What does acab mean? The history and meaning of the acronym

At all times the relations between citizens and law enforcement agencies were, to put it mildly, strained. People manifested their dissatisfaction with the executive authorities in different ways. For some it is enough to throw two or three strong words at the "cops," while others need to write something insulting on the wall or fence. Individuals get a tattoo on their body that reflects their attitudes and worldview. Among tattooists adopted a certain conventional symbolism and abbreviations of established expressions. So.

Where it all began

In England (and not only in it) miners who were extracting coal with almost their bare hands had always felt disadvantaged. They were underpaid, their families were starving, and their children were dying. And they themselves were often the victims of mining accidents.

All this contributed to occasional riots against factory owners. And since the rich were always protected by the police, at such "protests" the miners began to shout All cops are bastards, thereby expressing not so much hatred for specific law enforcement officers as for the system as a whole.

The original English deciphering.

First of all, this abbreviation is not made up of Cyrillic letters. "All Cops Are Bastards!" - categorically asserted perpetually dissatisfied with the actions of law enforcement residents Not all, of course, but only those who have had unfortunate experiences with the police. By tattooing the "scary" acronym on their chest, back, or hands (alternatively, on their fingers, one letter on each except the big one), soccer fans, car-burning students, and hooligans who break windows express their disagreement with the policy of the authorities, who do not allow them to "make the most of it. So, we can say about the ASAW that the souls of police harassed rioters. "All cops (a.k.a. policemen, a.k.a. pharaohs, a.k.a. cops) are not good people" - this is roughly how these four English letters "A.C.A.B." are deciphered. But there are other variations...

Prison tattoo.

Of course, a good portion of the protesters ended up in prison. Everyone there likes to abbreviate and code. Here, too, this phrase has undergone a change. Now it has become the acronym ACAB. All prisoners soon found out what that four-letter abbreviation meant.

Since the abbreviation fits perfectly on four fingers, they turned it into a tattoo. People with it commanded respect because they openly protested against the system, which was not so and safe.

What does acab mean?

Many, not knowing the true meaning, associated the word with Arab countries, the activities of radical Muslim organizations. In fact, it is like all cops are bastards. In English it means "all cops are bastards" (or "bastards"). The acab tattoo was widespread in British prisons. It was mostly applied to the hands. There was one letter on each finger. Over time, the word acab began to be applied to other parts of the body - legs (kneecaps), back, chest, etc. It was also used during strikes by English miners. In the seventies of the twentieth century, the band The 4-Skins popularized this acronym by releasing a song of the same name. By the end of the nineties you could see this inscription on clothing or as a tattoo on soccer fans, hooligans and street gangs, although not all of them knew what acab meant. Also this word can be found in various movements of punks, anarchists and the like.

Our time

After the Soviet Union collapsed, many English concepts entered our language widely. ACAB abbreviation with its deciphering was not left aside. It became actively used by representatives of new asocial subcultures: skinheads, punks, soccer hooligans. After all, they are all actively opposed to the existing social order.

A.C.A.B. tattoos have migrated from the phalanges of the fingers to other parts of the body, often those that are sometimes hidden under clothing. The slogan can also be heard at hooligan protests and at soccer games of those teams with the most ardent fans.

The symbol is not lost abroad either. People with such a tattoo are still particularly respected in England and the American ghettos.

ASAB in our country

Creators of wall compositions in the style of graffiti and in our country often use these letters to enhance the dramatic effect of their works. In the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the countries that emerged from its ruins, the relationship between hooligans and the police was not an easy one either, with all sorts of expressions ranging from inscriptions on house corners to tattoos. Esoteric acronyms appeared, understood only by the "initiated," by former inmates and those to whom their meaning had been explained. And given the increasing penetration of the English language in our everyday speech, it should not be surprising that instead of the phrase "All cops are assholes!" some ardent young man - a soccer fan - after serving a 15-day administrative sentence for hooliganism, scrawled on the wall four Latin letters ASAB. He may not be able to reproduce what it means verbatim in Shakespeare's language, but he can convey the meaning in his own words.

A.C.A.B. in Culture

Art has not been spared this symbol. In the 1970s, the British rock band 4 Skins made the acronym popular again after decades of near oblivion. They recorded a song of the same name.

In 2012, a joint Italian-French film ACAB - All Cops Are Bastards was released. In it, the protagonist is a young police officer who comes to work in the law enforcement department. His older mentors teach the newcomer how to fight hooligans with particular cruelty. Except that the young man begins to doubt whether his elders are right.

The picture won the Best Picture Award from the International Association of Film Critics.

