While subcultures have their own slang that can change from year to year, and even the mainstream tends to pick up and lose bits and pieces of parlance from decade to decade, some things tend to stick around for one reason or another - or get forgotten, then revived again by re-use. This is a quick dictionary of some of these terms and expressions that one might want to review before trying to rub elbows with the down and dirty. Note that there is no guarantee that any of this is applicable to any particular environment - use your judgment rather than reading a dictionary when holding a conversation!

Ace (noun):
1. An expert in the field.
2. A friend, buddy, pal, companion.

Ace (verb):
1. To succeed spectacularly.
2. To kill with a single shot.

Aces (adjective): The very best, the top.

Ace of Spades (phrase): Term for death in combat; to 'draw the Ace of Spades' is to die in battle, while 'drawing the Ace' is a shorthand term that means the same thing.

Aesthetics (noun): Simple cosmetic surgery.

AI (noun): Artificial Intelligence. A computer or network-based entity, usually designed to solve complex problems, that was built with or has achieved self-awareness. Typically under the ownership of a corporation.

Airfilm (noun): Shorthand phrase for maglev trains that float less than an inch above the rails.

Alien (noun): Derogatory Earth-based term for those who inhabit space stations, Luna, or Mars.

AMF (phrase): “Adios, motherfucker.” Good-bye. Typically derogatory.

Angel (noun): A benefactor, particularly an unknown one.

AniMan (noun): Derogatory term for someone who has had bodysculpting done to resemble an animal form.

Apter (noun): Pronunciation of the acronym APTR (Augmented Program Trained Reflex), synonyms skillsoft or reflex chip. Software that provides reflex-based skills to the user without parsing through trained memory.

Arc, Arco (noun): Arcology. A self-contained living environment, usually pyramidal, domed, or skyscraper-shaped. Commonly operated by a major corporation, government agency, or nonprofit organization to support its personal interests.

AV (noun): “Air Van”, a van-shaped transport capable of vertol flight.

BA (noun): “Badass” or “Black Agent”.

Badass (noun): Capable of going anywhere, through any obstacle, without being bothered by its difficulty.

Badge (noun): Hired guards, law enforcement, or corporate security. Listed in order of ascending hazard.

Bagged and Tagged (noun): In law enforcement, declared dead and marked for further examination. Elsewhere, just another way of saying 'dead'.

Bakebrain (noun): A general-purpose derogatory term for someone who has limited or damaged mental faculties. Most accurately used for those damaged by harmful or faulty neural equipment, excessive wireheading, or damage caused by Black Ice.

Ballerina (noun): A reflex-boosted female assassin. Most commonly used in connection to the Russian mob or high-end corporate interests.

'Base (noun): A database.

B.B. (abbreviation): Technically stands for 'ball bearing', but is more commonly used for 'Big Brother'.

B-D (verb, noun): Breakdown.

Bennie (noun): An out-of-towner, someone out of place.

Bioroid (noun): An artificial humanoid lifeform. Most international regulations treat bioroids as property or animals in terms of rights.

Biosoft (noun): 1) Data chips that incorporate biological components in their construction; thought to be superior to purely artificial chips. 2) Generic term for any data chip that plugs into a neural socket to provide new skills or knowledge. Also known as skillsofts. 3) Software used to program bioroids specifically.

Birthlab (noun): A laboratory for the mass production of bioroids, typically for market sale.

Bit jockey (phrase): A programmer or hacker.

Black, the (phrase): The reaches of unconquered space.

Black Agent (phrase): An illegal corporate operative.

Black Box (noun): 1. Any of a number of electronic countermeasure/circumvention devices assembled to assist in criminal endeavours, usually homebuilt. 2. A device created in such a way as to make its purpose difficult to discern. 3. A backup system meant to store data safely in the event of a catastrophic event.

Black Clinic (phrase): A medical facility that specializes in the implantation and maintenance of illegal or unregistered cybernetics.

Black Ice (phrase): Any countermeasure software that is designed to cause physical harm or death to an intruder. Typically illegal for private use.

Blade (noun): 1. A professional soldier or street combatant specializing in edged weapons. 2. A surgeon or doctor.

Blank (noun): A person without identification.

Blood Money (phrase): Income from the illegal sale of organs to a body bank.

Blue Moon (phrase): A honest police officer.

Body Bank (noun): A storage facility for transplant organs. Many are illegally operated and actively 'recruit' new merchandise.

Booster (noun): A gang member with a strong affinity for cyberware.

Borg (noun): A full-body conversion cyborg.

