Our words translated for you.



7-11
When Gary and Dave plan an exciting night on the town, the two of them usually end up here. The purchase of a Slurpee is often included in the evening's festivities. However, Mac's may become more popular with the lads because the Froster machines are of the highest ice quality and they contain many delicious flavours. See also Lego.

A-1
Kerry's term for anything Fantasti-Specta-Coolier.
Achieve!
A geeky term of encouragement used sarcastically by Martin whenever someone is going to great efforts to do something that is not worth doing.
Adib's Sensual Soap
See Toni's Pizzeria.
Ai-chi-ma-ma!
An expression of great excitement, meaning who-knows-what, that Martin stole from who-knows-where.
Amoeba
Prospective, seemingly unlikely, and conspicuous-looking all-ages club planned by the boys of Svelte to remedy the boredom of White Rock.
Are You For True?
Questions the validity of any of the band members' statements.
Armstrong, Neil
The first man to walk on the moon. In the band's e-mails to each other, Svelte often sign off with some quote made up off the top of their heads. For some reason, these quotes are usually attributed to Neil Armstrong, e.g. "Peace Out Muthafuckas!" - Neil Armstrong.

Berserker
Adjective for anything really, really good. Taken from the movie Clerks.
Boink
To shag. As well, the first consonant of this word can be replaced with almost anything, for the same meaning, e.g. "I CROINKED HER!"
Braindead
A terrible song fragment written at Kerry's house by Gary, and partly Dave. The words are:
"Don't give up on life, or else you will be dead.
Don't give up on your dreams, or else your brain will go dead.
[screamed] BRAINDEAD!"

Cack
Variant of "cock." This word is especially used among the boys at Martin's university, usually in the form of a greeting:
"Cack!"
"Cack."
Chico
Affectionate term, used as a greeting, as in "Hey, Chico!
Christian Scale, The
Svelte's name for the standard method of tuning (A=440 Hz). The reason for this name is that Svelte collectively tunes their instruments a half-step down, but often the band members find themselves in outside situations where they must tune up to the proper scale. Gary, for example, sometimes plays bass at church, and is distraught when he gets back to Svelte and realizes that his bass is still tuned up to the "Christian Scale". Hence the name.
C'mon
A monosyllabic, rallying cry stolen from Sloan's Chris Murphy: "C'mon, it's my birthday!" This is the all-round greatest word ever. It can be put just about anywhere to express enthusiasm or punctuate other ideas. C'mon. Or even repeated. C'mon c'mon! It is spoken an average of 28 times per Svelte concert. C'mon.
Cosmic
Kerry's term for anything really, really good.

Danka, Martini
Martin's talk-show host alter-ego, usually seen wearing a bad suit.
Decent
A euphemism used by Martin to appear very cool and collected in the presence of something that is actually quite remarkable. For example, someone will point out an extremely pretty girl, and Martin will just shrug and offer, "yeah, she's decent."
DiBono
The name of the character Larry Fouch in the novel version of Election by Tom Perrotta. Used interchangeably with Fouch when addressing band members. See Easy, Fouch.
Disastor
The members of Svelte often like to replace the "er" at the ends of words with "or", just to draw attention to themselves. Other examples are "computor", "losor", "park rangor", and "wator coolor".
Discombobulature
When you tell someone a funny joke while they're eating or drinking, they have what Svelte calls a "discombobulature". We realize that this means something else in real life, but we're too lazy to look it up. In our life, it means only this.
Dommage
French for "too bad". Usually used sarcastically, as in "You don't like that? Oh, DOMMAGE."
Double
Very lazy interjection used instead of "I agree" or "me too". A typical example:
"My car broke down last week."
"Double!"
Dumont, Dwayne
Car driven by Martin; 1982 Mazda 626 in brown. Dwayne is the generically ugly, gutless car driven by most males sometime before they hit 30. Dwayne broke down only a week after Martin bought him. See My Car Sucks.

Easy, Fouch.
Very short line uttered by the school principal in the movie Election to calm a student - a student named Larry Fouch. Used by band members to calm other overreacting band members. See also DiBono.
Equipment
Word representing certain portions of the anatomy, specifically male. Also known as "my boys".
Extra-Extra-Ordinaire!
French for.... well, you figure it out.

