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Voila!'s Dictionary of Planar Cant
A- to - Z

Berk, this chant will take a while to tell...
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A
AdamNew!
An accomplice, a partner-in-crime.
Addle-cove
A rather unfriendly way to call someone an idiot. "That addle-coved barkeep threw me out of the Styx Oarsman just for lighting a torch!" Also a noun, as in "He's an addle-cove!"
Air dancer
Another term for air elementals. Air genasi usually take offence at this term.
Anarchist
The more common name for members of the Revolutionary League.
Anthill
A city or town. The Anthill is another name for the Hive Ward in Sigil.
Apple-chaserNew!
Someone willing to do anything, no matter how degrading, for any amount of money; named for the "road apples" left behind by Arcadian ponies in Sigil's streets.
Astral conduit
A naturally-occurring wormhole through the Astral Plane which connects the Outer Planes to the Prime.
Athar
One of Sigil's factions, also called the Lost. Its members believe that there are no true powers. Local priests would like them to get lost.
Athar at the SpireNew!
Someone who seems to be invulnerable.

B
BackringNew!
This Outer planar term has pretty much the same as "backwater" or "backwood" on the Prime.
Bad bloodNew!
This term refers to an important, but truly despicable person. A pit fiend general might be called a "bad blood".
Bad neighbourhood
A term often used for the gate towns to the evil and chaotic planes, mostly a lawful and good term. Plague-Mort is a bad neighbourhood, naturally.
Bally
Crazy, silly, bizarre, obscure. "Bally sod!" The term is used more by upper class Cagers and high-ups than by your average tout or quipper. The latter tend to use sodding; bally is less crude.
Bang around
To hang around, or waste idle time. Between adventures, bashers sometimes "Bang around the Cage".
Bar that
An almost-polite way to say "shut up" or "don't talk about that." It's quick, to the point, and can be used as a warning: "Bar that, there's a Dustman over there!"
BarkNew!
To give word, to betray. "They knew we were coming. Some berk barked."
Barkle
Originally, nonsense, or something that would be laughably passed off as such. Recently, though, it has become a term used by skilters and Indeps for the psychological babble of those who do belong to a faction.
Barmy
Insane. As in, "The winds of Pandemonium'll drive a body barmy if he stays too long." Barmies are insane folks, especially those in Sigil, who've been "touched" by the impossible size of the planes.
Barmy as a Spire god New!
Powers lose all their might at the spire, so such a berk would be really really barmy...
Barrikin
Chatter, shouts or shouting: "Where's that barrikin coming from?"
Basher
A neutral reference to a person, usually but not always, implying a thug or fighter.
Bauble
Electrum coin (see Economy of the Planes for more details).
Be open to
Be wary, keep track of, stay on guard, keep your eyes open or peeled "Be open to that one, he's a scriber".
Beat by the monkeys
To be badly beaten by hoards of individually pathetic creatures. The expression is believed to be derived from an event that occurred to a cutter who was severely injured by a hoard of angry spider monkeys. However, it's also used commonly by fiends referring to fellow fiends who're defeated by humanoids...
Beau-nastyNew!
A slovenly fop; one finely dressed, but dirty. This term's also used to refer to fiends, who appear nice on the surface, but are nasty bashers underneath.
BeefNew!
To cry beef, to give the alarm; "They've cried beef on us!"
Before there were tieflingsNew!
A very long time ago.
Believe well
Goodbye, farewell.
Believers of the Source
One of Sigil's factions, also called the Godsmen. They believe that all people have got the potential to become a power, if they try.
Belly of the (brick) beast
Dungeon. "Throw all the knights of the post, cross-traders, and barmies into the belly of the beast, and Sigil will be emptier than a Cipher's head."
Berk
A fool, especially someone who gets himself into a mess when he should have known better.
Birdcage
A cell, prison, or anything that compares to one.
Biter
Anybody very short and very, very mean. Insult. "Don't mess with Urdlen's proxies. They're vicious biters."
Bite the iron
To be murdered or slain in a vicious manner. "That sodding berk's gonna bite the iron if he tries bobbing a baatezu!"
Black diamond, bought theNew!
To be ripped off or cheeped, commonly by an appraiser, but also by merchants or traders.
Bleak Cabal
A factions with despondent members and a view that reckons life is meaningless. Also known as the Bleakers, the Cabal, or the Madmen.
Bleed
An expression of distaste or disgust. "They've put me on Hive patrol? That bleeds!" Additionally, a bleeder is a reference to anyone the speaker dislikes. It's also the name given to members of the Society of Pain, a Gehennan sect.
Bleeding cullyNew!
One who parts easily with his money, especially a cony who's been bobbed.
Blek (sometimes blex)
In polite company, faeces. Also dirt, slime, sewage, or any other disgusting smelly material. Derived from the name of the tanar'ri lord of slime, Jubilex. "You might want to scrape your boots, it looks like you've stepped in a pile o' blek."
Blinds
The dead-ends of the Mazes, but also meaning anything impossible or hopeless, as in "You'll hit the blinds if you try lying to the factol."
Blitz
To go through a portal, usually rashly or hastily. It's not the best thing to say to any experienced planewalking blood, if you value your ears.
Blizzard in BaatorNew!
Used to describe something rare or unusual, as in "a friendly fiend is as rare as a blizzard in Baator." (Note: This saying is not entirely rooted in fact, since two layers of Baator - Stygia and Cania - have blizzards quite often. Likely, the phrase was coined by a clueless who had never been to Baator - which proves he was smarter than most clueless).