Bourgie (adjective): Common or low-class.

Brain Potato (phrase): Someone addicted to wireheading.

Bridge and Tunnel Crowd (phrase): Commuters.

BTL Chip (phrase): 'Better Than Life' Chip, also known as dreamchips or hot sensies. An illegal data chip which provides the user with a combination of artificial reality coupled with direct stimulation of different centers of the brain. Though typically designed to provide a pre-programmed fantasy, the artificial reality need not be coherent, i.e. it can provide a totally hallucinatory environment. Chips are typically designed to burn out after one use, both to prevent the user's brain from overloading from the sustained stimulation, and to force the user to purchase additional chips. BTL chips are psychologically addictive, and most governments ban them claiming that repeated, frequent use causes permanent brain damage.

Bronze (noun): Slang (usually derogatory) for law enforcement personnel.

Breetva (noun): Russian word for razor. Anyone with combat-oriented cyberware.

Bruce (verb): Pronunciation of the hacker acronym BRS (Big Red Switch). 1) To deactivate a machine. 2) To kill someone or render them senseless.

Buck Rogers (phrase): Derogatory phrase for an individual obsessed with high-tech weaponry.

Bullet-Stopper (phrase): See Guardian Angel.

Bushi (noun): Japanese term for Honor or Code of Honor. A key concept for most edgerunners (q.v.), as they frequently have little else to call their own at times.

Business, ‘Biz’ (noun): In slang context, crime.

Buttonhead (noun): See Wirehead.

Buzz (verb): Buzz off. Go away. Leave.

Card - 1) n. SIN Card (q.v.). 2) v. To demand that a person show their personal identification.

Carpet - n. A electronic warfare jamming device.

Castrato - n. See Muzak-Man.

Catalog - n. A Class-A information dossier.

Causing Static - ph. Starting trouble.

Cement poisoning - ph. What a person dies of after being pushed off of a multi-story building and hitting the sidewalk. Also known as deceleration trauma.

Chalk outline - ph. See Sidewalk outline.

Check-out - ph. To die.

Cherry - n. Brand new.

Chiller - n. Assassin.

Chinese Take-out - ph. Anything extremely jumbled or messy. (e.g.“That riotgun made his chest look like Chinese take-out.”).

Chipped - adj. Senses, skills, reflexes, and so on, enhanced by cyberware.

Choombata, Choomba - n. (Bantu) Friend. Buddy.

Choo - n. Slang for CHOOH-2, a synthetic meta-alcohol fuel.

Choob - n. Jerk, nerd, weirdo.

Chop - n. A credcard or credchip.

Chop Shop - n. A black clinic (q.v.).

Chopping - v. The process of cracking a stolen credcard or credchip.

Chow Chit - n. See Kibble Card (q.v.).

Chrome - n. 1) Flash, glitter, bells and whistles, tinsel. Material used to spice up the appearance of something. 2) Sexy features on a program, not needed for functionality but radiating style (e.g. a guillotine instead of a standard UI trash can icon). 3) Generic reference to cyberware.

Chrome-Bangers - n. Derogatory term for the C-SWAT team or “psychosquad”. (Syn. “Circuit Breakers”.)

Chromer - n. A member of a gang dedicated to hard (chromatic) rock music (usually a specific band) and mindless violence. The original `party animals'.

Chuck - n. Caucasian person. Usually derogatory.

Chummer - n. `Pal' or `Buddy'. May be used sarcastically.

Chunking - v. Eating on the run, eating as a secondary activity.

CIRS - n. Cybernetic Implant Rejection Syndrome: a psychotic aberration suffered by excessive users of cyberware.

Collar - n. (Derogatory) A white-collar worker, usually a low-level employee of a megacorp.

Combat Zones - n. Areas of urban decay in major cities, characterized by high crime rates, unmaintained streets and buildings, poor police coverage, high concentrations of homeless people, and frequent outbreaks of (often gang-related) violence.

Comm - n. Telephone.

Config - v. (HR) To arrange something.

Corp - n. Corporation.

Corpse - n. A corporate executive, a CORPorate Sleaziness expert.

Cortex Bomb - n. A small, implanted explosive device (usually in the skull) that detonates in response to a timer or remote signal. Usually implanted against the wearer's will to keep them in line. Most cortex bombs will detonate automatically if tampered with.

Cowboy - n. A very hot, professional deckjockey.

Coyote - n. (Mex.) Someone who smuggles (usually illegal immigrants) across the U.S./Mexico border.

Crease - v. To kill. - Creased: Killed.

Cred - n. Money, typically electronic funds.

