. . . for instance in WWI & II the German soldiers were called "Jerry", "Fritz" and "Kraut" and the Japanese were "Nips", "Slants" and "Tojo", and in Vietnam the VC were "Charlie", and in the Battle of Mogadishu (1993) the Somali milita were "Sammies" and "Skinnies" etc.
Well, I was trying to think of some good 40K counterparts, particularly for what the Imperials would call the Tau. I know there is the obvious "greenskin" for Ork (and "old foe", which is quite nice) and things like "bugs" and "nids" for Tyranids, and "arch-enemy" for Chaos etc, but I can't recall coming across any for Tau, and was wondering what some good ones could be.
The only things I can pick from my brains is "roach" or "roaches" which could have two potential origins. First is the roach fish (carp family), which kinda fits in lieu of the Tau's aquatic vehicle theme and also due to their greyish blue colouring which seems to match Tau skin tones. Another possibility could be that it's short for "cockroach", in which the Tau lend a (admittedly weak) likeness with their brown fatigues and exo-skeletal looking armour, but could also derive from their survivability and hardiness (their technological advantage and tactics of digging in for long-ranged firefights and cautious retreats from danger, making them notoriously difficult to hunt/pin down and erradicate, for example). Also, I thought of maybe something like "sandhoppers" for their XV8's (due to the arid nature of many Tau worlds and their jump capability).
Anyway, I'm sure there are many more that can relate to their skin colour, their physical features (that slit in the forehead is screaming out for a slur or two!) and other traits etc, but I'm trying to avoid lame ones such as "blue/grayskins" (works with Orks, but just doesn't here, for some reason) or "slit-heads" and the like.
Galdos wrote:In Ciaphas Cain they call the Tau something like Blueis. I dont remember the spelling, havnt read it in a while and dont have the book on me.
Whatever it was it was a refrence to the color of skin
Not read them unfortunately. However "blueis" (I assume pronounced BLOO-EES) doesn't sound that great, to be honest.
I remember hearing slit face one time and blueskins.... but that's about it...
Hmm, xenos is perhaps too general and official-sounding to be a Tau-specific slang term that would get thrown around the trenches and barracks of the IG.
well most slang terms tend towards racists and insulting, so if they're a fish type race, then you'd either call them "bait" or "minnow" or "barnacles," "barney" for short
What about air breathing HOOVED blue SKINNED HUMANOIDS says "fish people" to you? Really? No, really, I want to know? I dont understand it... there is NOTHING to Tau biology to imply fish people... Is it because their vehicles have a nautical theme?!? Thats weak considering they are imperial designations for the vehicles and by that logic Imperial Guard should be mythical beast-people...
Anyway, I would go with slit face or blues (as in blue but plural...)
Ahh, but you see, without any kind of system for designation, I have absolutely no idea what you're referring to when you say "them". Neither would anybody else, and, ultimately, neither would you. Result? Utter and complete confusion. The only things we don't have names for are things we've yet to discover to exist, and the Tau, from an Imperial perspective, don't fall into that category. Sorry.
chaos0xomega wrote:What about air breathing HOOVED blue SKINNED HUMANOIDS says "fish people" to you? Really? No, really, I want to know? I dont understand it... there is NOTHING to Tau biology to imply fish people... Is it because their vehicles have a nautical theme?!? Thats weak considering they are imperial designations for the vehicles and by that logic Imperial Guard should be mythical beast-people...
Anyway, I would go with slit face or blues (as in blue but plural...)
And what about German physiology says "cabbage" or "herb" to you? Hmm? Perhaps the Tau eat a lot of fish. Or, perhaps their link to things piscine is a result of their ship/vehicle designs? Unless you're suggesting that the Imperial designations somehow preceded their design and construction . . .
Milisim wrote:You all fail to remember that the "Fish" Theme has been handed to the Tau race by the IoM.
Since the Tau do not speak "Humie"
So I suppose the IoM handed the Tau their ship designs, too?
Just because the Tau language doesn't say "fish", it doesn't mean that they can't base elements of their culture off of a fish theme . . . they simply have a different word for it. I'm pretty sure the Tau had their theme and their piscine vehicles before the IoM discovered and designated them. Meaning? Their culture and their theme are their own.
I'd like to point out that the Tau homeworld is an arid desert-like planet. Not to say there isnt water, but they are HARDLY FISHPEOPLE.
As for the comment about German physiology etc. nothing. Kraut came from the perception that all Germans ate Sauerkraut... Other names have similar connotations. Calling Tau a "fishhead' because there vehicles are named after sea critters (by the imperium) is like calling an American a Chinaman because most goods sold in this country are produced in China and Chinese-American cuisine is awesome...
I wouldnt exactly call them commies either, but cow-people kinda works... I guess... I always thought them more horse/camel like myself (I think there was a bit of fluff about them being able to retain some extra water in their bodies or something).
Nicknames aren't made up by people sitting at computers...
Maybe the tau get a nickname from the shape of their water containers (jerry cans), or the way they say "human" sounds like the name of a popular entertainer, so they adopt his name.
chaos0xomega wrote:As for the comment about German physiology etc. nothing. Kraut came from the perception that all Germans ate Sauerkraut... Other names have similar connotations.
Which is exactly the point I was making and one you seem to have missed. Real life examples of such terms (like the ones I provided in the OP) rarely have anything to do with the recipient's physiology. Therefore giving the Tau fish-related slang names is just as feasible as giving Germans "kraut". Any that are related will no doubt focus around their facial features and/or skin colour.
Joey wrote:Nicknames aren't made up by people sitting at computers...
