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spectru

Posted 2014-08-29 1:58 PM (#8380)
Subject: SF slang

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Location: Fort Myers, Florida USA

I'm reading John Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar in which Brunner uses a lot of made-up slang, e.g. Afram, shiggies, not worth a pint of whale dreck, etc,etc,etc. A Clockwork Orange is famous for it's slang. (It includes a glossary.) Even Asimov's characters use 'space' as an expletive. Grok from Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land has almost entered common usage.

I looked in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and the Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction and whatever else Google could turn up. I found lots of definitions for terms referring to science fictional devices and concepts, but no glossary for SF slang. Occasionally a word is defined in a book but there are lots of SF slang words for which we learn the meaning from context. I can find no general glossary.

Does anybody know of a glossary of SF slang?

If there isn't one, what a great project!

Administrator

Posted 2014-09-05 7:46 PM (#8442 - in reply to #8380)
Subject: RE: SF slang

Admin

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Location: Dallas, Texas

spectru - 2014-08-29 1:58 PM I'm reading John Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar in which Brunner uses a lot of made-up slang, e.g. Afram, shiggies, not worth a pint of whale dreck, etc,etc,etc. A Clockwork Orange is famous for it's slang. (It includes a glossary.) Even Asimov's characters use 'space' as an expletive. Grok from Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land has almost entered common usage. I looked in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and the Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction and whatever else Google could turn up. I found lots of definitions for terms referring to science fictional devices and concepts, but no glossary for SF slang. Occasionally a word is defined in a book but there are lots of SF slang words for which we learn the meaning from context. I can find no general glossary. Does anybody know of a glossary of SF slang? If there isn't one, what a great project!

I don't know of a really compete one but I found this one some time ago and it's a bit of fun:

Swearwords of Science Fiction and Fantasy

It's got slang from books, TV and movies. It's frelling fantastic!

Deven Science

Posted 2015-09-02 12:57 PM (#11267 - in reply to #8380)
Subject: Re: SF slang

Uber User

Posts: 201
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Location: Sacramento, California

This is actually a great discussion subject. One sees it on TV often, because of course, it's a way to get around the censors. The "frak" of BSG. Firefly's many Chinese inspired curses such as "gorram."

It's a bit tougher to think of slang words in books off the top of my head, though, other than the obvious previously mentioned A Clockwork Orange. Grok was a great call, as well. I will occasionally tell people, "I am only an egg," which has never been identified once to this day. Ooh! Right before I hit submit, the Hitchhikers series came to mind. Frood, hoopy, and many other good ones there.

justifiedsinner

Posted 2015-09-02 7:33 PM (#11268 - in reply to #8380)
Subject: Re: SF slang