Discworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki - User contributions [en]

Iron Girder

2016-01-24T22:53:54Z

Shack19:

The Discworld's first successful functioning steam locomotive, devised by [[Dick Simnel]] and his apprentices. Loved, much improved upon and the first recipient of all improvements and upgrades, she appears to develop a personality of her own throughout the course of {{RS}}.

{{stub}}

==Annotation==
One of the very first successful locomotive designs in the middle 1840's was called the ''Iron Duke'' after the Duke of Wellington. But this one is clearly female, in a [[Gladys]] the Golem sort of way...

[[Category: Discworld concepts]]

Nutt

2015-12-20T07:49:15Z

Shack19:

{{Character Data
|title= Mister Nutt
|photo=
|name= Nutt
|age= Unknown
|race= [[Orcs|Orc]]

|occupation= [[Candle Dribbler]]
|appearance= Thin, grey-skinned. Has black retractable claws and an oddly round head. Clean but badly-dressed. Appears to be able to change what size he is at will

|residence= [[Unseen University]]

|death= Once, but not for long.
|relatives= Presumed dead.
|

|books= {{UA}}
|
}}

'''Nutt''' is an [[Orcs|Orc]]. He was found and freed by [[Mightily Oats]] from the village in which he was chained to an anvil in a forge for seven years. To Nutt this was when he was born and helped into the light. In the forge, he picked up some smithing. He was presumably brought by Oats to Lady [[Margolotta]], who taught him that he must be becoming and attain worth. This caused him to develop a complex and during the events of {{UA}} he regularly asked the question "Do I have worth?" He spent much of his time in Lady Margolotta's library where he read quickly and voraciously, to the amazement of Miss [[Healstether]], Lady Margolotta's librarian. He has a tendency to liken situations to those described in philosophical texts, and seems to generally assume that everyone else is as well-read as he is.

He was sent by Lady Margolotta to [[Unseen University]] in [[Ankh-Morpork]] where he worked in the [[The Vats|candle vats]] as a dribbler, a job that he said he enjoyed, as well as later coaching football for the Unseen Academicals football team after impressing [[Ponder Stibbons]] with his knowledge and skills (or possibly because Ponder Stibbons was just happy to delegate one of his thirteen jobs). Nutt befriended [[Trevor Likely]] (who nicknamed him Gobbo, short for Goblin) and [[Glenda Sugarbean]], and as of the end of Unseen Academicals he is romantically involved with Glenda.

Nutt did not know that he was an orc for most of Unseen Academicals and believed that he was a [[Goblins|goblin]], having shut the information behind a metaphorical door in his head. He eventually opened that door with the help of Glenda and Trev, by psychoanalyzing himself under hypnosis, and thoughout the book is followed by the [[Sisters of Perpetual Velocity]], whom it transpires have been sent by Lady Margolotta to stop him killing or injuring anyone. On discovering that he was an orc he fled, planning to return to [[Uberwald]]. Glenda, Trevor, and [[Juliet Stollop]] chased after him by coach and caught up with him in [[Sto Lat]], where they convinced him to return to Unseen University; he grows more comfortable with his race and in particular his strength (for example when he breaks into the Palace, Vetinari asks if he tore the gates bodily from their hinges; he is told that Nutt ''lifted'' them bodily from their hinges and stacked them neatly in the courtyard.)

Nutt takes over as Unseen Academicals' goalkeeper during the Ankh-Morpork United match after the Librarian is poisoned. He is a successful goalkeeper, although the game is really won by Trev Likely's impressive tin-can skills, after some quick thinking by Glenda.

==Annotation==

On page 370 of {{UA}} Nutt claims, "I am an orc with a terrible urge to smoke a cigar". This ''could'' be seen as a parody of ''{{wp|World_Of_Warcraft|World Of Warcraft}}'' as certain Orcs can be seen with cigars in some screenshots, although this is stretching the realms of the likely to breaking point. Considering that Nutt had just finished psychoanalysing himself however, it is more likely a reference to the famous phrase 'sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,' generally attributed to Freud, although it does not appear in any of his works.

The "closed door" subplot in {{UA}} relies almost completely on psychoanalysis parodies. Nutt brings a chaise longue (fainting couch) down to the candle-making area where he works, and subsequently uses it as the location for his hypnosis. He requires Trev to spin his shiny can in front of Nutt's face, mimicking the popular music hall hypnosis trick. Nutt also lapses into an Uberwaldian accent during his self-hypnosis, and explains to Glenda and Trev that this accent relaxes the patient, again harkening back to Freud.

Just seen the blinding bleeding obvious. Mr Nutt. Recast the name as ''Missed A Nut''. A screw loose, a connection not properly tightened, a missing component... they do say Terry P incorporated some blindingly obvious jokes hidden out in the open where everyone could miss them because they're so intent on looking for the deeper stuff... [[User:AgProv|AgProv]] ([[User talk:AgProv|talk]]) 22:22, 26 April 2015 (UTC)

[[Category:Discworld characters|Nutt, Mr.]]
[[Category:Leading characters|Nutt, Mr.]]
[[de:Nutt]]

Jikan no Muda

2015-05-27T15:31:31Z

Shack19: /* Annotation */

One of several puzzles, games, acrostics and other intellectual diversions to be found in the pages of the [[Ankh-Morpork Times|Times]].

This appears to be a game, possibly a cultural import from the [[Agatean Empire]], involving the arrangement of numbers in a grid according to some harmonious mathematical principle. [[Vetinari]]'s record for solving the puzzle is somewhat less than seventeen seconds. He simply stares at it for a short time, then reels off the answer. Presumably, compared with [[Ankh-Morpork|Ankh-Morpork's]] internecine "little wheels within big wheels" analogy, simple integers that can only logically be in one place are ineffably easy.

{{MM}}

==Annotation==

''Jikan no muda'' is [[Roundworld]] Japanese for "a waste of time."

