Wolf ticket

For other uses, see Wolf ticket (disambiguation).

Wolf ticket (or woof ticket) is an African-American slang term meaning a verbal threat, criticism, or insult. The term originates from woofing, meaning aimless talk, an onomatopoeic reference to the sound of dogs barking. It is usually used as a part of the phrase "to sell wolf tickets", meaning to bluff or threaten someone in a boastful way, or "to buy wolf tickets", meaning to believe the threats as real or accept the implied challenge.

Examples

• "I don't buy wolf tickets, so sell them hoes to another nigga." - Z-ro, from the song "I Found Me"
• "You aint sellin' no woof tickets over here Kansas City (Mac)." - Bill Cosby in the film Let's Do It Again.
• "I don't believe the hype or buy wolf tickets..." - Xzibit from the song "Paparazzi"
• “Well I pulled on trouble's braids and I hid in the briars out by the quick mud stayin' away from the main roads, passin' out wolf tickets...“ - Tom Waits, from the song "Trouble’s Braids"
• "Niggaz be sellin mo' wolf tickets than fake autographs on eBay" - E-40, from the song "They Might Be Taping"
• "Lester Freamon is not in the habit of selling woof tickets." - Cedric Daniels to William Rawls in the fourth season of The Wire
• "You sellin' wolf tickets, I'm using guns loosely" - Prodigy of Mobb Deep, from the song "Narcotic"
• "In the old days, they used to call it sellin' wolf tickets." - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

See also

• African American Vernacular English
• The dozens

References

Wilton, Dave (1 March 2003). "American Dialect: African-American Speech". Wordorigins.org. http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/site/comments/american_dialect_african_american_speech/. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 

"Re: Selling woof tickets". The Phrase Finder. 4 December 2001. http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/12/messages/286.html. Retrieved 6 July 2010.