Slang And Colloquialisms

This is a list of common slang terms used across the Six Kingdoms, with Kingdom-specific or -originated slang noted.

General Estuan Slang

These words are used across all the Six Kingdoms:

brailhead : noun. An insult popular among galdori students. It's not a light insult, it's quite offensive for a galdor to be called a brailhead. Ascribes recklessness, idiocy and incompetence to the insulted person. One deserving of the backlash that'll result from brailing. Someone who'd therefore be unreliable in chorus spellcasting etc.

civs/civvies: Refers to all humans, excluding members of the human resistance. Can also be used to refer to stationary wicks, or tsats.

gollies: Slang for "galdori". A single galdor can be called a "golly." A similar term, "gollymancer," refers to a student who has not yet picked a profession, but is instead focused on improving his status among the magical hierarchy. It is not a pejorative word; the galdori often refer to their own race as "gollies."

goney: A greenhorn or weakling.

guttered, sloshed, whacked, sunk: Drunk.

halfsies, imbali, scraps: Slang words for passive galdori. Halfsie is more common, and is considered only a mild racial slur, though humans rarely use it offensively. "Imbali" is a Mugrobi term meaning "unable." Scrap is considered the most offensive.

knackered, spun out: Tired.

mites: Used by the upper form students at Brunnhold for the youngest students, the ten and eleven year olds. It's not derogatory, and may even if used with some affectionate overtones. Example : The mites look lost, let's see where they are supposed to be.

moony: Crazy or silly; unbalanced. The moon is the aspect of Alioe and is thought to bring about religious fervor, distracting those sensitive to it.

plowfoot: A rude term for humans, generally only used by galdori. It refers to the typically larger feet of humans.

plum, bang: Very. As in "plum knackered" or "bang moony."

rum, clean: Good. As in "Clean job you did there!"

scorenight: A phrase used to describe two weeks' time or twenty days.

spokes: Nomadic wicks.

toffins: Distinguished gentlemen or ladies; members of high society.

Anaxi-Specific Slang

For Brunnhold students:

bee-eater: used to refer to a person doing something gauche or classless, owing to a mistaken conception among Brunnhold students that local humans eat bees. The origins of this belief are unknown, but are believed to be a prank by a local human on a student researcher.

For everyone else:

Clock slang is very popular in Anaxas, and is used by all races equally. There is an element of religious sacrilege in it, as time is sacred. The following slang terms range in severity from mild (usable in polite company) to severe (impolite even in the rougest of settings). "chimes!" (or "bells!" or "bells and chimes!"): A mild expression of surprise. Like "Chimes, look what time it is!"

clocking: A typical phrase to express exasperation. Examples: "Clocking hell!" "What the clock?" "Clock out!" Varies in strength depending on the tone and context.

"Good Lady!": Used to express surprise, disbelief or frustration. (Refers to Alioe.)

stop-clocker: Essentially refers to someone who is so stupid or vile that clocks literally stop around him. Relatively harsh.

tocks: Similar to "oh, fiddlesticks!" Very mild swear.

ticks: Used in the expression "You scared the ticks out of me!" Slightly bawdy.

tick it: Similar to "screw it"; slightly more obscene.

Bastian-Specific Slang

By Her fearful symmetry, by Her deadly terrors: powerful Bastian oaths/swears, indicating that the speaker intends to follow through of what they say; also suffices as a threat. As an example: "If you don’t striping shut up, by Her fearful symmetry..."

Stripe it, striping: phrases meant to express exasperation, the Bastian tiger-based equivalent of clock slang

Mugrobi-Specific Slang

bottom of the spice pack: An expression meaning that someone is on the bottom rung of something. "Top of the spice pack" is used to mean someone is successful or important. This phrase stems from the Mugrobi spice trade, where traders keep their more expensive spices and herbs near the top of their pack so they do not become crushed by the other spices.

cracked the water barrel: someone/something has. Expression of Mugrobi origin, referencing the importance of water in the desert based culture, and also the God Hulali. Thus a cracked water vessel is irreverent, leading to waste. As such the expression has come to mean

• a regrettable accident at best
• wilful destruction at worst
• a right mess in any case

deckhead n. - A slang term of Mugrobi origin, typically for those who drink too much and end up on the deck of the river-boats face down in their own vomit. Colloquially, a drunkard or, more specifically, a lecherous drunkard.

