Renspeak & Glossary
Glossary of Terms, Common Renspeak, Fan Talking, Linguistics
Common Renspeak
The simple words and phrases listed here will help you speak like a seasoned rennie in no time.
Away: ''Aroint"
Come here: "Come hither"
Damn!: "Beshrew me!"
Days: "Morrow"
Evening: "E'em"
God give you a good day: "God ye good den"
Good Bye: "Fare thee well!", "God save thee", or "I shall see thee anon".
Great!: "Wondrous Well!"
Hello: "Good Day!", "Good morrow!", or "Well met"
How are you?: "How farest thou?"
I hate you: "A pox upon you"
I swear: "By my troth"
Ignore that: "Shun that"
I'm surprised at: "I marvel much at"
I'm thirsty and hungry: "I be parched and in need of victuals"
In a little while: "I come anon"
It's 5:30: "Tis twixt five and six"
Listen: "Hark" or "Hark now"
Maybe: "Perchance"
No: "Nay"
Not at all: "Not a wit"
Often: "Oft"
Pardon me: "By your leave"
Pay attention: "Prithee, attend me"
Perhaps: "Perchance"
Shame on you!: "Fie on thee!"
*sigh*: "Alas and alack"
Stay and Eat!: "Tarry and Feast!"
Thank you: "Grammercy" or "Thank thee"
Thank you very much: "Gramercies full well"
Truly: "Verily" or "In faith"
Until later: "Anon"
What?: "How say you sir?"
What is the matter?: "What ails thee?"
What is your name?: "What be thy title?"
What time is it?: "How stands the hour?" or "What time do you carry?
What would you like?: "What be thy pleasure?"
Where are the restrooms?: "Where be the privies?"
Where are you from?: "Where hail thee from?"
Where are you going?: "Whither goest thou?"
Why: "Wherefore"
Yes: "Aye"
You: "Thou"
You would or You should: "Thou would'st" or "Thou should'st".
Glossary of Terms
This is a list of terms you may here rennies using around Faire.
A
A.F.R. - The newsgroup alt.fairs.renaissance
Ale - Beer
Aye - Yes
B
Bawdy - Sexually explicit or having sexual connotations
BeeSting - Mead and Cider
B.F.A. - Basic Faire Accent
Booth - A shop or stall
Boothie - Someone who works in a booth at faire
C
Codpiece - Originaly a covering for the slit that once existed in mens pants
Company of St. George - The living history guild of MDRF.
Cutpurse - Thief
D
Day Of Wrong - The closing day of faire, when many playtrons dress in outrageous clothing
Drama - Actions or stories that draw attention to ones self
E
F
Fest Rat -Some who is always at faire and rarely spends moneyFie - Simply used as the F word, use as "Fie upon ye" but never "fie you"
Fie - A strong curse word, use as "Fie upon ye" but never "fie you"
Flemish Painter - Camera or photographer
Forsooth - An exclamation of dismay, somewhat like "damn"
G
Garb - Outfits worn to faire (most will take exception if you call it a costume)
Gate Shift - Time that a castmember must spend at the front gate
God's Teeth - A strong curse
Green Man - The personification of Nature
Guild - The only true guilds at MDRF are the Company of St.George and the Landskchnect
H
Hark - Attention
Hawker - Street vendor trying to get people into booths
Himbo - Male bimbo
Huzzah - a cheer like Hooray
I
J
John Barleycorn - homebrewed beer, can also be used to discribe someone who is very drunk
K
knave - punk
Kilt Check - The act of sliding one's hand up the outside of a man's leg inside his kilt to verify he is regimental
L
Lad/Laddie - young boy
Landskchnecht - The German soldiers who protect the royals at MDRF.
Lass/lassie - young girl
Lundegaard - A pewter shop that sells membership into the Lundeguilds
Lundeguilde - Playtron guilds at faire (wenches, rouges, privateers ect.)
M
Mac-N-Crack - Fried macaroni and cheese on a stick
Mead - Honey wine
Mundane/Danes - People who don't dress up for faire
Mundanes - Normal clothing
N
Nay - No
O
P
Privateer - A pirate or someone in the privateer's Lundeguilde
Playtron - People who dress up for faire and typically use a B.F.A.
Poppet - Endearing term for a small child
Privy - Porta Potty or bathroom
Privy Duty - MDRF castmembers who take turns showing people empty privies
Privy Monster - Mythical beast that lives in the blue goo in the privies
Pubcrawl - A group making a visit to all the drinking booths and getting very inebriated
Pub Sing - The final show at the White Heart performed by cast and entertainers
Progress - The parade royalty make through Revel Grove
Q
R
Regimental - Wearing nothing under your kilt
Rennie - Someone who goes from Faire to Faire
Ren Rat - a veteran of all things rennish and member of the Lundeguilde
Revel Grove - The name of the villiage where MDRF takes place
Rogue - The male version of the Wenches Lundeguilde
Roguing - When a group of rogues surround a lady and give her roses and kisses.
S
Shire - An English villiage
Short Beer - A 2oz Coors Light or Black and Tan served with a Shrimp or Oyster Shooter
Shrek Villiage - The main food area at MDRF, called so because of the bright color and flags
Strumpet - A woman who is more bawdy than a wench but less than a whore.
T
The Beer Is In The Pickup Truck - This is what is said to break out of B.F.A
U
V
Victuals - food
W
Wench - A woman who flaunts herself towards men (there is a wenches lundeguilde as well)
Wenching - When a group of wenchs surround a male victem and proceedes to cover him in kisses
Wench Walk - The walk of wenches heading for a wenching
X
Y
Z
Zounds - a cursee corrupted from "God's wounds"
Fan Talking
Some basic fan gestures and thier meanings.
Don't forget me - Moving hair away from forehead
Follow Me - Carrying in the right hand in front of face
I am sorry - Drawing across eyes
I belong to you - Dropping the fan
I don't trust you - Resting the fan on lips
I hate you - Drawing through hand
I like you - Looking closely at the painting on the fan
I love another - Twirling in right hand
I love you - Drawing across cheek
I love you so much - Fanning fast
I want to be engaged - Carrying the fan closed and hanging from right hand
I want to talk to you - Running fingers through the fans ribs
I wish to get rid of you - Twirling in left hand
I'm engaged - Carrying the fan closed and hanging from left hand
I'm getting jealous - Passing the fan from hand to hand
I'm impatient - Hitting any object
Kiss Me - With handle to lips
My love for you is breaking my heart - Resting the fan on heart
No - Letting it rest on left cheek
Stop flirting with that woman - Fanning with left hand
Wait for me - Open wide
We are being watched - Half-opening the fan over her face
Yes - Letting it rest on the right cheek
You are cruel - Open and shut
You have changed - Placing it on the left ear
You're ugly - Hiding the sunlight
You're wasting your time - Fannin slowly
Linguistics
Some basic, although not always historically accurate, guidlines for speaking Olde English.
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