Syringee

The name, "Syringee," may be either singular or plural.

For the people living in the area around the village of Roo'eft, male names contain "oo," like Baroo or Chalool. Female names contain "aa," like Pepaa or Nortaan.

Cities and towns are normally given a two-part name: a 3-letter word, an apostrophe, and another word. The second word may (as in Tec'Loren) or may not (as in Roo'eft) be capitalized.

Although many Syringee are farmers, they are primarily a fish eating species, so they tend to live along or near the shores of oceans, lakes and rivers. Many of their idioms, cliches and traditions are nautical. Although they have outgrown their religious mythology, they often refer to "Neptune," especially when surprised or angry.

A lot of fish eyes - Something worth little or nothing. We might say something is "a lot of hot air" or "a lot of baloney."

About to net a golden nonnel - Because the golden nonnel is a very rare fish, the phrase means something like our "luck is about to change." (Blue Suede Shoes)

Arms spread wide - A greeting, like we shake hands. A gesture, not vocalized.

As useful as feet on a tusker whale - Not very useful, since tusker whales are marine mammals. (The Hiss)

Back to port - The need to start all over. We would say, "Back to the drawing board" or "Back to square one." (The Hiss)

Best thing since sliced arrow fish - We say, "best thing since sliced bread." (Indigo Blue)

Fish scales! - An expression of disbelief, disgust, or disagreement. We might say "Baloney" or "Phooey."

Good fishing - A term meaning "good luck" (Teasing the Geese)or used as a greeting (Ghost Writer in the Sky)

Leaky net, to have a - To have something wrong. (Do-Si-Do)

Looking for a treyfish in the Horrific Sea - Nearly impossible to find. We would say "Looking for a needle in a haystack." (The Hiss)

Neptune's Blood!, Neptune's Trident!, Neptune's Piss!, Neptune's Tail!, etc. - Expletives or expressions of surprise. (Don't Cross the Ls in Tortilla), "By Neptune's Trumpet!" (Split Personality), "Neptune's Tail!" (The Hiss).

Over a school without a net - "School" refers to a school of fish and the phrase is equivalent to our "up a creek without a paddle," which means a situation is hopeless. (The Hiss)

Pull up our nets and see what we've got - We might say, "Cut to the chase."

Throwing in the net after the fish have dived - It is too late to do something, or time is being wasted. We might say, "closing the barn door after the horses are out."

Sail into stormy seas - We might say to "look for trouble." (The Hiss)

Scales in our fur - An annoying little problem. We might say, "the fly in the ointment."

Your catch depends on your bait. (If you use cheap bait, you get a poor catch.) We might say "You get what you pay for."

Page updated: 11 June 2019
Page created: 20 January 2012