Suspiciously like the number game '''''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku Sudoku]''''', which sparked a minor craze among those so inclined, mushrooming from ''The Times'' newspaper in Britain, which launched it on 12 November 2004 (calling it Su Doku) to ''everywhere'' within weeks. Retired Hong Kong judge Wayne Gould, 59, a New Zealander, saw a partly completed puzzle in a Japanese bookshop and over six years he developed a computer program to produce puzzles quickly. Knowing that British newspapers have a long history of publishing crosswords and other puzzles, he promoted Sudoku to ''The Times''.

The rapid rise of Sudoku in Britain from relative obscurity to a front-page feature in national newspapers attracted both commentary in the media and parody, (such as when ''The Guardian'''s G2 section advertised itself as "the first newspaper supplement with a Sudoku grid on every page". Obviously, with the enormous ripples this interest caused in the space-time-continuinuumumum-thing it eventually washed over the Disc and narrative causality created the impulse for the Ankh-Morpork ''Times'' to do the same thing.

Though he excels at ''Jikan no Muda'' and can solve them after glancing at any grid for a few seconds, Vetinari actually finds them unsatisfying, as numbers are too easy to outwit. He enjoys crosswords far more, as one needs to comprehend how another person's mind works when actively trying to mislead. He has found great pleasure in the work of 'The Blind Letter Office' at the [[Post Office]], helping to decipher the nigh-illegible gibberish that some of Ankh-Morpork's less educated citizenry address their letters with - for example working out casually that 'Duzbuns Hopsit pfarmerrsc' equals 'K. Whistler, Baker, 3 Pigsty Hill' (Those Buns Opposite the Pharmacy). The men employed for this job are successful in 'translating' five addresses out of every six.

[[Category:Discworld Games]]
[[de:Jikan no Muda]]

Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography

2015-05-23T22:11:09Z

Shack19:

One of [[Rincewind]]'s current positions on the faculty of [[Unseen University]].

His predecessor was reduced to a pair of pointy boots with wisps of smoke coming out of them, following a terminal encounter with the wildlife on the [[God of Evolution]]'s home on [[Mono Island]], not far away from {{TLC}}. Well, he evidently wasn't paying attention to the job description, which specified ''Egregious, Cruel'' and ''Unusual''. [[Ridcully]] uses promotions and status either as weapons to divide the rest of the Faculty and get them squabbling among themselves (rather than entertain any ambitions for the Archchancellorship), or else as a carrot to get somebody else to achieve the desired result. With both of the above policy goals in mind, he took his time in finding a candidate to fill those pointy boots.

Ridcully is a manager dedicated to the carrot-and-stick principle. After terrorising [[Rincewind]] into a state of normality with the stick (all the things that can happen to somebody falsely claiming wizardhood when in fact he failed all his exams), he later applies the carrot of promoting Rincewind to professor and [[Faculty]] status. It is possible that Ridcully has recognised nobody on the Disc knows more about how cruel and unusual its geography is, and that he has promoted the right man to the job. (It is taken as read that Rincewind, by ''"performing a service of great value to Wizardry"'', ie his reluctant visit to the [[Counterweight continent]], his assistance to the Faculty when stranded on [[XXXX|Fourecks]], and his even more reluctant exploration of [[Roundworld]], has finally achieved full Wizardhood and a honorary degree.) Ridcully therefore succeeded in getting three missions' worth of useful work out of the stick, before finally rewarding Rincewind with what turned out to be a very small and relatively inexpensive carrot. Otherwise, Ridcully is deliberately annoying the rest of the Faculty by promoting somebody thought of as having the innate magical ability of a housebrick. He would also consider this a worthy goal.

It is certain that Rincewind was told his appointment is a honorific only, and he is not to do anything daft like holding lectures or tutorials or talking to students. (This begs a very big question of the rest of the Faculty, who also seek to avoid these things without needing to be ordered not to.) It may also be the case that [[Ponder Stibbons]] has now realised he is no longer the least, lowest and most despised junior faculty member. Certainly, his attitude to Rincewind is the easy and relaxed manner (most of the time) of a superior giving instructions to to a subordinate.

[[Category:Wizards|Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography]]
[[de:Unerhörter Professor für grausame und ungewöhnliche Geographie]]

Patrician

2015-05-15T16:21:29Z

Shack19: /* Patrician during the events of Mort */

The '''Patrician''' is the ruler (read: "dictator for life") of [[Ankh-Morpork]] since the end of the monarchy, with the death of King [[Lorenzo the Kind]] at the hand of [["Stoneface" Vimes]], then commander of the [[Ankh-Morpork City Watch]] and supposedly ancestor of [[Samuel Vimes]]. In absence of a monarch, the Patricians have inherited the right to create lordships.

Upon the death of the Patrician, a council of guild leaders elects a new one immediately, without any sort of campaign or overt search for candidates. They will have had their replacement in mind for some time. Quite often the change is accelerated by the intervention of the [[Assassins' Guild]]. In theory, the council has also the possibility merely to require the Patrician to step down; but this idea had been brought up only once and wasn't implemented.

Historically, Patricians were often power-mad, selfish men who didn't want to share their power. They believed in the principle of "one man, one vote" (as in, "I am the Man, I have the Vote"). Such a figure would have powerful enemies, and frequent assassinations would be attempted. The Patrician would decide to hold on to his power monopoly even tighter, and not to trust anybody. This would make for more enemies, more assassination attempts, more paranoia on the Patrician's part, and it would go on until an assassination attempt was successful and a new Patrician came into place. The more insane Patricians have been discussed in ''[[Book:Guards! Guards!|Guards! Guards!]]'' and ''[[Book:Men at Arms|Men at Arms]]''. People often pointed out that being a patrician simply would drive a man mad. Ankh-Morporkians sometimes speculate that their current patrician, Lord Vetinari, may be mad underneath his cold, calculating sanity.