Credcard - n. A personal electronic debit card commonly carried in place of actual currency.

Credchip - n. See credcard.

Credstick - n. See credcard.

CSC - n. A “Computer Sabotage Consultant”. A tactful form of address for a netrunner. See Deckjockey.

Culture Vulture - ph. A member of the media.

Curse, the - n. CIRS.

C-YA - ph. Pronounced as “see ya”, acronym for “Cover Your Ass”.

Cyberaxe - n. Any musical instrument (although typically a guitar) that is equipped with a cybernetic interface.

Cyberdeck - n. Hardware used to access cyberspace through a DNI link.

Cyberpsychosis - n. A psychotic aberration suffered by excessive users of cyberware (see CIRS).

Cyberspace - n. 1) The conceptual space within a computer. 2) The conceptual medium within which computer communication takes place, e.g. Electronic Bulletin Boards, online services, databases, or in general theprogram space of any computer which can run a communication program. 3) A slang term for the global computer network.

Cyberware - n. Any cybernetic/bionic body implant which replaces or augments a specific body function.

Cylon - n. Derogatory term for corporate security personnel.

Daddy - n. An `add-on' chip; a cyber-data chip containing a programmed skill which augments existing skills or provides new ones. These chips provide `instant' training of a normally unknown ability (i.e. flying a jet).

Dark, the - n. (HR) Space. (See Big Black.)

DDR - n. An expert in “Difficult Data Retrieval”. A tactful form of address for a netrunner. See Deckjockey.

Dead Presidents - n. Old United States paper currency.

Deceleration Trauma - ph. See Cement poisoning.

Deck - n. See cyberdeck.

Decker - n. See Deckjockey. 1) A SimSense abuser. 2) Anyone with a datajack or chipjack. 3) Derogatory term for a netrunner.

Deckjockey - n. An expert cyberdeck user, usually a specialist and covertly accessing and stealing from corporate databases.

Deep Reality - ph. The real world we live in. As opposed to the realities we create for ourselves within our minds (e.g. fantasy games) and in our processors (e.g. cyberspace).

DeeVee - v. Devalue. To make something worthless.

Delta - n. A smuggling aircraft.

Deltajock - n. A hotshot pilot.

Denji - (Russian) Money. Colloquially, “soft money.” Unstable national currencies or corp scrips. “Trash dengi” refers to currency that is subject to runaway inflation.

Derm - n. An adhesive skin patch used to apply medication.

De-Rezz - v. 1) To terminate a program. 2) To kill someone.

DI - n. Digital Intelligence. A computer intelligence made up of the recorded knowledge of one or more human experts. This is less complex and expensive than developing an AI (q.v.).

Die of the measles - ph. In military parlance, an assassination which makes the death appear to be of natural causes.

Dirtside - n. (HR) A reference to a planetary surface (as opposed to space).

Dirtsider - n. (HR) Derogatory term for someone who rarely or never is in space.

Dirty - adj. 1) Derogatory term for low-tech (paper & pencil, walking, etc.) 2) Any traceable illegal item. 3) Contaminated.

Dis - v. Disrespect; to treat with disrespect.

Disappear - v. To cause a person, and all known references to that person, to become difficult or impossible to find.

DNI - n. Direct Neural Interface.

Do <someone> Ugly - ph. To beat up or be beaten up (e.g. “Boy, somebody sure did him ugly!”)

Dock - v. (HR) To have sex.

‘Dorph - n. A synthetic analogue for endorphins (organic painkillers produced naturally by the human body). Used to suppress pain and shock. Addictive.

‘Dorpher - n. Member of a gang primarily identified by their heavy and frequent drug use. Very unpredictable.

Double Tap - v. To kill or incapacitate someone with two quick shots from a weapon.

Doughboy/girl - n. Derogatory term for someone wearing too much body armor.

Download - v. See Fuse.

Downtime - n. Free time; off the job.

Draga - adj. (Hungarian) Expensive.

Drek - n. Common curse word (archaic `shit'). adj: drekky.

Drig - v. Copulation. Expletive.

Dumped - v. Involuntarily ejected from the matrix.

Eddies - n. Phonetic pronunciation of “EDs”, meaning Eurodollars.

Edge - n. The fringe of society, where many engage in illegal or semi-legal acts or life-styles.

Edgerunner - n. Someone who lives on the edge (q.v.).

Edgezone - n. A strip, grey area, area of potential “coolness”.

Euro - n. Eurodollars.

Eurodollar - n. The most commonly accepted standard currency in the modern world.