Family Fair
Used as a censor in "Shoe Girl" at venues where obscenities would be inappropriate. "Family Fair" reminds everybody where we are and how we are supposed to be talking. The revised lyrics are "Hard-luckin', up-chuckin', Family Fair, Family Fair". Isn't that great?
Fantasti-Specta-Coolier
Taken from "Rocket-Powered Phaser Boy", this means anything really, really good.
French Accent
Because Svelte all graduated from a French Immersion program, they often find themselves speaking in faux-accents. Gary and Kerry do this, especially over the phone.
Friggin'/Frickin'/Freakin'/Fudge
Used in place of the obvious swear word. Also, Kerry likes to play a game where he sings a song, but replaces all the words "love" with "fudge", e.g. "I'll Make Fudge To You", by Boyz II Men.

Gary Has The Information
Electronic band, still in the planning stages, that consists hopefully of all of Svelte. Keep lookin' towards the future. See I Wanna Be in a Band Called....
Gaye, Marvin
Gary sometimes makes wild claims (to people wanting Svelte to play at weddings or other such events) that Svelte can play the music of this man. It's a complete lie. We can barely play our own music. Gary also tells them that Svelte knows a few Sinatra tunes. Oh, Gary.
Geet-Eet-On!
Said loudly in any exciting moment. Variant of "get it on".
Get Out Of My Life!
Hyperbolic phrase used by Martin when someone or something is only slightly inconveniencing him, like another car in a narrow street.
Get Over Yourself.
Martin's favourite insult.
Give It Up, Prom Date.
Overly sexist American-Varsity-Squad command used by Martin or Gary whenever they want something, for example, a piece of toast from across the table. This must be spoken in the brutest of voices.
Go Go Gadget _______!
Expression of intense want for a particular object, e.g. "Go Go Gadget House Key!"
Good Gravy!
The immortal first words communicated by Dave to Marting in... errrr... *cough* e-mail *cough*. Meant to indicate shock and joy; e.g. shock and joy that a band like Svelte exists relatively near Dave's whereabouts and was in need of a guitarist.

Half-Step Down
The whole band tunes their instruments a half-step (semitone) down. This stems from when they first started practicing. They used Kerry's upright grand piano, which is from 1911. In those days, the pianos were tuned to the "Symphony Scale", which was a semitone down from the modern-day scale, in which A is tuned to 440 hertz. So they just got used to tuning that way, and besides, it's easier on their voices.
Hang Out After 11
Secret code for when "something" is going to happen with a girl. It stems from Martin's belief that everyone goes to bed at eleven; therefore, if anyone's up after then, they're only doing one thing. Typical usage: "Yeah, she wants to Hang Out After 11 with me..."
Hardcore!
Anything really, really good. But it's accompanied by a hand movement that goes thus:
-Raise index finger of right hand.
-Form left hand into the A-OK sign.
-Insert right finger into left circle, and remove rapidly. Repeat several times.
Heckler
Svelte occasionally gets a few of these, normally when they play at high schools. Big surprise.
High-Boutique
Girl that is rather high-maintenance; wears clothes that are slightly too flashy for her own good. Not quite a Shoe Girl, though.
Holmes, Katie
Martin's future wife. ...Or something.
Honk If You're Rockin'!
Used as a rallying cry, both in and out of the car.
Hyperbole!
Yelled whenever someone is wildly exaggerating, e.g.:
"These guitar strings cost me a million dollars."
"Whoa, hyperbole!"
Led to creation of the song "Device".

