Glossary

The jargon behind the Online Gaming Morphology Map, defined for the uninitiated. Self-evident insults and slurs are left out; what remains is the vocabulary you'd need a League player to translate.

actual

Marks the insult as literal, not exaggerated: "an actual bot". Emphatic determiners

astro-

Intensifier: "astronomically", to a vast degree. Augmentative prefixes

bot/npc

"Bot" = computer-controlled, i.e. playing mechanically; "npc" = a background non-player character, lacking independent thought. Attributive nouns

cancer-

Derogatory: "toxic, ruinous to be around". Pejorative prefixes

carry

To win the game largely single-handedly, dragging weaker teammates to victory. Verbal stems

certified

"Certified X": officially, unquestionably X. Emphatic determiners

clap

To beat decisively, hand someone a one-sided loss. Verbal stems

clown/jester

A fool; someone playing so badly it’s a circus ("clown fiesta"). Attributive nouns

[deep]fry

To destroy thoroughly; to outplay someone so badly they look cooked. Verbal stems

depths

The very bottom of the ranked ladder. Locative nouns

diff

From "difference" — to beat your direct counterpart. "Jungle diff" = our jungler outplayed yours. Verbal stems

[e]lo(w)

"Elo" is a numeric skill rating; "elow" / "low elo" puns it into "low" — i.e. low-skill. Attributive nouns

feed

To die to the enemy repeatedly, "feeding" them gold and strength. Verbal stems

fuck

Vulgar: to dominate or ruin utterly. Verbal stems

gap

To outclass; the visible skill "gap" between you and your opponent. Verbal stems

gape

Vulgar escalation of "gap" — to be utterly outclassed. Verbal stems

giga-

Intensifier: "enormously" (literally a billion-fold). Augmentative prefixes

grief

To deliberately ruin your own team’s game (refusing to play, sabotaging) without necessarily feeding. Verbal stems

hard-

Intensifier: "thoroughly, decisively" — as in hardstuck, hard-inting. Augmentative prefixes

[hard]stuck

Stuck at a rank and unable to climb out of it; "hardstuck" stresses how immovably. Attributive nouns

[hardstuck/forever] [low elo]

Permanently confined to the low ranks. Locative nouns

hell

"Elo hell": the low-rank pit you supposedly can’t escape. Locative nouns

homeless

Generic insult: destitute, pitiful, with nothing to one’s name. Attributive nouns

int

Short for "intentionally feeding" — to lose on purpose by repeatedly dying to the enemy. Verbal stems

jail

A state of being shut down and kept useless ("permajailed"). Locative nouns

mega-

Intensifier: "hugely". Augmentative prefixes

mog

To overshadow so thoroughly it humiliates; to outclass and dominate. (From "AMOG", alpha-male-of-group.) Verbal stems

pedophile ("pdf file")

"pdf file" is a phonetic pun on "pedophile", deployed as a generic grave insult — the canonical example of euphemistic respelling to dodge chat filters. Terminal nouns

piss-

Derogatory intensifier: "pathetically" (cf. piss-poor). Pejorative prefixes

[rank]

One’s competitive division or rating. Attributive nouns

report

To file an in-game complaint against a player; "reported" is used as a verbal jab. Verbal stems

shit-

Derogatory intensifier: "terribly, worthlessly". Pejorative prefixes

smurf

To play a low-ranked account well below your real skill, crushing weaker opponents; also the account itself. Verbal stems

stomp

To win overwhelmingly, with no real contest. Verbal stems

straight-up

Plainly, without qualification: "straight-up inting". Emphatic determiners

throw

To lose from a winning position through avoidable mistakes. Verbal stems

trash-

Derogatory: "worthless, low-skill". Pejorative prefixes

[trash]can

A worthless player (trash + receptacle). Attributive nouns

turbo-

Intensifier: "extremely", and aggressively so. Augmentative prefixes

ultra-

Intensifier: "to the extreme". Augmentative prefixes