Exotic - n. An obviously biosculpted individual, usually with non-human features (fangs, fur, tail, etc.).

Faceman - n. A sub-fixer in the employ of a major fixer, supporting that superiors network.

Foot, Feet - n. Derogatory term for police. (From flatfoot.)

Ferryman - n. Term for an expert assassin. Believed to be derived from the famed Eurosolo Charon, who took his handle from the figure in Greek mythology who ferried the dead across the river Styx to Hades.

Fixer - n. A go-between, deal maker, information broker. Also a fence or mover of illegal goods.

Flash - 1) v. Anything spectacular (e.g. “That deck has a lot of flash!” 2) n. Hard currency (e.g. “Loan me some flash.”)

Flatline - n. A state of death (ref. flat EEG traces upon brain-death) which may refer to either a machine (usually a deck or other computer) or a person. Usually a result of an encounter with black ice during a netrun. v. To die.

Flea - n. (Net) A non-netrunner who accompanies a netrunner on a netrun by using a `trode set.

Floor Routine - ph. From gymnastics, a (usually futile) attempt to dodge automatic weapons fire.

Fodder - n. A derogatory term fixers use for solos.

Fold - 1) n. A slang term for flexible (paper or plastic) currency; hardcopy scrip, bills, folding money. 2) v. To shut down something or someone (e.g. “This operation is about to fold.”)

Footprint - n. A characteristic `hacking' style; consisting of such elements as speed, number and length of pauses, commonly-appearing commands, words, phrases, and mistakes.

Fossil - n. 1) An elderly person. 2) Someone who refuses to give up old ways. 3) Any old or obsolete item.

Frag - v. 1) Common curse word. adj: Fragging. 2) To kill someone with a fragmentation grenade.

Freakers - n. See Berserkide.

Fred - n. 1) Any straight, unimaginative citizen, usually a shirt (q.v.). 2) An elder person or someone who clings to outmoded ideas or practices (from Fred Flintstone). See Fossil.

Frob - v. To alter control settings in a random or mischievous fashion.

Furball - n. 1) Any sort of confusion, snarl-up, or traffic jam. 2) An intense, chaotic battle. 3) Derogatory term for 'furry' bioroids.

Fuse - v. To kill someone possessing large quantities of cyberware. (Syn. “short-circ” or “download”.)

Gaijin - n. (Jap.) A derogatory term for a foreigner or outsider.

Garbage Detail - ph. (Corp) A retaliatory raid, usually against a streetgang or street-ronin, which takes corp solos into non-corporate controlled parts of the city. (Syn. “trash run”.)

Gato - n. (Spanish) A smooth operator, cool person; a Fixer.

Geek - v. To kill or die.

Gewalt - n. (Ger.) Violence.

Ghost - n. A deckjockey who assists a `physical entry team' by entered and controlling the computer of the target site. Ghost in the Machine - ph. (Net) See Gibson (2).

Gibson - n. 1) Someone who tells the future; a psychic. 2) (Net) Unexplained phenomena in the Net. (Syn. “Ghost in the Machine”.)

Giri - n. (Jap.) A debt of honor; duty or obligation.

Go LEO - ph. To make a trip into Low Earth Orbit.

Gomi - n. (Jap.) Junk, garbage.

Gonk - n. Idiot or fool.

GoTo - n. A dossier, usually illegally compiled.

Gothic - n. A member of a posergang whose motif is death and old black & white movies.

Grok - v. See suss (q.v.).

Grounder - n. A (usually derogatory) term used by highriders for planet-side residents.

Guardian Angel - ph. Solo on a bodyguard job. (Syn. “bullet-stopper”.)

Gumby - n. From Monty Python, an act of minor but conspicuous stupidity (e.g. “Pulling a gumby.”)

Hackware - n. Software produced by amateurs. Distinguished by the fact that it works and is ready 2 years before the professional version. Characterized by non-standard code, lack of comments, and great chrome.

Hairball - n. See Furball.

Hard - adj. Cool, hip, tough. A flattering term.

Hardsuit - n. A suit of powered-armor.

Harry - adj. Complimentary term applied to an especially lethal piece of hardware.

Hexed - adj. 1) Afflicted with cyberpsychosis. 2) Obsessed with the Net.

Highrider - n. Someone who lives or works in space (typically, all of their life).

Hitter - n. Assassin.

Holo - n. 1) A holographically generated image. 2) A Eurodollar.

Hound-Tipping - n. Popular street practice of ambushing and reprogramming police robohounds.

