Planning a trip to New York City? Don't forget to pack this handy-dandy guide to NYC subway jargon. It's a lifesaver — perhaps literally!

—hand shame (noun): the feeling one has after accidentally grabbing the pole where someone else was already grabbing it.

—kinky-pinky (verb): to deliberately grab the pole where someone else is already grabbing it.

—hangry birds (plural noun): hunger pangs activated by the smell of someone else's fried chicken. See also: "Colonel knowledge" (knowing that someone on the train is carrying KFC but not being able to locate the source visually).

—instant grampification (noun): the shock one feels upon being offered a seat by someone one thought was one's own age (feminine form: grammafication).

—doork (noun): dork who blocks the door without realizing it.

—joork (noun): jerk who knows he's blocking the door but keeps standing there, watching people maneuver around him.

—bunwich (noun): the very tight space between two other commuters.

—snudge (noun): a real nudge pretending to be inadvertent.

—train traffic ahead (noun): bad news that one should brace oneself for. Example: "The boss called a special meeting for 3 o'clock today. Could be train traffic ahead."

—nod squad (noun): two or more passengers napping on the same bench.

—warm shoulder (noun): the shoulder a stranger has fallen asleep on.

—grudge budge (noun): the grimace made by a person who must move over an inch to make room for someone else.

—grudge buddies (plural noun): two or more people who have made grudge budges and feel a bonding emotion.

—BBB (noun) — short for "baby bump blindness": the ability not to notice a woman who is eight months pregnant and holding on to the strap in front of you while you sit playing "Candy Crush."

—blobstacle (noun): escalator rider who stands on the left side, not moving, oblivious to teeming hordes behind him.

—ROTFL (noun): anything "rolling on the floor loudly," e.g., an empty iced tea bottle.

—point and shoo (verb): to indicate a wet or sticky spot on the seat before someone sits down.

—new natives (plural noun): people who got on just one stop before you but act as if they own the seats.

—tooth squad (noun): a group of individuals dedicated to blacking out the teeth of smiling news teams on ads.

—bubbleheads (plural noun): individuals who add word and thought bubbles to posters — usually referencing the president, police or private parts.

—box shock (noun): the condition of being suddenly awakened by a boombox on board.

—family-dollar (verb): to give a single dollar to a subway performer on behalf of all the members of your family.

—Post-aboo (verb): to sneak a peek at your neighbor's New York Post.

—peeka-News (verb): to sneak a peek at your neighbor's Daily News.

—suspicious package (noun): male standing too close.

Lenore Skenazy is author of the book and blog "Free-Range Kids" and a keynote speaker at conferences, companies and schools. Her TV show, "World's Worst Mom," airs on Discovery Life. To find out more about Lenore Skenazy ([email protected]) and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.