While the idea of a dictator elected by a college of representatives is unusual on Roundworld, a parallel to the Patricianship exists in the governance of professional sports leagues. There is usually a Commissioner or League President who is at once all-powerful and totally beholden to the team owners; he is in charge as long as he doesn't annoy more than half of them. The Guild of Assassins is not usually involved, of course.

==Known Patricians==
*Frenzied [[Earl Hargarth]]
*Deranged Lord Harmoni
*Nersch the Lunatic
*[[Olaf Quimby II]]
*Laughing Lord Scapula
*Lord Smince
*[[Lord Samphire]]
*[[Lord Winder|Homicidal Lord Winder]] (appears as a character in ''[[Book:Night Watch|Night Watch]]'').
*[[Mad Lord Snapcase]], also known as Psychoneurotic Lord Snapcase (appears as a character in ''[[Book:Night Watch|Night Watch]]'').
*[[Havelock Vetinari]]: the current Patrician (note the lack of an adjective), appearing throughout the ''[[Discworld]]'' chronicles. It is unclear whether he's the same Patrician appearing in the books earlier than ''[[Book:Sourcery|Sourcery]]''.

==Patrician during the events of ''Mort''==

There is a suspicion that the Patrician at the time of {{M}} may not have been Vetinari: [[Death]] attends a lavish birthday party for the (un-named) Patrician where there is very lavish food and drink and all present dance a drunken conga around the palace. It is perfectly possible that Vetinari might allow a birthday party to take place which he either does not attend, or attends briefly, for reasons of State or other intrigue. But the text of {{M}} had Death in the [[Serpent Dance|conga line]] behind [[Lord Rodley]], with '''''the Patrician's small pet swamp dragon''''' holding onto Death's bony hips and looking frantically for an escape route.

We are told elsewhere that Vetinari's sole pet is the elderly terrier [[Wuffles]]. Also, he does not come over as the sort of person who would be part of the dragon fancy. And would anyone have ''dared'' get riotously drunk, and perform the [[Serpent Dance]] through every room in the palace, disrupting its normal business, picking up Palace employees, incidentally kicking over the buffet table and destroying a glass-fronted cabinet, in the presence of the abstemious and fastidious Havelock Vetinari? Or indeed in the knowledge that he would ''certainly'' know where and to whom to direct the repair bills/carpet cleaning receipts for prompt payment afterwards? (And "every room in the Palace" by implication includes those places where normal visitors would think twice about going, ie the dungeons, lest they not be allowed out again...)

From contextual evidence, this birthday party can be placed around seventeen to twenty years prior to "the present day". Or, as he has done in the past, perhaps Death was not attending a party at the same point in the time-space continuum as the majority of the book. Perhaps, in his confused search for the greatest things in life, he went to a time known for its fun-loving reputation(?).

Shortly after leaving Death's employment, [[Mort]] marries [[Ysabell]]. Even assuming they wanted to start a family immediately, it would be nine months to a year before [[Susan Sto Helit]] comes along. When Susan is first seen in the books, she is in her middle to late teens, and at this point, seventeen years or so onward from {{M}}, Vetinari is definitely Patrician. (See {{SM}})

It is generally assumed that the Patrician prior to Vetinari was Lord [[Snapcase]] (see above); however, the possibility exists that there were one or more interim patricians between these two.

==Historical Annotation==
The word Patrician comes from the hereditary ruling class of ancient Rome, said to be the descendants of Rome's original inhabitants. The patricians apparently took control of the city following the exile of the last king of Rome and founded the Roman republic. The patricians widely abused their power over the lower classes leading the plebs to sue for political equality with the result that in later centuries patrician status offered little more than rarity value. The patrician, ie noble-born upper classes, also alienated the intermediate ''equestrian'' class, which can be likened to the middle classes of modern society (although this is an oversimplification: the equestrian class is otherwise thought of as "the knights" of Rome, more like the lower strata of the upper classes, than a middle class in the modern sense) For more, ''[[Reverse Annotations|see here]]''.

It is interesting that on the downfall of the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus, in September 476 AD, the leader of the victorious Ostragoths (who captured the city intact with little looting and sacking) refused entreaties for him to take over as Emperor. Instead, Odeoacer declared his intention to carry on ruling Rome and what he had captured of the Empire with the rank of ''Patrician''...

[[Category:Discworld concepts]]
[[de:Patrizier]]

Talk:Ankh-Morpork Post Office

2015-05-14T16:39:57Z

Shack19:

Re: the edit of 24 Mar.<br>
Apart from the problem of the missing article, we need an explanation of the edit in general. Was it then Capt. Vimes who said it? They're the only Guard Captains we know, in this generation. Why not say who he was? --[[User:Old Dickens|Old Dickens]] 22:57, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

A definite comparison can be drawn between AM's Royal Mail and the UK's I think. In recent years we have seen massive increases in stamp prices, a removal of the 2nd delivery service, as well as an increase in the time it actually takes to deliver the mail. Speaking as a retired postman's son I can honestly say that Groat and Stanley would have fit right into any major sorting office in the 70s and 80s without making a ripple. After all, anyone who actually ''wants'' to get up at 4am rain or shine and risk various appendages to dogs, cats, frostbite and sunburn is going to be a little strange. --[[User:Megahurts|Megahurts]] 11:03, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

== Life imitates Art ==

Those British Royal Mail stamps featuring Pratchett characters:-

[[File:Pratchett_Stamps.JPG‎]]

For those who prefer j.K. Rowling, her creation is similarly honoured, but nothing to concern ourselves with here.

== Motto? ==

I can't find mention on this page or in the search of the motto outside the main post office:
"Neither Rain Nor Snow Nor Gloom Of Night Can Stay These Messengers About Their Duty."