Hose - v. 1) Make a mistake; screw up. 2) adj. To spray someone with automatic weapons fire.

Hydro, 'H' - n. Shorthand term for hydrogen fuel.

Ice - n. Security software. Intrusion Countermeasures, or IC.

Icebreaker - n. Any program or software designed to penetrate or foil ice.

Indie - n. Independent, underground, self-employed.

Info Bro - n. Information broker.

Input - n. Girlfriend, female companion.

Iron - n. Usually weapons, but can also refer to vehicles.

Iron, Big - n. Heavy duty weapons or vehicles.

Jack - 1) v. Jack In, or enter cyberspace. Jack Out, or leave cyberspace. 2) n. A DNI connection (usually in the skull) for a cyberdeck. 3) Money.

Jake - n. 1)A homosexual prostitute. 2) A hustler. (Both uses are derogatory.)

Jam - 1) v. To fight or run away. 2) To have sex.

Jock, Jockey - n. A person with technical skills of a high order (e.g. deckjockey, deltajock, panzerjock).

JoyBoy/JoyGirl - n. Prostitute.

K-mark - n. Keiretsu mark, or korp mark. Currency issued by a multinational corporation.

Keiretsu - n. (Jap.) A corporate, cartel, or conglomerate.

Khorosho - adj. (Rus.) Good. OK. Fine.

Kibble Card - ph. Government food ration card.

Klepto, Kleptoid - n. Thief, prowler.

Kludge - n. A makeshift or temporary solution to a problem, usually sloppy and inefficient.

Korp - n. Slang for a keiretsu, from the Russian “korporahtseeya.”

Korpo - n. A korp employee.

Krovvy - adj. (Rus.) Bloody.

Latch Jockey - ph. Digital hardware designer

Leash - n. A corporate safeguard implanted into an employee to ensure loyalty and continued service. Cortex bombs and sabotaged chipware are common examples.

Lector - n. Complimentary term used by boostergang members about a non-gang member when impressed by that individuals ability to perform acts of extreme violence.

Leech - n. Street-doc or med-tech.

Like kicking dead whales down the beach - ph. Any slow and disgusting job or process

Liquefier, liquidizer - n. Any weapon capable of inflicting obscene amounts of damage to the human body, particularly automatic shotguns.

Lizard Brain - ph. a cold, calculating, unemotional person, somebody always running in pure floating point mode (e.g. Mr. Spock).

Loco - n. A local company, an independent business with no corporate connections.

Maglev - n. Shorthand term for a magnetic levitation train.

Make a deposit in the body bank - ph. to die.

Matrix - n. Another term for cyberspace.

Meat Puppet - ph. A prostitute whose memory and/or senses are disabled temporarily.

Mega, Megacorp - n. Large (global or extra-planetary) corporation.

Mentat - n. Brainy individual, specifically one who will stare at a problem without moving for a while and come up with an answer without doing any apparent intermediate steps (like writing things down).

Metalhead - n. Individual with a fully mechanical body - a full `Borg.

Metro, the - n. The subway or underground.

Microsoft - n. See Biosoft.

Mileetsya - n. (Rus.) Corruption of the Russian pronunciation of `Militia', typically used in reference to corporate security or the military.

Moddy - n. A personality module. A cyber-data chip which allows the user to assume (and become totally submerged in) the personality of another person (real or fictional).

Monkey - n. The business term for an expendable person. (See also Scratch Monkey (q.v.).)

Monkey Trick - ph. A job in which a monkey (q.v.) is not expected to survive intact.

Morningstar - n. Generic term for incendiary or fragmentation grenades or devices.

Motorhead - n. A rigger (q.v.) or mechanic.

Mouse Around - ph. To explore in a very low profile manner (e.g. “Let's mouse around the perimeter and see if we can find a way in.”).

Mr. Johnson - n. Any anonymous employer or corporate agent.

Mr. Who - n. (Also “The Who”) label for an employer or person of higher authority.

MuscleBoy/Girl - n. A person with muscle grafts.

Mushi - n. (Jap.) Computer glitch.

Muzak-Man - n. Derogatory term for a rocker who has sold out to an entertainment corporation. (Syn. “synth-soul” or “castrato”.)

Nak-nik: from nachal'nik (Russian). Supervisor, boss. A low or mid-level manager.

Neh - exp. (Jap.) Interrogative; “Right?”

Nerdlings - n. Immature nerds, implying inconsequential, generally annoying. Pejorative term.

Net - n. Another term for cyberspace.

NetFet - n. Net Fetishist. Derogatory term for a netrunner who can only relate to life in the Net.

