User:DavidJCobb/Running list of Tamrielic vocabulary

This seems like a good set of information to have for writing dialogue for mods and such.

General list format:

term or phrase

Definition. Elaboration where necessary. "Optional usage example."

• Game name. Character Name during Quest Name. Additional brief note if useful.
• Game name. Character Name during Quest Name. Additional brief note if useful.
• Game name. Character Name during Quest Name. Additional brief note if useful.

Things I'll likely need to copy and paste throughout this list:

• Meaning consistent with real-world idiom: MEANING HERE
• Meaning consistent with real-world snowclones: MEANING HERE
• Unknown whether this expression is common or an on-the-spot bit of wordplay by its speaker.
• No instances of this exact wording (or "SYNONYM HERE") yet encountered.
• Variation "PHRASE EMPLOYING WORD NOT COMMON IN ENGLISH" used; variation in wording is consistent with real-world word meanings.

TODO

• Move this to a Word doc so I don't need to spam my contribs and the wiki's recent changes every few figures of speech

Expressions and figures of speech

Earth expressions

bad blood

Meaning consistent with real-world idiom: acrimony.

• ESO. Vicecanon Hrondar during Three Tender Souls. Optional introductory dialogue.

boil over

Meaning consistent with real-world idiom: used in reference to tensions, circumstances; can refer to the tensions themselves or to a locality where those tensions are occurring.

• ESO. Vicecanon Hrondar during Three Tender Souls. Introductory dialogue.

"I'd bet my X that Y"

Meaning consistent with real-world idiom: user is confident in asserting Y.

• ESO. Strikes-from-Shadows during The Venom of Ahknara. X used is "birth-mud."

kicking arse

Meaning consistent with real-world idiom: using aggression to defeat opponents.

• ESO. Vicecanon Hrondar during Three Tender Souls. Introductory dialogue.

kissing arse

Meaning consistent with real-world idiom: being excessively or undesirably deferential.

• ESO. Vicecanon Hrondar during Three Tender Souls. Introductory dialogue.

pain in the arse

Meaning consistent with real-world idiom: noun referring to an annoyance or irritant. No instances of this exact wording (or "ass") yet encountered.

• ESO. Vicecanon Hrondar during Three Tender Souls. Optional introductory dialogue. Variation "pain in the fundament" used; variation in wording is consistent with real-world word meanings.

"X, they said. Y, they said."

Meaning consistent with real-world snowclones: expression of resentment used after following advice and arriving at an undesirable result.

• ESO. Lena Dalvel during School Daze.

Localized variations on Earth expressions

[adjective] as gorapple pie

Meaning consistent with the real-world idiom "[adjective] as [flavor] pie."

• ESO. Lena Dalvel during School Daze. "Safe as gorapple pie." Spoken near the quest's conclusion, after shattering the Jagged Lens.

Original expressions

to twist a Dark Elf's ears

"To infuriate." Unknown whether this expression is common or an on-the-spot bit of wordplay by its speaker.

• ESO. Vicecanon Hrondar during Three Tender Souls. Optional introductory dialogue.

Mother Morrowind

Akin to "My God," "bloody hell," and so on.

• ESO. Lena Dalvel during School Daze. "Mother Morrowind, I couldn't stop laughing."

Vivec's buttocks

Expression of exasperation akin to uses of "Jesus Christ" in vain. Unknown whether this expression is common or an on-the-spot bit of wordplay by its speaker.

• ESO. Tedras Relvi during School Daze.

Honorifics and terms of address

Earth honorifics

comrade

• ESO. Guildmaster Sees-All-Colors during The Prismatic Core. Introductory dialogue. Multiple occurrences.

Miscellaneous phrases

Earth phrases

up and around

Active, functional, mobile.

• ESO. Arch-Mage Valeyn during School Daze. Spoken near the quest's conclusion, after shattering the Jagged Lens.

wreak havoc

To cause mayhem.

• ESO. Arch-Mage Valeyn's Familiar during Vision Quest. Used if the familiar is spoken to while it is a follower, when outdoors.

Single words

Contemporary Earth meanings

bigot

Someone harboring a vicious, institutionalized prejudice.

• ESO. When speaking to the brother of the soul-buyer in Kragenmoor, the player can respond to the NPC's classism by calling them a bigot.
• ESO. Tiiril Alor during Three Tender Souls. In reference to racism. "I'm no bigot, but if you ask me, the world would be a better place without [Argonians]."

boom

Can refer to a hard impact or to a sudden change.

• ESO. Hadmar during Vision Quest. "One moment I was walking to [the] instruction hall, [and the] next moment--boom! [I was] knocked on [my] backside."

dumb

Colloquial synonym for "stupid," "contemptibly uninteresting," and so on; apparently common enough to be known to daedra as of the Second Era. Unknown whether the term's archaic meaning (mute) is used, or whether expressions based on that meaning ("struck dumb," "dumbstruck") are used.

• ESO. Arch-Mage Valeyn's Familiar during Vision Quest. "Mortals have dumb names."

Original terms

fetcher

Pejorative used in the same manner as the real-world term "fucker." Verb forms of the pejorative do not appear to be used, i.e. a person in an unfortunate situation is not "fetched," and you cannot insult someone by telling them to "fetch themselves" or to "fetch off."

• ESO. Captain Llaari at the conclusion of The Venom of Ahknara. Term is affectionately applied to a deceased comrade.
• ESO. Tiiril Alor during Three Tender Souls.

warm-blood

Adjective used by Argonians to refer to non-Argonians. Possibly pejorative.

• ESO. Strikes-from-Shadows during The Venom of Ahknara. "I was ambushed. Warm-blood assassins do that."

Foreign-language words

Dunmer

b'vek ("beh-vehk")

Expression of exasperation.

• ESO. Captain Llaari during The Venom of Ahknara.

f'lah ("fh-lah")

Cordial term of address.

• ESO. Captain Llaari during The Venom of Ahknara. Used several times when addressing the player; variations include "my fine f'lah," used when first greeting the player.

s'wit ("switt")

Adjective. Likely pejorative.

• ESO. Captain Llaari during The Venom of Ahknara.