Tilli's Todetse's Guide to Swearing in Nideon
Content Warning:
Listen up you nethoppers! If you're going to learn how to swear, you need to be prepared to hear references to certain topics. Almost all swear words have origins in the same places:
- Sex and Genitals
- Bodily Excretions
- Religious and Cultural Taboos
Tog! Sex and Genitals
Shugbo has two explitives that refer to sexual intercourse: jurd, which is considered quite mild and even used by teenagers, and shongwun, which is not used in polite company.The Imk word meng literally means penis, and while it is used in puberty videos, it's also an impolite term to call someone who's being... well, a khinnuThe Epaluno word for penis, bibakha is related to the word bebakhe, meaning bird. Therefore, in more polite company, someone might call another person a bird when they really mean ḍuk
In Atlinthaia, they skipped human genitals altogether. There, the rudest words to call someone are yahg and yahm, meaning, respectively, stamen and pistil. People also use the word yatawn, referring to a bird's cloaca.The Ru language favors insults related to female body parts, with the most common being weedge, meaning vagina.The Lirian slang word for sexual intercourse is lep
Mand! Bodily Excretions
The Shugbo term gwush is a vulgar word for excrement. It's also a nice catchall expletive to use when you're angry and you just need to let go (no pun intended).A good all-purpose swear in Nirukita is tsa̧bu, which refers to urine.In an attempt to be more graphic than others, the Lirian language uses the word hundop, literally, sewage. Or, when referring to a person, hundop hung, sewage hand. Personally, I don't want to know why that hand is full of sewage.
In Chib, a minority language in Virarona, they go farther, and call someone a muh drellim, meaning one who eats excrement.Followers of Vitnu prefer to say ish dut, or fish gut, instead of referring to human fluids.Among the Yub specifically, hundop kil, or poop brown, is the preferred method of referring to a person one doesn't like.
Nelo break it! Religious and Cultural Taboos
The Tufted Marsh Wader is the national bird of Dekani, so they use the name of its predator, the Keelan Eagle to refer to someone who is annoying or ruining other people's fun. Be careful where you use this one though, because in Florarova, it represents strength.If the proto-Pelan tribes had any culinary taboos, most of them have died out. One of the few that has survived is not to cook with blood. So if someone tells you to boil yourself in blood, they're telling you off in the rudest way imaginable.There is no better way to take the name of the Danos diety in vain than to say Merciful, bury it. It's bad enough to ask the diety to bury something, since the souls of buried bodies are believed to suffer for eternity. But calling her mericiful while you're at it seems exceptionally harsh.
Followers of the Mawb faith believe in four afterlives, the worst of which is Ubhaiya, so if you you need to tell someone off in northern Zenxon, tell them to go to Ubhaiya. They'll know what you mean.Throughout Nideon, the term Pfieffer friends, after Marcus and Laura Pfieffer, refers to friends who go away for long periods of time. It's not always bad, but it can be a good way of letting someone know they're flighty.In the Dekani religion, herbs and spices have symbolic meanings. Cardamom represents pride, so to say someone is full of cardomom is to say they are arrogant.
In Mermish, the word rheanuba can mean either uneducated or childish and immature. A related word, rheonuba means rude.When the Healers of Awe were mad at you back in the day, they would bless you instead of curse you, convinced their words could purge your soul of demonic evil.Among the Cove Sprites, someone who is either full of wind or windless is a fool. This refers to trying to sail the Major Ocean with no understanding of its weather patterns.
Shugbo has two explitives that refer to sexual intercourse: jurd, which is considered quite mild and even used by teenagers, and shongwun, which is not used in polite company.
The Imk word meng literally means penis, and while it is used in puberty videos, it's also an impolite term to call someone who's being... well, a khinnu
The Epaluno word for penis, bibakha is related to the word bebakhe, meaning bird. Therefore, in more polite company, someone might call another person a bird when they really mean ḍuk
In Atlinthaia, they skipped human genitals altogether. There, the rudest words to call someone are yahg and yahm, meaning, respectively, stamen and pistil. People also use the word yatawn, referring to a bird's cloaca.
The Ru language favors insults related to female body parts, with the most common being weedge, meaning vagina.
