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The phrase wolf ticket is a corruption of woof ticket, and also known as a wuf ticket, is an African American slang expression for the practice of verbal intimidation, "sellin' (or passin' out) woof tickets," that was misinterpreted. Over time, the misnomer has become accepted terminology in some quarters.
Woofing (woofin')," like "signifyin" and "talkin' trash," is part of the African American oral tradition. The term is derived from the onomatopoeic expression of the sound of, for instance, a junkyard dog barking to ward off potential intruders.
"Selling wolf tickets" is the act of engaging in threatening or intimidating verbal aggression, usually without the intent of doing actual physical harm. In West African and African-American cultures, verbal sparring and physical displays traditionally were employed as proxies for physical violence to preserve life and maintain peace and order. Woofin' also can be a means of "calling someone out," of challenging an opponent to a verbal or physical match.
Examples of use:
"You aint sellin' no woof tickets over here Kansas City (Mac)." Bill Cosby in the film Let's Do It Again.
"I don't believe the hype or buy wolf tickets..." Xzibit from the song "Paparazzi"
"Don't come around sellin' no woof tickets 'cause I will sure 'nuff buy 'em ". Trunk Murphy.
“Well I pulled on trouble's braids and I hid in the briars out by the quick mud stayin' away from the main roads passin' out wolf tickets...“ Tom Waits, from the song "Trouble’s Braids"
"Niggaz be sellin mo' wolf tickets than fake autographs on eBay" E-40, from the song "They Might Be Taping"
"Lester Freamon is not in the habit of selling woof tickets." Cedric Daniels to William Rawls in the fourth season of the The Wire
See also
Selling "Wolf Tickets" likely originated from the Aesop' Fable: "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is the story of a little boy who continuously falsely told the village he'd seen a wolf just so he get attention. Eventually, no one believed him. One day he cried wolf, but a wolf really appeared. He was devoured because no one came to his assistance. In the African American tradition, to sell "Wolf Tickets" is the practice of bluffing or faking as though one can or will back up his or her threats. Essentially, the person selling the "Wolf Tickets" pretends he is the "Big Bad Wolf," a character from other Aesop's Fables. The art of selling "Wolf Tickets" is perfected when one convinces the target that he can and will back up his or her threats. Like in the game of poker, when the target calls or cashes in on the bluffer's "Wolf Ticket" it simply means that the target is accepting the challenge or calling the bluff, which means that the person who is bluffing is forced to fight or back down.
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