Blood
An expert, sage, or professional in any field. Calling someone a blood is a sign or deep respect.
Blood War, the
The name given to the eternal conflict between the fiends, specifically the baatezu and tanar'ri.
Blood of the War, theNew!
A title of the mysterious General of Gehenna. Used mostly by yugoloths.
Bloodbath
A gathering of powerful high-ups and bloods, usually indicating that something dangerous or important is happening. Wise cutters avoid 'em. Ambitious cutters seek 'em out.
Bloodcrow
A person who scavenges the battlefields of the Blood War, looking for treasure, saleable chant, or food, as in "The place was already full of bloodcrows when we arrived on the scene."
Bloodlust
A romantic attraction to one of the less pleasant fiendish races (i.e. chasme, piscoloth, gelugon, etc.: "He's got the bloodlust for Tazmould the thorned."
Blood-townNew!
A village, town or city which is the property of a race of fiends and is populated mainly by them (Jangling Hiter is a good example).
Bloody halo, to have aNew!
Often used to express that a celestial is a very dangerous warrior. The expression connotes that the celestial is more likely to resort to violence and that the celestial is an extremely dangerous foe.
Bob
The business of cheating someone, whether it's of their cash, their honour, or their trust. Good guides in Sigil warn a cutter when someone's bobbing him. A thief might boast he'd "bobbed a leatherhead on the street".
Bob up
To raise the price of something anticipating or during especially high demand of an item. Such as the following: "Zounds, ever since that last brawl with the Harmonium broke out here, seems Akin's been bobbing up the jink for his wares, ain't he?"
Body
"A body" is the planar way of saying "someone".
Bolt, or do the bolt
Run, flee the scene. "He saw the Hardheads coming and did the bolt."
Bone-box
The mouth, named because of its teeth, fangs or whatever. "Stop rattling your bone-box", is telling a berk to lay off the threats or bragging.
Book-burners
Derogatory name for the Athar, derived from their treatment of holy books and religious libraries.
Born with a sneer
Overly cynical, said by many a prime about all planars!
Box
A rogue modron.
Boxed, getting
Dead, getting.
BoxerNew!
An armour or craftsman who is capable of crafting armour or packs for rogue modrons.
Boxes and pieces, in
Dead. This comes from either being in a coffin, or the obvious alternative.
Brain-box
This refers to a cutter's head, usually in a crude or uncomplimentary way. "Go soak your brain-box", is a common phrase in Sigil, and "He banged his addled brain-box on it" means a berk finally figured something obvious out.
Branch out
To use Yggdrasil as a means of travel. "I took a portal to Ysgard, then I branched out to Elysium."
Break-teeth wordsNew!
Hard words, difficult to pronounce. Lower planar languages are often referred to as "break-teeth tongues".
Bribe the bellmanNew!
Generally used by those who don't wish to pay the music, and avoid doing so by garnishing the proper authorities. Also so used by those few who have managed to escape the demon of the bells of the Temple of the Abyss.
Brick beast
Any very massive and ugly building. "Timson just got scragged by the Hardheads; they're taking him down to the brick beast!"
Brick in the wallNew!
A faceless member of an organisation. The term has been used to apply to faction namers, servants at the Hall of Information, baatezu soldiers, modrons, and the like. "All in all, he's just another brick in the wall."
Bridle-cull
Highwayman, Outlands bandit.
Bring to the circleNew!
To serve as an equaliser. "Oh, yes, Maerfor; two years ago you did defeat me. But now my staff shall bring you to the circle!" The term comes from the story of a planar warrior who was challenged by a superior-but-clueless magician to combat. The prime boasted he could beat his rival "anywhere, anytime" and the crafty planar choose to move the battle close to the Spire. After a long journey the warrior simply pounded his powerless opponent's brain-box.
Bub
Booze, wine or ale -- usually cheap and barely drinkable.
Bub-bawling
Phrase used to describe the screed that passes a bubbers lips when their tongues are loosened by the drink. As in "Stop your bub-bawling berk, the rotgut's got a hold on your tongue."
Bubbed till the pitchers' empty
Very, very drunk. So drunk that the bubber's actually sweating out the bub through their skin. A particularly common state of consciousness for patrons of Lower Ward alehouses.
Bubber
A drunk, especially one who's fallen on hard times. Bubbers get little sympathy from most Cagers.
Bubber-boxNew!
Any jail cell set aside for allowing belligerent bubbers to "sleep it off"
Buckley's chance
No chance at all. "Between no chance and Buckley's" is worse than no chance...
Burg
Any town smaller than Sigil, in size or in spirit -- at least that's how folks from Sigil see it. Other bodies don't agree.
C
Cage, the
A common nickname for Sigil, used by the locals. It's derived from "birdcage", so it's a pretty harsh judgement on the place.
Cager
A native or resident of Sigil.
Cagestruck
The expression of cluelessness which newcomers to Sigil always exhibit.
Cake
An annoying irony. From the phrase "You can't have your cake and eat it too." Mostly used to refer to something sought after only to be found it's useless.
Cake, piece of
A piece of chant that's very misleading. "Hey, I heard there's a jinkscore down that alley." The alley leads to an angry tanar'ri. "You've been given a piece of cake, sod."
Cake, score some
Most often used to refer to large hordes of jink that turn out to be useless, or hazardous in some way, shape, or form. i.e. Scoring some jink of a traveller only to find it's fool's gold, or tanar'ri weapons that vanish as soon as the owner leaves the Abyss. "He just scored some cake."

