The BDSM niche has its own unique vernacular. That's not to say regular "straight" porn doesn't have its own dialect — it does — it's just that this genre of kink employs much more colorful terms. In order to familiarize our readership with some of the more obscure proclivities of the fetish and BDSM communities, we've decided to publish a glossary of commonly used terms. Think of it as the ABCs of BDSM.

ACOMOCLITIC — a preference for totally shaved genitals.

ACUCULLOPHILIA — sexual attraction to circumcised men.

ADULT BABIES — age play where the submissive is the baby.

ALGOPHILIA — sexual arousal derived from experiencing pain.

ALTOCALCIPHILIA — high-heel shoe fetish.

BDSM — acronym for bondage, domination/ submission/sadism & masochism.

BALL GAG — a device with a rubber ball and straps used to stifle screams.

BALL STRETCHING — stretching the scrotum using weights so that it hangs lower.

BASTINADO — foot torture using the soles of the feet.

CAT O' NINE TAILS — a whip containing nine strands.

CHASTITY BELT — a device used to keep the submissive chaste when the dominant is away.

COCA-COLA SUBMISSIVE — a submissive who only obeys easy commands, or when he/she feels like it.

DM — dungeon monitor: oversees a BDSM party to make sure house rules are followed.

D/S — popular abbreviation for a dominant/ submissive relationship.

DADDY — a role taken on in age play.

DOG TRAINING — role-playing that involves treating the bottom like a dog.

DOMME — a female dominatrix.

DUNGEON — a theatrical term for a bondage playroom.

EDGEPLAY — a practitioner of the more extreme BDSM elements, including fisting, asphyxia, knife play, etc.

EMASCULATION — when a dominant restricts certain actions typical of male behavior.

EXTREME RESTRAINTS — a very confining or restrictive bondage device.

FELCHING — drinking semen out of another's orifice.

FEMDOM — a female dominant.

FLAGELLATION — a BDSM-related whipping to induce sexual arousal.

FLOGGER — a multi-tailed leather whip.

HANKY CODE — old-guard leather community's color code of sexual preference.

HOBBLE SKIRT — a narrow skirt that restricts the wearer's ability to walk.

IMMOBILIZATION — extreme form a bondage that totally restricts movement.

INFANTILISM — role-playing as a young child.

M/S — master/slave.

MALACCA — a thick cane.

MANACLE — metal restraints.

MARTINET — small flogger.

MASOCHIST — one who derives pleasure from pain.

MERINTHOPHILIA — sexual arousal from bondage.

MUMMIFICATION — a unique kind of bondage in which the entire body is wrapped tightly in film (plastic wrap).

OTK — over-the-knee spanking.

PADDLE — a flat instrument used for spanking.

PAIN SLUT — popular expression for a submissive who loves pain.

PANSEXUALITY — BDSM activities encompassing all sexualities.

PONY PLAY — role-playing where the submissive takes on the role of a pony.

POWER EXCHANGE — dynamic whereby the dominant is consensually given power over the submissive, whether for just the scene or for a relationship.

QUIRT — a type of buggy whip.

RPG — role-playing games.

RACK — bondage device modeled after a torture device used in the Inquisition.

S&M — sadism and masochism. One enjoys administering pain, the other enjoys receiving it.

SAFE, SANE AND CONSENSUAL — a slogan in the BDSM community.

SAFE WORD — a word or phrase a submissive uses to stop the scene.

TPE — Total Power Exchange — a term used for 24/7 master/slave relationships.

WATTENBURG WHEEL — a medical pinwheel commonly used in BDSM play.

WHIPPING POST — a post that submissives are chained to in order to receive their lashings.