Netrun - n. A session spent interfaced to a cyberdeck and exploring the matrix (cyberspace), usually in the course of invading a corporate database.

Netrunner - n. See Deckjockey.

NewTek - n. An item or device exhibiting the very latest technological advances.

Nine - n. A pistol (from 9mm.)

Nutrisoy - n. Cheap processed food product derived from soybeans, fortified with most essential vitamins.

Oo’zhas - v. (Rus.) Awful. Terrible.

Organitskaya - n. (Rus.) The Russian Mob.

Output - n. Boyfriend, male companion.

Panzer - n. Any ground-effect combat vehicle.

Panzerjock - n. An expert panzer operator.

Paranoid - adj. Someone who has all the facts.

Paydata - n. Datafile worth money on the black market.

Perp - n. Perpetrator. A criminal or suspected criminal.

Pig-Rig - ph. A police car.

Plex - n. A metropolitan complex, or `metroplex'.

Pods - n. People who are very much alike in thought, behavior, and appearance. Pejorative term. Also Podlings - particularly immature variations of the Pods.

Polymer One-shot - n. A cheap line of polymer plastic, non-reloadable handguns. Very inexpensive, and very unreliable, they come in a variety of colors.

Pony - n. A low-level streetdealer, lower on the social scale than a Fixer (q.v.). (Origin: from a pony's ability to carry, but possibly also from London slang: pony = 20 pounds(); ponies very rarely sell expensive items.)

Poppers - n. Pop-up weaponry concealed in a cyberlimb.

Porky - n. Someone who loves or collects weapons, and is usually bristling with them (from “porcupine”).

Poser - n. Any gang members who model themselves after a famous (usually dead) individual, even to the extent of having themselves surgically altered to resemble the famous person.

Proles - n. Lower class individuals, usually non-citizens; Street scum. See Zero.

Puppet - n. See Meat Puppet.

Quakers - n. Missiles or rockets.

R&P - ph. “Rape and Pillage.” To engage in an activity with excessive force or violence.

Rainbow File - n. The research and development data of a company.

Rainbow Table - A decryption aid that consists of every possible encryption combination and its decrypted output, used to rapidly crack encryption. Very fast but takes up a lot of space.

Ram - n. Personality (from computer jargon, RAM).

Rat-Lab - n. Corporate-sponsored prisons, where prisoners are used as experimental subjects for medical research, cyberware development, chemical warfare tests, etc. Most consider a sentence to a rat lab to be no different than a death sentence.

Ray-Ban Mode - ph. wearing shades.

Razor(boy/girl/gal/guy/etc) - n. Heavily cybered samurai or other muscle-for-hire.

Reality Junkie - n. Addicts to Virtual Reality, Braindance, the Net, or video games.

Reconfig - v. To kill or die in a particularly messy fashion, usually with a knife.

Recycling - v. Environmentally friendly act of killing someone and taking the corpse to a body bank.

Reduce - v. Slang for physical violence (e.g. “Hey asshole, shut down (q.v.) your screamer (q.v.) or I'll reduce your face!”). See also packing, spindling, stomping, etc.

Reduction - n. The act of reducing something or someone.

Reflex Chip - n. See Apter.

Rigger - n. A specialized type of deckjockey who is an expert at cybernetic link-up to, and control of, a machine (typically a vehicle or building security system).

Rimbo - n. A gun-toting sex kitten (a rambo bimbo).

Ripperdoc - n. A surgeon who specializes in implanting illegal or unregistered cyberware.

Rock - v. To kick or punch someone violently, especially in the head.

Rocker - n. Any musician or stage performer who uses their art to make political or social statements. As opposed to `Rockstars' who are `owned' by recording companies or other corps and are apolitical.

Rogue - n. An AI (q.v.) which has “escaped” from its node in cyberspace and is no longer under human control.

Rogue Hunter - n. A netrunner (q.v.) who tracks down and captures (or eliminates) rogues (q.v.).

Ronin - n. A freelance assassin or mercenary. Usually considered to be untrustworthy.

Samizdata - n. (Rus.) Subversive, contraband, or illicitly reproduced digital content.

Samurai - n. (Jap.) Mercenary or muscle-for-hire. Implies code of honor. (Syn. Street samurai.)

Sand - v. Phonetic pronunciation of the phrase “S-and-D”, for “Search and Destroy.” To sand someone or something is to locate and severely damage them or it.

Sarariman - n. (Jap.) A corporate employee.

Sardine - n. A soldier wearing Powered Armor.

Scratch - n. Money.

