Say What?!

If you're sitting there right now trying to decipher what was just said, or if you're wondering where I'm going with that statement, then this article is for you. There is weird lingo found all over Neopia. The Battledome, the chat forums, shops... One can't get away from it. And for new players, or players who find themselves in a place unfamiliar to them, it can get a bit confusing. So, I've taken it upon myself to try and explain some of the more common acronyms, words and phrases that I've heard around the site.

Some definitions before I start: Acronym and lingo. An acronym is a group of letters made from the first letters of a phrase; an example would be TNT (The Neopets Team). Lingo is the specific words a group uses, like avatar collectors talking about the AC (avatar chat). Here's where it gets confusing for most. Just because that acronym is lingo for the avatar collectors, doesn't mean it can't be used elsewhere. But, that's another story all on its own. I'm here to explain some common used lingo and acronyms.

Lets start off with some general stuff. TNT is The Neopets Team. Nmail is shorthand for neomail. NP stands for Neopoints. Nst is Neopian Standard Time; the time TNT uses for the site and the time most plots or site events follow. FFQ is an acronym for a Fountain Faerie Quest (you get to paint one of your pets whatever colour you wish if you complete one). NQ (and NQ2/NQII) are used when talking about the NeoQuest games. A guild is a group you join with those who share common interests to your own. Confused yet? I hope not, because there are still a lot more definitions to come.

Here are some common ones everyone hears: Noob (nub and n00b are variations), newb, 1337, and flamer. These are some common titles given to users. We'll start at the top of the list. A noob is someone who no matter how long they've been playing, is still inexperienced or lacks knowledge about the site. It can also mean that no matter how long the user has been playing, they still act in an annoying/naive/pointless way. It is not to be confused with the word newb. A newb short and sweet is someone new to Neopets. 1337, stands for leet, or elite. This title is ''given'' to the users who have proven they excel in a certain area of Neopets. For example, someone who has 285 avatars may call themselves a ''1337 Avatar collector''. A flamer is someone who goes around the chat boards, with the sole purpose of finding people with topics or chats up where they can insult the board creator, or start a conflict.

All those titles are usually exchanged over chat places like the boards or through neomail. The boards on their own tend to have their own set of lingo as well. Let's talk about some of the ones I'm more familiar with: Avatar Chat (AC), Battledome Chat (BDC), and Trading and Auctions.

Avatar Chat (AC) Lingo:

The avatar chat is riddled with people looking to get that ZDAP avatar, or borrow a BGC, but what does it all mean? Most of the lingo on the Avatar Chat is avatar acronyms or lending/borrowing related. So let's take a look at these two categories. First, avatar acronyms. Remember that an acronym is a group of letters formed by the first letters in a phrase. Some of the most common avatar acronyms are MSPP (Malevolent Sentient Poogle Plushie TCG), BGC (Bony Grarrl Club), FQD (Faerie Queen Doll), and SUAP (Super Attack Pea). These are all some coveted avatar items that people tend to look for, to borrow or buy.

Second, we'll look at the lingo used when lending/borrowing avatar items and pets. There are people who will make boards to advertise that they are lending the above, either free or for collateral. The term free can mean one of two things. It can mean they are loaning an item for no collateral needed, or it can mean they are loaning a pet expecting no pet lend in return. If someone isn't lending a pet for free, they will be expecting you to lend them a pet they need, for you to be lent their pet. What is collateral, you're asking? It's a simple concept. Collateral (or collat.) is a reassurance to the lender that you won't run away with their items. If I lend you something worth 5000np I'll expect 5000np as collateral. That way if I don't get my item back, then I can go and replace it.

Battledome Chat (BDC) Lingo:

The lingo used in the BDC is long and extensive, as TNT is always coming out with new weapons and challengers to fight. So let's take a peek into some of the more common phrases used in and around the BD (Battledome) and the BDC.

A 1-player fight is a battle where the user battles against an opponent made by TNT. There is no one on the other side in this kind of battle. Brothers/Henchmen refers to the Meerca Henchmen (a 1-player opponent). That's about the basics of the BD; now into some common terms used when it comes to weapons and fighting. If you are fighting someone's pet for an avatar, they will usually have rules for the pet, one of them probably being no Chia Flour... so what is Chia Flour? It's a retired item, which turns the opposing Neopet into a Yellow Chia. Not very nice at all.

Ramptors Spell Book (RSB), Halo of Devilpuss (HOD), Scuzzy's Comb (SC), Bow Of Destiny (BOD), Staff of Righteous Fury (SoRF), and Wand of Reality (WoR) are all weapons you get when completing NQII on different levels. There are other weapons as well, but these are the ones most coveted by the BD community. Some other activities that provide useful weapons include Illusen's Quests. At 35, if her quest is completed, she grants you a Honey Potion. Not only does this item go for a lot on the Trading Post, but it also does a lot of damage in the BD.

Trading Post and Auction Lingo:

Unlike the Shops board, the Trading Post and Auction board tends to have a bit more user interaction when it comes to selling items. Therefore, there is a lot of lingo used. Two opposites in the trading world are firm and haggle. What do they both mean? A seller will say a price is firm, if that's what he's expecting. Nothing more, nothing less. However, if they say they will haggle, that means they are open to reasonable suggestions about how much you'd like to buy the item for. Items can be classed as ETS (Easy to sell) or HTS (hard to sell) and UB. If an item is HTS it will take longer to sell, and you may have to lower its price quite a bit to find someone interested in buying it (usually a collector or reseller); before buying something, it's best to find out if it's HTS or ETS. A UB is an item that is worth over 100 000 NP and therefore it can not be bought from user's shops. The people who buy items can also be classed in a few different categories: resellers, collectors, and one-time buyers. A reseller is someone who looks for cheap deals, so they can resell an item for a profit. A collector is someone who buys a certain type of item either to keep, or to sell in bulk (like Paintbrushes). And a one-time buyer is someone who is just looking to buy something because they need it or want it.

*REMEMBER: ONLY DO TRADES OVER THE TRADING POST*

This concludes my look into the lingo of Neopia. I realize I didn't touch on everything, but I tried to find the things most new users to Neopets would wonder about. I didn't want to make this too long either, so if I hear good things coming out of this article, I will probably make another one with more details into the site other than just the basics.