Drown it all! an expression of very strong frustration or anger, whoever is shouting this is rather unhappy. Other variations on drown are used similarly to flood.

flood, flood it, flooding: used in a similar fashion to Anaxi clock slang, many variations of the use of flood to express exasperation, frustration, and a desire to wash everything in sight away are used by Mugs

Hulali floats... and he drowns. Idiom. Used by Mugrobi traders, it’s akin to “the Lord gives and he takes away.” Usually, only the first part is used when something is going well, often expressed as an exclamation. “Hulali floats!” The whole phrase is often used when warning someone that thinks they are untouchable or infallible, such as a trader who thinks his supply will always fulfill the demand. It’s a cautionary phrase here. “My route is quite fortuitous!” “Hulali floats, and he drowns.”

Hulali's tits! - Mugrobi swear, similar to "godsdammit!"

The wind leaps in my heart - A Mugrobi phrase which is the equivalent of 'butterflies in the stomach.' In Mugrobi, it is written as "eyo’xaw i’xupo."

leirabumps - The Mugrobi term for tiny bumps on the surface of the skin caused by involuntary muscle contractions at the base of each hair, known elsewhere as goosebumps or gooseflesh.

Curses, Exclamations, and Expletives

begads!: "By the gods!" It is used like the archaic "Zounds!".

close your head: "Shut up."

erse: Slang for "ass," derogatory: "You're an erse."

havakda!: A Tek curse meaning "away with you!".

lugger: A stupid person; the term implies that the subject is a beast of burden.

No shit, Balderick!: A phrase coined from the popular Balderick Tales, due to the unquestionable smarts of the character. Intended as a sarcastic stab at someone who says something that is blatantly obvious.

poxy: Diseased, filthy, or run-down.

sack it!: Synonymous to "screw it!"

tow-head: A mildly rude term for a fair-haired person. It is used a little bit like "chowderhead." Blondes are uncommon among the Vitan people and are perceived as less intelligent.

vrunta!: A Tek curse.

Underworld Slang

This slang is used by the criminal underground and the human resistance.

ace, pug, cadet: A member of the human resistance, a freedom fighter.

betty: A lockpick.

blackback: A chrove; also refers to riding chroven.

cold, all bent, bobbing: Dead.

dobby: Likely to become an informant; untrustworthy. The word "dob" comes from Tek. An informant is called a "dobber."

easy lift: An easy target for robbery. Also refers to a prostitute in certain context.

flexing his neck, walking tall: Enjoying his freedom - implies that the person is a "dead man walking" and will soon come to a messy end, or that a person is pushing his luck, tempting fate or angering those in power.

gunner, dragoon: A member of the human resistance; specifically someone trained in heavy warfare, not espionage.

hard bite: A man you shouldn't mess with: "Silas Hawke's a hard bite."

having a little chat: Fighting, or perhaps assassinating another.

hut, tent, second home: A hideout or secret headquarters.

in the pen, staying over, on holiday: In jail.

jingle, squares: Money, specifically overworld money.

mark, spot: Target of a crime.

nice guy: One who will heal the injuries of, or provide temporary asylum to, freedom fighters.

off the path: On the run from the law; gone missing.

old-timer, oldster: A seasoned freedom fighter, generally high up and "in the know".

pennies, birds: Underworld money. This money is only good among criminals and affiliates of Silas Hawke. The coins are round, copper, and stamped with a hawk's head. (See Money)

playtime: Time to make one's move; the moment when the job begins.

plebe, freshie: A new recruit.

points: Knives, swords or claws - anything long and sharp.

poppy, pappa, stick, tar: Opium.

sap: Blood.

scragged, racked: Murdered.

sparklies, voo, parlor tricks, poetry, jibber: Words to describe magic.

Stacks special: A bottle of alcohol with a rag stuffed into the top, to be lit aflame and tossed. A cheap and effective weapon from the air.

tallyboy: A criminal who will do cheap, quick jobs.

uncle, auntie: Male and female members of The Seventen, respectively. "Two uncles patrolling the South Side on blackback."

well-lit: Legit, non-criminal.