Pernese Sayings

[Bloody]

Pernese Curse Words

- Blast the shell and sear the skin: [H2/186].
- Crackdust: an expletive indicating annoyance or disbelief [DLG1/104].
- Eggshells: [D2/5:93].
- Fardles: an expletive indicating annoyance.
- Great Faranth: [Mor/5:99].
- Great shells and stars: an expletive indicating annoyance or disbelief (used by Master Morshal) [H2/54].
- Scorch it: an expletive indicating annoyance, surprise or disbelief [D1-3 Dragondex].
- Shards: an expletive indicating annoyance or surprise [DLG1/104].
- Shells: an expletive indicating annoyance or surprise [D1-3 Dragondex].

- Credit to Elrhan

[Bloody]

Pernese Oaths

- By Faranth's first egg: [RoP/3:55].
- By my dragon's egg
- By the Egg: mostly an exclamation of surprise but also used as kind of an oath [D1-3/Dragondex; D1/158].
- By the Egg of Faranth: [D1-3 Dragondex; D1/148]
- By the First Egg: [D1-3 Dragondex; D1/57].
- By the golden shell of the queen: [D1/5].
- By the shards of my dragon's egg: [D1-3 Dragondex].
- By the shell of the first Egg: [D1/115].
- By the Void that spawned us: [D1/136].
- Heard and witnessed: a traditional confirmation when somebody else makes an oath or promise, made voluntarily and meaning the person who makes the statement confirms the oath and will see to it that it is carried out [D1/41].
- In the name of the Egg

- Credit to Elrhan

[Bloody]

Pernese Proverbs

- Acting like a green in heat: meaning acting randy, horny or very explicit in a sensually/sexually way (literally) and maybe also said of someone who overreacts badly.
- Blood will tell: meaning that one's true nature eventually will always show or prevail [RSR/1:35].
- Catch two fish on one hook: [DoP/4:76].
- If you are hungry enough, even tunnel snake tastes good: meaning that under dire circumstances people will do things they normally wouldn't.
- If push comes to shove: [DoP/5:104].
- Like dragon, like rider: [D1/158].
- New brooms sweep clean: old Terran proverb that was also in use on Pern [RSR/1:59].
- Preaching to the dedicated
- Solve one problem and five more appear from between: [D2/10:208].
- Solution breeds necessity: [H1/5:60].
- Surrender the mark: (used by Robinton)

.
- The more to look the quicker to find: [Mor/5:104].
- The sea breeds stern souls: (used by Silvina) [H2/31].
- There is more than one way to skin a wherry: meaning there are more ways than one to get the result you want [RSR/1:26].
- Through Fall, Fog and Fire: meaning under any circumstance, always [D1-3 Dragondex].

- Credit to Elrhan

[Bloody]

Pernese Sayings and Slang

- A deadglow: a numbskull, a stupid person. The term is derived from glow; a glow that has died sheds no light.
- A dimglow: a not too bright person. The term is derived from glow, a glow loses his lightning abilities gradually, so a "dim glow" does not shed much light.
- A hard roll to eat: [D2/9:148].
- A hunk of firestone, all gas and ash: said of a braggart or a blowhard [DLG1/104].
- A smile wins more than a frown: a saying that Mavi of Half Circle Sea Hold (Menolly's mother) was fond off [H1/4:52].
- Acting [or other verb] like a suncrazed wherry: [D2/10:208].
- Be grateful for small mercies: [Mor/5:99].
- Being Harpertrue: [AtWoP/183].
- Bend a tail: a euphemism for defecating [DLG1/104]. Actually only true for dragons but used by humans too.
- Betting with Bitran odds
- Bitran odds
- Born under the Red Star: said of someone who is evil, generally disliked or (very) unlucky [DLG1/104].
- Bronze interests: to have bronze (you can substitute bronze by another color) interests means a dragon wouldn't mind being flown by the dragon he/she is indicated to have "interests" in. Probably also applicable to human situations, but in that case more in a humorous way.
- By the Egg: mostly an exclamation of surprise but also used as kind of an oath [D1-3/Dragondex; D1/158].
- Cracking your shell over...: [H2/55]
- Each egg hatches a different way (but a crack at the right time speeds things up): [D2/4:66]
- Flying winglight: [D2/10:197].
- For the Egg's sake: [D2/5:95].
- For the love of little (green?) dragons: Pernese saying [RSR/6:159]. A variation of one of Anne McCaffrey's favorite sayings. See also For the love of little green apples.
- For the love of little green apples: Pernese saying used also in other books by Anne McCaffrey (fiction as well as non-fiction) who seems to have a special liking for it.
- Free-marked: free of any charge [NS/1:22].
- Giving Bitran odds: [AtWoP].
- Gone between in thought: [AtWoP/240].
- Gracious goodness: an exclamation made out of surprise or disbelief (used by Silvina) [H2/6].
- Harper tale(s)
- Harper's winter tale: a fairy tale, an untrue story [D1/225].
- Harpertrue: see Being Harpertrue.
- Has a dragon's two stomachs: said of someone who has an endless appetite [DLG1/104].
- Hidebound: Pernese slang for a person who is set his ways [H1/4:45].
- Holdbound: Pernese slang for a person who is set his ways.
- I have been begging the Egg for...: [D1/223].
- It will be a warm day between before...: [xxx].
- It [or expression] won't matter a grain of sand in Igen: [D2/5:94].
- If the skies fell, we'd not be bothered by Thread: [D2/8:128].
- In the image of all shells: [D2/9:145].
- In the name of the egg
- Left out for Thread: being left out, fending for your own in a bad way. Said when someone needs help (very badly) but does not or did not get it.
- Light wing: [Mor/3:70].
- Live to tell the Harper: [Mor/4:83].
- Long in the eye: to be long in the eye means that the mentioned beast or person has extremely good eyesight.
- Making every mistake in the Record: analogous to the Terran saying "Making every mistake in the book" [D2/6:122].
Example: "For it was chaos, with the overanxious men making every mistake in the Record, despite her advice" (Lord Meron's guardsmen trying to impress fire lizards according Kylara's instructions) [D2/6:122]
- Marks for [expression]: [D2/10:189].
- May it be a warm night between before expression: [D2/4:81]
- Maybes seldom are: [H1/5:67].
- Sounding like a wherry: [D2/13:249].
- Starting to chew firestone: said of weyrlings that have completed their basic training [D2/10:186].
- Taking a short dragonride: a euphemism for abortion. To end an unwanted pregnancy a green rider could go between on their dragon, resulting in losing the baby [RSR/3:88-89].
- Thank the Shell: [D1:10:178].
- That's well dusted: said of something that is nasty or unpleasant [DLG1/104].
- The hindmost falls between: [D2/4:69].
- The lady breaks bread first: a Pernese custom and saying [D1/75].
- There is nothing new under the sun: [Mor/5:100].
- Thread-lost: a Pernese expression, meaning being out in the open while Thread is falling.
- Thread will come and get you
- What effects the dragon, effects its rider: [adapted from Mor1/17]
- When the moons turn green: meaning never [D1/92].
- Wherry teeth: meaning nonsense; lies; I don't believe you [DLG1/104]. Since a wherry doesn't have teeth (it has a beak) wherry teeth is a non-existing thing.
- Why, in the name of the egg?
- Why under the double moons?: [D1/133].
- Wing-full: [D2/10:186].

- Credit to Elrhan