular upright frame, from which a person may be suspended with rope or suspension cuffs; and a long wood or metal pole, supported by two legs on each end, from which a person may be suspended by ropes.
SUTURING; also, SUTURE PLAY: The practice of temporarily suturing or sewing parts of the body, particularly the genitals, for sexual gratification. Forms of suturing include sewing the labia closed and sewing the foreskin of the flaccid male to the scrotum NOTE: An unusual practice that may not safe unless done by a skilled and knowledgable person.
SWITCH: 1. One who can change roles, being either dominant or submissive (or, less frequently, sadistic or masochistic) at different times or with different partners. Or, it may be a thin, flexible rod, often made from a green branch of a tree such as a willow tree, used for striking people; similar to a cane.
SYBIAN: One popular variety of commercially-available f(un!) machine consisting of a d***o affixed to a dome-shaped saddle which the user sits on.
TAYLOR HAMMER: A common medical instrument consisting of a triangular rubber hammer attached to a metal handle, used for testing reflexes by tapping just beneath the knee. Sometimes used for percussion in the BDSM community.
TAWSE: An instrument used for striking or whipping a person, consisting of a thick, heavy leather strap which splits into two or three parallel tails at the striking end.
TELEDILDONICS: Any form of sex toy or f(un) machine designed to be operated remotely, as by radio, over a computer network, and so on.
TENS UNIT: An electrical device which applies electrical signals through pads affixed to the skin, commonly used in the medical community to relieve pain by blocking the transmission of pain impulses through the nerves. Stands for "transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation." Used in BDSM as a form of electrical play.
THUD: A sensation of heavy, dull impact. the sensation caused by being struck by a flogger is usually described in terms of thud or sting.
TOP: One who administers some form of stimulation, such as spankings, floggings, or some other kind of stimulation on another person but does not have psychological control or power over that person.
TOP DROP: Colloquial A sudden, abrupt feeling of depression, unhappiness, or similar negative emotion in a dominant which may occasionally occur immediately after a period of BDSM activity. May include feelings of guilt, especially if the dominant believes he or she has made an error, or has traditional ideas about relationship or socially appropriate behavior.
TOTAL POWER EXCHANGE (TPE): A relationship in which one person surrenders control to another person for an indefinite duration, and in which the relationship is defined by the fact that one person is always dominant and the other is always submissive. One of the more extreme forms of power exchange. Sometimes referred to as lifestyle D/s.
TRAINING COLLAR: A collar given to a submissive in the early stages of a BDSM relationship (particularly a TPE relationship) when the submissive and the dominant are still exploring the possibility of a committed relationship. Similar in some ways to an engagement ring in a wedding.
TRAMPLING: A practice in which one person lies prone and is stepped or walked on by another.
TRANSVESTITE: One who engages in cross-dressing.
TRIPLE WEAVE: A flashy flogging technique involving the use of a flogger in each hand. The floggers are swung in an alternating overhand/underhand pattern; each flogger moves in a circle on each side of the weilder's body.
TWEEZER CLAMPS: A type of n****e clamp consisting of long, thin, tweezer-like clamps made of flexible spring steel, with a ring which can be used to adjust their tightness.
UGOL'S LAW: A law first stated by Harry Ugol in the Usenet newsgroup alt.sex.bondage which holds that if there's some kink you have or something turns you on, no matter how strange or bizarre it may be, you're not the only one who has that kink.
UNIFORM PLAY: Any of a wide variety of different forms of role play in which the wearing of uniforms, such as military uniforms, is a significant part of the role play.
UTILITY D/S: A specific type of D/s centered around using the submissive in utilitarian capacities; for example; the submissive may kneel and act as a table for the dominant to eat from, and so on. For people involved in utility D/s, sexual submission may or may not be a part of the relationship.
VAMPIRE GLOVES: Gloves used for sensation play which have a large number of short spikes or needles protruding from the palms and/or fingers.
VANILLA: Not interested in or involved with BDSM or activities related to BDSM; as, a vanilla person. Sometimes considered condescending or insulting.
VIOLET WAND: A device used for electrical play consisting of a handle, which contains a high-voltage coil called a "Tesla coil," and several interchangeable electrodes, most commonly made of glass and filled with a gas which glows a brilliant purple in the presence of an electrical field.
VOYEUR: One who is excited or aroused by watching others, particularly in a sexual context or while engaged in sexual activity.
VOYEURISM: The act of engaging in voyeuristic behavior.
