Adam

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!”

Anthill

A city or town. The Anthill is another name for the Hive Ward in Sigil.

Apple-chaser

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.

Bad blood

This term refers to an important, but truly despicable person. A pit fiend general might be called a “bad blood”.

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!”

Bark

To give word, to betray. “They knew we were coming. Some berk barked.”

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.

Basher

A neutral reference to a person, usually but not always, implying a thug or fighter.

Believe well

Goodbye, farewell.

Berk

A fool, especially someone who gets himself into a mess when he should have known better.

Biter

Anybody very short and very, very mean. Insult. “Don’t mess with Urdlen’s proxies. They’re vicious biters.”

Black diamond, bought the

To be ripped off or cheeped, commonly by an appraiser, but also by merchants or traders.

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.

Blood

An expert, sage, or professional in any field. Calling someone a blood is a sign or deep respect.

Boxed, getting

Dead, getting.

Bridle-cull

Highwayman, Outlands bandit.

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.

Can

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.

Chessboard, the

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!”

Coster

Stall holder in the Great Bazaar (particularly a food stall). Also costermonger.

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

Fiend-food

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.”

Fingerpaints

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.”

Foamed up

Upset or annoyed (an expression from the Plane of Water).

Gad

Many, a lot of. “That prime’s got a gad of jink on him!”

Garnish

A bribe, as in “Give the petty official a garnish and he’ll go away”.

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.

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.

Graybeard

A sage or scholar. This term refers to the stereotypical wizened old man but can apply to any learned intellectual, even female ones!

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.

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.

Honey-peeler

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.”

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.”

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!”

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.

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.

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, seegreens, stingers, baubles, jinx, and merts.

Jinkbasher

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. Abloodskirt 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).

Joyward

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

Laughing hand

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 carpet

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.

Leatherhead

A dolt; a dull or thick-witted fellow. Use it to call someone an idiot. Also an adjective; “a leatherheaded sod”.

Lifted

Promoted through faction ranks, or, more formally, made a proxy. Example: “Sarin just lifted me. Guess who’s your new boss?”

Lily

True, truthful. Also used to refer to celestials.

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.

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.”

Melt

Spend: “Let’s go and melt some serious jink!”

Mert

Platinum coin (see Economy of the Planes for more details).

Metal cup only

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.

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.

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

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.”

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 the shadow of a shade

Morally and politically immaculate. Used to describe particularly worthy paladins, archons or guardinals by their allies.

Oasis

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.

Old bonehead

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, the

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.

Park your ears

To eavesdrop, spy upon, or just simply listen intently. “He parked his ears in the Hall of Speakers to keep up with the very latest chant.”

Path

A means of planar travel that requires actual physical movement. Commonly known paths include the rivers Styxand Oceanus, Mount Olympus, the World Ash Yggdrasil, and the Infinite Staircase of Ysgard. See the Planar Pathways section for more chant.

Peal

Yet another term for the chant. Most commonly used when in regards to snitching. Verbal use: “He’ll peal all right.”Noun: “OK, Geld. We know you got the peal on him!”

Peel

A swindle, con or trick. It’s often used as a verb. Peeling a tanar’ri is usually a bad idea.

Peery

Suspicious and on one’s guard. What a basher should be if she thinks she’s going to get peeled.

Penny-gush

Exaggerated stories or tales, especially if written: “That piece in S.I.G.I.S. about the Anarchists was just cheap penny-gush.”

Petitioner

A mortal who has died and reformed on the plane of his alignment and/or deity without memory of his former life. A petitioner’s ultimate goal is to become one with the plane he’s occupying, although no one (not even the petitioner) knows the whole dark of this.

Philosophisle

A Cager term for a dead power. Note: It’s a good idea not to use this one around priests.

Pick(ing) the purse

When some high-up shares the dark, he’s picking the purse. This comes from the idea that if someone steals an important bit of knowledge, and he shares it, he’s robbing the owner of it’s secrecy, and in essence, picking his purse.

Pike it

A useful, all-purpose rude phrase, as in, “Take a short stick and pike it, bubber.”