The Lirian slang word for sexual intercourse is lep
The Shugbo term gwush is a vulgar word for excrement. It's also a nice catchall expletive to use when you're angry and you just need to let go (no pun intended).
A good all-purpose swear in Nirukita is tsa̧bu, which refers to urine.
In an attempt to be more graphic than others, the Lirian language uses the word hundop, literally, sewage. Or, when referring to a person, hundop hung, sewage hand. Personally, I don't want to know why that hand is full of sewage.
In Chib, a minority language in Virarona, they go farther, and call someone a muh drellim, meaning one who eats excrement.
Followers of Vitnu prefer to say ish dut, or fish gut, instead of referring to human fluids.
Among the Yub specifically, hundop kil, or poop brown, is the preferred method of referring to a person one doesn't like.
Nelo break it! Religious and Cultural Taboos
The Tufted Marsh Wader is the national bird of Dekani, so they use the name of its predator, the Keelan Eagle to refer to someone who is annoying or ruining other people's fun. Be careful where you use this one though, because in Florarova, it represents strength.If the proto-Pelan tribes had any culinary taboos, most of them have died out. One of the few that has survived is not to cook with blood. So if someone tells you to boil yourself in blood, they're telling you off in the rudest way imaginable.There is no better way to take the name of the Danos diety in vain than to say Merciful, bury it. It's bad enough to ask the diety to bury something, since the souls of buried bodies are believed to suffer for eternity. But calling her mericiful while you're at it seems exceptionally harsh.
Followers of the Mawb faith believe in four afterlives, the worst of which is Ubhaiya, so if you you need to tell someone off in northern Zenxon, tell them to go to Ubhaiya. They'll know what you mean.Throughout Nideon, the term Pfieffer friends, after Marcus and Laura Pfieffer, refers to friends who go away for long periods of time. It's not always bad, but it can be a good way of letting someone know they're flighty.In the Dekani religion, herbs and spices have symbolic meanings. Cardamom represents pride, so to say someone is full of cardomom is to say they are arrogant.
In Mermish, the word rheanuba can mean either uneducated or childish and immature. A related word, rheonuba means rude.When the Healers of Awe were mad at you back in the day, they would bless you instead of curse you, convinced their words could purge your soul of demonic evil.Among the Cove Sprites, someone who is either full of wind or windless is a fool. This refers to trying to sail the Major Ocean with no understanding of its weather patterns.
The Tufted Marsh Wader is the national bird of Dekani, so they use the name of its predator, the Keelan Eagle to refer to someone who is annoying or ruining other people's fun. Be careful where you use this one though, because in Florarova, it represents strength.
If the proto-Pelan tribes had any culinary taboos, most of them have died out. One of the few that has survived is not to cook with blood. So if someone tells you to boil yourself in blood, they're telling you off in the rudest way imaginable.
There is no better way to take the name of the Danos diety in vain than to say Merciful, bury it. It's bad enough to ask the diety to bury something, since the souls of buried bodies are believed to suffer for eternity. But calling her mericiful while you're at it seems exceptionally harsh.
Followers of the Mawb faith believe in four afterlives, the worst of which is Ubhaiya, so if you you need to tell someone off in northern Zenxon, tell them to go to Ubhaiya. They'll know what you mean.
Throughout Nideon, the term Pfieffer friends, after Marcus and Laura Pfieffer, refers to friends who go away for long periods of time. It's not always bad, but it can be a good way of letting someone know they're flighty.
In the Dekani religion, herbs and spices have symbolic meanings. Cardamom represents pride, so to say someone is full of cardomom is to say they are arrogant.
In Mermish, the word rheanuba can mean either uneducated or childish and immature. A related word, rheonuba means rude.
When the Healers of Awe were mad at you back in the day, they would bless you instead of curse you, convinced their words could purge your soul of demonic evil.
Among the Cove Sprites, someone who is either full of wind or windless is a fool. This refers to trying to sail the Major Ocean with no understanding of its weather patterns.
Tilli Todetse by Artbreeder
Racial Language
These are all words and phrases that technically refer to one group of people being inherently superior to another. I've grouped them into categories which I've ordered from least harmful to most harmful.
