| Term/Phrase |
Meaning |
| Ace-high |
First class, respected. |
| Baka |
An idiot. Derogatory. From Japanese. |
| Barkin' at a knot |
Doing something useless; wasting your time. |
| Blue suit |
A Terran, particularly a member of the Federal Forces. Referencing the TFF uniform. |
| Brutal |
An expletive. Both positive and negative. |
| Burn powder |
Fire a gun. |
| Buzzkill |
A person who spoils the fun or enthusiasm of others. |
| Catching the Ghost |
A situation highly unlikely to happen. Referencing the Ghost, the infamous chip jockey whom law enforcement agencies across the Known Sphere have been unsuccessfully pursuing for more than two decades. |
| Chibi |
A child or small person. Can be derogatory. From Japanese. |
| Chip Jockey |
A computer hacker/programmer/engineer. |
| Circled Stars, The |
The Republic of Akasha. Derived from the national flag. |
| Chommalo |
An exclamnation, usually negative. From Korean. |
| Clovers |
Good luck! |
| Coffee Boiler |
Shirker, lazy person. (i.e., someone who would rather sit around the coffee pot than help) |
| Cool beans |
Alright, okay. |
| Crowbait |
Someone likely to die. |
| Double Eagle, The |
The Terran Military Order. Derived from the national flag. |
| Eggs in the coffee |
Easy, a piece of cake, okay, all right. |
| El fuego (or Fuego) |
Hot! (lit. "fire"). From Spanish. |
| Es es |
It is what it is. From Spanish. |
| Faced |
Short for "red faced." To be humiliated, especially in public. |
| Fed |
A Terran, particularly a member of the Federal Forces. |
| Federal |
1) Terran military; 2) A Terran, particularly a member of the Federal Forces. |
| Feichang |
Very. From Mandarin Chinese. |
| Fine as cream gravy |
Very good, top notch. |
| Firewater |
A distilled alcoholic drink (e.g., whisky, brandy, gin, etc.). |
| F.O.B. |
A clueless and/or naive person. Short for "fresh off the boat." |
| Footman |
Infantry. |
| Great Lion, The |
The Federation of Corvia. Derived from the national flag. |
| Greyback |
An Akashan, particularly a member of the Armed Forces of Akasha. Referencing the AFA uniform. |
| Grok |
To understand. |
| Grue |
An unknown, sinister and/or lurking horror, usually in the dark. |
| G.T.W.S. |
Gone To Wild Space.
A common expression in use during and after the Second Unification War. People would find the letters G.T.W.S. carved into their doors, left by a kin. Many outlaws went to Wild Space. |
| Gunsel |
A person with limited knowledge of space cowboy ways. Usually used as a derogatory term. |
| H & M |
Short for "High and Mighty." 1) Anyone with a condescending and haughty attitude; 2) A Corvian Aristocrat. |
| Heater |
A pistol. |
| Hospital Rat |
Someone who fakes an illness, particularly to avoid combat. |
| Indig |
Short for "indigenous." The native people of a place. Slightly derogatory. |
| Jäger (or Jäg) |
Pronounced "Yeager" (or "Yeag"). A bounty hunter. From the German word for "hunter." |
| Janus |
Two-faced, sneaky. |
| Jiang Hu |
The criminal underworld in general, or the society of gangsters in particular. From Chinese. |
| JJE |
Short for "Judge, Jury, and Executioner". A vigilante. |
| Joytoy/boy/girl |
A prostitute. |
| Kuai |
A vernacular term for a Megacorporation Credit. From Mandarin Chinese. |
| Kvetch |
To complain. From Yiddish. |
| Loushang |
In space (lit. "upstairs"). From Mandarin Chinese. |
| Louxia |
Planetside (lit. "downstairs"). From Mandarin Chinese. |
| Ludwig Van |
1) A genius (when referring to a person); 2) A masterpiece (when referring to a creation). Referencing the eponymous German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). |
| Mai Dan |
Let's go, let's get out of here (lit. "check, please"). From Cantonese Chinese. |
| Meet the Boatman |
To die. Refers to Charon the Ferryman from Greek mythology. |
| Mister Kobayashi |
An anonymous employer. |
| Mitzvah |
An act of human kindness. From Hebrew. |
| Mo chuisle |
A shortened version of "A Chuisle mo Chroí", meaning "Pulse of my heart". A term of endearment. From Irish Gaelic. |
| Money Mill |
A Megacorp. |
| Old States, The |
The Core Systems |
| Orbit |
The extent of one's interest or awareness. |
| Pi Lang |
A bad, meanspirited and/or malicious person. From Hokkien Chinese. |
| Pie on the face |
To be embarrassed. |
| Pissing into the Wind |
A counterproductive activity. |
| P'n'V |
Short for "Full of piss and vinegar." A hot-headed and/or irascible person. |
| Poster Boy/Girl |
Someone with a bounty on their head. |
| Prole |
A poor person. Short for "proletariat." |
| Rad |
A friend. Short for "comrade." |
| Rebel (or Reb) |
An Akashan. |
| Ride |
1) To go; 2) To adventure. |
| Runner |
Someone involved in illicit activity, an outlaw. Short for "on the run from the law." |
| Sawbones |
A medical doctor. |
| Sent to London |
Someone on the downside of her career/life. |
| Separatist (or Sep) |
A Corvian. |
| Shinderu |
Dead. From Japanese. |
| Show the High Hat |
To act condescending/superior towards another. |
| Soo Da Ne |
You are correct. From Japanese. |
| Spiff |
A heroic person, esp. one facing great odds. |
| Splat |
To kill, especially in a violent way. |
| Steel |
Weapons, particularly guns. |
| Strong enough to float a colt |
Something particularly strong/bitter/powerful. |
| Takeaway |
The result or product. |
| Terp |
A Terran. |
| Tinman |
A Mobile Armor. |
| Voodoo |
Strange, bizarre, mysterious. Referencing the ancestor-based religious tradition originally from Western Africa, and also practiced in parts of the Caribbean. |
| Xiao Xin |
Be careful (lit. "small heart"). From Mandarin Chinese. |
| Yaga |
A crazy and/or mysterious old person. Referencing the eponymous witch from Russian folklore, Baba Yaga. |
| Yokai |
Let's do it. |
| Yonderboy/girl |
A spacer. |