Pike off

To anger someone, as in, “Once he discovers he’s been peeled, he’s going to be really piked off.”

Pincher

Hardhead or some other overzealous scragger of sods.

Pit fiend promise

A promise, begrudgingly made, and likely to be twisted.

Playing chess with Graz’zt

Graz’zt is known to be very cunning, and if he fails he goes really wild. Thus, someone who plays chess with Graz’zt will either fail with his plans, or if he succeeds, have even worse problems thereafter.

Post-monger

A cutter who’s well-lanned when it comes to the cross-trade, specifically fences, knights of the post, fraudsters and other shady cony-catchers. Alsopost-mongering, to possess these ‘qualities’.

Quipper

Slang for a beggar. There’s a whole bloody guild of quippers in Sigil, and they’re one of the best sources of information in the Cage. Why? No one thinks to shut their bone box around a beggar, and no one’s poor enough not to be able to afford to garnish ‘em well.

Razorwine

Any extremely potent alcoholic beverage, no less than 100 proof. “Hey cutter, you’ve got to go try the taps at Mudder MacRee’s! She only serves razorwine!”

Ride

An adventure, task or undertaking. As in, “What’s the ride today, boss?”

Rig

A plan – i.e. “Here’s the rig”, meaning: “This is the plan.”

Ringwalker

Beyond Clueless. The word’s said to have been coined when a prime in Arborea asked how long it would take to walk from there to “Gladsheim”. Call a planar a “ringwalker” and you could start a blood feud, but a clueless prime’ll likely take it as a compliment.

Rough

All legal merchandise. This term is not very often used by honest costermongers on the Grand Bazaar – every sod out there sells only rough merchandise! While on Gatehouse Night Market it’s common to hear “True, me stuff is more expensive than his, but ya ain’t need to be so peery, cutter. Me goods are all rough. I ain’t no cross-trader, see” There’s also an insult among knights of the post: Your jink is rough which suggests that one can’t even lift a jingling.

Rule of Threes

One of the fundamental rules of the Multiverse: Things tend to happen in threes.

Rum

Excellent, great: “Rum news about the tax on bub being cut!”

Rustler

A blood on the make; a stud. Usually used by single cutters in the company of same. “You rorty rustler, you! I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time down at Fast Mary’s House of Negotiable Affection!”

Scan

Look, listen or learn. “Scan this, berk,” can mean “listen up”, “look at this”, or “check this out”. “Scanning the chant” is learning the latest news, fromS.I.G.I.S. for example.

Scragged

Arrested or caught.

Screamer

Alarmist, especially in the factions. One who is prone to exaggerating news, hence scream: “Have you heard the scream that the Blood War’s on Sigil’s doorstep?”

Screed

A monotonous tirade, or someone who gives one. If used to refer to a person, it means someone who speaks at length without any real knowledge, or simply an argumentative person. As in “Don’t listen to him, he’s just a screed.”

Scribblers

Clerks and Civil Servants. Also a mildly derogatory term for Guvners or Mathematicians.

Scribe of the dead book

An assassin or hired killer—somebody who makes a living killing others for profit.

Scriber

See Scribe of the dead book

Scrip it

A handy phrase meaning you’re not interested in the subject. It could also mean that you don’t understand the conversation and don’t actually want to.

Scrub

To beat or torture mercilessly. “That berk’s gonna get a serious scrubbin’ if the Hardheads catch ‘em.” Furthermore, a torturer can be called a scrubber, and conversely, the one who is the victim is called a scrub.

Second turns

Former Chameleons who decided they liked a faction or sect so much they stuck with it and quit the Chameleons. Derives from “turncoats.”

Sensates

Nickname for the Society of Sensation.

Senseless

Sensate insult for a Dustman. Related to numbness, it is more commonly used for those Dustmen closer to True Death. As such, a small number of Dustmen who still have lingering emotion consider the term an ironic compliment.

Sent to Windglum

To ostracise a person or ignore them.

