This glossary collects slang, idioms, and expressions used by the inhabitants of Neo-Europa’s Smart Slums. These sayings often reflect a life of improvisation, struggle, wit, and Cypherspace entanglement. Many have evolved from old languages, misused corporate slogans, or corrupted fragments of digital culture.
Common Idioms & Expressions
- Veilblind
- Someone completely disconnected from Cypherspace or unaware of digital threats. A slur for the dangerously naive.
- "Don’t bring Veilblinds to a Slumtrace — they’ll get ICE-bit in a blink."
- Clutch-tier
- Praise for someone who performs under pressure. Also used sarcastically for risky last-minute fixes.
- "She rerouted a corpse battery mid-heist? That’s Clutch-tier."
- Nullborn
- Refers to someone born without access to any functioning neural interface — often considered unlucky or 'marked by ghosts.'
- "He walks like a Nullborn — quiet, but always listening."
- Ping me your guilt
- Slum-sarcastic way to say “I don’t care” or “That’s not my problem.”
- "You broke the crate? Ping me your guilt and go."
- Spark-dumb
- Used to describe someone acting impulsively or foolishly, like a fried circuit. Similar to “short-circuited.”
- "Tried to bribe a Council drone with street creds. Real spark-dumb move."
- Staredown with a Chapel Node
- Means someone is soul-searching, spiraling, or mentally unstable — often due to AI religious obsession.
- "Leave her be. She’s been in a staredown with a Chapel Node since Tuesday."
- Ghost-tagged
- Being watched or haunted by something digital (a rogue AI, ICE trace, memory echo).
- "You feel that drag? We’re ghost-tagged. Log out now."
- Patch and pray
- Do your best with broken gear or bad code and hope it holds. Slum equivalent of “duct tape and hope.”
- "The firewall’s toast. We patch and pray from here."
- Ladder-mouth
- Someone who talks like a middle-class wannabe or snob. Often used mockingly.
- "Listen to this Ladder-mouth quoting Council proverbs like he knows clean water."
- Bleed it forward
- A grim phrase meaning to pass on suffering, damage, or cost to the next person.
- "I didn’t ask for mercy. Just bleed it forward."