From the point of view of the cops themselves

Knowing how ASAW is deciphered, one would assume that American cops and British "bobbies", upon seeing this inscription, would get terribly upset or, at the very least, terribly angry. That may be how some law enforcement officers react, but the majority of Western "cops" are not as stupid as their eternal opponents - law-breakers (it is no coincidence that the word has a common root with "mentality," that is, intelligence or thinking). And the best response to any rudeness is humor. British cops have their own take on what ASAW means. "All Cops Are Beautiful," for example, which literally means: "All police officers are beautiful." Or "Always Carry A Bible With Me."

Alternative meanings and ciphers

What A.C.A.B. means in the traditional sense, we have figured out. But there are alternative transcriptions as well:

• "Always Carry A Bible" - Always Carry A Bible.
• "All cats are beautiful.
• "All cops are beautiful.

Since this abbreviation became widely known not only to anti-social elements, but also to the guardians of order, they began to encrypt it even more. Now this slogan can be found on the fences as cryptogram 1312, each digit of which denotes a corresponding letter in the alphabet.

There is also a variant of encryption with playing cards - A3A2, where A stands for Ace, and 2 and 3 letters of the alphabet.

In the CIS countries there are also actively used slightly modified words, which have been transformed under the influence of local grammar. Thus, akab is a police officer, and akaby is a detachment, a group of guardians of order.

Numerological meaning.

In terms of the magic of numbers, 1312 has a very complicated meaning:

• The sum of all the numbers in this number gives 7, which is a prerequisite for the relief of all problems. Soon, the secrets of existence will be revealed to a person and misfortunes will end. The dark streak will be replaced by a bright one, and nothing will stop the one who is full of determination.
• On the other hand, it is obvious that 13 loses one and becomes 12. This indicates the future possible losses, which, quite possibly, will be justified. Don't be sad about it: sometimes you have to sacrifice a queen to win the whole game.
• The product of all the numbers gives 6, which is not a good sign, but nothing will be an obstacle for the strong. Obstacles in the path of life only harden and make a person wiser. You should not run away from the inevitable.
• 1312 is not an easy number, which means that the one to whom it has fallen is not an easy person. He does not feel the need to prove his uniqueness and superiority over the gray masses.

Interesting facts

Today, this abbreviation is often the hallmark not of "thieves in law," but of soccer hooligans, who arrange fights between fans of different clubs.

Such a tattoo is imposed by some performers of alternative music genres. For example, the rapper Guf made himself such an inscription on his chest.

In the electronic system of the Higher School of Economics there is also a gradation of students, encoded as ASAB - applicants-students-graduates-graduates.

This acronym has been the subject of some Internet memes that either depict SEALs or mock the vices of the current police force.

Now you know what ACAB means. But don't rush to make drastic conclusions if you see such a tattoo on someone you know. Not necessarily connected with the criminal world. It's possible that for him the deciphering of ACAB is just a declaration of protest against society.

[edit] References

• Lurkomorye article

today?

At present, this acronym is, one might say, globally renowned. The countries of the former Soviet Union have their own variation on this theme: "all cops are jerks. Such a phrase could also be seen in the prisoners of the Soviet era. Very often this inscription can be found in the form of graffiti. It is worth noting that in the English-language version, such artwork on the walls "lives" longer than the Russian version. Communal workers do not rush to have it erased or painted over. Perhaps the reason is simple ignorance: many people still do not know what acab means. Or maybe people are just tolerant of foreign symbols.

Spelling variations

A.C.A.B. tattoo is traditionally written in Latin. Most often selects the Gothic script. However, the options in the network walks a lot. Among them are ducts in the army style and under the individual fonts of the logos of soccer clubs.

The letters are arranged horizontally, vertically or with a slight curvature in the center. Obligatorily put points, as it is an abbreviation. In order for the picture to fully reflect the values of the bearer, they are supplemented with attributes. These can be edged weapons, bats, stilettoes, firearms and tongues of flame.

• Tattoo on the neck
• Tattoo on the foot
• Tattoo on the throat
• Tattoo numbers, letters A.C.A.B.
• Tattoo on my arm
• Tattoo on your belly

That value could not read not initiated, the abbreviation change to A3A2. The code stands for "Ace of 3 and Ace of 2", such a card layout symbolizes "the one who cleans my privy". It also refers to prison slang and is interpreted as "the trash is cleaning my shit". The second version of the encryption of the tattoo is 1312. The numbers correspond to the serial position of the letters in the Latin alphabet.

Where do you put the tattoo?

For lettering style tattoos, popular places include the forearm, back of the hand, hand and fingers. In men, large letters cover the abdomen below the navel.

Girls prefer to have the letters vertically printed on the shoulder. Sometimes the pattern is placed along the subclavian area. It is not uncommon to draw across the entire back. The ribs area, along the side line, is involved. The composition may be built on the calf, neck, or joints of the arms and legs.