Auntie Bibi:
A formidable woman in an Indian family: when it comes to social occasions, she not only calls the shots, she owns the gun. Auntie Bibi's word goes unquestioned, not because she's necessarily right, but because no one dares question her.  Every family on the planet has an Auntie Bibi, whether they're Indian or not.  Auntie Bibi frequently torpedoes any attempt to hire a non-Indian person do do henna at a wedding, no matter how talented and knowledgeable that person may be.  If the non-Indian henna artist does come in to work a wedding, Auntie Bibi's scrutiny will be merciless.

Black Henna:
This is a misnomer used to refer to body art that is applied in a similar manner to henna / mehandi and said to be the same thing. It is not. The term 'black henna' is absolutely false as anything that stains a black colour is not and has no relation to henna from the plant Lawsonia Inermis. Henna cannot and does not stain in any colour outside the orange-red-brown spectrum. It is possible to get darker shades, however, this is through particular processes. Sometimes the compound referred to as 'black henna' is a harmless vegetable dye that leaves a greyish, unconvincing stain. Other times it is something more dangerous, like the chemical PPD.
See below: PPD
See also: PPD Warnings
See also: True Test PPD Warnings

Booth Bitch:
The Booth Bitch is the person who works at a henna artist's booth, but who does no henna.  She does everything else, especially shilling in the customers, enchanting people, answering endless questions, and crowd wrangling.  The Booth Bitch is a henna artist's most valuable asset at a busy show, and she must have endless hustle, wit, grins, and personality to spare to get people excited about being hennaed, line them up and sit them down in front of the artist.  The Booth Bitch must also have a black belt in the special martial arts of fending off annoying people who would otherwise waste the henna artists very limited time.
See: Five Tour Dates in the Life of a  Booth Bitch

Caj:
Caj - Cajeput Essential Oil, Aromatherapy Grade

Carrot Bag:
2 mil confectioner's piping bag; multipurpose tool for henna artists.  Use carrot bags to store henna, get henna into jac bottles, syringes, cones and even henna with them.
See: Carrot Bags,  Fill a Jac Bottle, Fill a Mylar Cone

CCJ:
Catherine Cartwright-Jones, manager and webmaster of The Henna Page, director of Serious Henna Conferences, researcher, writer and lecturer on henna, and pursuing a Phd focusing on henna at Kent State University, specialist on henna history, traditions, chemistry, techniques and patterns. One daft old cow who takes henna far too seriously, and doesn't seem to be able to shut up about it .... ever.
Definition by Catherine Cartwright-Jones

Cellowrap:
Cellowrap is a firm non-silvered mylar wrap often used by florists.  It makes great henna cones.
See: Mylar Cones

Demise:
Demise is part of a chemical process, when some crucial reaction is exhausted and ceases: when henna paste has been in contact with air and heat for too long, the dye reacts with air, becomes exhausted and the paste ceases to give good stain on skin.
See: Dye Release and Demise

Dye release:
Dye release is achieved with henna leaves that have been crushed in a solvent long enough to make the dye available to stain skin.
See: Dye Release

E-Book:
E-book: A book downloadable from the internet: Henna Pattern E-books can be a godsend if you're in a hurry!  Download it and print it out.

EO:
Aromatherapy Grade Essential Oil

Glassy: 
Shiny, thin, translucent skin without thickening or callouses.  This sort of skin usually takes henna poorly.

Glitter Goop:
Glitter Goop -- A design sealant usually made in a standard half ounce plastic Jacquard bottle, consisting of 4 parts body/hair glitter gel and 1 part Elmer's clear glitter glue, mixed well. Applied with a swab, it makes an attractive, inexpensive and industrious henna design sealant.
Definition by Alissa

Gryphoemia:
A morbid affliction of one's patience.  Outbreaks tend to be caused by too much time spent dealing with the stupid.  Symptoms of a Gryphoemia outbreak can include increased heart rate, heavy breathing, severe headache, blurred vision and a driving urge to injure someone -- anyone.  The most serious outbreaks have been known to cause smoke to rise from a person's ears.   Henna artists are particularly prone to Gryphoemia when they've had to be enormously gracious to very irritating people under difficult conditions. Gryphomia can never be cured, but outbreaks can be suppressed by indulging in something you're NOT supposed to do ... like eating junk food, shopping, consuming or imbibing "attitude adjusting substances", and ..... whatever your favorite naughtiness happens to be.
Definition by The Fabulous Gwyn

Jac Bottle:
Small metal tipped jacquard bottle, developed for applying resists in silk painting, used by henna artists.
See: How to Use a Jac Bottle

J-Tips:
Jacquard Bottle Tips, metal tips that fit on a jac bottle, which about the same as  on a mechanical pencil.

