Basic firefly slang

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Basic Rim World Speech

Truncate the "g" for "ing" words. ("Schoolin'")

Pepper with slang adjectives.

Double negatives. ("It don't mean nothin' out here.")

Using odd words and word forms in phrases.

Use "don't" instead of "doesn't".

Ain't.

Odd words: druther, yonder, dang, plumb, right smart.

Prefixing on "-ing" ("a-runnin'")

No -ly pn adverbs. ("She described the plan real simple. That job's awful hard to do.")

Subject and Verb don't match. ("We was goin' there. He got none of that.")

Malformed verbs. ("He growed up real good. He come by her last night. I seen it with my own eyes. He done run off again.")

A Few Examples

• --"Looks like we got us some imminent violence."
• --"We got no short of ugly ridin' in on us."
• --"I'm just feeling kind of truthsome right now."
• --"We're in some peril here."
• --"We just need a small crew, them as feel the need to be free."
• --"This here's a recipe for unpleasantness."
• --"I'm shocked my own self."
• --"We'll be there directly."
• --"But she does have an oddness to her."

Slang: Frontier Life

• All-fired - completely. (ex. "Where'd she go gettin' all-fired jealous 'bout this?")
• Awful, Dreadful, Mighty, Plumb, Powerful - very, really, or other adjectives for emphasis (ex. "Gettin' awful crowded in my sky.")
• Bang-up - great. (ex. "They did a bang-up job.")
• Bughouse - a mental hospital.
• Git - go away.
• Peck - A large amount.
• Preacher - anyone religious.
• Ornery - stubborn, not passive.
• Run afoul - to get into trouble.
• Shindig - a party, usually with dancing.
• Shiny - good or valuable. (can also be used as an exclamation. For example, "That's just shiny!")
• Size someone up - judge how tough they are or what their intentions might be.
• Tetchy - sensitive or complaining.

Slang: Spacefaring

• Atmo - atmosphere, as in to "leave atmo."
• The black - space
• Clean your housing - to give a thorough beating (as in a spaceship's engine housing)
• Feds, Federals - Members of the Alliance, its military, law enforcement, or functionaries.
• Go to blackout - shut down power on the ship to avoid detection.
• On the drift - in space without fuel, unable to travel.
• Reavers - madmen who live on the edges of civilized space, flying dangerous ships and preying on other space vessels.
• The Rim - frontier planets, not the core.
• The 'Verse - inhabited space or the universe.
• Being buzzed - sensors from another ship are actively sweeping you.

Slang: Underworld

• Doxy - prostitute.
• Drops - illegal, addictive, narcotic drugs.
• Second story job - breaking and entering robbery.
• Scratch - valuables.
• The goods - loot.
• Went south - problems appeared, the plan fell apart.
• Tonic - amateur or illegal alcoholic drink.
• Bushwhack - ambush.
• Footpad - pickpocket thief in a town.
• Hornswoggle - to trick someone.
• On the dodge - wanted by the police.

Slang: Technical

• Advocate - a lawyer.
• Cortex - wide-spread information network.
• Genseed - genetically engineered crop seeds used on freshly terraformed worlds.
• Skyplex - orbital city or space station.
• Wave - a communication: text, audio, video, or holographic.