Scratch Monkey - n. (Obsc. hacker ref.) Any expendable substitute used in place of a more valuable item, on the off chance that it might be damaged or destroyed.

Screamer - n. 1) Slang for mouth (e.g. “Hey asshole, shut down (q.v.) your screamer!” 2) Something fast, sleek, and sexy, used as an expression of admiration (e.g. “She/He/It's a real screamer!) 3)Somebody who screams a lot while being reduced (q.v.) 4) Somebody who screams a lot while being tightly interfaced (q.v.). 5) Credstick (orcard) or other ID that triggers computer alarms if used.

Screamsheet - n. Fax-type hardcopy newspapers, available by-the-page from street corner dispensers, especially one catering to non-issues of the minute (e.g. USA Today, National Enquirer). Coined by Walter Jon Williams.

Scroll, the - ph.

1) The constant, unremitting, and overwhelming barrage of information absorbed by everyone in modern society from the modern media, from cyberspace feed, from the grapevine, and from any other means we have of tuning in to the world state. (E.g. we find out about the latest war in the Middle East, the latest hardware, the latest vaporware from The Scroll.)

2) The term used to describe the messages, bulletins, and other data daily being produced and scrolled off various cyberspace systems.

Shirt - n. A white-collar worker, usually a low level corporate employee.

Short-circ - ph. See Fuse.

Shortwire - v. To burn out, flame out, splash down and generally crash mentally.

Shredder - n. A minigun or auto-cannon.

Shut Down - ph. to shut up, used as an exclamation (e.g. “Hey asshole, shut down!”)

Sidewalk outline - ph. A recently deceased person, or to one who expected to die soon. The reference is to the chalk outline drawn around a dead body at a murder scene by the police.

SimSense - n. Simulated Sensory input, usually from a commercial recording.

SimStim - n. Simulated stimulation of the senses, usually from a DNI recording.

SIN - n. Single (or System) Identification Number. An ID number unique to each citizen. Many streetpeople (nomads, derelicts) are said to be “SINless”, i.e. without a SIN. This makes them unknown (non-existent) to the system. It allows them to move about in society more freely than a `recorded' citizen, but also allows the enforcers of society (police and corp. security) to punish/abuse them without due process since, technically, they `do not exist'.

SIN Card - n. A registered citizens universal ID card. It functions as a combination ID card, driver's license, medical data, organ donor, residence, and ATM card, all in one. Losing this card can have serious side effects for the owner. Called a citcard in the United States.

SINless - adj. someone without a SIN. See Blank.

Skeleton - n. All the collected electronic records kept on an individual; their electronic identity.

Skillsoft - n. See Apter or Biosoft.

Skirt - n. An ordinary (defenseless) person (male or female.)

Skyball - n. A satellite (usually surveillance).

Slam - v. To assault or beat up (e.g. “Let's go slam some `dorphers.”)

Slam it - ph. Generic expletive (Syn. kiss off, up yours.)

Slap Patch - n. See derm.

Slice - n. 1) A credit card. 2) An electric-powered racing cycle.

Slice n’ dice - n. A mono-filament cyberweapon, usually mounted in the tip of a finger, which is used as a garrotte or whip. It will cut through almost all organic material and most plastics.

Slicer - n. One who ride a slice (q.v.).

Slot - v.

1) Mild curse word (i.e. “Slot THIS, chummer!”).

2) To plug a moddy or daddy into a DNI.

3) To have sex.

Slot and run - ph. Hurry up, get to the point, move it.

Smart - n. Any device which has been augmented to interface with a user via cyberware; usually applies to weapons or vehicles.

Smudge - n. Pronunciation of the acronym SMG (SubMachineGun); thus, a submachinegun.

So ka - ph. (Jap.) I understand, I get it.

Solo - n. A mercenary who works the streets. A `for-hire' combat specialist. Used as bodyguards, assassins, and soldiers, individually or in groups.

Soykaf - n. Coffee substitute made from soybeans.

Sphincter Factor - ph. A level of disgust, nervousness, or fear (usually on a scale of 1 to 10.)

Spill - v. To spend money.

Spit Jockey - ph. On camera (video) news reader, anchor, host. (also known as Talking Heads)

Splash - v. To shoot down. E.g. to splash an idea, or “Splash that bastard!”

Splat job - n. A dead body, usually messy. Also sometimes used to describe a person (or persons) who are `cannon fodder' and are not expected to live much longer.

SplatMaster - n. Generic term for any paintball-type air pistol. Formerly a trademarked name.