Cakewalk, take a

Used to define something that is very easy to accomplish, but has disastrous effects -- to cross a bridge that leads to a trapped door or an ambush is a cakewalk.
CanNew!
A fiendish term for a mortal in heavy armour or a modron. This word is particularly awful to those sick of puns about canned food.
Canny
Smart or talented.
Case
The house or place where a cutter lives. Has a positive connotation as a nice or decent place.
CastlingNew!
A derogatory term used tanar'ri for the defensive movements of a Baatezu army, where the commander is often highly defended and in a rear-line position. Naturally, the term derives from the game of chess. "We won't have a chance to make Dri'in a bloody smear if he keeps castlin'!"
Catch a ratatoskNew!
To trip and fall in a particularly nasty way. As in: Ailian tried to sneak stealthily through the shadowed alley, but slipped on a wet stones and caught a ratatosk with her face.
Catch a skeg
Get a look: "If you catch a skeg at the portal key, be sure to let me know."
Celestial
An intelligent being native to the Upper Planes. Includes aasimon, archons, eladrin, guardinals, and more.
Centre of the Multiverse
A place that doesn't exist; there is no true "centre of the Multiverse." No matter where a body stands, he's at the centre of things (at least from his perspective).
Chant, the
An expression that means news, local gossip, the facts, the moods, or anything else about what's happening. "What's the chant?" is a way of asking for the latest information a basher's heard.
Chaosmen
A nickname for the Xaositects.
CheckingNew!
The act of assailing the position held by an important yugoloth or baatezu commander. The term is derived from chess.
Chessboard, theNew!
Another name for the Lady's Ward. So called because of the chequered marble floors in the high up's houses of that same ward. Also, a slang term for those Lower Planes within which the Blood War armies clash. The chessboard can also refer to a specific battlefiend. "Go and find where on this pikin' chessboard the baatezu regiment is hiding!"
ChessmanNew!
An important fiend warrior, especially one the chessman's opponents are specifically seeking to destroy. See chessboard. "Captain, I've seen the molydeus! The chessman's 'cross Bloodbriar ridge!"
Chiv
A weapon, usually something with a blade.
Ciphers
A nickname of the Transcendent Order faction, used because most folks don't know what they're talking about.
Clean as the Foundry
Used in reference to illegal or illicit goods and services. Often used sarcastically when a cross-trader sells to a clueless prime.
Climbing for SigilNew!
A saying evolved from "spire climbing". Someone who tried to reach Sigil by climbing the spire would either be totally barmy, or be a blood with great profession and constitution, or both (in any case, he'd be wasting time).
Clueless
The folks who just don't get it, usually primes. Use this on a planar and there's likely to be a fight. It's also an adjective, like calling someone a "clueless berk."
CodgerNew!
Old man or woman. Not always complimentary, but sometimes a term of endearment. "Ah Elminster's just a good ol' codger!"
Colour pool
Portals on the Astral Plane that grant access to the Outer Planes and Prime Material.
Conduit riding, conduit riderScholar Mimir
Planewalkers from the Outer Planes who travel to the Prime Material Plane, especially if they do so often. "Brax doesn't know the Gray Waste from gray paste, but he's one hende conduit rider."
Cony
A prime, or a generally naive berk. Someone easily peeled and bobbed. Victims of cony-catchers.
Cony-catcher
Con-men, tricksters or thieves looking for someone to peel.
Cordance, panes of
The Mechanus - Outlands - Limbo triad of planes. Between the Upper and the Lower Planes; the Law/Chaos equivalent of the Planes of Conflict. Also called the Cordants or the Purgatories. Formally, Mechanus is the Plane of Concord, Limbo the Plane of Discord, and the Outlands the Plane of Concordant Opposition (which suggests maybe those primes weren't quite so clueless after all...)
Cordians
A collective name for the modrons, rilmani and slaad; planeborne creatures who are neither good nor evil in morals. It's not a term that's used often, because it's rare that anyone needs to refer to these three races in the same sentence.
Coster
Stall holder in the Great Bazaar (particularly a food stall). Also costermonger.
Counting [portals, layers in the Abyss etc.]
Wasting time. i.e. "How was your last mission?" "Great, they made me count layers in the Abyss." Or when you're wrongfully brought in by the Harmonium "Where were you last week?" "The Hardheads made me count portals."
Counting wormsNew!
Dead.
Creature of beliefNew!
The Guvners' technical term for the major immortal races of the planes, collectively (that is, archons, guardinals, eladrin, modrons, rilmani, slaadi, baatezu, yugoloths, and tanar'ri, all creatures powered by, and "made of" mortal beliefs)
Cross piking
Planewalking via natural ability, such as the githzerai planeshift, or teleport without error. "You know, I haven't seen the fiends cross piking much lately."
Cross-trade
The business of thieving, or anything else illegal or shady in nature. A "cross-trading scum" is a thief who's got on the wrong side of the Mercykillers.
Crow feeder
An executioner or assassin. Someone who kills for another.
Crow's mileNew!
The walk of the condemned to the place of his execution. Often, in Sigil, this is converted to the "Wyrm's Mile" or the "Wyrm's Walk." "Garn cross-trader! Today's the day you walk the crow's mile!"
Crude
Inner planar slang for a Prime.
Cut his/her knees out
The act of humiliating someone who thinks they are high and mighty. Taken from the following occurrence: A prime elf doing an intricate sword dance and smirking; an ice mephit leaning down and shredding his legs below the knees with his breath.
Cutter
A complimentary term that refers to anybody, male or female. It suggests a certain amount of resourcefulness or daring, so it's a lot better than calling someone a berk.
D
Dancing with slaadi New!
Indicating that someone is completely, utterly and irreversibly barmy. "Sath? Don't bother asking him, he's dancing with slaadi, he is." or "I'll dance with the Slaad before I hear the end of this!"
Dark
Anything secret is said to be dark. "Here's the dark of it" is a way of saying "I've got a secret and I'll share it with you."
Dazzle
Magic, particularly that with a flashy effect. A dazzler is a wizard or spell-casting priest.
Dead, the
Another name for the Dustmen.
Dead-book
A body in the dead-book is dead. Some people have others "put in the dead-book".
Deader
Anyone in the dead-book.
Deadman's tree
A term referring to any gallows.
Defiers
Another name for the Athar.
Delivering the mailNew!
An assassination attempt.
Diabolate
A baatezu of pit fiend status or higher, especially one of the real high-ups in the Dark Eight, or a Lord of the Nine.
Diced
When a body takes a chance, she is said to have diced. You can also take a dice. "Lierna sure took a dice when she blitzed through that Limbo portal."
Dip, to take aNew!
To take a trip to the Elemental plane of Water.
Dip, DeepNew!
Being thrown out of the City of Glass (or any other safe place) out into the plane of Water without equipment to survive. More generally, to be flung into a plane involuntarily, against which a basher isn't adequately protected. "I fell through a portal and took a deep dip in Gehenna!"
Dirty halo, to have aNew!
A polite way to express that a celestial or paladin has fallen from favour (or completely fallen). Alternatively, if said about a fiend, it implies that the fiend is risen.
Dizzy
Air genasi term for a sod who can't seem to get the hang of subjective gravity. Commonly used by airship captains on their crewmen.
Dizzy-tickled
Filled with or confused by randomly thrown magic, often by primes. Very common on Air. Inner Planar Cant.
Doomguard
A faction in Sigil that believes in entropy and decay. Also called the Sinkers.