Serenade

Noun: a confession obtained through torture or intimidation which directs blame to an innocent individual. Verb: to testify under torture or intimidation of the guilt that an innocent man is guilty.

Shamblers

A term used to describe the Undead.

Shed

A verb meaning to tell or inform. “Be careful, berk, that ‘loth’s not shedding the total dark.”

Shell, The

The Prime World of Mystara, so called because it’s said to be hollow.

Shifty

Illusionary, hard to mark, dark, not on the up-and-up. “Soddin’ Powers, feedin’ the crows and eatin’ each other just to swallow dark whispers, shifty they are.” A Cager’s lament.

Shout

The casting of high-combat spells, particularly area affect spells like fireball or meteor swarm: “Watch out for the spellslinger, if he shouts we’ll all be put in the dead book!”

Shuttered World, the

Krynn. So-called because of the facts that everyone from Krynn seems deeply Clueless and the Crystal Sphere is now closed.

Sickness, also To have the sickness, to be sick

Someone who is sick is rich to have the sickness is to be rich. This comes from rhyming slang: Sickness and health = wealth.

Sigilians vs. Sigilites

Sigilians are residents of Sigil. They can be born on the prime, the Outlands, the Abyss – anywhere. As long as they live in Sigil, they’re Sigilians.

Sigilites are Sigilians who are the third generation of their family in Sigil – at the least. Sigilites are thus somewhat pompous, and they speak the cant fluently.

Sigil’s enigma

Many old Sigilian history books have referred to The Lady of Pain by this title. But it’s not used much nowadays.(NB: Be careful when using this term. Though it is an accurate title, nobody is certain whether The Lady would take it as an insult or a compliment).

S.I.G.I.S.

The most famous newsrag in Sigil. Standing for “Sigil’s Independently Gathered Information Service”, the news sheet is not without its critics, but remains very popular with the adventuring community in particular. Check here for the chant on S.I.G.I.S.

Sign of None

A nickname for the Doomguard.

Sign of One

A faction whose members figure that everybody is the centre of his own universe. Also called the Signers.

Signers

A faction nickname for the Sign of One.

Significance of 23, the

“It’s the meaning of everything having to do with chaos. We Xaositects understand it perfectly. It occurs naturally everywhere there is chaos” ...or so the Xaosman explained it to me.

Singing in Bedlam

Being completely barmy, but being happy with it.

Sinkers

Another name for the Doomguard.

Siren

Anything that is overly loud, annoying, or, most often, both. Example: “Give that siren beggar a few greens to make him bar that yelling.”

Sixes

The Upper Planes. Cager Rhyming Slang: Sixes and Sevens = Heavens. The term often causes Upper Planars offence, since it implies only six of the seven Upper Planes are worth talking about. But then it ain’t hard to offend an Upper Planar most times!

Skag

A normal berk that gives or sells information, usually under pressure. “We squeezed some skag for the dark on the Fated.”

Skeg, catch a

Get a look: “If you catch a skeg at the portal key, be sure to let me know.”

Skiff

A really ratty kip. A crappy living place or establishment—in other words, most of the Hive’s buildings are skiffs.

Skilter

A derogatory term used by members of factions to denote bodies who don’t belong to one.

Skin

A debt owed, usually to the Fated or a fiend (Cager Rhyming Slang: Skin and Bone = Loan). “You’ve got a skin here that’s built up a lot of interest, cutter.”

Skin a razor

Drive a hard bargain: “That sodding merchant really skinned my razor!”

Skinned

Someone who makes a contract with a fiend, a Baatezu in particular. It refers to the contract, which is usually made from the flayed skin of a human or Baatorian petitioner. “Keep away from them fiends, you’ll only get yourself skinned.”

Skinner

Tax collector. “It’s impossible to peel the Fated skinners.”

Slippery

Downright illegal stuff, like stolen property, jarra spice, phlogistol, slaves etc. When Hardheads scrag you with some slippery goods, you better look for an hende baatezu lawyer, berk. “I could take these gems to Curst, sure, but I know they’re slippery. I want 10 merts.”

