Spacer lexicon and glossary
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:00 pm
I've been jotting down ideas about the collected Goat Soup-fuelled (mis)adventures of Captain Hesperus and I've been thinking. Most groups have a language of their own, the armies, navies and airforces of the world have their own phrases and words that they use, as do civilian groups such as bikers, truck drivers and the Chavs on the streets (innit?). So why not the traders, grifters and heroes of Oolite/Elite?
Here's a few nicknames and words I've thought up, feel free to laugh at/add to/randomly ignore them:
SHIPS
Annie - Anaconda
Airplane - Adder, due to it's atmospheric flight function
B squared - Boa Class Cruiser (B2)
Cobbie 1 or 3 - Cobra Mark I or Mark III respectively
Flying Fish - Moray Starboat
Potbelly - Python
Space Tree - Fer-de-Lance, due to the large amount of wood panels used in it's interior
Trader Trailers - Sidewinders, due to their common use as trader escorts.
V's - Vipers, due in part to their shape, but also for the formation that squadrons fly in.
OTHER TERMS
Bird/Eagle - An Elite-rated pilot, due to the winged Pip on their flight attire. The former term is generally an insult, the latter a compliment.
Blackside - Space, as in the phrase 'See you (on the) Blackside'.
Black Trader - an individual who only trades in illegal goods.
Box - Passenger Cabin or crew quarters.
Brick - A well-shielded/armoured ship.
Bug - Thargoid, see also 'Goid.
Bugbaiter- A pilot who purposely misjumps into Witchspace to fight Thargoids for bounty or Elite rating.
Bugfood - An unsuccessful Bugbaiter.
Cow - A ship which is slow to manoeuvre.
Crap shovel - Fuel scoops, most specifically when used to scoop cargo or other materials.
Credit-crammer - A derogatory term for a trader who puts his profits before crew and ship.
Deathtrap - A ship that is decrepit to the point of being dangerous to her own crew.
Glammer - Anyone guilty of Glamour.
Glamour - Any object added to a ship for no apparent use other than extravagance or appearances. Also the term for a ship so modified, i.e. 'I'm docked next to a real Glamour. What an eyesore!".
'Goid - See Bug.
Goidson - General insult, i.e. 'That 'Goidson shot my partner. Before I got the chance!' (attrib. to Drew Wagar)
Money-bunny - A bounty hunter, especially those who only go after criminals with large bounties on their heads.
Pipper - General term for any pilot rated between Mostly Harmless and Deadly.
Pips - Elite Rating badges, made of 24kt gold and issued to pilots by the FEP, and worn by habit on the breast or collar of flight attire by any self-respecting Spacer
Plant Room - Engineering section/Engine room.
Prang - An accidental impact with another space-bound object.
Rub - An intentional impact with another space-bound object.
Shell/Skin - Outer hull plating.
Stard - Derogatory term, the caller casts doubt upon the legitimacy of the subject's parents' marital status.
Sun-running - Witchspacing to a system and going directly to the sun to re-fuel and then Witchspacing out, ignoring the station completely.
Captain Hesperus - a well-known credit-cramming Black Trader stard who flies a deathtrap Potbelly.
Here's a few nicknames and words I've thought up, feel free to laugh at/add to/randomly ignore them:
SHIPS
Annie - Anaconda
Airplane - Adder, due to it's atmospheric flight function
B squared - Boa Class Cruiser (B2)
Cobbie 1 or 3 - Cobra Mark I or Mark III respectively
Flying Fish - Moray Starboat
Potbelly - Python
Space Tree - Fer-de-Lance, due to the large amount of wood panels used in it's interior
Trader Trailers - Sidewinders, due to their common use as trader escorts.
V's - Vipers, due in part to their shape, but also for the formation that squadrons fly in.
OTHER TERMS
Bird/Eagle - An Elite-rated pilot, due to the winged Pip on their flight attire. The former term is generally an insult, the latter a compliment.
Blackside - Space, as in the phrase 'See you (on the) Blackside'.
Black Trader - an individual who only trades in illegal goods.
Box - Passenger Cabin or crew quarters.
Brick - A well-shielded/armoured ship.
Bug - Thargoid, see also 'Goid.
Bugbaiter- A pilot who purposely misjumps into Witchspace to fight Thargoids for bounty or Elite rating.
Bugfood - An unsuccessful Bugbaiter.
Cow - A ship which is slow to manoeuvre.
Crap shovel - Fuel scoops, most specifically when used to scoop cargo or other materials.
Credit-crammer - A derogatory term for a trader who puts his profits before crew and ship.
Deathtrap - A ship that is decrepit to the point of being dangerous to her own crew.
Glammer - Anyone guilty of Glamour.
Glamour - Any object added to a ship for no apparent use other than extravagance or appearances. Also the term for a ship so modified, i.e. 'I'm docked next to a real Glamour. What an eyesore!".
'Goid - See Bug.
Goidson - General insult, i.e. 'That 'Goidson shot my partner. Before I got the chance!' (attrib. to Drew Wagar)
Money-bunny - A bounty hunter, especially those who only go after criminals with large bounties on their heads.
Pipper - General term for any pilot rated between Mostly Harmless and Deadly.
Pips - Elite Rating badges, made of 24kt gold and issued to pilots by the FEP, and worn by habit on the breast or collar of flight attire by any self-respecting Spacer
Plant Room - Engineering section/Engine room.
Prang - An accidental impact with another space-bound object.
Rub - An intentional impact with another space-bound object.
Shell/Skin - Outer hull plating.
Stard - Derogatory term, the caller casts doubt upon the legitimacy of the subject's parents' marital status.
Sun-running - Witchspacing to a system and going directly to the sun to re-fuel and then Witchspacing out, ignoring the station completely.
Captain Hesperus - a well-known credit-cramming Black Trader stard who flies a deathtrap Potbelly.