Doughty up

To dress up, disguise, or impersonate someone. "Doughty up as a tout and we can go bob some poor berk blind."
Drape
To betray a body to the Hardheads. "Kig had better not drape me now that I've told him all about our plan."
Dreamer
Inner Planar slang for an Outer Planar.
Dustmen
One of the factions of Sigil. They basically believe everybody's dead. They're also called the Dead.

E
Earn a page or earn a book
To learn a valuable lesson. Most commonly used when a cutter picks up some dark without suffering too much for it.
Empty bubbles, the
Descriptive slang term for Agathion, last layer of Pandemonium. Also any place that's hard to get to and (in the speaker's opinion) invariably not worth the effort.
Emptying, emptyNew!
The process of losing one's belief and finding nothing, thus accepting the Bleaker's viewpoint. Often Bleakers claim emptying is the path to enlightenment. Alternatively, emptying can include losing a dearly held belief, like losing faith in a power, a lover, a friend, or a family member. "Poor sod; when he caught Tyria with Jackorn it completely emptied him."
F
Faction
One of the fifteen philosophical groups that rule Sigil.
Factioneer
A general term for any faction member.
Factol
The leader of a faction.
Factor
One of the factol's high-up advisors, or a body who's devoted his life to the faction. Usually in the highest position of power in a faction, and often considered for the job of the factol if the old one steps down or is otherwise removed.
Factotum
A dedicated member of a faction.
Faith mine, theNew!
The Prime Material Plane.
Faith-fool
Athar term for priests and clerics.
Faithful as a SensateNew!
Evolved from the cliché that a Sensate wouldn't keep his word if he would miss a new sensation. Originally, this saying was "Faithful as a Tanar'ri", but people found out Sensates don't kill and torture as soon as the fiends (still, most Sensates don't really like this saying).
FaithlessNew!
An outer-planar term for an inner-planar native, stressing the "superiority" of the Outer Planes due to the presence of belief.
Fated, the
A faction that holds that if they've got something, it's because it belongs to them. This doesn't always sit well with others. Fated are also called the Takers or the Heartless.
Feeding the crows
Killing for hire. "I've just got a job feeding the crows for Trav'll the Loan Shark. Seems he needs an example made of some berks."
Feeding the Wyrm
The act of executing a prisoner. Specifically, it's a unique type of execution carried out by the Mercykillers.
Fiend
Primarily refers to baatezu, yugoloths, gehreleths, hordlings and tanar'ri, but sometimes includes any intelligent beings native to the Lower Planes (night hags, imps, quasits, and the like).
Fiend of blades, theNew!
A sage of the Fraternity of Order, one Miles Maccaber, often gave the Lady of Pain this title (apparently, he put a lot of stock in the popular theory the the Lady is an ascended fiend). Seeing as Maccaber didn't die a bloody death by flaying (in fact, he died of old age) we can only assume that the Lady didn't object to this title.
Fiend-foodNew!
Used as part of a warning to someone planning to make a trip to a Lower Plane (especially a dangerous part), as in, "Sure, go to Darkspire; you'll be lucky if you don't end up as fiend-food."
Fhorgers
Derogatory name for the Believers of the Source. The pun should be obvious, linking forge masters to the planar warthog, but there's a second meaning which implies that Godsmen also cheat on their many life-tests.
Finger (verb)New!
This technically means to sift through or sort out, like "He's fingering through his brain-box for information." But most people use it around less wholesome pursuits or senility: "That old codger has to finger his notes just to sit down!" or "Those bashers are heading out to finger through the boneyard, we should scrag 'em"
FingerpaintsNew!
Low-level magics, often used in reference to illusions. Comes from magic being referred to as "The Art". "Don't fret about that light show; it's just some apprentice fingerpainting."
Flam
Idle stories, useless information: "Watch out for that tout Skorrig, He'll fill your brain-box with flam."
Foam, foaming, to foam
Angry like a rabid yeth hound foaming at the mouth, e.g.. "That berk's foaming, better not go near him".
Foamed upNew!
Upset or annoyed (an expression from the Plane of Water).
Fold
Originally used to describe deliberate altering of anything. e.g. "That folded map you bought ain't worth the jink you paid for it." Also, colloquially describes harm done to another being. e.g. "The Mercykillers sure folded that berk."
For the Mazes
Absolutely and completely fed up. Meaning a blood would rather be in the Mazes than the position they're in now. "I'm for the mazes if the Sinker-Sensate alliance sticks!"
Fourish
Stubborn, refusing to listen to new ideas: "Don't be so sodding fourish!" From the close-mindedness of Inner Planars, many of whom refuse to believe in the Rule of Threes, pointing instead to the "fourishness" of the Inner Planes.
Fourth ruleNew!
An exception. Refers to the so-called unwritten rule of the Multiverse: There's an exception to every rule. "A githzerai who likes githyanki? He's fourth rule."
Fraternity of Order
A faction in Sigil, also called the Guvners. They believe that knowing physical laws gives a cutter power over everything. They're not the kind of folk to argue logic with.
Ful
Very, extremely, completely and utterly. "Those baatezu Hardheads were ful angry when we gave them the laugh!"
G
GadNew!
Many, a lot of. "That prime's got a gad of jink on him!"
Galbas
Spirit, moxie, occasionally a reference to male anatomy. "Man, the way you stared down that pit fiend took real galbas."
Game of chessNew!
Usually, this term is used by lawful berks, means a plan, or rarely even life itself (was used long ago and not usually used now) As in: "Lets hope our game of chess succeeds, or it'll mean Hardheads after us..."
Game, theNew!
A polite reference to interplanar politics; it is considered bad form for all but the most top-shelf bloods to use this term. The term comes from a time when a fiend supplicant reverently asked an ancient pit fiend what it was like leading a regiment in the First Command.
Gannet
An indiscriminate eater, particularly referring to someone not of tiefling descent. Implies that the eater is a glutton and would eat or consume anything placed in front of them. Wooly Cupgrass has been described as a gannet by some. Anyone not of pure fiendish ancestry who eats the food from Comstock's Kitchen is a gannet (or just tired of living).
Garnish
A bribe, as in "Give the petty official a garnish and he'll go away".
Gate
Another term for a portal. All gates in Sigil are generally called portals. The term is also used in a general sense to describe any sort of passage between one plane and another.
Gate-town
A burg on the Outlands that has a gate to another Outer Plane. Each plane has one gate-town, and the town often has the same basic appearance, outlook, and attributes as the inhabitants, architecture and terrain of the corresponding plane.
GearheadNew!
Slang term for a modron. Suprisingly, modrons don't seem to mind the term...but I wouldn't use it near Regulus. You never know where in that place it's illegal to give modrons nicknames.
GeartownNew!
A nickname for The Fortress of Disciplined Enlightenment, a city on Mechanus which is home to the Guvners. Used mostly by non-Guvners, but sometimes used by low-ranking members of the faction. (They don't seem to mind the nickname).
GearwardNew!
A term used on the Outlands in a manner similar to cardinal directions on the Prime. Towards Mechanus, but not necessarily pointing directly towards that plane. Example: 'Tradegate's gearward of Faunel.'
Gelt
Money, jink, usually referring to small change (greens, stingers and the like). It ain't usually used for larger amounts.