ICQ
Nerdy form of communication frequented by Svelte members, usually after midnight, when we're feeding our Gizmos.
I Dig Your Mainframe
Taken from friend Alexi Manolis, this just means "I like you".
I Double-Dog-Dare You.
Brought back to life from elementary school, Martin now uses this phrase in the following manner:
"I can't spit out the window. It might land on someone."
"I dare you."
"You dare me?"
"I double-dog-dare you."
Martin is very adamant that this progression of dares must be followed precisely; that is, you must skip directly from 'dare' to 'double-dog-dare'. As well, he insists that there is nothing greater than the 'double-dog-dare' - 'triple-dog-dare' is simply a mental construct and is redundant at best. Plus, it just sounds dumb, and certainly not at all daring.
I Hate You. I'm Never Talking To You Again.
Hyperbolic pair of sentences that Martin is quick to say whenever he has been even slightly offended. He never means it, though.
Ihaveacrushonher.
Said in one spasmodic gasp, this means exactly what it says. Martin tends to accompany this phrase with a shy smile and downward glance.
Ihaveacrushonyou.
Used when Martin is feeling especially brave. He usually gets shot down.
I'll Be Right There.
If any of the and members say this, it usually means they will be at their destination an hour to an hour and a half later.
I'm Drunk.
An utter lie from Dave, used as an excuse for errors. See also I'm New.
I'm New.
Dave's very weak excuse for any situation in which he makes a mistake or feels his he shouldn't contribute his input.
Ima Nanji Desu-Ka?
The only thing Kerry knows how to say in Japanese. It means "What time is it?"
I'm Still Growing Into My Body
Martin's excuse for his oft-clumsy ways. He bumps into a music stand: "It's not my fault, guys - I'm still growing into my body!"
Indirect Conversation
Game invented by Martin in Social Studies 10. You can play too! All you need are three friends and a small space.
-The four of you sit in a circle facing each other.
-Each person stares at the person directly opposite them, while having a casual conversation with a person next to you. There are two conversations taking place and none of the participants is speaking to the person he is looking at.
-Much simpler than it sounds, this game makes for fun confusion.
I Wanna Be In A Band Called...
Phrase spoken by Dave when he hears two or three words together that sound awkward, cool, or otherwise remarkable. Also, he says it far too often for a person who is just barely in this band. Like when the man in Safeway said to his son, "Maybe Cody was right. Maybe we should get a valu-pak." And Dave said to himself, "I wanna be in a band called Maybe Cody Was Right." Yes, Dave says it even when nobody's around. See Easy, Fouch, Lazy Pornographer, The and Gary Has The Information.

Jack-Off Solo
Used to describe a long-winded, fast, screaming guitar solo, such as one a Glam Rock band might play. It is usually a derogatory term, although, for example, in "1985", Svelte has a somewhat purposeful Jack-Off Solo.
Jackson
Gary is a pilot, and when he got his licence, he took Kerry and his girlfriend Caitlin up flying. Caitlin's parents were a little wary of Gary's flying skills and of their daughter going up in the air with him. So Caitlin made up a little fib, telling her parents that they were going to be accompanied by an older, more experienced pilot. When asked what his name was, Caitlin replied, "Um... Jackson!" So the rest of the day was spent making jokes about the invisible pilot Jackson, and now when anything goes wrong, it's always blamed on Jackson. This led Kerry to write the words to the song "Flying With Jackson."
Jim
Interchangeable with any name. Often used over the phone, e.g. "Hi, Jim!"

Kick His Ass, Seabass!
General term of encouragement. Originates from the movie Dumb and Dumber.

Lame Pickup Line
Self-explanatory. Often used by Gary, as in "Is it just me, or is it just you, because you've been running all day through your mind, and I'm tired."
Later, Skater
Goodbye.
Lazy Pornographer, The
Other prospective name for the side project known as Gary Has The Information. See I Wanna Be In A Band Called....
Lego
Occasionally, when Gary and Dave have nothing better to do, they will spend time together. Lego is one of the activities that Gary and Dave share in. Their recent creations include a large hot-rod type machine piloted by "Chris Murphy", and a Spaceship/Tennis-outreach-program vessel for armless robots sponsored by the fire department. Gary and Dave are both currently single.
Lemonade
Favorite drink of the band. In Svelte's realm of off-kilter symbolism, lemonade signifies those hot, innocent days in the summertime when you were nine years old.

M & J's Big Adventure
Seemingly never-ending screenplay written in Chemistry class by Gary and Martin, this unproduceable film script contains such gems as a starving girl lounging on a Giant Floating Bagel, a Laugh-A-Thon, Talking Shoes, Bazooka Joe, and Snowboard Pants.
Mackin'
Hitting on. Can be used to describe a short-term activity, an article of clothing, or a way of life.
Manimal
Wild and crazy guy/gal. Usually used in the phrase "You're a Manimal!" Comes from the cartoon series The Manimal, about a man who turned into animals (canceled after one season). Being a Manimal is like being an animal, only more.
Marting
Martin's name if conjugated. Derived accidentally from Dave's habitually verb-related typing.
Milkshake
Another beautiful drink. See Lemonade.
My Car Sucks.
Spoken at least once daily, and sometimes once hourly, by those members of Svelte that do own a car.

Nana
Anonymous Svelte member's attempt to produce a genteel term for the female genitalia. Also just a funny-sounding word.

O'D's, The
Abbreviation for "O'Donovans". Their full name is never spoken.
Ohhhhh, Shit!
Expletive borrowed from Andrew Scott of Sloan, to be said at a very high volume in the following manner: One person will start saying a prolonged and climbing "Ohhhhh" as others join in. They proceed to build to a crescendo of "shit!"
...Or Something.
Phrase spoken by members of Svelte to indicate uncertainty at the end of unclear statements.
Ozma
Pasadena power-pop quintet befriended by Svelte.
Ozma-English Dictionary
The same Pasadena power-pop quintet also has their own translation reference. We think maybe we've been ripped off...

