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Writers F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2024 Oct 14 4:51 am)
Subject: A clean expletive?
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Scheisse? since she's austrian. Means (oh) shit if anyone is in doubt.
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You just can't put the words "Poserites" and "happy" in the same sentence - didn't you know that? LaurieA
Using Poser since 2002. Currently at Version 11.1 - Win 10.
If she is (mostly) naked and her name is Victoria, she pulls out her sword, wields it against the poor bugger and says nothing at all. If she has wings attached to her back, she puts on her most innocent look, poses her limbs in a very graceful manner still saying nothing. Sorry - I'm overposered. ;)
another word on "donnerwetter" - it would be OK but it just does not sound austrian at all. and it seems to be too weak in my ears. since "himmi..." (mentioned before) is too long for the locals also, it is shortened in most cases to: "sakra". and this is my proposal. btw, this word assumes a catholic background (i think still more than 90% of austrians are catholic).
To set it up, a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ? "What now?" (exasperated tone, touch of disappointment) "Not again..." (exasperated and a touch annoyed or bored) "Sure 'nuff" (derived from "just when things are at their worst, a little voice says 'cheer up things could be worse', so you cheer up and sure 'nuff, things get worse) "Sorry honey, I have a headache" (works for male antagonists, at least), could become "Headache time!" once readers are familiar with the character. - Drew
I use "damnity!" and "pissants!" My grandfather used to refer to "scissorbills" to describe cheapskates, tax collectors, and officious bureaucrats. I suggest avoiding anything not in American English unless you are very familiar with the word and where it has been. "Bugger" used to describe a man-man sexual activity during the Victorian era, so, while it may be watered down now, it may also not be appropriate for your character, or may raise eyebrows among British readers. When working with a Mexican draftsman, we picked up the term "chancadero" (sp?) said when he dropped something or similar mishap. Later he told me not to use it in polite company. (I think it means damned little thing?) Shakespeare used a lot of extremely colorful terms, which have been somewhat sanitized after 400 years. There are books and lists full of them. They ought to be different enough to add an edge to your character without fear that a modern reader would misunderstand or be offended. One thing to remember: swear words maintain their power through taboos and sacredness. If a culture thinks nothing of excrement (it is after all a biological process), they won't say "shit" for emphasis. If their cosmology doesn't include a hell or damnation but 40,000 nature spirits, they won't damn someone. They may start listing names, though. ;) What is sacred to your character? Carolly
A good expletive should have harsh syllables and contain references to either obscenity or something gross. Since both the latter are not desired in this context, what you want is something that sounds like it /ought/ to be dirty, while not specifically meaning anything. :) My Texas relatives have been known to use "Mo-ther pussbucket..." but that's a bit too gross for me... "Festering fracklin..." "Oh, retch..." "Reeking drek!" Etc.
"Oh, for cryin' out loud ...."
-- Colonel Jack O'Neill, Stargate SG-1
Some of you might find this site helpful, or at least amusing:
I always liked Felgercarb, from Battlestar Galactica. My understanding of Donnerwetter is that it's really much stronger to German-speakers, kinda like MF is to English speakers. So, for an Austrian, Donnerwetter would be an excellent choice. Do we have any German speakers to chime in on this? Oh, and Shugana sounds like Meshuganah - which I believe is Yiddish like Furschlugginer. Thinking about it, that would be a good term for a German speaker - Mad Magazine used it all the time as I recall.
Olde English/Pirate Curse Generator
The Insultmonger site has a nice selection of generators, also:
http://www.insultmonger.com/generators/index.htm
Try the Auto-Flamer ... perfect for the Off Topic forum.
LonCray, where verdammt do you think i live? donnerwetter noch einmal! ("noch einmal" = once again; for some reason enhances the meaning) please keep in mind that german with all its colurs is extremely flexible. like: what is a strong word in some region would mean nothing to someone coming from another place. i remember a colleague who would not been angry to be called an "idiot", but calling hin a "dubel" (pronounced "doooble") would have upset him. also: words change their meaning in time. maybe "donnerwetter" was a strong word say 100 years ago, nowadays it is merely a word of surprize.
not really a problem... ;-) well, i live in the southwest, so swabian is not in my direct environment, and bavarian is even further away. anyway, donnerwetter i'd think could be quite an interesting choice, but again i must stress it does not sound austrian at all. eventually today i phoned to a colleague in vienna, and asking hin, "what would you say if you turnded around a corner..." he actually answered "joooo..." which is kinda typically vienna. they have quite a dry humour. "jooo" is just a version of the german word for "yes". at the same time also "naaaaaa...." (open "a" like in the english wort "up", but stretched looooong) would have been possible ("naaa" = austrian accent for "nein" = "no"). vienna accent is more famous for very colorfully calling names. (most coming to my mind are definitively not suited for this family oriented forum) a more ancient expression would be "kruzitken" basically coming from the time when turkish troops were almost occupying vienna. don't ask me for the proper meaning. literally it is combined from cross (actually the christian crucifix) and turk. but as i said this is ancient. i just know it from reading. almost no one will say it as far as i know the language. (what is actually depending on where you live and how old you are, as already mentioned) well, 'nuff said, this was worth not even 5 cent.
Thanks everyone for the brainstorming! I really liked the idea of using foreign words to swear, but in the end, I chose to go with a different approach since it may be a while before I do a segment that tells her backstory and in the meantime it would be slightly confusing for the reader/viewer. So I'm taking a different approach... blending someone elses' idea of using a longer phrase and then following up with a shorter version of it with a thought of my own, I came up with this. "I'm not charging enough for this job... and this is why." The panel below (above?) is just a rough mockup :) Kinda testing out the character before I throw her into the "real" situations. Again, thanks everyone for the ideas!
If it's going to be her tag phrase every time she gets into trouble - for everything from running into a zombie to dropping a blob of catchup on her favorite blouse, you need to make it something that sounds natural and won't become grating. Keep it short and simple. Uh-oh was already suggested and seems to fit the bill to me. Or perhaps, oh great. Short, simple, and natural. Just my two cents. jon
~jon
My Blog - Mad
Utopia Writing in a new era.
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To set it up, a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ? (Assuming a bit of hardened 'I've seen it all' attitude) "Oh, joy."