Sprawl -

1) n. A huge metropolitan area, usually consisting of several merged mega-cities, covered a large portion of a landmass.

2) v. The prone position the bronze order perps to assume.

State of the Art - ph.

1) Hipper than Hip.

2) To be on the edge.

Straightener - n. A less than affectionate form of address for a psychiatrist. Aka `shrink'.

Straphangers - n. Derogatory term for commuters.

Stud - n. See Jack.

Stunning - adj. Mind-bogglingly stupid. Used sarcastically.

Suit - n. A straight citizen, usually a corporate employee.

Surprise Party - ph. What your opponents are likely to get if you break your Trauma Team card during a firefight.

Suss - v. To solve a problem, figure out something, understand.

Svoluch - n. (Rus.)

1) Derogatory term for someone with honor.

2) A bastard.

Swarm - n. Any large nomad convoy.

Sweedack - ph. Concurrence, or “I agree”. From the French Canadian “Je suis d'accord.”

Synth-soul - n. See Muzak-Man.

Tag Team - n. A (usually corporate-sponsored) gang whose fights with other Tag Teams are covered by the vid networks as a commercial combat sport.

Tapdance - n. See Floor Routine.

Tchort. n. (Rus.) Literally “Devil”. A common expletive.

Team - n. A gang.

Teamster - n. A gang member.

Techno Scum - ph. A personally very unpleasant, but technically brilliant individual.

Tek - n. 1) An item of a highly technical nature. 2) A technician of any kind.

Ten - n. Pistol, from 10mm.

Ten-Tan - n. The Kosmozavot Tenno Tanio Russo-Japanese orbital facility.

Thirdman - n. See Fixer.

ThreeVee - n. Also 3-V, trivid. Holovision. A 3-dimension projection system which has superceded the television as the primary form of information delivery.

Throwback - n. Derogatory term for an exotic.

Tiger -n (Net) A military netrunner.

Tight Interfacing - ph. To have sex.

Tin Can - n. A suit of Powered Armor.

Tip - n. A token credchip; a very small amount of money.

Trash Run - ph. See Garbage Detail.

Trauma Team - n. An emergency response team comprised of veteran paramedics and SWAT officers that are paid to extract you from a hazardous situation and fix you up, commonly triggered by

Trog - n. Short for troglodyte. A derogatory term meant to indicate that an individual is subhuman or extremely ugly or misshapen.

Twinkie - n. A naive, defenseless, vulnerable, or otherwise useless person.

Twitch - n. A careless, scatterbrained, or otherwise unreliable individual.

Twitchers - Taser and, by extension, any electricity-based weapon.

Valkyrie - n. An assault helicopter or hover vehicle in attack mode.

Valuta - n. (Rus.) Literally “foreign currency”. Refers to any hard currency, either electronic (cards, sticks) or scrip.

Vatjob - n. 1)A person with extensive cyberware replacement. 2)Organic enhancement by means of vat-grown tissue or muscle.

Very - v. Hip term for `cool' or `in'.

Vidflick - n. Flat screen entertainment that predates 3D or holographic projection. Old style TV or movie.

Vidiot - n. A Virtual Reality or video game addict.

VRcade - n. A Virtual Reality, Braindance, and/or video game arcade or parlor.

Wearing color - ph. Usually associated with streetgangs, to wear clothing with colors or designs which identify you with a specific gang.

Wetware - n. 1) human augmentation mechanisms based on biochemical methods. E.g. biochemical processors, custom crafted DNA, custom biological tissue, brain implants/grafts, mind/body altering drugs (rare). As opposed to hardware which is based on artificial, physics based methods, e.g. chips 2) Slang for cyber-augmentation of skills or other mental functions. 3) The human brain (a backhanded reference to normal organic thought processes.)

Wetwork - n. Assassination. Murder.

Wired - adj. Equipped with cyberware, especially increased reflexes.

Wirehead - n. 1) Someone addicted to computers or electronic communication (e.g. a person who would rather hack then eat or have sex). 2) Someone addicted to electric stimulation directly applied to the pleasure centers of the brain.

Wiz - v. Very impressive.

Word, the - ph. The latest gossip or rumors on the street.

Yono - n. (Kor.) A person who is scum or a low life. (From the Korean”Yonomoseki“).

Zaibatsu (noun): Japanese term for a megacorporation.

Zek - An executive.

Zero - 1) n. See Blank. 2) v. To delete or destroy a piece of software. 3) v. To kill someone. 4) Midnight (From zero-hour.)

Zeroman - n. A hired killer.

Zone - n. See Combat Zones.