Parkinson's
Jittery disease that the band believes is caused by the angst of being walked-in upon in the bathroom. The band also think that the spokesperson for the disease should be Parky the Parkinson's Porcupine. See also Tourettes Syndrome.
Parkway Studios
Wherever Svelte happens to be recording at the time. Originally this was located at Kerry's house on Parkway Drive, but Parkway Studios relocates to Martin's and Gary's houses from time to time.
Pasteur, Louis
Father of pasteurization and a dear family friend of Gary's, or so he says.
Peace Out Muthafuckas!
See Armstrong, Neil.
Perry, Rachel
Dave and Gary's future wife, nevermind logistics.
Personalities
Breasts. Used to make the band members appear more sensitive in the presence of females, as in "She's got great... personalities."
Pop Tarts
Essential to the continuation of most band practices. Stolen most often by Martin and Gary (from Kerry's pantry, without asking. C'mon).
Portman, Natalie
Kerry's future wife.
PVACM
Top-secret organization formed by Martin and his friend Dave in college. Nobody is really sure what these letters stand for, although more than 100 people showed up to vote for them at the "PVACM Elections".

Radical!
Really, really good. This makes the band members somewhat nostalgic because of its widespread use in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Ready For Action
Used by Gary in Robot Voice to announce a state of preparedness.
Regis
Used as a synonym for "gorgeous". Of course, this term refers to the awesome intelligence and devilish good looks of Regis Philbin. It is to be used as, "dude, that girl is regis," though BBD would probably say that girl is poison, c'mon.
Resist! Resist!
Spoken by Gary (usually in Robot Voice) when encouraging another party to withstand temptation of any kind.
Retarded
Has a crush on, e.g. "You two are totally retarded for each other." Derives from the movie Mallrats.
Retrieval Boat
Dinghy christened by Gary and Martin at Martin's lakeside retreat. Used to retrieve any object that had 'accidentally' floated away from shore. When this occurred, they would accompany their retrieving with the song "It's the Retrieval Boat, It's the Retrieval Boat, It's the most spectacular thing since... sliced bread!"
Robert
Short, middle-aged, swarthy, likely-homosexual Italian man who asked Dave out for drinks while Dave was on his lunch break in the mall. Referred to in any awkward and accidentally homo-romantic situation.
Robot Voice
Low, nasal tone of voice taken on by members of the band in situations where they feel a need for efficiency. Often used over the phone.
Romance, Gary
An alter-ego that Gary has given himself, Gary Romance comes out when Gary is in the company of women, to remind them of his more admirable or attractive qualities. An example might be "here, let Gary Romance open that pickle jar for you, darling." Nobody else ever calls him Gary Romance.

She Looks 12.
She's hot. Adopted after the band members noticed their continuous attraction towards girls whose ages they would assume are as large as their Personalities.
Sheldon
Shirtless owner and operator of Wired for Sound, a rehearsal studio frequented by Svelte. Speaking with Sheldon is always interesting, even if the conversation itself is not. And his dog, Dave, reeks.
Shiznaka, The
The Shit. Only used with positive connotations, such as "She's the Shiznaka!" An inappropriate usage would be "I drank too much last night and now I feel like Shiznaka."
Shoe Girl
Girl who seems to invest a little too much of her brain power in what goes onto her feet (may also spread up the body). Characterized by large black clunky shoes, tight pants, and an abundance of makeup. In one word, strumpet.
Stick It in and Don't Play with It
Phrase spoken by Gary and Dave, quoting The Ambiguously Gay Duo's electrical safety advice and often referring to Robert.
Suspect
A word often used slightly out of context just to catch others off guard. Uttered whenever something doesn't quite agree with expectations, e.g. "the campfire won't start. This is very suspect."
Sveltoids
Used when collectively addressing the members of the band.
Swear Police!
Fictitious forces invented by band members. The Swear Police are out to 'arrest' anyone whose language is inappropriate in public situations where an influential elder might hear them.
Sweet Lovin'
Exactly what it implies. Not necessarily sexual, e.g. "You want some Pop Tarts?" "Yeah, gimme some of that Sweet Lovin'!"

