When I was lolita beginner I had a really hard time understand all the terms and shorts in the world of lolita. Now I am older and wiser, but I still think todays beginners are just as confused as I was some years ago.
So therefore! Let me present! Alphabetically... :)
The Lolita glossary
A
AatP - short for Alice and the Pirates. A brand belonging to BABY, the stars shine bright.
A&P - a very confusing short for Alice and the Pirates, most people avoid this short to not mix it up with Angelic Pretty.
AH - short for Anna House, Hong Kong based lolita brand.
Ama - means sweet in japanese.
AP - short for Angelic Pretty. A very famous sweet lolita brand from Japan.
B
Bibles - this refer to the gothic lolita bibles (GLB), which is a fashion magazine.
BL - short for Body Line. Also known as Bodyline. A cheap Japanese brand.
Bloomers - a piece of clothing similat to shorts cut considered underwear, used underneath skirt/dress to cover up more.
BNWOT - means brand new without tag
BNWT - means brand new with tag
Brolita - a male dressing lolita.
BtSSB - short for BABY, the stars shine bright. Big lolita brand from Japan.
Burando - the way the word "brand" is pronounced in Japan.
C
Cardi - short for cardigan.
Circle lens - a cosmetic lens bigger than your real eye to make your eyes look larger and more doll like.
cutsew /cut and sew - a top made out of a soft fabric. Cutsews mostly have a more simple design than a shirt, but is still wearable with lolita. often used with lolita for a more casual look.
D
Deflat - means to lose poof. Some petticoats lose its poof with uses and age.
Drawers - same as bloomers, but longer.
DS - short for Direct Sale, means you buy direct from another lolita and not via a shipping service or the like.
DT - short for Direct Trade, means you trade a piece of clothing with another lolita, without any shipping service involved.
E
EGL - short for Elegant Gothic Lolita
EGA - short for Elegant Gothic Aristocrat
ETC - short for Emily Temple Cute, Japanese brand
F
F+F - short for Fanplusfriend. A cheaper brand from China.
G
GLB/G&LB - short for Gothic & Lolita Bible. The biggest magazine among lolitas.
Grab bag - is like a lucky pack but with smaller items, like accessories like socks and bows.
Guro - from grotesque. A guro lolita spices up her outfit with bandage, eye patch and sometimes even fake blood. Not a very common substyle, but still exists.
H
Headdress - an accessory lolitas wear on their head. It's often squared with lots of lace details and ribbons.
Head Eater - a type of bow, which is usually very big and worn on your head.
Hime - means princess. Hime lolitas dress lolita but with a princess touch like tiaras. The dress is also shaped in a Cinderella style.
I
Ita - a very offensive word used to insult a lolita beginner who makes normal beginner mistakes like too short skirt, showing too much skin or using itchy plastic lace for her outfits.
IW - short for Innocent World. A Japanese brand selling classic lolita clothing.
J
JetJ / JeJ - short for Juliette et Justine, classic brand from Japan.
JSK - Short for Jumper skirt. It's a easier form of a dress which has shoulder straps instead of sleeves. Most people use a shirt to complete the dress.
K
Knee socks - socks reaching just below the knee.
Kodona - boy version of the lolita style. Poofy Knickerbockers, vests and so on.
Kuro - means black. A kuro lolita wears an entirely black outfit.
L
Loliable - something that's not originally made for lolita but can still be used as lolita.
Lolify - to make something more lolita like. Like your room, or a piece in your wardrobe.
Lucky Pack - A Lucky Pack is a pack of clothing sold by the brands for a less cost than it's value. It often contains different pieces like a JSK, a shirt, socks and bows. The thing about Lucky Packs is that you mostly don't know what you'll get. It's a surprise!
M
Meta - Short for Metamorphose tempes de Fille. A lolita brand from Japan.
MM - short for Mary Magdalene. Japanese lolita brand with classic clothing.
MMM - short for moi-même-moitié. Japanese gothic lolita and aristocrat brand.
Mook - a mix between "magazine" and "book". It's magazine like, but the cover is stiffer. The GLBs are mooks.
O
Old school lolita / old school sweet - the earlier sweet lolita are often referred as old school lolita. Back then rectangular headdresses, monochrome prints, RHS and shiro outfits were very popular among lolitas.
One Piece - means dress. As a different from the JSK this dress has sleeves.
OP - short of One Piece.
OTK - short for over the knee. Socks that reaches above your knee.
OTT - means Over The Top. A OTT sweet lolita is a lolita influence by decora with very many accessories all worn at the same time.
Ouji - means prince. See Kodona.
P
pannier - same as petticoat. Worn under a dress/skirt for the charateristic poofy lolita shape.
petti - short for petticoat. Worn under dress/skirt for poof.
Q
Qi lolita - a lolita who's taken inspiration from the Chines tradional clothing.
R
Race - means Lace. Many lolitas misspell this on purpose. It's originally a japanese misspelling since their pronounce of L and R are very similar.
RHS -means rocking horse shoes
Rocking horse shoes - A ballerina shaped shoe on a wooden platform with straps or ribbons to lace it around ankles or calves. was very popular in the old days among the sweet lolitas. The original design was made by Vivienne Westwood
Rori/Rorita - means Loli/Lolita. Many lolitas misspell this on purpose. It's originally a japanese misspelling since their pronounce of L and R are very similar.
S
Shipping service - used for some stores that won't ship overseas or when you don't understand the language. A shipping service can be a private person or a company that for a fee will help you to buy something. They might bid for you on an auction you want to win at the japanese yahoo for instance.
Shiro - means white. A shiro lolita wears an entirely white outfit.
Shirring - lots of fabric that's wrinkled together with elastics to make the dress fit all bodytypes. Mostly places in the back but is also seen in front sometimes.
Split wig - a wig where half side of the head is one color and the other half of the head is another color.
SS - short for shippig service
ST - short for Shirley Temple, sisterbrand to Emily Temple Cute.
T
Two Piece - the opposite of one piece. You buy the dress as a set with two pieces or more. for instance a JSK with a matching bolero.
V
VM - short for Victorian Maiden. Japanese brand with classic clothing.
W
Wa lolita - a lolita who's taken inspiration from the japanese tradition clothing.
WTB - means Want to buy.
Please feel free to add more if you think something is missing!