From a little Googling it seems this phrase links back to something said by Herodotus around 500BC about the Persian mounted postal couriers:
"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"

It seems this motto then became associated with the US Postal Service when an architect thought it might be a nice addition to be carved around the New York City General Post Office - it's not their official motto though apparently. (Source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/50/messages/267.html)

Must admit all this sprang to mind because I've been watching M*A*S*H and in "Lt. Radar O'Reilly" Radar, while delivering the mail, says "You know how the mail is. It doesn't wait for hail or sleet or rain or bad spark plugs or whatever."

--[[User:GallifreyanWitch|Verity]] ([[User talk:GallifreyanWitch|talk]]) 20:17, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

== Sorting Office ==

Is it the Blind Letter Office or the Dead Letter Office? I'm reading Making Money and it's called the Blind Letter Office.

Dwarfish phrases

2015-04-29T16:29:52Z

Shack19:

Some of the explanations below are necessarily incomplete, as they relate to things which [[Dwarf|Dwarfs]] are not allowed to speak of in front of ''D'harak''.

''ah Grag nun'' My Lord.

''bad'dhakz'' - yeast bowl.

''B'Daan? Kraa! D'Kraga ha'ak!'' - An expression used by a Dwarf officer in {{T5E}} on first seeing [[Cheery Littlebottom]] in unambiguously female clothing. Given one meaning of "ha'ak" below, it appears that he is expressing conservative disapproval of her dress sense.

''bura'zak-ka'' - town hall.

''b'zugda-hiara'' - lawn ornament. (A killing insult in Dwarfish, however it is used in {{WS}} as a term of endearment for [[Hwel]]. In {{RS}} it is used as an insult for the Deep-Downers, and as a picture for what certain narrow-minded parochial people would reduce the Dwarf race to, if they were to be allowed. Dwarves ''can'' do metaphor and simile, then...)

''Dezka-k'nik'' - king. Literally "Senior Mine Engineer".

''d'harak ''- (all peoples who are) not-dwarfs.

''D'kraha?'' - An expression of astonished disbelief? (in context in {{T5E}}).

''dhwe'' - "open" as in "open a book".

''drhg'hgin'' - an adjectival clause used for emphasis - as in ''"it is also important to know when not be too drhg'hgin clever by half."''

''G'daraka'' - after buying each other from their parents before their marriage, the couple is in the state of g'daraka: Free, unencumbered, ''new'' dwarfs.

''G'hruk, t'uk'' - evening, all. (Lit. "Felicitations to all at the closing of the day")

''[[Ginnungagap]]'' - a previously unrecorded phrase first used in {{RS}}. In the context, it may be cognate with ''Tra'ka!'' (below).

''[[Grag]]'' - A loremaster, teacher, a judge, an elder in the community: the nearest thing Dwarfs have to a priest, whose social position is much that of a rabbi in a Jewish community.

''G'rakha'' - an essential rite which must be done with the correct degree of ''ha'lk''

''Ga strak ja'ada!'' - roughly "your attitude or way of life is wrong!".

''Gr'duzk! aaK'zt ezem ke bur'k tze tzim?'' - Good day! What is all of this that is going on here?

''Ha'ak!'' - A most coarse expletive. In context in {{T5E}}, a most disapproving and pejorative term used to denote a Dwarf female who has <del>fallen</del> <ins>risen</ins> from grace (ie, uses makeup, wears a skirt, and brazenly lets her ankles show): a word with the power to incite near-genocidal anger in certain hearers.

''Ha'lk'' - what a Dwarf does to correctly fulfil the obligation of the ''g'rakha''.

''Had'ra'' - "stop".

''H'ragna'' - secrets known only to Dwarfs.

''Hr'grag'' - the ordinal number Thirty.

''Jar'akh'haga'' - the Ideas Taster, or personal advisor to the Low King.

''J'ds hasfak 'ds' ''- I bargain with no axe in my hand.

''[[K'ez'rek d'b'duz]]'' - "Go Round The Other side of the Mountain" - the Dwarf name for [[Granny Weatherwax]].

''Kra'k? ''- an interrogative. "''What is that''?" seems to be a good translation, in context. {{T5E}}

''[[Kruk]] ''- Dwarf mining law.

''K'zakra ''- a rite of passage all Dwarfs must undergo. There is a massive Records Chamber underneath the [[Schmaltzberg]] in which the records of every Dwarf on the Disc's progress through ''k'zakra'' are filed and kept up to date. This suggests ''k'zakra'' is a lifelong journey for the Dwarf.

''P'akga 'a'p'akaga-ad...'' - It is the thing, and the whole of the thing.

''[[Shatta]]'' - An unexpected treasure.

''[[Cheery Littlebottom|Sh'rt'azs]]'': Cheery's true name, expressed in Dwarfish. It is, apparently, a literal translation.

''Ta'grdzk!?'' - an emphatic interrogative used by a Dwarf officer with a battalion of axes behind him to back up his point. Untranslated in {{T5E}}, in context it appears to convey impatience and an inability to accept idiots gladly.

''T'dr'duzk b'hazg t't! ''- "Today is a good day for someone else to die!" A battle cry, and apparently the worst or one of the worst it is possible to utter in Dwarfish, as (according to [[Carrot]], at least) once it is said ''someone'' has to die.

''[[Tra'ka]] ''- a minimal, unworthy, beneath-notice, thing.

''Zadkrdga'' - "one who smelts". One who finds the pure ore of truth in the dross of confusion. A kind of special investigator.

:
[[Category:Discworld culture]]
[[Category:Discworld concepts]]
[[de:Zwergisch]]

Dwarfish phrases

2015-04-29T16:21:45Z

Shack19:

Some of the explanations below are necessarily incomplete, as they relate to things which [[Dwarf|Dwarfs]] are not allowed to speak of in front of ''D'harak''.

''ah Grag nun'' My Lord.

