N.B.: All the usual swearwords and slang terms are part of the TRIBES Universe. However, the Tribes of Man have their own particular slang and cusswords for those who wish to avoid "real world" swearing.
Ayia: Emphasis word, usually added at the end of a sentence. (“Should be easy, ayia?”) Also used as an exclamation. (“Ayia! They’ve got us pinned!”) Also an affirmation, like sure, OK, yeah. (“Ayia, I can do that.”)
Battle-rattle: Powered armor.
Bitch, The: Vulgar term for the Great Wolf. Strangely enough, it’s a uniquely Starwolf term rarely used by other tribes.
Bleed, The: Slang term for the “command circuit” used in powered armors.
Butchers, butcherboys: Blood Eagle.
Carps, crabs, redboots, stickers: Blood Eagle security (Order of the Cardinal Spear).
Catchers: Counter-Intel or border security agents with the power to arrest.
CC: Command Circuit, also term for “Roger, acknowledged.”
Clunkers: Hercs.
Cube, cubed: Cool, or a lot. (“That’s totally cube.” “There were butcherboys cubed all over the plaza.”)Comes from the mathematical term to cube a property, e.g., 23.
Cube that: Affirmation, sure, OK, absolutely.
Cut an eagle: Finish things with finality.
Gate: To use a jumpgate.
Hop, Hopper: Medium (hoplite) armor. Also used to mean movement in armor using the on-board jets, e.g., “Ferox, you and Chill hop over to the ridgeline and scan the far side.”
Hunchin’: Cussword. Vulgar, vaguely sexual epithet used as an adjective/adverb.
Hypercast: A reference to the radio arrays that beam signals through jumpgates, the most common form of interstellar communication. Also called “hype,” as in “we hyped the message to Bira Marduk.”
Jimmies, the Juma, pathcops, pure-pukes: Diamond Sword security (from Junshin-Masamichi, the “Correct Path to Purity.”).
Lac: (1) Short for “Neolac,” the dialect of Cantonese-influenced Anglic spoken in the wilderzone. (2) A vaguely great number, such as “a lac of sheks.”
Lice: General term for Imperial military. Said to be an ancient insult.
Mock the wolf to her face: Do something foolish.
Newblood: Newbie warrior.
Pop: Kill.
Popjell: What's left of a body after a mortar or direct spinfusor hit.
Q-Reed: FTL communication device, the “quantum reed.” Also “squirt.”
Scan: OK, to check stuff out, to understand, e.g., “I scan you, brother,” or “It scans fine,” or just “Scan.”
Scrof, scroffing: General-purpose swearword. Comes from skin pustules some settlers got from alien microorganisms.
Sharp: Good, ready, prepared. Originally "when the knife is sharp enough, you cut," this expression has shortened drastically. Sometimes used as an mild cussword.
Sheks: Money, cash. From “shekels,” the unit of currency used in the wilderzone.
Shell: Powered armor. Also known as “hardshell,” “armor,” or simply “suit.”
Skads, SVD, the Clap: Starwolf security (from Skaduvarg Directorate). Skaduvarg means “Shadow Wolf” in an Old Terran dialect. However, some say it stands for “Security and Counter-Intel Directorate and Variance Guardians.”
Slug: Heavy (myrmidon armor).
Slide, spin: To travel to another star.
Squik: Kill. An ancient term said to have been coined by Harabec himself. That's why it's still around. Also a universal swearword.
Starkissin’: Cussword. Mild, the equivalent to “darn.” Bad, lousy, or awesome, depending on context. Also sometimes used as a mild emphasis.
Stinksuit: The skintight layer of entek-impregnated clothing commonly worn under a powered armor to recycle bodily fluids and prevent chafing.
String, stringing: To travel the Hyperweb’s “strings.” Usually used by tribal stringers. Also known as “threading.”
Synner(s): Synthrall(s).
Talking to a sword: Doing something pointless.
Threadbare: Isolated, no way out, not many options. (“Situation’s threadbare, sir!”)
Tin, tinny: Light (peltast) armor.
When Phoenix wakes: When Hell freezes over. With more devout tribes, however, this means “when the reckoning comes.”
Wings, EGV, the Vuur, e-gees, flappers, hotbirds: Children of Phoenix security (from Erényr Gondanokos Vuur). The name is said to mean “Bright Guardians of Virtue.” The nickname “wings” comes from the winged badges carried by EGV personnel.