Here are some brief definitions to help you navigate the medieval world of the Clan MacMar series.
adulting: millennial slang for behaving like a responsible adult
aft castle: the stern structure behind the mizzenmast and above the transom on large sailing ships
all-heal: another name for the herb valerian
Almany: archaic name for Germany
Area 51: a conspiracy theorist reference to Homey Airport, a top-secret Air Force facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range
arse: ass
assist: millennial slang for assistance or help
bae: millennial acronym for before anyone else
bailey: outer wall of a castl e
baklava: a Greek dessert made of phyllo dough filled with nuts and soaked in honey
ballocks: testicles
bàs: Scots Gaelic for death
bawbag: scrotum
baws: testicles
besotted: old term for infatuated
bet: millennial slang for okay (used as an agreement)
big mad: millennial slang for furious
big yikes: millennial slang interjection for something embarrassing, disturbing or shocking
birlinn: a galley propelled by sail and oar
boak: vomit
boon: gift, power
bovine: cow-like
bràmair: Scots Gaelic for sweetheart
breac-sheunain: freckles
Cait Sith: half-Therion shape shifters
can’t even: millennial slang for being rendered helpless
carrack: a large European merchant ship that operated during the 14th to 17th centuries
catalepsy: a medical condition in which a person enters a trance or has a seizure that leads to a loss of sensation and consciousness; includes rigidity of the bod y
centurial: an archaic reference meaning one hundred years
changeling: a Fae child left in exchange for a human child
cheb: Scottish slang for “breasts”
chevalier: a knight or a gallant man
chib: shiv or makeshift knife
Chlíodhna: Celtic goddess of the afterlife, beauty and the sea
churn dash: the staff or plunger in a churn
clatty: Scottish slang for dirty
clootie dumpling: traditional pudding
co-chèilidh: Scots Gaelic for together, used to mean lover
colicus: colic
conger: a large, predatory eel
cossetted: pampered or coddled
cote: shed for pigeons
deets: millennial slang for details
ditz: slang for idiot
dobber: a stupid person
eejit: idiot
effigy: a doll, scarecrow or similar object roughly made to resemble a person which is meant to be destroyed or burned for symbolic reasons.
Elphyne: the otherworld of the Fae
érieann: Iris h
extra: millennial slang for too much
fab: millennial slang for fabulous
fack: fuck
Fae: people and artifacts from the magical realm
fail: millennial slang for failure
fash: Scottish slang for confuse
Finfolk: the clan’s word for the Selseus
fire: millennial slang for anything amazing
firesteel: a metal implement used to spark kindling for a fire
forecastle: a raised deck at the bow of a ship
Francia: medieval name for France
get busy: slang for have sex
ginormous: millennial slang combining the words giant and enormous
gorse: a large evergreen shrub with needle like leaves
hairsplitter: a slur for someone who argues over unimportant details
halflings: a term used for the offspring of Fae and mortals
hartshorn: a type of smelling salts rendered from deer horns
homeopath: a medical practitioner who uses natural substances to treat the injured and diseased
hooch: southern slang for liquor
hoor: whore, prostitut e
imp: a small demon or otherworldly creature
indie: millennial slang for independent
Insii Cait: old name for Shetland
Insii Orc: old name for Orkney
jobby: Scottish slang for poop
kalends: the first day of the month in the ancient Roman calendar
laird: lord
l’amour courtois: French for “courtly love”
landcrawler: slur used by the Finfolk for people who live on land
landwalker: polite term used by the Finfolk for people who live on land
leine: long shirt
lit: millennial slang for excellent, great, wonderful
lochan: small lake
maister: mister
màthair: mother
mawkish: weakly sentimental
mayweed: another name for stinking chamomile, a malodorous plant
meet and greet: slang for an introductory meeting
melia: woodland Fae who inhabit trees
ménage à trois: French for a sexual relationship involving three people
merrow: a mermaid or merman
mo bòidhchead: my beaut y
mojito: a cocktail based on a traditional Cuban punch, typically made of white rum, lime or lemon juice, sugar, crushed fresh mint leaves and sparkling water
morphew: skin lesions or blisters, historically caused by scurvy
nacre: mother-of-pearl
narked: diver slang for suffering from nitrogen narcosis, a dangerous condition caused by deep diving which creates an altered emotional state ranging from anxiety to euphoria
NDE: acronym for near-death experience
neoprene: a synthetic polymer much like rubber
Nifon: archaic name for Japan
Nóregr: archaic name for Norway
null: cancel
och: expression of surprise, disapproval, regret
Ornyst: old name for Unst
OTP: millennial slang acronym that stands for One True Pairing
ovate: a rank of druid above novices; one who is trained and skilled
p: millennial slang for pretty
Papou: Greek for grandfather
parlay: negotiate, bargain
pells: belts
pervy: slang for perverte d
Pished: Scottish slang for intoxicated
portents: omens, signs or other indicators of events yet to happen
Poseidon: Greek god of the sea
pottage: soup or stew
primeur: a vegetable or fruit picked while still young and small
quim: vagina
ratchet: millennial slang for angry, rude, disrespectful
Reparation: an ancient war between the Fae that took place in Elphyne
Ronalsee: an archaic name for North Ronaldsay island
salty: millennial slang for angry
scunner: an annoying person
Selse: home world of the Finfolk
Selseus: Finfolk’s name for their race
seneschal: steward or major-domo of a medieval great house
skiff: a small boat
skinwork: tattoos
slaps: millennial slang for something delightful
smite: a blow or to strike
sneaks: slang for sneakers
spill: millennial slang for passing along gossi p
stalker and fan: used to describe the actions of an avid fan
STEM: an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics
stupit: stupid
swaddling: diaper
swain: male boyfriend or lover
swol: millennial slang for buff, well-built
tadger: slang for penis
Tbr: millennial slang acronym for To Be Real, which means being brutally honest
tenterhook: a hook used to fasten cloth to a wooden frame
Therion: shape-shifting type of Fae
thermocline: a high-gradient layer based on temperature in a large body of water
tight: millennial slang for nervous, upset
TMI: acronym for “too much information”
totes: millennial slang for totally
tragic: millennial slang for a terrible burden
trotter: pig’s foot
tsunami: a giant wave or waves caused by undersea earthquakes or eruptions
turncoat: traitor
turned up: millennial slang for excited
uber: millennial slang for very much
uiseag: Scots Gaelic for lar k
vetch: a plant in the legume family
walk of shame: slang for a woman going home after an unplanned sexual encounter, usually wearing the same clothes she had on the day before
walkabout: slang for wandering
ward: an open-air courtyard
warding: imprisonment or shielding spell
wee: small
weevers - a fish that can sting
whale-killer: orca
whinge: whine and complain
whirl bone: archaic name for arthritis
white swelling: archaic name for bone tuberculosis
White-mouth: local term for a mako shark
wulvers: werewolf-like creatures from Scottish mythology
Yetland: archaic word for Shetland