''bad'dhakz'' - yeast bowl.

''B'Daan? Kraa! D'Kraga ha'ak!'' - An expression used by a Dwarf officer in {{T5E}} on first seeing [[Cheery Littlebottom]] in unambiguously female clothing. Given one meaning of "ha'ak" below, it appears that he is expressing conservative disapproval of her dress sense.

''bura'zak-ka'' - town hall.

''b'zugda-hiara'' - lawn ornament. (A killing insult in Dwarfish, however it is used in {{WS}} as a term of endearment for [[Hwel]]. In {{RS}} it is used as an insult for the Deep-Downers, and as a picture for what certain narrow-minded parochial people would reduce the Dwarf race to, if they were to be allowed. Dwarves ''can'' do metaphor and simile, then...)

''Dezka-k'nik'' - king. Literally "Senior Mine Engineer".

''d'harak ''- (all peoples who are) not-dwarfs.

''D'kraha?'' - An expression of astonished disbelief? (in context in {{T5E}}).

''dhwe'' - "open" as in "open a book".

''drhg'hgin'' - an adjectival clause used for emphasis - as in ''"it is also important to know when not be too drhg'hgin clever by half."''

''G'daraka'' - after buying each other from their parents before their marriage, the couple is in the state of g'daraka: Free, unencumbered, ''new'' dwarfs.

''G'hruk, t'uk'' - evening, all. (Lit. "Felicitations to all at the closing of the day")

''[[Ginnungagap]]'' - a previously unrecorded phrase first used in {{RS}}. In the context, it may be cognate with ''Tra'ka!'' (below).

''[[Grag]]'' - A loremaster, teacher, a judge, an elder in the community: the nearest thing Dwarfs have to a priest, whose social position is much that of a rabbi in a Jewish community.

''G'rakha'' - an essential rite which must be done with the correct degree of ''ha'lk''

''Gr'duzk! aaK'zt ezem ke bur'k tze tzim?'' - Good day! What is all of this that is going on here?

''Ha'ak!'' - A most coarse expletive. In context in {{T5E}}, a most disapproving and pejorative term used to denote a Dwarf female who has <del>fallen</del> <ins>risen</ins> from grace (ie, uses makeup, wears a skirt, and brazenly lets her ankles show): a word with the power to incite near-genocidal anger in certain hearers.

''Ha'lk'' - what a Dwarf does to correctly fulfil the obligation of the ''g'rakha''.

''Had'ra'' - "stop".

''H'ragna'' - secrets known only to Dwarfs.

''Hr'grag'' - the ordinal number Thirty.

''Jar'akh'haga'' - the Ideas Taster, or personal advisor to the Low King.

''J'ds hasfak 'ds' ''- I bargain with no axe in my hand.

''[[K'ez'rek d'b'duz]]'' - "Go Round The Other side of the Mountain" - the Dwarf name for [[Granny Weatherwax]].

''Kra'k? ''- an interrogative. "''What is that''?" seems to be a good translation, in context. {{T5E}}

''[[Kruk]] ''- Dwarf mining law.

''K'zakra ''- a rite of passage all Dwarfs must undergo. There is a massive Records Chamber underneath the [[Schmaltzberg]] in which the records of every Dwarf on the Disc's progress through ''k'zakra'' are filed and kept up to date. This suggests ''k'zakra'' is a lifelong journey for the Dwarf.

''P'akga 'a'p'akaga-ad...'' - It is the thing, and the whole of the thing.

''[[Shatta]]'' - An unexpected treasure.

''[[Cheery Littlebottom|Sh'rt'azs]]'': Cheery's true name, expressed in Dwarfish. It is, apparently, a literal translation.

''Ta'grdzk!?'' - an emphatic interrogative used by a Dwarf officer with a battalion of axes behind him to back up his point. Untranslated in {{T5E}}, in context it appears to convey impatience and an inability to accept idiots gladly.

''T'dr'duzk b'hazg t't! ''- "Today is a good day for someone else to die!" A battle cry, and apparently the worst or one of the worst it is possible to utter in Dwarfish, as (according to [[Carrot]], at least) once it is said ''someone'' has to die.

''[[Tra'ka]] ''- a minimal, unworthy, beneath-notice, thing.

''Zadkrdga'' - "one who smelts". One who finds the pure ore of truth in the dross of confusion. A kind of special investigator.

:
[[Category:Discworld culture]]
[[Category:Discworld concepts]]
[[de:Zwergisch]]

Dwarfish phrases

2015-04-29T16:20:38Z

Shack19:

Some of the explanations below are necessarily incomplete, as they relate to things which [[Dwarf|Dwarfs]] are not allowed to speak of in front of ''D'harak''.

''ah Grag nun'' My Lord.

''bad'dhakz'' - yeast bowl.

''B'Daan? Kraa! D'Kraga ha'ak!'' - An expression used by a Dwarf officer in {{T5E}} on first seeing [[Cheery Littlebottom]] in unambiguously female clothing. Given one meaning of "ha'ak" below, it appears that he is expressing conservative disapproval of her dress sense.

''bura'zak-ka'' - town hall.

''b'zugda-hiara'' - lawn ornament. (A killing insult in Dwarfish, however it is used in {{WS}} as a term of endearment for [[Hwel]]. In {{RS}} it is used as an insult for the Deep-Downers, and as a picture for what certain narrow-minded parochial people would reduce the Dwarf race to, if they were to be allowed. Dwarves ''can'' do metaphor and simile, then...)

''Dezka-k'nik'' - king. Literally "Senior Mine Engineer".

''d'harak ''- (all peoples who are) not-dwarfs.

''D'kraha?'' - An expression of astonished disbelief? (in context in {{T5E}}).

''drhg'hgin'' - an adjectival clause used for emphasis - as in ''"it is also important to know when not be too drhg'hgin clever by half."''

