Category
Oath
The solemn register. Oaths are what characters swear by, which tells you what they hold sacred. A fiction's oaths are a shortcut to its cosmology.
26 entries in the archive
Hezmana
≈ “Hell”
/hez-MAH-nah/noun
Farscape's equivalent of Hell, used in exclamations like 'What the hezmana?' and 'Go to hezmana.'
Gorram
≈ “Goddamn”
/GOR-am/adjective/interjection
Firefly's frontier-flavored contraction of 'goddamn,' fitting the show's space-western aesthetic perfectly.
Dank Farrik
≈ “Goddammit / Damn it”
/DANK FAR-ik/interjection
An expression of frustration or astonishment in the Star Wars galaxy, equivalent to 'goddammit' or 'son of a bitch.' Popularized by The Mandalorian.
Sithspit
≈ “Shit / Damn”
/SITH-spit/interjection/noun
A common curse in all eras of the Star Wars universe, expressing surprise, anger, or disgust. References the Sith as a source of cosmic evil.
Storming
≈ “Fucking / Damn (adjective)”
/STORM-ing/adjective/interjection
The primary profane modifier in the Stormlight Archive. Derives from the devastating highstorms that dominate life on Roshar.
Rust and Ruin
≈ “God damn it / Jesus Christ”
/RUST and ROON/interjection
A blasphemous exclamation invoking Ruin, one of the two primal gods of Scadrial. 'Rust' refers to the destructive force of entropy.
Blood and bloody ashes
≈ “Goddammit / Son of a bitch”
/blud and BLUD-ee ASH-ez/interjection
The Wheel of Time's most iconic oath. A compound profanity expressing extreme frustration, surprise, or anger.
Light!
≈ “God! / Oh God!”
/LYTE/interjection
An exclamation invoking the Light, the divine force of good in the Wheel of Time cosmology. Used as one would say 'God!' or 'Good Lord!'
B'vek
≈ “Oh my God / Damn (surprise)”
/beh-VEK/interjection
A Dunmeri exclamation of surprise, roughly equivalent to 'oh my God' or 'damn.'
Thread
≈ “Damn / Hell (as exclamation of dread)”
/THRED/noun/interjection
Thread is the deadly, worm-like rain from space that destroys all organic material. Invoking it is like cursing with the name of the thing you fear most.
Crivens!
≈ “Christ! / Bloody hell!”
/KRIV-enz/interjection
The signature exclamation of the Nac Mac Feegle, tiny blue warrior fairies who speak in broad Scots dialect. Equivalent to 'crikey' or 'Christ!'
Kelek's breath
≈ “God's blood / Christ almighty”
/KEL-eks BRETH/interjection
An oath invoking Kelek, one of the ten Heralds (quasi-divine figures) of the Stormlight Archive. Using a Herald's name in vain is blasphemous.
Gorramit
≈ “Goddammit (emphatic)”
/GOR-am-it/interjection
The emphatic form of 'gorram,' adding the '-it' suffix just as 'goddamn' becomes 'goddammit.'
Seven Hells
≈ “God damn / Hell”
/SEV-en HELZ/interjection
The most iconic world-specific oath in Westeros. Invokes the Seven Hells of the Faith of the Seven, the dominant religion. Used to express shock, frustration, or anger.
The Others take you
≈ “Go to Hell / Damn you”
/the UH-therz TAYK yoo/interjection/curse
A curse invoking the Others (White Walkers) — the ancient ice demons of Westerosi legend. Equivalent to 'the Devil take you' but using the world's own mythology.
Glob / Oh my Glob
≈ “God / Oh my God”
/GLOB/noun/interjection
In the Land of Ooo, 'Glob' (or Grob Gob Glob Grod, a four-faced deity) serves as the God-figure invoked in exclamations. Lumpy Space Princess's 'Oh my Glob' became the show's most quoted phrase.
Bloodydamn
≈ “Goddamn / Fucking”
/BLUD-ee-dam/adjective/interjection
The signature expletive of the Red (lowest caste) population on Mars. A compound of 'bloody' and 'damn' fused into a single intensifier. Marks the speaker as low-born.
Gorydamn
≈ “Goddamn / Fucking (upper class)”
/GOR-ee-dam/adjective/interjection
The Gold (ruling class) equivalent of 'bloodydamn.' Same function, different word — and the difference marks your entire social identity. Darrow must learn to say this instead of 'bloodydamn' to pass as Gold.
Goddy
≈ “Damn / Bloody (exclamation)”
/GOD-ee/adjective/interjection
A future-Los Angeles exclamation used in Marie Lu's Legend series. A compressed form of 'goddamn' that has evolved naturally in the Republic's street dialect.
Cauldron boil me
≈ “God damn / Fuck me”
/KAWL-drun BOYL mee/interjection
An oath invoking the Cauldron — the primordial magical artifact that created the fae. 'Cauldron boil me' and 'Cauldron save me' are the most common forms. Since the Cauldron is a real, powerful object in this world, invoking it carries genuine weight.
Mother above
≈ “Oh God / Dear Lord”
/MUTH-er ah-BUV/interjection
An oath invoking the Mother, a divine figure in the ACOTAR cosmology. Used by both mortal and fae characters as a milder exclamation than Cauldron-based oaths.
Oh my gods
≈ “Oh my God”
/oh my GODZ/interjection
Demigods pluralize 'God' to 'gods' because in their world, the Greek gods are literally real. This small linguistic shift signals that the speaker knows the truth about the mythological world.
What the Hades
≈ “What the Hell”
/wut the HAY-deez/interjection
Demigods substitute 'Hades' for 'Hell' because Hades is literally the god of the Underworld in their reality. It functions identically to 'what the hell' but is theologically accurate.
Moi soverenyi
≈ “My lord / term of supreme respect”
/MOY sov-er-EN-yee/noun phrase
A Ravkan term of extreme reverence meaning 'my sovereign.' Used for the Darkling and the most powerful Grisha. Its use signals total submission to authority.
Kalad's Phantoms!
≈ “Jesus Christ! / Holy shit! (oath of shock)”
/KAL-adz FAN-tumz/interjection
An oath invoking Kalad the Usurper's legendary Lifeless army — the Phantoms. Kalad created thousands of stone-encased Lifeless soldiers that nearly destroyed civilization during the Manywar. Invoking his Phantoms is invoking the most terrifying military force in Nalthian history.
Lord of Colors!
≈ “Oh God! / Good Lord! (strong oath)”
/LORD uv KUL-erz/interjection
A stronger form of the 'Colors!' oath, elevating it by invoking a divine personification — the Lord of Colors. In Chapter 38, Lightsong actually lampoons this convention, asking why the Returned gods swear by colors rather than by their own names. His conclusion: they should just swear by 'You!'