"Guilt is good. Gelt is better."

- Factol Rowan Darkwood

Ghost
A prime who visits the planes via astral spell. Since it involves little physical risk on the prime's part, it's often considered cowardly and even distasteful by planars (the prime hasn't even deigned to come to the planes with his actual body). The term "cord babies" is also used, though less often.
Ghostwalking
Travelling the Border Ethereal (sometimes inaccurately used to indicate other methods of insubstantiality)
Giant's pace
Strong, cheap ale that can "kill a man at a giant's pace."
Give 'em the laugh
To escape or slip through the clutches of someone. Robbing a tanar'ri and not getting caught is giving it the laugh.
Give the rope
What happens to condemned criminals who don't manage to give the law the laugh. Usually thieves are the only folks who use this term.
Gleaming pip
A worthless small-time thief or a pickpocket. It's considered an insult to both honest cutters and thieves who see themselves as a cut above the rest.
Glooming
Depressing: "There's some real glooming news in S.I.G.I.S. this week."
Go flip a fork
This has the obvious meaning of "pike it" but also implies that the person who is being spoken to is immature and perhaps a bit bratty (the kind of person who would, in a crowded tavern, flip a fork just to cause trouble).
Go hug razorvine
Get lost!
Go kiss a succubus
Get lost! But cutter, if you're going to die, it might as well be this way
Go roll your capNew!
This term is used mainly to tell someone to pike it and get lost. It's an insult, although a soft one.
Go to the Mazes
An idiomatic curse meaning "go away", and wishing a terrible fate upon the berk as well.
Godsmen
Another name for the Believers of the Source.
Godswalk
Toril, coined after the Avatar Crisis.
Godvoid
Athas, Krynn, or the Athar faction, depending on who you ask.
Golem's bedNew!
A corpse, or more specifically someone crushed under a dying enemy. "That archer thinks he's gonna slay that pit fiend, but if he does it'll lay on him like a golem's bed..."
Golem's truthNew!
A secret that must be kept on pain of death. Chant goes it comes from the use of the Prime word "emet", or Truth, to animate a golem, and the fact that erasing the first letter of it yields "met", or Death. Many golems have the word emet written on their foreheads, when it can be erased by their makers, in case the animation process goes wrong...
Another explanation is that this comes from the children's' saying that if a secret isn't kept, "The golems'll get you."
Got a good gate keyNew!
Someone who owns a good gate key would surely be a busy guy, travelling from adventure to adventure all through the Planes... and he'd either be dead soon, or a real blood (even then always in danger, though). Someone who's "got a good gate key" as per the saying would be someone always stumbling upon interesting new things, getting into trouble, etc., even without being responsible for it.
Gour
Head chef, abbreviated from 'gourmet chef'. "That gour at the Styx Oarsman's an ugly cuss - chant goes he's a vaporighu spawn. A real thing of no bowels."
Grail
False information: "That addle-cove speaks nothing but grail."
Graybeard
A sage or scholar. This term refers to the stereotypical wizened old man but can apply to any learned intellectual, even female ones!
Greased pigs, or greasers
Derogatory term for the Mercykillers, implying that they can be easily greased or bought off.
Great Ring, Great Wheel
The Outer Planes, often depicted in maps and diagrams (which are often misleading) as a ring. This also refers to their infinite size, another allusion to the endlessness of a ring.
Great Road
A series of permanent, always-active gates scattered throughout the Outer Planes. The Great Road connects all the Outer Planes, although the gates themselves are so spread out it's said it would take many lifetimes to walk the entire Great Road. A few of the gates are linked by paths, but most are not connected in any way.
Great Void
The Quasi elemental Plane of Vacuum.
Green
A copper coin (see Economy of the Planes for more details).
Grinner
Colloquial term for a Mimir, as in "Hold it there grinner - I want the chant on who to be peery of and who to garnish. Not some damn slaad-story of yours."
Groke, the
Elusive, not quite definable. Those who're dead or appear to have lost their memories (to the Styx) and are otherwise unable to be identified are sometimes referred to as 'Groke' much in the manner of 'John Doe'. See the Cage Rattlers page for details on the real Groke.
Gully
A potential victim of a peel, a gullible sod.
Guvners
A nickname for the Fraternity of Order.
 
