Deciphering Shadowspeak

I decided to do this after trying to find a good list of Shadowslang on the net. Unfortunately, all I found were five copies of the same list, which has some SR slang and some homebrewed slang. Not exactly what I was looking for. I mean, where's "doss"? "A-Boys: A type of boostergang whose motif is a specific animal"? Huh? Whatever.

The other reason why I wanted to do this list (aside from having too much free time on the weekends) is after reading a few Shadowrun novels, it becomes apparent that the authors do use fuck, shit, and bitch, then just run a search and replace to drop in frag, drek, and slitch, respectively. Which becomes amusing when a character uses a lot of curse words, or confusing, as in this exchange from a recent novel:

Axler: "Frag you."
Ryan: "Anytime, anywhere."
Axler: "In your dreams."
Ryan: "Yeah, Nadja would kill me."

Obviously, the author is simply replacing fuck with frag, which doesn't make much sense here as later in the same book another character uses the word fucking. Obviously fuck is still being used, but in certain usages it has been replaced with frag. But to replace all meanings of the word fuck?

What probably has happened is that for the meanings of fuck where it is defined as to deal with unfairly or harshly; cheat or screw the word frag has taken over. We can assume that the vulgar term for copulation has remained the same over the years. Besides, fuck has been around since the 15th century. It's doubtful it would be completely erased from the English language sometime between now and 2050.

So translating the above dialogue from vulgarities and using fuck in place of frag, we have Axler telling Ryan to go to hell. Ryan decides to misinterpret Axler's statement, replying that he is open to the possibility of sexual intercourse with Axler. She just has to specify the time and location. Axler then picks up on Ryan's use of wordplay here and tells him that she does not wish to copulate with Ryan. Ryan then responds by saying that his girlfriend would probably kill him if she found out that Axler and he had sex.

But what it really means as written: Axler tells Ryan to die. Ryan replies by telling her that she may kill him at her leisure. Axler then informs Ryan that she has no desire to kill him. That's a good thing, Ryan says, for if Axler killed him then Nadja would then proceed to kill him, even though he's already dead.

Anyway.

Arcology
A large structure or group of structures that can exist as a separate city containing living units, working areas, and recreation areas.

Breeder
Derogatory term for a human.

Business [also Biz]
Criminal activity, shadow activity.

Buzz
Go away.

Chipped
Enhanced by cyberware.

Chrome
Cyberware, even implanted and non-metallic cyberware.

Chummer
Pal or Buddy.

Corp
Of a corporation.

Dandelion Eater
Derogatory term for an elf.

Dataslave
a corporate decker or a data processing employee.

Datasteal
Theft of data from a computer, usually by decking.

Deck
A cyberdeck.
To access the Matrix.

Decker
One who uses a cyberdeck.

Doss
One's living space, whether apartment, house, or bolthole.

Drek
Nonsense, crap.
A worthless, offensive, or detestable person.
"Man, I feel like drek." Not "You smell like you've been rolling around in drek."

Drekhead
Idiot. From 'shithead'.

Fetishman
A magician who (over)relies on fetishes or foci to boost his or her power.

Flatlined
Killed in the matrix by Black IC.

Frag
A common swear word, generally used in the same context as the word "fuck" when meaning "to deal with unfairly or harshly; cheat or screw".
"If that bomb goes off, we are so fragged." Not "What say you and me head back to my apartment and frag all night long?"

Geek
Kill.

Go-Gang [also Go-go-go]
A bike gang or gang member.

Halfer
Derogatory term for a dwarf.

Hardwired
Enhanced by cyberware

Hoi
Hi, Hello.

Hose
Louse up, screw up.
to spray with an automatic weapon. (also Lead Hose)

IC [also ICE]
Software programs used for security on computer systems. Intrusion Countermeasure (Electronics). Comes in white, gray, and black.

Jacked In
Actively using a cyberdeck.

Keeb
Derogatory term for an elf.

Metas
All races that make up metahumanity.
All races that make up metahumanity except humans.

Mr. Johnson [also Johnson]
A person who hires shadowrunners. Used for anonymity.

Mundane
A non-magician, or non-magical person or thing.

Muscle
A strong person.
Reinforcements.

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

Nuyen
World standard of currency.

Paydata
A datafile worth money on the Black Market.

Plex
A metroplex, a large city.

Policlub
An organization that espouses a certain political view.

Razor Boy/Girl
A person who uses various bladed implant weapons.

Rigger
A person with a Vehicle Control Rig, whether controlling vehicles or not.

Rocker Boy/Girl
A freelance musician.

Samurai [also Street Samurai]
A mercenary or muscle for hire. Implies an honor code, which is usually ignored.

Sarariman
A corporate employee.

Shadows
The criminal world, the underworld.
Ones who manipulate events on a city, state, nation, or global scale.

SINless
People who do not have System Identification Numbers.

Slitch
A mild curse word that takes the place of "bitch". Nobody with any self-respect would use this word.

Slot
A mild curse word. To use a skillsoft or insert a chip into a chipjack.

Slot and Run
Move it.

So Ka
I understand.

Soykaf
Coffee substitute made from soybeans.

Sprawl
A metroplex; large city.

System Identification Number (SIN)
Identification number assigned to every member of society by a government or corporation.

Trid [also Trideo]
Three-dimensional successor to video.

Trog
Derogatory term for an ork or troll.

Tusker
Derogatory term for an ork.

VatJob
Someone who has extensive cyber/vat grown replacement parts.

Wagemage
A magician who works for a corp.

Wetware
A biological enhancement.

Wetwork
Assassination.

Wired
Enhanced with cyberware, usually indicates cyberware that improves reflexes or speed.

Wiz
Anything impressive.
"Truly wiz, man."

Wizworm
Dragon.

Thanks to Fetch for pointing out a missing slangbit or two.