LACING:
a practice of taking corsetry to the extreme, tying a corset extremely tight, much tighter than usual, for the purposes of body modification.  Lacing also refers to any style of bondage that involves many fixed points, as to restrain in a lacing design or fashion.  The term Lacing may also refer to the uncommon specific type of bondage where a part of the body is affixed to an object by way of a suture; this practice is rare and considered dangerous.





LACING TABLE:
a piece of bondage furniture, specifically designed for lacing, consisting of a flat table and eye hooks.  A person can be restrained with rope that passes through the eye hooks in a crisscross direction, in the same fashion as the lacing of a corset.





LADDER RACK or LADDER sometimes called a JACOB'S LADDER:
a piece of bondage furniture that is much like an A-frame ladder, to which a person is bound for easy flagellation.





LADDER or CANE LADDER:
an execution in which a dominant repeatedly strikes a submissive with a cane in a row to create distinctive red swollen stripe-type marks called wheals, in a pattern resembling a ladder.





LADY:
originally a title for a female submissive, usually as a prefix to a name.  To date an increasing number of people are using the term as a prefix to a name of a switch or a domme.  Using the term lady as a prefix for a name of a submissive or a domme, such as Lady Ruby, are both considered correct.



LARK'S HEAD KNOT:
a simplistic knot consisting of a single collapsing loop which can easily be released.  A Lark's head knot should never be used by itself for bondage as it collapses and can cut off circulation.  However, the knot is very useful as the first step in the creation of other kinds of knots that do not tighten on themselves, such as a bondage safety tie (knot), a Somerville bowline knot, and a Burlington bowline knot.

See related BONDAGE SAFETY TIE.





LASH:
any long, flexible material used to strike a person.  A lash is another name for the falls of a flogger or the striking end of a single-tail whip.





LATEX:
a synthetic product resembling rubber, consisting of a water emulsion of polymer particles, used as fabric in fetish wear.  Latex garments are often maintained with a lubricant that gives the latex sheen.  The feeling of rubber, as well as the texture of the lubricant, plus the often-tight form on a person's body, can feed the eroticism of a latex or rubber fetish.

See related PVC and see below LAYTEX and PVC FETISHISM.





LATEX & PVC FETISHISM:
the fetishistic attraction to people wearing latex or PVC clothing; in some cases, to the actual garments themselves.  Often referred to as a rubber fetish.



LEATHER or LEATHER SCENE:
refers to the leather community.

See LEATHER COMMUNITY or LEATHER CULTURE.



LEATHER BUTT or LEATHER SKIN or SUBSKIN:
When a person bruises, the blood vessels under the skin break and then bleed.  The blood remains under the skin, which causes discoloration and swelling.   Repeated deep bruising can cause the skin to callus or thicken and have a rough texture.  This is due to the body trying to protect the area from further injury.  Repeated bruising can sometimes also cause the skin to become desensitized, feeling either less sensitive or numb.  The nerves that travel through the area can become damaged by bruising.  The popular term for this occurrence is called leather butt, sometimes referred to as subskin.  The term leather butt is used in the BDSM community quite frequently, sometimes giving the impression that a person can simply train her/himself to not bruise as easily.  Some have even reported that they bruise less after they undergo repeated trauma to a particular area of their body.   Your skin can indeed become rougher and desensitized, however, many in the medical profession believe that the human body cannot simply condition itself to not rupture blood vessels causing more bruising.  More likely, a person who receives repeated deep bruising has merely become mentally accustomed to rough play.



LEATHER COMMUNITY or LEATHER CULTURE:
the BDSM subculture involving leather garments and those with sexual interest revolving around the wearing of leather.  Wearing leather is a way that the participants distinguish themselves from other BDSM circles.  The leather community tends to have more strict rules, protocols, and ceremonial practices than that of the rest of the BDSM community.  Originally the leather community was founded by gay motorcycle clubs shortly after World War II.   For many years the leather community referred to gay individuals who had Kink, fetish, and S&M interest.  However today the leather community is open to all sexual identities.

See related FLAG OF LEATHER PRIDE.



LED (L.E.D.) WHIP:   see FIBER OPTIC FLOGGER.



LEG IRONS:
a set of cuffs made to fasten around the ankles of a person, usually with a chain of about 14 inches between.  Leg irons are designed to allow a person to walk, but only in a slow, shuffling manner, making it impossible to run at full stride.





LEG STRETCHER:   see SPREADER BAR.



LEGREE WHIP:
a type of punishment whip used for striking.  It is a modified version of the signal whip, in which the end of the whip remains unbraided, finished with a small Turk's head knot.  Its name is believed to have come from the villainous character Simon Legree in the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Signal whips and Legree whips do not have a fall.





LESSER:
an uncommon term for a submissive, to mean a person that is "less than" in stature than a superior dominant or top.  Many people in the BDSM realm hold the belief that a dominant holds a superior rank in certain BDSM play dynamics but is not actually a superior person to the submissive due to her/his role.  Which is probably why the term lesser is not common.



LGBT or LGBTQIA+:
an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.  A blanket term used to describe all who consider themselves homosexual.  The letter “Q” has been added to the acronym to stand for queer or questioning individuals.  The “I” and the “A” have been added to mean intersex and asexual.  The plus symbol has been added to stand for all other identities not encompassed in the acronym.



LIBERTINE:
a late 18th century term that is still used today for a person who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility in sexual matters; a person who rejects accepted opinions in matters of sex and religion.  A freethinker.



LIFESTYLE:
a loose term for a BDSM subculture or community.  Pertaining to persons involved in BDSM practices.  The alternative lifestyle that is BDSM.



LIFESTYLE D/s or LIFESTYLER:
a term for those who engage in BDSM often and consider themselves an ongoing active participant in BDSM play, BDSM performance and/or a member of the BDSM community.  It is also a term for those engaged in BDSM continuous role-play.

See TWENTY-FOUR-SEVEN (24/7).



LIGHT WHIP:   see FIBER OPTIC FLOGGER.



LIMIT:
a boundary that a person may set forth for a dominant to follow.  Limits are often defined as either a soft limit or a hard limit.  A soft limit is often seen as a limit that the submissive deems flexible and that may change over time.  A hard limit is a limit that may never be crossed under any circumstances.  Often, confusion between soft limits and hard limits ensue.  BDSM is supposed to offer a safe and controlled environment in which a person can test her/his limits and boundaries.  A safe approach to this is for a dominant to never cross any limit set forth by a submissive, either hard or soft, without permission from the submissive.  It should be very clearly stated exactly what is considered a soft limit or hard limit.  A dominant should always be respectful of all limits.

See related HARD LIMIT.



LITTLE:
one who takes the role of younger person in age play, the submissive.



LITTLE PLAY:   see AGE PLAY.



LIVING DOLL:   see DOLLIFICATION.



LORD:
a title for a male dominant.  Often used for the dominant's title when the title lady is used to describe the submissive in the relationship.



LPS or LITTLE PAINFUL SNAP:
any device used for impact play by laying the device on the skin, pulling back one end of the device, and then releasing it to snap the skin, causing stinging pain.  For example: a credit card, rubber band, wooden tongue depressor, or plastic spoon.



LUBRICANT:
a slippery, liquid substance used to lessen friction during sexual penetration.  Some non-water-based lubricants are not meant to be used with latex and can weaken a latex condom.  It is also a term used for a silicone oil substance that is put on latex fetish wear.



LUNGE WHIP:
a specific type of whip originally designed to strike a horse.  It consists of a long, flexible shaft with a single, long lash.  Similar to a buggy whip that has a short, single lash.

See related BUGGY WHIP.










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