H
Half-a-turn back
A while ago, long enough ago to be difficult to be precise, but still in recent memory. Typically used to describe anything that occurred much less than a turn or two ago. See also a turn or two.
Half-head
Not all there, a few bricks short of a wall, a half wit.
Halfspire
A plan or endeavour that would by its very nature would attract extremely strong opposition. Also, to embark upon such an endeavour. Supposedly inspired by a famous quote, though nobody remembers what the quote was, or who said it.
Happy as a gehreleth's bride
In a very foul mood indeed. If you can't work that one out, you've clearly not seen a gehreleth!
Hardheads
A less-than friendly term for the Harmonium faction.
HarkNew!
To listen. "Hark to that! Sounds like a fhorge."
Harmonium
A faction of the planes, also called the Hardheads by their detractors. The faction slogan could be "do it our way or no way".
Having the right spell key on the wrong planeNew!
Having really bad luck.
Heartless, the
Another name for the Fated.
Hende
An adjective meaning a real blood. "She's the hendest tiefling this side of Baator, and no mistake." Unhende is conversely worse than addled, clueless and leatherheaded put together!
Hercules' pillar
The absolute limit of what's plausible (on the planes, this can be a long way): "I've got nothing against what the Dustmen do, but their screed about being dead already really is past Hercules' pillar."
High-up
Powerful. This refers to a spell, position, or anything else with plenty of power that can theoretically be measured. A person of money and influence. Factols, for example, are high-ups. It's bad form to call one's self this; it's a phrase that others bestow.
Hipped
Stranded. "Hipping the rube" means stranding someone by sending them through a one-way portal.
Holding the halosNew!
To have the power to use celestial allies. Often, this term is used exclusively by or about lower planar commanders. "Powers of Night, the Archons better come soon! I thought the commander said we were holdin' the halos!"
Honey-peeler New!
The honey-peel is the act of fooling or manipulating an individual through seduction, though honey-peel generally connotes that the honey-peeler is of fiendish origin. "Man, I tell ya', the worst part's that you've gotta worry that any pretty face is a honey-peeler."
Horde, theNew!
A common lower-planar term for the Tanar'ri... well... horde!
Hotter than a balor's breath
Being so angry that you want to put everybody in a ten-foot radius into the dead book.
Howl
Particularly loud or obnoxious rumours, especially from barmies or mephitmen: "Ah...don't mind Drango. He gets a pot of bub in him and he always spouts the howl." Also, to profess particularly loud or obnoxious rumours. Derived from the noises of the winds in Pandemonium: "Hells' bells! That imp's been howling about the Lady for hours. It's a wonder he's still standing."
Hunt headsNew!
To murder or assassinate. "The scratcher's head hunting again. They've found another victim."
Hunted in the CageNew!
Sigil, the Cage, often becomes a hide-out for those who have angered a power, the fiends, or someone else really powerful. If such a person gets hunted even in the Cage - the cutter is in real trouble.
I
Idea-pot
Head, brain, or skull. Often used in vulgar comparison to chamber pots. "If you'd used your idea-pot instead of your cess-pot for once, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Indeps
The common name for members of the Free League.
Inker
An inker is one who records or reports events through writing, i.e. a Guvner scribe, a Merkhant debt-recorder, or a writer for S.I.G.I.S.
Inner Planes
The Elemental Planes (Air, Earth, Fire, Water), the Paraelemental Planes (Ice, Magma, Ooze, Smoke), Quasielemental Planes (Ash, Dust, Lightning, Mineral, Radiance, Salt, Steam and Vacuum) and the Energy Planes (Positive and Negative). They are planes of elements and energy, as opposed to those of concepts and alignments.
It's a demiplane
Meaning "I don't know" or "I don't care" e.g. "Hey, umm... 'cutter'... where's Thoth's Laboratory?" "It's a demiplane."