Smiley

Used by typical cynical planars to refer to planars who aren’t so jaded, and act more like primes. “Sod off, Lemon. Go find a smiley to help you out.”

Smooth

Semilegal merchandise or one of unknown origin, such as unlabeled alcohol or ‘used goods’. “I wouldn’t trust this spiv. His goods look smooth at best. I’d bet he bobbed some poor sod.” Also used as a verb. Then it means: to enter illegal, stolen or faked item into a market and get legal payment from it. Commonly used by fences. “You forged some coins? Good. I’ll smooth them for ya for half of the profits.”

Soul-bag

A lower planar term for the physical body.

Soul-breath

The last exhalation after death. The term comes from the Hellenic tradition that maintains that the soul flees the body in that breath.

Soul-broker

Any fiendish merchant who engages in hiring mortals to perform tasks. The term is rarely used by the mortals bought or else the fiends themselves; usually a celestial uses the term to refer to the invariably spirit-corrupting and dangerous nature of such transactions.

Sparkle

Specifically a diamond, but any gem.

Spike

A well-made or magical sword. Often used sarcastically by fiends “Whataya gonna do, stick me wit dat ‘spike’ o’ yours? Ha ha ha!”

Spire-climb, spireclimber

An impossible task; a task one can make begin and progress at but cannot finish. Spire-climbs include the seeking of perfection, enlightenment, absolute mystical power, or martial skills. “Sure, I know that my training’s a spire-climb, but look how much better I got.” A spireclimber is someone trying an insane or impossible task. “That spireclimber wants to kill all the fiends!”

Spiv

An individual who lives by his wits (rather than by having regular employment).

Sprout roots

To get oneself a permanent case and stay there. Used often to describe a planewalker who wants to retire. “Have you heard the chant on Scriber Jones? They say he’s sprouted roots in Sigil.”

Square

Honest, good, or good enough. Frequently used to describe Celestials or the Harmonium, sometimes disparagingly. “I’ll slip you that chant if the jink’s square.”

Squeezer

A tax collector (or anyone who takes money from generally unwilling people) given that nearly all tax collectors are members of the Fated, this term is also often used to refer to any member of that faction.

Sure as Sigil

Certainly, I promise.

Talking book

A document or book that is illegal in the Cage, e.g. the Factol’s Manifesto.

Thorn

To annoy or anger. “If that mephit doesn’t stop thorning me…”

Tinman

A warrior in heavy armour (usually plate) or a mechanical, humanoid construct. Usually tinman implies that the figure’s armour or metallic body is a hindrance that makes the being clumsy or unable to move in a difficult environment. “Ford the river, berk; the tinman can’t swim!”

Trolley-womped

Crushed with great force; maybe in a stampede of manes, or perhaps run over by a Sigilian sedan chair: “Sorry I look such a wreck. I just got trolley-womped back there.”

Twig

To take a liking to, as in, “One particular deva twigged to the idea of interfering with the Blood War.”

Under the Lady’s shadow

Bad, ill, evil-omened. “Ribcage has been under the Lady’s shadow since Lord Paracs became the high-up man.”

Wagger

Gossip or information broker. “We check with all the waggers we could find, but the leather-heads didn’t have anything on the cult of dead powers.”

Walking into the Lady’s shadow

To willingly or knowingly go to your death. Suicide.

Waster

A person, thing, or event that is boring, or wastes time. As in, “Usually I enjoy Ambar’s concerts, but that one was a real waster.”

Watch the Spire

Goodbye: “Watch the Spire, blood.”

When the Lady speaks

Simply put, this means “never”. If a person is very dedicated to his job, you might say, “He’ll retire when the Lady speaks.”

Wigwag

To chat or talk.

Worms

Brains, smarts, intelligence. To say someone’s got worms is to imply they’re quite clever. “That blood’s got more worms in his brain-box than the Mount has haloes!”

Zip

Leave that for later. As in, “Zip the locked chest and help me stop this bleeding,” or “Zip the sodding orcs. We need to nick that mage.” Also can be used like “bar that” when Hardheads come knocking. “Zip it berk. You want to get us all scragged.”