''G'daraka'' - after buying each other from their parents before their marriage, the couple is in the state of g'daraka: Free, unencumbered, ''new'' dwarfs.

''G'hruk, t'uk'' - evening, all. (Lit. "Felicitations to all at the closing of the day")

''[[Ginnungagap]]'' - a previously unrecorded phrase first used in {{RS}}. In the context, it may be cognate with ''Tra'ka!'' (below).

''[[Grag]]'' - A loremaster, teacher, a judge, an elder in the community: the nearest thing Dwarfs have to a priest, whose social position is much that of a rabbi in a Jewish community.

''G'rakha'' - an essential rite which must be done with the correct degree of ''ha'lk''

''Gr'duzk! aaK'zt ezem ke bur'k tze tzim?'' - Good day! What is all of this that is going on here?

''Ha'ak!'' - A most coarse expletive. In context in {{T5E}}, a most disapproving and pejorative term used to denote a Dwarf female who has <del>fallen</del> <ins>risen</ins> from grace (ie, uses makeup, wears a skirt, and brazenly lets her ankles show): a word with the power to incite near-genocidal anger in certain hearers.

''Ha'lk'' - what a Dwarf does to correctly fulfil the obligation of the ''g'rakha''.

''Had'ra'' - "stop".

''H'ragna'' - secrets known only to Dwarfs.

''Hr'grag'' - the ordinal number Thirty.

''Jar'akh'haga'' - the Ideas Taster, or personal advisor to the Low King.

''J'ds hasfak 'ds' ''- I bargain with no axe in my hand.

''[[K'ez'rek d'b'duz]]'' - "Go Round The Other side of the Mountain" - the Dwarf name for [[Granny Weatherwax]].

''Kra'k? ''- an interrogative. "''What is that''?" seems to be a good translation, in context. {{T5E}}

''[[Kruk]] ''- Dwarf mining law.

''K'zakra ''- a rite of passage all Dwarfs must undergo. There is a massive Records Chamber underneath the [[Schmaltzberg]] in which the records of every Dwarf on the Disc's progress through ''k'zakra'' are filed and kept up to date. This suggests ''k'zakra'' is a lifelong journey for the Dwarf.

''P'akga 'a'p'akaga-ad...'' - It is the thing, and the whole of the thing.

''[[Shatta]]'' - An unexpected treasure.

''[[Cheery Littlebottom|Sh'rt'azs]]'': Cheery's true name, expressed in Dwarfish. It is, apparently, a literal translation.

''Ta'grdzk!?'' - an emphatic interrogative used by a Dwarf officer with a battalion of axes behind him to back up his point. Untranslated in {{T5E}}, in context it appears to convey impatience and an inability to accept idiots gladly.

''T'dr'duzk b'hazg t't! ''- "Today is a good day for someone else to die!" A battle cry, and apparently the worst or one of the worst it is possible to utter in Dwarfish, as (according to [[Carrot]], at least) once it is said ''someone'' has to die.

''[[Tra'ka]] ''- a minimal, unworthy, beneath-notice, thing.

''Zadkrdga'' - "one who smelts". One who finds the pure ore of truth in the dross of confusion. A kind of special investigator.

:
[[Category:Discworld culture]]
[[Category:Discworld concepts]]
[[de:Zwergisch]]

Ettercap Street

2015-04-22T16:39:36Z

Shack19:

Ettercap Street runs between [[Goose Gate]]/[[Kicklebury Street]] and [[Short Street]]. It runs parallel to a length of redundant overtaken-by-time city wall, which has been described as ''the remnant of ancient city wall on which political and amorous intentions have been inscribed for many years.''

[[Category: Streets of Ankh-Morpork]]

Menagerie

2015-03-16T03:07:53Z

Shack19: Changed spelling (orang-utans). "Orang" means human.

At present, the nearest thing [[Ankh-Morpork]] has to a City Zoo, although as it is situated in the [[Patrician's Palace]], access is by invitation only. The [[Unseen University|University]] [[Librarian]] is reputed to hop over the wall and spend the odd night here, but what he does is a mystery as we are specifically told there are no orang-utans here of either sex. The importation of orang-utans, nor indeed Great Apes of any species, appears to be informally discouraged, anyway. [[Wazir and Webb]], the City's only import-export firm in live animals, adamantly refuse to touch them.

This is most probably a hangover from previous Patricians, some of whom had inventive variations on a theme of the idea of tearing a convicted felon to death by chaining a large wild animal to each limb and setting them off in four mutually opposed directions. Logically, they needed somewhere to store the creatures in between dismembering engagements. One previous Patrician of a patient disposition used four giant tortoises for this job, and must have kept them securely lest they end up as four king-sized servings of turtle soup and a [[Dibbler]] cart-load of tortoiseshell knick-knacks, a dollar each, no questions asked, squire. On Roundworld, giant tortoises are natives of Africa and certain Pacific islands. Following the general principle that [[Ankh-Morpork]] is in a pretty much "European" part of the Disc, it would seem that such long-lived creatures will not be native, may have been imported as curios or gifts, and as the species is known for its longevity, could well be up to two hundred years old.

The Patrician still maintains, possibly only out of tradition, snake and scorpion pits. Of necessity, these will need a breeding programme to replace and replenish and improve upon stock. Possibly the Menagerie includes herpetology and arachnia houses where this work might be carried out, always assuming Vetinari does not subcontract this work to the [[Assassins' Guild]], who may be expected to have a vigorous Natural History department of their own at the Guild School. (If only as another ongoing informal test for overconfident students).

There is a reference somewhere to [[Carrot]] having taken [[Angua]] here on a date, although Carrot noted that in Angua's presence, the animals either hid at the back of the cage or were un-naturally subdued.