Henna:
Lawsonia Inermis, a small tree or large bush in the Lytharacae family. A branching shrub or small tree with greyish brown bark. Leaves are opposite, subsessile, elliptic or broadly lanceolate, entire, acute or obtuse,2-3 cm long and 1-2 cm wide. Flowers are numerous, small, white, yellow, or rose coloured, fragrant. The leaves contain soluble matter, lawsone, 2-hydroxy-1:4-naphthoquinone resin and tannin, gallic acid, glucose, mannitol, fat, resin and mucilage are also present. The colouring matter is the quinone.  Henna has been used to stain and condition skin, hair and fingernails for 9000 years and across 60 countries. Growth and use range is from the Atlantic coast of Africa to Malaysia, has been grown as far north as Spain, and to southern India.  Henna is not frost tolerant, and does not thrive below 60F or 11 C.  Henna will tolerate extended droughts, arid conditions and daytime temperatures to 125F or 45C.  Allergic reaction is rare.  In the "Ames' Test" for carcinogenicity, no mutagenic activity is observed for henna. Some tests of alcoholic extract of the leaves showed henna may have mild anti- bacterial activity against Staph aureus and E. coli'. Some antibacterial and antifungal activities have been confirmed.  (In layman's terms, henna is very safe and is unlikely to cause any one harm, and may do some good)

Henna Geisha:
A Henna Geisha is a henna artists who cultivates grace, gentleness, patience, empathy and and comfort in her henna practice.  She knows her amiability is no less important than her talent and expertise are to her clients!  She strives to be beautiful and have beautiful surroundings to add to the aesthetic experience of her henna art.  The Henna Geisha knows that if she can perfectly soothe and delight her clients, and present herself as a lovely creation, she can succeed in difficult situations where confrontational, cranky artists would fail.

Hennathea:
Hennathea is a virtual planet that is created once or twice a year by Henna Page Management, generally at the summer and winter solstice.  Hennathea is a henna paradise, and all of Henna Page participants are invited to the 48 hour henna parties on Hennathea.  They're a helluva lot of fun.

HJBA:
"Henna, the Joyous Body Art", a henna pattern book
See: Henna the Joyous Body Art

Kiddy Markers:
Watercolor non-toxic Crayola markers which can be used to sketch  a henna pattern on skin ...... safely and briefly.

Kitchen Witch:
Henna artist who likes to continuously tinker with their henna mix and try new ingrediants.
Definition by Raina

Kree Kone:
Kree Kones are an adaptation of pastry piping bags and Marpol icing tips for henna devoloped by Kree Arvanitas.  Anne Beltestad provides a description of their construction in her Kree Kone Tutorial.
See: Kree Kone Tutorial

Liquid Latex:
Liquid latex is what clowns use to keep their noses on, and strippers use to keep their pasties in place.  It makes a great henna seal.

L/S:
Sugar with lemon juice added, and heated until it's a heavy syrup that is gently dabbed onto dry henna patterns, to seal them down and draw moisture.

Matte: 
When referring to the drying process of henna: no longer wet and shiny, dull black/green color, this is how you tell  when henna's dry enough to seal or wrap
Definition by Jessica

Mehndi, Mehandi, Mehendi, Mehindi, Mendhi, Henna:
These are some of the words for "henna" in the languages of South Asia:
In India, there are 17 official languages, and many variants of the word for henna.   Most of Indian languages pronounce the word for henna with an aspiration between the "h" and the "n", but when these words were transliterated into English, this aspiration was lost, because of limitations in typefaces and English speakers not listening carefully.  All are equally correct because they are all different languages. In every language, the word for the plant, lawsonia inermis, and the body art, are the same. 

Merc Ret:
The apparent retrograding motion of the planet Mercury that occurs three or four times a year, believed by astrologers to foul up money, communications ... that stretch of time that everything possible goes wrong in the worst possible way, doing the greatest possible damage in the widest area, at the most bank-busting expense. If there's something that's crucial to your business, it will break during a Merc Ret, and repair parts will be unobtainable.  If you write a check during a Merc Ret it will bounce no matter how much money you have.  If you say something nice to someone during a Merc Ret, it will be mistaken for a death threat. If you try to do a henna gig during a Merc Ret, an asteroid the size of a Buick will fall from the sky and devastate your booth, followed by tornadoes, tidal waves, and plague.  Merc Ret is a good time to stay home.
See: Mercury Retrograde

Mud:
Henna Paste

Mud Slinger:
Person who applies henna.

Mylar Holowrap:
Silvery, sparkly mylar wrapping paper that comes on rolls and does not have a paper backing.  It is very similar to what mylar balloons are made of.  Mylar wrap is great for making henna cones.  Mylar wrap comes in 3 weights, the "tissue weight" is more difficult to work with than the heavier weights.  It's also called Prismatac Wrap, and several other trade names. 
See: "How to make a mylar cone".
 

N/S:
New-Skin Liquid Bandage, product by Med Tech sold in the USA, used to seal henna.  This is NOT the same product as New Skin by Johnson and Johnson, or a product of the same name sold in the UK, which does not work well to seal henna.
See: New-Skin Liquid Bandage

N/T:
No text.  Henna Forum posts generally have text, but sometimes just a title will suffice.

O/T:
Off Topic - The Henna Page Forum is for discussion of Henna, and if the post strays away from henna, people put O/T in the header.