"Where's Ravenloft?"
- Puzzled planewalker

"It's a demiplane."
- Herian Fypgar, a cynical bariaur,
who's right for once

Ivories
Powers. Cager Rhyming Slang: Ivory Tower = Power.
J
Jangled up
Generally refers to the state of being both upset and confused, but can be used for either one of them alone for example, "I'm going to jangle him up a bit," or "You look awfully jangled up." It's normally only used for relatively minor cases, and as such is sometimes be used to say that you're in pretty good shape, given the circumstances, as in "I'm pretty jangled up, but I'll live."
Jark
A copy or forgery. A jarkman creates jarks, but so do leaf-binders.
Jark jink
Counterfeit coinage. "Watch that cross-trading costermonger close, cutter, he'll slip you jark jink for change if you're not peery."
Jarkman
Forger.
Jaw dice
Teeth.
Jester
A slick thief, spy, or other rogue that constantly gives authorities the laugh. Beringe, the Anarchist, for one.
Jinglings
Coin purse "You best keep your jinglings close, berk, if you plan on going to the bazaar."
Jink
The goal of the poor: money or coins. "That's going to take a lot of jink!" means an expensive bit of garnishing. For specific cant coin names, see greens, stingers, baubles, jinx, and merts.
JinkbasherNew!
A mercenary. Can be classified by amount demanded for services, from "greenbasher" to "mertbasher."
Jinkflip
A moneychanger.
Jink-monger
A disreputable money lender. This term is considered a serious insult to honest bankers (if there is such a thing).
Jinkscore
Often used to refer to large hordes of jink, or places to find jink. "That blaster's a real jinkscore."
Jinkskirt or jinkshirt
A prostitute. The term refers both to the price such bashers can be had for, and to their habit of jinking their skirts up or unbuttoning their shirts to attract customers. There are further variations: a greenshirt is the lowest kind of male streetwalker and a mertskirt is a high-priced, Lady's Ward doxy. A bloodskirt caters specifically to fiends (cf. Bloodlust). A fireshirt caters for Tieflings (cf. Firewalker).
Jinkster
A person who welches on a debt, a cheater.
Jinx
Gold coin (see Economy of the Planes for more details).
JoywardNew!
A term used on the Outlands in a manner similar to cardinal directions on the Prime. Towards Elysium, but not necessarily pointing directly towards the plane. Example: 'Tir na Og's joyward of Tir fo Thuinn.'
Jumping out the window
Trying an untested portal, or even trying a procedure you're not sure will result in a portal. Invented by Yakomo Harada, Wild Mage and Planeswalker, due to the fact that to get to a certain Prime you have to jump out the window of the Hero's Rest Inn in Sigil with a beer in hand.
Jungle fever
Formally, the name given to the effects the Beastlands have on travellers: the gaining of animal-like characteristics. Also used to describe someone who is acting in an animalistic, aggressive, or horny way: "Xaq's got jungle fever, lookit her hangin' all over that berk!"
Junk-jinker, jinker
A peddler who deals in cheap merchandise or trinkets. This term is considered offensive to merchants and traders of finer goods.
K
Keeper
A notable piece of information. "Hey Blood, What's the keeper on that tavern?" "A pit fiend frequents it, and he don't like tieflings"
Keynapped
Similar to tunnel-jacked, but this term only refers to instances when a cutter's been hipped by a random portal switch.
Kill a coneyNew!
To peel or bob a prime (or simply a naive, generally foolish berk). Also a game played by particularly malicious bashers, where a prime is thrown through a portal to one of the lower planes. The portal is kept active, and the bashers make bets on how many pieces the berk comes back in.
Kip
Any place a cutter can put his feet up and sleep for a night, especially cheap flophouses in the Hive or elsewhere. Also, to call kip is to make a place a body's home, at least for a while.
Kiss the dust
Falling down.
Knifespider
A retriever - a monstrosity of the Abyss. (see PSMCII).
Knight of the post, knight of the cross-trade
A thief, cheat, and a liar -- clearly not a compliment unless, of course, that's what the basher wants to be.
Knowing all the Abyssal LordsNew!
Having a really good memory, or knowing many things.
Kobold king
One who thinks he's an important blood, but is actually not. Ex: "Factor Trevant might be a high-up, but he's just a kobold king next to Skall."
L
Ladies in waiting
The dabus, so called because they seem to be the Lady of Pain's handmaidens. There's also a dark rumour going round that they're all aspiring Ladies themselves, and when the Serene One gets written into the dead book, one of them seamlessly takes over her role.
Lady's grace
Hello, good day. Derives from: "There by the Lady's Grace go I", a poem praising the Lady for her portals and the Cage. The writer was found flayed, but still the saying caught on! There's no accounting for taste.Scholar Mimir
Lady's word
Like 'mum's the word', with a darker connotation. It implies secrecy, conspiracy -- with a twist: To break the Lady's word is to write your own name into the Dead Book.
Ladywatcher
A berk doing something especially foolish, likely to get them put in the Dead Book. Like worshipping the Lady of Pain, for example.
Lann
To tell or inform. See well lanned.
Lathly
Terribly, terribly, ugly. So ugly that even a fiend would be scared.
Laugh, the
This is another example of rhyming slang: Laugh and Giggle = Sigil. It's an old term used to refer to Sigil, older than 'Cage,' and is the basis for the phrase, "giving the laugh." Originally, an escape to Sigil from some dangerous archfiend or power whom the Lady prevented from entering the city was known as giving the laugh, and the phrase has since expanded to include bobbing or evading anyone, anywhere.
Laughing handNew!
An insulting hand sign. It's made by placing the ring finger under the thumb while extending the other fingers.
Law's gnashers
A derogatory term for the cogs of Mechanus the implication is that law is oppressive, crushing the freedom of the individual. This term is not popular among the lawful factions, especially the Guvners.
Laying out the red carpetNew!
Setting up an ambush.
Leaf-binders
Bookbinders or scribes. Quite a common term in the Clerk's Ward.
Leafer
A tome or book. More specifically, an old or particularly boring book. "Hey, cutter, flip through this leafer and you might find that spell you're looking for." Originally used to describe spellbooks, now just a generalised term.
Leafless tree
The gallows, which is where some berks wind up after they've been scragged.
Leatherhead
A dolt; a dull or thick-witted fellow. Use it to call someone an idiot. Also an adjective; "a leatherheaded sod".
Legion, theNew!
A common lower-planar term for the Baatezu army.
Lemon
Prime. Cager Rhyming Slang: Lemon and Lime = Prime. Confusingly, a lemon is also a person who deals with time and time travel, such as a chronomancer. It's another example of rhyming slang: Lemon and Lime = Messing with Time.
Lifted
Promoted through faction ranks, or, more formally, made a proxy. Example: "Sarin just lifted me. Guess who's your new boss?"
LilyNew!
True, truthful. Also used to refer to celestials.
Little Ring
Sigil. Stems from "Great Ring" for the Outer Planes...Sigil herself is a ring within the Ring itself, hence the cant term.
Living book
A blood, or someone with a lot of darks stashed away in his bone-box.
Lost
Dead. "He got lost" means he ain't coming back without a resurrection.
Lost en passantNew!
A Blood War term for lost through attrition. "Most of the alu-fiends were lost en passant when the barbazu charged." This term also derives from chess.
Lovelorn
Someone who is romantically inclined toward erinyes, incubi, and similar creatures: "I hear Poison Lips has another lovelorn. Wonder if she'll behead this one or just hang him?". Also the state of being romantically inclined to these creatures: "Sure as Sigil. Jenny's gone lovelorn over that incubus, Blaycker Tendon."
Lower Planes
Also called the dark planes or the nether regions (or the whistles by some, see below) -- the Abyss, Acheron, Baator, Carceri, Gehenna, and Pandemonium, the planes of evil alignment. Fiends inhabit these dismal places.
Lying like a 'lothNew!
Used by those bloods who think all the talk about the 'loths being the most powerful fiends is just screed spread by the 'loths themselves (you know, belief is power). The 'loths themselves really, really dislike this saying.
M
Madmen, the
Another name for the Bleak Cabal.
Maggot-grownNew!
An upper-planar insult to the fiends, given that many of them arise from larvae.
Making the Inner Planes slideNew!
Accomplishing something very hard and complex.
Maniarch
Xaositect high-up. From 'hierarch' and 'maniac'.
Mapping the planesNew!
Wasting time.
Marionette
Any berk who deals with a yugoloth - because of their fame as manipulators.
Mark
To make a note of something, as in: "Mark this kip. We'll meet here at antipeak." To be marked is to be identified, as in "That berk was marked as a Guvner."
Mazes, the
The nasty little traps that the Lady of Pain creates for would-be dictators. It's also come to mean any particularly well-deserved punishment, as in, "It's the Mazes for him and I can't say I'm sorry."
Meeting KurtulmakNew!
Experiencing something that seemed to be an easy thing at first (like meeting a lone kobold), but suddenly finding out it leads one to big trouble (like finding out that lone kobold is Kurtulmak).
Melt
Spend: "Let's go and melt some serious jink!"
Mephit
Pathetic, stupid, or worthless person (when not used to refer to a real mephit, of course). Insult: "The dabus and their Lady are a lot of mephits!" (NB. this person was later found draped over the sign post of a cobbler's shop, flayed). Just don't use it in this way anywhere near a real mephit...they get cross...
Mercur
It is a insult to Mercykillers. It means frequently changing sides or turning stag.
Mercykillers
A faction of Sigil that believes in absolute justice. Also called the Red Death.
Mert
Platinum coin (see Economy of the Planes for more details).
Metal cup onlyNew!
Any bar or eatery that has enough regular violence that glass drinking cups are too difficult and expensive to keep in stock. Metal cups don't break, they just change shape.
Metal militiaNew!
A common term for any modron force, though often it is used in the Lower Planes to signify the Army of the Blood War.
Mibix
Chant goes this was once a slaad word (is there such a thing?) translated loosely as 'unpalatable rubbish', e.g.: "You expect me to eat this mibix?" Also an expression meaning 'screed', e.g. "A liberal Hardhead? There is some mibix that I just won't swallow..."