We learn in {{SN}} that [[Quirm]] has a fully-fledged [[Quirm Zoo|City Zoo]], which makes it one step ahead of [[Ankh-Morpork]] in this respect. [[Sam Vimes]] takes [[Young Sam]] there to see the elephants and gain raw material for his new, engrossing, albeit inexpensive, hobby.

The Palace Menagerie is expanded upon in [[Book:The World of Poo]], as a strategic location where [[Grand-Mama]] one day takes [[Geoffrey]] as a treat.

==Named Staff:==

* Mr [[Pontoon]], the Head Keeper.
* Young [[Gus]], the apprentice keeper.
* The [[Re-Director]].

==Named Animals on the Menagerie inventory==

* the [[Hermit Elephant]] of [[Howondaland]].
* the [[Swimming Shrew]] from [[Llamedos]].
* the [[Acrobatic Meerkat]] from Howondaland.
* the [[:Category:Camels|Counting Camel]], from [[Klatch]].
* the Ring-Maned Lion.
* the [[Reciprocating Fox|Reciprocating Ocelot]].
* the Rotating Nogo.
* the [[Coat-Hanger Elk]] from [[NoThingfjord]].
* the [[Chameleon Alligator]] from [[Genua]].
* the [[Bouncing Kangaroo]] from [[Fourecks]].
* the [[Bashful Panda]] from [[Agatean Empire|Agatea]].
* the [[Woolly Goat]] from the [[Trollbone Mountains]].

There ''may'' also be half a dozen concubines from [[Ymitury]].

This is not an exhaustive list and represents only those Discworld animal species quoted or described in [[Book:The World of Poo]] as resident at the Menagerie. However, the observant reader will have noticed that this STILL doesn't offer any logical reason for the [[Librarian]] to make nocturnal visits to the Menagerie at periodic intervals - there is not a single simian of any sort on this list.

There are, apparently, "real-world" animals in the Menagerie collection. (ie, those also known on [[Roundworld]]). Lions are specifically mentioned. Their dung is especially valuable to Sir [[Harry King]].

Mr Pontoon is also clear on the distinction between "real" world fauna and the "heraldics". For e.g., he only deals with the former and the latter is the province of the [[College of Heralds]].

[[Category:Discworld culture]]
[[Category:Locations]]

Ping

2015-02-05T18:51:31Z

Shack19:

{{Character Data
|title= Ping
|photo=
|name=
|age=
|race= [[Human]]

|occupation= [[City Watch|Watchman]]
|appearance= "cautious-looking"

|residence= [[Ankh-Morpork]]

|death=
|parents=
|relatives=
|children=
|marital status=

|books=
|cameos= {{TFE}}, {{NW}}
}}

One of the few new human members of the modern [[Ankh-Morpork City Watch]].

As he is quick to tell anyone who does or doesn't ask, ''ping'' is a dialect word meaning "watermeadow"; that's also the what fellow watchmen call him. He's the type who is always prepared to be questioned, slightly apprehensive, and therefore prone to a lot of bad luck and minor mistakes. In ''Night Watch'' he merely asks about the lilacs he sees the watchmen [[Fred Colon]], [[Nobby Nobbs]] and [[Reg Shoe]] wear on the twenty-fifth of May every year, which causes the normally friendly Sergeant to become rather angry. In ''The Fifth Elephant'', he is the officer who discovers the theft of the replica [[Scone of Stone|Scone]] but misses the thief.

==Annotations==

There are two possible references to the name - {{wp|Ping|Ping}} is an application within the tcp/ip network protcol used to confirm connectivity between two computers. One computer send a short signal (or packet) to another, which then returns the packet to confirm its existance. The name of this application derives from the sound made by {{wp|active_sonar|Active SONAR}} when an echo is returned.

However it could also be a simple reference to a sterotypical oriental style name, such as [[Hongs|Hong]] and [[Tangs|Tang]] (both also used by TP)... A Chinese word pronounced "ping" can be translated to a "plain, or meadow".

:
[[Category:Discworld characters|Ping]]
[[category:Human characters|Ping]]
[[Category:Watchmen]]
[[de:Ping]]

Enchantress

2014-12-02T23:53:37Z

Shack19:

Described by [[Granny Weatherwax]] as 'being no better than they should be'. We can take it from this that she disapproves of enchantresses.

From what is known about them, an enchantress is a female magic user, but not a witch (witches wear more clothes) and they tend to use a more flashy style of magic, more like that of wizards than witches who use natural magic.

[[Category:Witches|Enchantress]]

The Mended Drum

2014-11-20T18:47:25Z

Shack19:

[[Image:Dunelm.jpg|200px|left]] [[Filigree Street]] at [[Short Street]], Ankh-Morpork.

Well-known disreputable tavern. Heroes of the Discworld frequent it when they are in [[Ankh-Morpork]], and bar brawl casualties are quite high. However, if a ''tourist'' wants to meet [[Barbarian heroes|heroes]] and see them in bar fights, The Drum is the place to go. Originally The Broken Drum, this tavern has been renamed The Mended Drum after a change of ownership and a reconstruction due to a fire chronicled in {{COM}}.

The interior does not differ much from the interiors of an uncountable number of other taverns which are less well known. But one does not enter the Drum for posh decoration. To enter the Drum one first has to pass one of the troll bouncers. And believe me, they really know how to bounce. In fact, they used to be called ''Splatters''. After entering the pub one has to walk down some stairs into a dimly lit room filled with cheap furniture. The furniture is cheap, because it usually needs to be replaced after the nightly bar fight. The floor is covered with sawdust to soak up all kinds of liquids sprayed on the floor. And the guests, well, let's not talk about the guests. But in spite of all this, on some nights this is actually the place to be. And if the barkeeper is in a really good mood, he might even put out some bowls with peanuts. But ''only'' if he's sure the [[Librarian]] isn't going to come in.

It is said that, nowadays, a child can safely walk into The Drum, purchase a glass of milk, and not be bothered by the rest of the clientele. The worst that the child may come to face is a ding alongside the ear when his mother hears his expanded vocabulary.

