In the canon of American street literature, few names loom as large as Iceberg Slim (born Robert Beck). His 1969 autobiography, Pimp: The Story of My Life, did more than just shock the literary world; it codified a secret language. Slim peeled back the veneer of "The Life" to reveal a subculture with its own intricate vocabulary—a coded system of control, economics, and psychology.
A term Slim used for a woman who has been psychologically shattered by the game—usually a drug addict who works for pennies, ruining the price structure for higher-class whores. He often described these women with a mix of pity and disgust. pimp iceberg slim glossary of terms
Here are some terms from Iceberg Slim's glossary: Decoding the Game: The Essential Pimp Iceberg Slim
The paying customer. In Slim’s glossary, the Square is the target—usually a lonely, desperate, or adrenaline-seeking man. The goal of the "Game" is to separate the Square from his money "cleanly" (without a fight). Here are some terms from Iceberg Slim's glossary: 4