Paper Tape:
Medical, hypo-allergenic paper tape that allows the skin to
breathe while holding the henna paste precisely in place, and simultaneously
protecting clothing and bedding from bits of henna
Definition by Jessica

Para-phenylenediamine:
Chemical in Azo coal tar dye, highly toxic, carcinogenic chemical, dangerous to put on skin.
See below: PPD
See also: PPD Warnings
See also: True Test PPD Warnings

Persian Gold:
The Persian technique of coloring henna in with turmeric.

Poison Slinger:
An individual or business that uses PPD-based 'black henna.' These individuals usually insist that their product is not PPD or that PPD is perfectly safe. Complete and utter manure! They have convinced themselves of this and have complete disregard for what the stuff does to their own body. What respect can a complete stranger expect them to have!?
See below: PPD
See also: PPD Warnings
See also: True Test PPD Warnings
Definition by Txilar 

PPD, Para-Phenylenediamine- , P-Phenylenediamine:
"Para-phenylenediamine (a compound found to be carcinogenic in animal studies) is the reason most people suffer a skin reaction to permanent hair-colour. It's this colourless (hair-colour) precursor that, under the influence of ingredients such as ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, helps colour develop in hair." (Andrew Scheman, assistant professor of clinical dermatology at Northwestern University in Chicago)

PPD is a chemical found in dark (including reds and browns, it is not limited to black) permanent hair colour. It is also found, along with derivatives, in many different arenas: textile dyes, photography chemicals, printing inks, grease, black rubber, dark coloured cosmetics, and sunscreen. This chemical is often mixed with henna to force the resulting stain to be black. The application of this mixture to the skin can cause rashes, immediately allergic reaction, painful sores and will leave the victim permanently allergic. The danger of this chemical in henna use cannot be overstated: "Henna combined with a para-phenylenediamine (PPD) mixture has been associated with angioneurotic edema, shock and renal failure in children and adults in Sudan." (Sir Hazshim M, et al. Poisoning from henna dye and para-phenylenediamine mixtures in children in Khartoum. Ann Trop Paediatr 1992;12:3-6.) Sensitisation to this chemical is a lifelong issue. It can mean problems with certain antibiotics and anaesthetics and should be dealt with immediately by a competent and knowledgeable doctor and/or dermatologist.
See also: PPD Warnings
See also: True Test PPD Warnings
Definition by Txilar 

PPDBH:
ParaPhenylenediamine Black Henna
See above PPD and Black Henna
See also: PPD Warnings
See also: True Test PPD Warnings

Push the Henna:
Try to make the henna release dye sooner.
Definition by Kenzi

Rant:
A rant is a discourse on a subject delivered generally with some wit, a fair amount of emotional force, with all the verbal grace and style the person can muster.  A Rant is considerably longer than a regular post on the forum, and often has the intention of being the definitive word on a particular subject. 

Sealers: 
Sprays and coatings to hold henna to skin, remoisten and keep in henna's moisture so stain is improved.  Sealers are used under wraps to stabilize the henna. Lemon Sugar and New Skin are examples of Sealers

Speedsling:
A henna technique wherein the henna artist works very quickly, covering a large body area with a henna pattern. 
See: How to Speedsling with a Carrot Bag

Supercones:
Mylar cones for henna application. 
See: How to make a Mylar Cone

Terp (terps):
Terp- Short for ‘terpene.’ Simply stated, a terpene is an organic isoprene-based compound derived from the essential oils of various fauna, including plants, resins and trees. Certain terpenes from these essential oils greatly enhance henna’s staining ability.
Definition by Txilar
See: Terps

Trashed:
A trashed henna pattern is a ruined, splotchy bleached out  henna pattern, usually by shampoo, anti-oxidants, alpha-hydroxies, contact lens solution or city water that is full of chlorine and other vile chemicals.  "Trashed" when referring to a henna pattern is not to be confused with "trashed" referring to a Gryphoemia Victim self-medicating to relieve a Gryphoemia outbreak.  "Trashed henna" will wear off in a couple of weeks.  A "Trashed Gryphoemia sufferer" just needs to sleep it off.

TT3:
TT3 - Tea Tree Essential Oil. 

Turmeric:
An intense yellow spice, Curcuma longa, used in many Far Eastern cooking traditions. Commonly confused with saffron, but not even related, the bright yellow gold colour can be used to ‘fill in’ negative spaces in henna work. See Persian Gold. 
Definition by Txilar

Wrap:
Breathable material used to cover hennaed skin to keep the paste on, intact, and warmer overnight.  Gauze was used traditionally to wrap henna, and in North Africa special "henna cloths", embroidered textiles, were put over a bride's hennaed hands and feet.  Presently, henna artists use toilet paper, loose cotton gloves, and Ace bandages as wraps.

@#$%^&*()_%$&^&#$%^&:
A person who puts PPD Black Henna on people and tells them it's all natural and won't hurt them. 
See also: PPD Warnings
See also: True Test PPD Warnings
Definition by Catherine