Tan Sedan, The
Car driven by Kerry. Two-tone brown Oldsmobile Delta Eighty-Eight Royale, circa 1979. Aftermarket sunroof won't close. Window fell down into the door one day. See My Car Sucks.
Ten-Second Rule (A)
A commonly accepted rule of hygiene. According to unnamed sources, food is edible only within 10 seconds of being dropped on the floor. So if you dropped your food 13 seconds ago, let it go, 'cause man, it's gone.
Ten-Second Rule (B)
A commonly accepted rule of biology, at least within the inner circle of Svelte. Any flatulence remains attached to the guilty party for 10 seconds. So if you farted 13 seconds ago, you're clear, and now you can move on.
Team Guy
Secret collaboration formed by men to deliberately hurt women. Example: "So Bobby was playing two girls for a week and then he left them both on their asses, and all I could think was, whoa, chalk one up for team guy!
Terracotta
A word that Martin insists is ideal for testing the natural ambience of rooms, because of its short, plosive consonants. Kerry will attest that throughout the recording of "I Dig Your Mainframe", Martin walked into various rooms repeating "terracotta!" like a madman, and listening for reverberations. Ironically, he doesn't really have much clue what terracotta is.
That's Abbotsford Talking.
Gary goes to school in a small town called Abbotsford and spends many of his classes in the company of a high ratio of redneck males. This massive influx of testosterone has made Gary into a much more chauvenistic and sexist creature than the sweet, sensitive boy he once was. Martin and Kerry are still often shocked by the crude words that come out of Gary's mouth, but they believe that somewhere inside, he is still a genuinely good person. All his overly-mesogynistic comments are dismissed as the fault of Abbotsford, not Gary.
Toni's Pizzeria
Common telephone greeting used mainly by Gary. Often other members will actually take the joke so far as to pretend to order pizzas before the actual conversation takes place. Toni only serves small pizzas. See Adib's Sensual Soap.
Tourette's Syndrome
A tragic condition often seen on The Maury Povich Show that causes those inflicted with the syndrome to involuntarily tick or swear uncontrollably. Svelte claims to have Tourettes when they write long, elaborate, and shockingly disgusting free-style raps on ICQ. They have even gone so far as to have competitions for speed and originality while writing these lyrics. See also Parkinson's Disease.

Wanna Hump?
Often, on ICQ, Dave and Marting try to scare each other off by pretending to make homosexual advances at each other. The topic is always brought up by casually placing the question "Wanna Hump?" at the end of an otherwise ordinary message.
Watch Me For The Changes And Try To Keep Up.
Marty McFly quote spoken by Martin to Dave at Dave's first Svelte rehearsal, when he didn't know the songs.
What Am I Saying?
Game invented by Martin and friend Charla Kipp in Chemistry 12. You can play too!
-All you have to do is think of a simple phrase and say it all in one big breathy distorted outpour. Speak in a sort of loud guttural groan.
-The other person's job is to guess what you are saying. An example is "DLIKMYEENFAA??!!" (meaning "Do you like my ant farm?")
-Play until one of you gets annoyed, then switch.
What Do You Like Better?
Game invented by Martin in one of those inward, reflective moments. You can play too!
-All you have to do is think of two strange, unrelated words or objects, and ask a friend which one they like better.
-Speak in a French Accent. Examples:
-"What Do You Like Better, Diesel or 72 Degrees?" "I like Diesel."
-"What Do You Like Better, Tall Grass or Falling Many Stories?" "I like Falling Many Stories."
-There is no point to this game.
What? What Are You Talking About?
Said sarcastically. Never say this when you don't actually know what someone is talking about.
Where's Your Helmet?
Annoying-mother phrase screamed loudly and obnoxiously from car windows by Gary or Martin while driving past unprotected cyclists. We pretty much do this just to piss people off.
White Trash
Seen roaming the streets of White Rock in their run-down Grand Prix Monte Carlos, playing AC/DC (or another Glam Rock band) and wearing ripped jeans. Typical White Trash goes to WWF tournaments; lives in trailer parks; cheers when Peggy Bundy appears; guest stars on Jerry Springer. These are the people that couldn't make it into the Hell's Angels. Average age: 30. Average level of education: Grade 11.
Who Loves Ya?
Said in a reassuring tone to a nervous party, almost as a self-compliment.
Word (To Your Mother)
I respect you.

You Wanna DIE?
Hyperbolic threat used to completely deter a slight annoyance. Like when someone asks you for your pen twice in a row, try using this phrase.

Zut, Alors!
Darn it! A holdover from the band's French Immersion days. Said with a heavy French Accent.