Punching Up
In Suxad, you say someone is ignorant or foolish by calling them a shoemaker, or sometimes an elven shoemaker. This a reference to outside settlers trying to make shoes for suxadi Elves who had no need for them. Even today, Suxadis don't wear shoes very often. I like this word because it's actually a criticism of the concept that one group was superior to the other. Of course, since it's used today by Suxadis about Suxadis, it's actually become less polite.
No More Teeth
The Mermish word rhedou literally translates to "without gills," but it's often used to call someone cowardly. While the term technically implies that anyone without gills (i.e. not Mermish) are inferior to those with them, it kind of loses power when you realize that about 40% of Mermish speakers are themselves, without gills. Humans say this all the time to other humans, usually ten year old boys. Feel free to use it. It's more childish than offensive.
Slurs
The following terms should not be used, by you or anyone.
As nomads, the Thisaazhou have two words meaning sedentary. Zharrusha has a neutral connotation and is usually used to refer to Shax'ia clergy, Pelan, and some trade partnets, such as Atlinthaia. But akuukak, which is used to describe other non-Thisaazhou is very rude. It's related to the word kaukakau, which means stationary, and is only used to describe objects. So it's kind of like telling someone they're not a person.
When the Linakrans settled in Zenxon, they called the Sprites dkun, meaning demon. It also used on all national documents until 1895. Sprites have responded by using the word stone to refer to humans, due to their use of stone as a more common building material than wood. This one doesn't have centuries of mistreatment behind it, but it's still not very nice.
In Suxad, you say someone is ignorant or foolish by calling them a shoemaker, or sometimes an elven shoemaker. This a reference to outside settlers trying to make shoes for suxadi Elves who had no need for them. Even today, Suxadis don't wear shoes very often. I like this word because it's actually a criticism of the concept that one group was superior to the other. Of course, since it's used today by Suxadis about Suxadis, it's actually become less polite.
No More Teeth
The Mermish word rhedou literally translates to "without gills," but it's often used to call someone cowardly. While the term technically implies that anyone without gills (i.e. not Mermish) are inferior to those with them, it kind of loses power when you realize that about 40% of Mermish speakers are themselves, without gills. Humans say this all the time to other humans, usually ten year old boys. Feel free to use it. It's more childish than offensive.
Slurs
The following terms should not be used, by you or anyone.
As nomads, the Thisaazhou have two words meaning sedentary. Zharrusha has a neutral connotation and is usually used to refer to Shax'ia clergy, Pelan, and some trade partnets, such as Atlinthaia. But akuukak, which is used to describe other non-Thisaazhou is very rude. It's related to the word kaukakau, which means stationary, and is only used to describe objects. So it's kind of like telling someone they're not a person.
When the Linakrans settled in Zenxon, they called the Sprites dkun, meaning demon. It also used on all national documents until 1895. Sprites have responded by using the word stone to refer to humans, due to their use of stone as a more common building material than wood. This one doesn't have centuries of mistreatment behind it, but it's still not very nice.
As nomads, the Thisaazhou have two words meaning sedentary. Zharrusha has a neutral connotation and is usually used to refer to Shax'ia clergy, Pelan, and some trade partnets, such as Atlinthaia. But akuukak, which is used to describe other non-Thisaazhou is very rude. It's related to the word kaukakau, which means stationary, and is only used to describe objects. So it's kind of like telling someone they're not a person.
When the Linakrans settled in Zenxon, they called the Sprites dkun, meaning demon. It also used on all national documents until 1895. Sprites have responded by using the word stone to refer to humans, due to their use of stone as a more common building material than wood. This one doesn't have centuries of mistreatment behind it, but it's still not very nice.
Great exploration of swears in your world, and I love your careful handling of race-based ones. I kind of want to use 'gwush' in real life, it has a great mouthfeel.
Yeah, I had originally planned for Tilli to say something like, "I'm not teaching you the racial ones. Even I have lines I don't cross," but I realized I already had some that had grown out of other worldbuilding, so I added the sidebar. If you ever need a creative way to swear, you're welcome to gwush, or any of the others. XD