What do the call it in Traveller?

[mbrinkhues]

Today we call the sea "Davy Jones Locker", death is known as "Brother Hein", Space as "The final frontier" and a slightly brain-dead cowboy-captain as a "Kirk-baby". Seeman go by "Seelords" and "Tar(Jacket)", Pirats by "Seawolves" and "Corsairs"

What will they call the equivalents in Traveller? What slang did you use/develop?

 

[Blue Ghost]

We call Vargrs "dogs" in my old gaming group.

We used "spaced" a lot to describe what we'd like to do with enemy-X.

Can't think of much else.

 

[Icosahedron]

I've used 'the big sky' and 'wide black yonder' for space, and 'going aloft' or 'going upstairs' for lift off. (upstairs specifically refers to orbit)

'Jump-fright' is a condition affecting many first-timers when they realise they are stuck for the next seven days in what amounts to a pocket-universe.

'Dirtside' is in common use for a planet surface.

I don't think you need any more words for death - we have enough ways to describe a dead parrot!

 

[aramis]

"The Big Nothin'," "The Big Black": Deep space. (defining deep space is elusive. I prefer beyond 1mm/s/s and within the heliopause.)

"Joes" and "Joeys": Zhodani.

"Wikingr Vargr": Vargr Corsairs. (From old norse... for wandering/exploring/raiding wolves... too many SCAdians.)

"Long Walk": Spacing

"big step": dropping from beyond orbit.

"Vacuum Flowers": Missed shots with meson guns.

 

[mbrinkhues]

Originally posted by Icosahedron:
I've used 'the big sky' and 'wide black yonder' for space, and 'going aloft' or 'going upstairs' for lift off. (upstairs specifically refers to orbit)

'Jump-fright' is a condition affecting many first-timers when they realise they are stuck for the next seven days in what amounts to a pocket-universe.

'Dirtside' is in common use for a planet surface.

I don't think you need any more words for death - we have enough ways to describe a dead parrot!

I simply liked the scene in Stargate where the Colonel describes his aproaching death(1) in a long monologue using all the terms for "dying".

Almost as good as the "Armagedon" or "StarWars" stories in Season 4 and 7.


(1) When he "did it again" being infected by Antican mind control technologie

 

[Black Globe Generator]

"Gone down the well": on a planet surface (i.e., at the bottom of a gravity well) - Belter slang, usually used disparagingly ("Luuruud's gone down the well." "Tssch! The guy couldn't find iron with a magnet.").

 

[Gnusam Netor]

Originally posted by Aramis:

"Wikingr Vargr": Vargr Corsairs. (From old norse... for wandering/exploring/raiding wolves... too many SCAdians.)

we modern scandinavians prefer "viking"...
not that you care ofcourse, but i tell you anyway.

actually "varg-vikingar" (wolf-pirates/traders) would sound even better to me, but if i have my old eastern norse correct, "vikingir vargir" (possibly: vargir vikingir) would probably be what they said.
But then again i don't think the scandinavians a 1000 years ago used "varg" for wolf, but rather "ulv" (which if you think about it sounds abit like the modern english word "wolf").

A variant could be
"Vikingir Vargir" ->
vv ->
W ->
"double u's" for vargr pirates

ETA:
funny thing. I just read on wiki that "warg" means something like "large demonic wolf" in english, while "wolf" is the mundane grey "doggie". It is the other way in swedish with "ulv" and "varg".

 

[aramis]

My "norse" is limited to a few words, and remembering that the R rune is pronounced SH, and turns a verb into a noun, with the rough addition to meaning of "that which ___'s" or "Those who ____".


Also, the rune used can be pronounced as either a W or a V; it's a dialectical issue, and possibly also a time-issue. I've only seen indications for w pre-1000.

 

[Bob Weaver]

A few terms from my TU:

Dropping- Landing on a planet. Hanging refers to a stationary orbit. It can also mean completing a task.

The Dark- space in general. The Big Dark is interstellar space, or death; since getting stuck in the Big Dark usually means death.

In Dock- in trouble, often with a superior.

"levers and knobs'- a disparaging term for any technology inferior to one's own, or a society that uses said technology.

Muddies- planet-dwellers, usually of low-tech agricultural worlds

Gnomes- planet-dwellers in subterrainian cities
Bubblies- planet-dwellers in sealed/domed cities

Jumpers- people/planets with jump technology; hi-tech worlds generally

The Ride- the spacer life, or space travel

Specters- hijackers or thieves aboard a commercial ship

Drains- sources of high gravity. Black holes are
called Big drains. The term can also be used as a synonym for "sucks".

Just a few odd bits. I've also taken to using a slang term from Firefly- "shiny".

Best Regards,

Bob