Milk

Jink, money, cash, wealth. This comes from the rhyming slang: milk and honey = money.
Mimir
Someone who mindlessly repeats whatever he is told. Typically used by Indeps and Anarchists to refer to anyone who is putting forward the "official" stand on any event.
Minder
A bodyguard, as in "He's not so tough, but there's a couple of minders watching over him."
Mindhacker
A derogatory term for a telepath or psionicist. It has been broadened to include anyone who has telepathic skills or spells, particularly Probe or ESP.
Mindless
Derogatory term for the Transcendent Order, belittling their goals. ('Zombie' was once tried as an insult for the Ciphers, but the Dustmen squelched the phrase and its creator before it ever caught on.)
Mindnick
Slightly derogatory slang for a psionicist. Many Cagers have a hard time discerning between psionics and magic, so enchanters and others who use mind-altering magic may be referred to as mindnicks.
Modron headache
The feeling of helplessness and frustration incurred by waiting for your turn in an official process -- in queues for appointments, to fill out forms (in triplicate), or in the Guvner's Courts for a trial. It's especially used by the more chaotic planar races.
MushroomingNew!
A Blood War term for the sudden growth in size of a force when rampant gating begins to occur. The idea is that foes begin appearing like mushrooms popping up in a field.
Music
A price a cutter doesn't usually want to pay, but has to anyway. As in, "Pay the music or you'll never find your way out of here." Not a literal amount.
Musties
Undead, primarily those that decay or appear decayed: this includes primarily zombies, revenants, and liches
N
Namer
Someone who belongs to a faction in name only, paying lip service to its philosophy but not really dedicated to its principles.
Nark, narky
To become angry or annoyed, to direct anger at a person. "He's gonna get narky if you tell him that' or 'he got real narky at me when I told him."
Newt
Anything reptilian or amphibian in appearance, such as a lizard man, yuan-ti, or minion of Set.
Nick
To attack, cut, or strike someone, often used in threats. It's also used to indicate inflicting other injury upon a sod, such as stealing from him, as in "I nicked him good, and got his chiv."
Ninny-chanter
An insulting reference to a mage.

Not for all the jink in Shurrock

No way, never. Commonly used phrase when discussing whether to slum it and eat out at the Styx Oarsman tavern.
Not in good shape...New!
Dead. A Sigilian understatement.
Not the shadow of a shade
Morally and politically immaculate. Used to describe particularly worthy paladins, archons or guardinals by their allies.
O
OasisNew!
A common term for the rare tavern or inn in Sigil that can acquire pure water; usually such taverns are clustered around gates to Water or Oceanus.
Oi
Attention grabbing greeting. E.g. "Oi! You there! Stop!" Hardhead to fleeing tiefling thief.
Old boneheadNew!
A derogatory nickname for Factol Skall of the Dustmen, coined by a (now deceased) enemy of his. Note: If you value your life, never use this term if you even suspect Skall or a friend of his is listening. Skall may have purged himself of emotions, but he's only human - err, undead human - and doesn't like to be insulted any more than you do (and getting on the bad side of a guy who can pack Meteor Swarms isn't a good idea!)
Old metal-head
A very unflattering way of referring to the Lady of Pain.
Opium, theNew!
An insult to the Order of the Planes-Militant, derived from the rapid pronunciation of the sect's initials, OPM. Its brethren are called Opium Dreamers or Dreamers.
Out-of-touch
Outside of the Outer Planes. A body who's on the Elemental Plane of Water is "out-of-touch." This vernacular comes from Sigil, which is considered to be the centre of the Multiverse by those who adopted this phrase.
Out-of-town
Like the phrase above, this one's used by Cagers to describe a body who's on the Outlands.
Outer Planes
The Abyss, Acheron, Arborea, Arcadia, Baator, the Beastlands, Bytopia, Carceri, Elysium, Gehenna, the Gray Waste, Limbo, Mechanus, Mount Celestia, the Outlands, Pandemonium and Ysgard. They're planes of concept rather than element.
Outsiders
Clueless primes who don't yet know how things work on the planes (and especially in Sigil).
P
ParamortalNew!
Like "planeborne," this term refers to the aligned creatures, including archons, guardinals, eladrin, slaadi, tanar'ri, yugoloths, baatezu, modrons, and rilmani. However, unlike "planeborne," paramortal also includes such creatures as gehreleths, aasimon, and Ancient Baatorians, as well as the theorised priminals and baernoloth-ancestors. Paramortal isn't often heard except in philosophical discussions; adventurers favour planeborne.