Like 80% of pubs on [[Roundworld]], the Drum has tried to re-invent itself many times so as to get a larger share of the drinking person's liquid assets. Sometimes this has been unavoidable - as when the first mentioned licencee [[Broadman]] was sold an insurance policy by [[Twoflower]], interpreted it in that cheerfully entrepreneurial Ankh-Morporkian fashion, and in seeking to capitalise on the policy, succeeded in setting fire not just to the Drum (and himself), but half the city.

Other tenants of the Drum, notably [[Hibiscus Dunelm]] (shown, as drawn by [[User:Knmatt|Matt Smith]]), have tried to re-invent the establishment as a venue for unlicensed music and entertainment, but the entertainment provided to the patrons was along the lines of "Oh look! A moving target!", as [[the Band With Rocks In]] discovered.

Still others have tried to provide games of skill, knowledge and dexterity, but the [[Quizzing Device]] was hastily removed after [[Carrot Ironfoundersson|Captain Carrot]] saw its potential. This was replaced with [[Barbarian Invaders]], but nobody else could get a look in because of the [[Librarian]].

While it is true to note that in today's Mended Drum, the pub brawls are as often as not extensively and meticulously choreographed for the visual spectacle they offer to visiting tourists (with an Igor standing by to re-attach any mislaid bodily parts - just be sure ''everything'' is tattooed with your name, lads, as Igor can't be expected to guess), it can still be a dangerous place where [[Suicide]] is an option. Objecting to a muscled horned-helmet-wearing and axe-toting hero who has moved in on your girlfriend while you're getting the drinks in, for instance, is a form of committing suicide, as [[Moist von Lipwig]] correctly surmised. However, if she then threatens to drill through his foot by application of principles of simple leverage via the fulcrum provided by a "Lucrezia" kitten heel, this is considered to be a creatively acceptable way of disarming the situation).

Other mentioned pubs in [[Ankh-Morpork]] are [[Biers]], [[The Bucket]] and [[The Troll's Head]]. The Drum is famed not for its beer (which tastes like battery acid) but for its clientèle. It is said that if you sit the Mended Drum long enough sooner or later every major hero on the disk will come by and steal your horse. This is certainly true. In the course of the tales, the following notable heroes have frequented the drum:

* [[Rincewind]] - {{COM}}, {{S}}
* [[Twoflower]] - {{COM}}
* [[Death]] - {{SM}}
* [[Alberto Malich]] - {{M}}
* [[The Band With Rocks In]] - {{SM}}
* [[Librarian|The Librarian]] - {{G!G!}}, {{S}}, {{WS}}
* [[Susan Sto Helit]] - {{SM}}
* [[Moist von Lipwig]] - {{GP}}
* [[Herrena the Henna-Haired Harridan]] - {{E}}
* [[Red Scharron]] - {{E}}
* [[Diome, Witch of the Night]] - {{E}}
* [[Carrot Ironfoundersson]] - {{G!G!}}
* [[Nobby Nobbs]] - {{G!G!}}, {{FOC}}
* [[Fred Colon]] - {{G!G!}}, {{FOC}}
* [[Samuel Vimes]] - {{G!G!}}
* [[Hwel|Hwel the play-write]] - {{WS}}
* [[Tomjon]] - {{WS}}
* [[Adora Belle Dearheart]] - {{GP}}
* [[Detritus]] - {{G!G!}}
* [[Mustrum Ridcully]] - {{MP}}
* [[Vincent the Invulnerable]]

==Annotation==

It is well known that a Broken Drum cannot be beaten...

When [[Moist von Lipwig]] and [[Adora Belle Dearheart]] visit the Drum to observe training is in progress for a staged pub fight, the description of the moves and choreography involved could come straight out of the sort of old-time Saturday afternoon wrestling show, "live from the Town Hall, Batley, Yorkshire" (as hosted by Kent Walton) or other prestige venue in the North. For as everyone knows, professional wrestling is elaborately scripted for the spectacle rather than the sport. This is more the old-fashioned spit and sawdust arena of British pro wrestling, rather than the hyper-athletic glitz of the WWE.

This also echoes the long-term drift of the Discworld, from the {{COM}} days where Heroes were free to roam, and savage tribal [[Gnolls]] infested the remote places ready to beat up a wagon train, the Disc has shrunk, with [[Clacks]] lines and coach roads bisecting the continent. The world no longer has a place for old-fashioned free-spirited barbarian heroes, as we see in {{TLH}}, and the last remnants of defeated Gnoll-dom are trickling into the big cities to perform the lowest and most menial tasks (such as collecting rubbish for [[Harry King]]).

The inescapable analogy for the Discworld is with the tail-end of the nineteenth century and the last subjugation of the American West. The end came with unbelievable speed: as late as 1870, the Sioux still roamed free: but by the 1890's, they were all in reservations and the last Indian hold-outs, the south-western Apache tribes, also surrendered. All Indians entered the subjugation of the reservation system, or filtered into towns to be given the dregs, work and housing-wise. (reference the fate of the [[Gnolls]]). North America also discovered it had no place for living heroes, except in institutions like Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, where cowboys and Western heroes performed choreographed routines for their supper. This institution is reminiscent of the way the barbarian heroes now earn their living staging mock bar fights in the Drum. A pub which twenty-odd years ago was the staging-post for barbarian expeditions into the hinterland (in best Dungeons and Dragons fantasy tradition) now hosts the last remnants of the barbarian hero tradition, pretending to beat seven bells out of each other for money.

There is an actual Roundworld pub known as [https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mended-Drum/143609672423334?fref=ts The Mended Drum], based on the Discworld one.

[[category:Locations|Mended Drum,The]]
[[Category:Ankh-Morpork Businesses|Mended Drum, The]]

[[de:Trommel]]