Yes, back by popular demand! Duel slang, the slang language of Car Wars. Anyone having any suggestions for future duel slang articles can be sent to Spacegamer (really tells you how old this articles is, doesn't it?) or Norman McMullen.
Ye Olde Duel Slang
Duel slang actually began with the supplement of Truck Stop and its truckers' terminology and CB words (2033). Here's some duel slang from that supplement.
Badass: a heavily-armed civilian car, passenger van, etc.
Blister: a cupola. A "Blister Jockey" is a cupola gunner.
Box: A civilian passenger van, as opposed to a van-type trailer.
Bug Bomb: an AP grenade (so called because it discourages "flies").
Can Opener: any heavy weapon or any weapon loaded with HESH ammo.
Cockroach: a compact car.
Cold Shouldered: forced off the road.
Cow Patties: mines.
Cubed: crushed, usually by a collision.
Dirty Birds: cycle gang.
Doorknocker: an anti-tank or heavier gun.
Dustup: road combat.
Eye In The Sky: police or TV helicopter.
Fly: a highjacker or thrill-seeker who drops/climbs onto moving vehicles.
Frog Farm: an area in which vehicle combat is prohibited. A "frog" is a vehicle with no weapons.
Ghoul: someone who strips wrecks for a living.
Gimme: any toll booth, legal or otherwise.
Goon: anyone usingthe highway for recreational duelling.
Greener: an armed pedestrian.
Ironclad: a vehicle (espsecially a large one) that blatantly displays very heavy weapons and armor. Some ironclads are fake.
Kamicar: a vehilce, either manned or remotely piloted, that attacks by ramming an opponent. Kamicars usually are filled with explosives also.
Logrollers: gangs that barricade a road and ambush vehicles, or demand a toll.
Nap Trap: a truck stop or motel.
Pancake: wrecked vehicle.
Pizza Truck: amubulance.
Polish Air Force: helicopter or helicopter crew.
Pranged: wrecked due to a driver error.
Putt-Putt: a motorcycle.
Q-Truck: a trailer that is more heavily armed and armored than it appears to be. May be crs, vans, or buses.
Redeye: a policeman who enforces local laws every strictly.
Sardines: civilians riding a bus.
Smoked: destroyed by gunfire. Making smokescreens is "laying smoke".
Smokey: a policeman or highway patrolman.
Spitball Fight: a combat between lightly-armed vehicles. A "spitball special" is an underarmed vehicle.
Street Legal: complying with local weapon or equipment laws. Also refers to improvised weapons from ordinary items such as cooking oil, thumbtacks, etc.
Students: kidnappers or terrorists.
Tagalong: a civilian vehicle following a big rig for protection.
Tank: a bus or tractor with good weapons and armor. This term can be confusing if , as happens occasionally, a real tank shows up.
Thumbtacks: spikes.
Tin Can: a vehicle with insufficent armor.
Toaster: a flamethower or a vehicle armed with a flamethrower.
Van: a van-type (fully enclosed) semi, as opposed to a civilan "box".
Ventilated: shot full of holes.
Zap Gun: laser.
New Duel Slang
Contributers: Tim Jacques, Jay Chladek, John Schuncke, and Norman McMullen.
Ramloser: a duellist who knows he's going to lose and rams the winning duellist to make sure no one wins.
Pointgrabber: a duellist who goes after the easy points in a point-based arena to build a sizable lead over the other duellists.
Pinball: a hovercraft. Also refers to a hovercraft's unmaneuverability or an out-of-control hovercraft. Can also refer to a hovercraft pilot.
Firecrackers: rocket boosters or jump jets.
Junk Surprise: junk or debris with mines or some other hazard hidden under it.
French Air Force: microplanes or mincroplane crew.
Rotorhead: a duellist who likes helicopters.
Popcorn: pedestrians that have been run over, so named because of the popping sound they make.
Hood ornament: a cyclist who becomes a part of the vehicle that killed him.
Mall Zombies: a duellist who drives around endlessly in a parking lot in search of a parking space.
Bug Killers: anti-pedestrian weapons.
Bugs: pedestrians in general.
Sheeleybuster: anything that goes beyond the laws of physics, but is perfectly feasible in th game. Example: doing a tight bend at 80 mph and not losing control. Or taking a hairpin at over 200 mph with no problem. Sometimes called Rulebuster or Infinite Improbabilty Maneuvers.
Well, so much for this article of Duel Slang. Look
for future articles of Duel Slang.
Drive Offensively!