Maybe the tau get a nickname from the shape of their water containers (jerry cans), or the way they say "human" sounds like the name of a popular entertainer, so they adopt his name.
This. We need to try and put ourselves in the mindset of a Guardsman, fighting them on the battlefield, and what kind of slurs they would use, which in turn would catch on. Also, how do they say "human"?
Anfauglir wrote:
This. We need to try and put ourselves in the mindset of a Guardsman, fighting them on the battlefield, and what kind of slurs they would use, which in turn would catch on. Also, how do they say "human"?
I believe it's Gue
Human tau auxiliaries are Gue'vesa and Vesa means something else, I forget what exactly.
squidhills wrote:
Former action holovid star turned planetary governor Arnholt Blackhead, or as he is known to the Tau "The Gue'Vernator"...
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
I was wondering to whom Joey was referring, but thanks for that.
"Slot-machine" is still my favourite so far. I can proper imagine it now . . .
Tau POWs are filing past some IG lines as they move in the opposite direction towards some occupied position or whatever, and one of them sullenly bumps into a Guardsman:
"Hey! Watch where you're going, you fething slot-machine!"
I think pretty much every attempt at this thread has failed aside from slit face/slit head. Thats the only one thats really derogatory or spiteful... I mean Green Meanies? Fighting Fungus? Iron Sides? Sounds like nicknames for Imperial Navy Aero Squadrons...
For the average Guardsman, who probably can't even read, the fact that the Tau, as a people, have no relation to fish is wholly irrelevant. The Tau vehicles are given fish-names, so the flat faces and large eyes of the Tau will, to the uneducated Guardsman, be fish-faced goons. Put two and two together, and you get fish-slang for the Tau.
chaos0xomega wrote:I think pretty much every attempt at this thread has failed aside from slit face/slit head. Thats the only one thats really derogatory or spiteful... I mean Green Meanies? Fighting Fungus? Iron Sides? Sounds like nicknames for Imperial Navy Aero Squadrons...
Try those terms in a British accent... Many of the WW2 terms for the enemy are no longer offensive to our ears and many aren't offensive as words, but hold significant insult.
Also, fighting fungus for a Lightning squadron? wtf?
Goatshanks, Long-guns, Three-fingered-blueberry-goat-people, faun-folk, hoofy-heretics, red-dot-reapers (markerlights), gash-face, three-fingers are all I can think of.
if we're going to do physiological slurs why not try something as simple as short-a*se.
maby; squishy or squidgy (there about the only thing squishyer than a guardsman)
eggies (hard shell and goopy in the middle)
slit head his probably the best; easy to pluralise, sounds vaguely similar to we have the swear filter for a reason, please don't try to bypass it. , definitely derogatory.
I could think of a couple more but the mostly involve conotations about genetalia on the face :S
One problem with "slit-head":
Tau typically wear helmets, the common, uneducated guardsman would hardly ever face a helmet-less tau close enough to see its face, and even then the name has to catch on with other common uneducated guardsmen who probably never saw the real face of the Tau. Not to mention Tau-Imperium encounters are very rare.
Lord Commander Phyrus wrote:if we're going to do physiological slurs why not try something as simple as short-a*se.
Are they really that small compared to Guardsmen? Speaking of their height, I find it quite amusing on their lex page . . .
Fire Caste:
they are taller and stronger than the members of the other castes
Air Caste:
the tallest and most slender of all Tau
Water Caste:
tend to be tall and slender when compared to other Tau
. . . umm, huh? So which is it? Also, come on Earth Caste! Surely you can't be the only ones not taller than all the others!
Lord Commander Phyrus wrote:maby; squishy or squidgy (there about the only thing squishyer than a guardsman)
Hmm, I'm doubt that they are, fluff-wise. They're more heavily armed and armoured warrior-for-warrior, I'd say. Going by both Cadians and Catachans IG are fatigues with a flak jacket and helmet (not even that for the jungle fighters), which is more comparable to the Pathfinders, the Tau light infantry/scouts. Their FW look much more like heavy infantry to me. For this reason I very much doubt the IG would regard them as "squishy", especially if they face them alongside Vespid and Kroot (things that are squishy).
slit head his probably the best; easy to pluralise, s
I could think of a couple more but the mostly involve conotations about genetalia on the face :S
Agreed. Things like "slit-head" and "flat-face" are among the most probable, to be honest. As for genetalia, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever in the average Guardsmans ability for crudeness and vulgarity!
Squidmanlolz wrote:One problem with "slit-head":
Tau typically wear helmets, the common, uneducated guardsman would hardly ever face a helmet-less tau close enough to see its face, and even then the name has to catch on with other common uneducated guardsmen who probably never saw the real face of the Tau. Not to mention Tau-Imperium encounters are very rare.
I honestly don't think it would be much of a problem. It only takes one dead Tau to fall into Imperial hands and their physiology is going to get leaked. Not to mention on the models there are some with no helmets on. Another thing, what better way for the Imperial Cult's propaganda machine to work its xenophobic magic than to exaggerate and diseminate the Tau's physical differences at each and every opportunity? No, I don't think the IG finding out about their enemies hooved feet and ugly, nose-less and slitted faces is going to be a problem.
blazinpsycho&typhooni wrote:
I remember hearing slit face one time and blueskins.... but that's about it...
Wow...slit face sounds nice and offensive. I'd go with that...
Lol was that sarcasm or for reals.... It's hard to tell in text...
Lol, sorry about that. Quite serious. Slit-face? I don't care how much Orwellian space communist brainwashing propaganda/pheremones/chemicals I've been subjected to, if someone called me slit-face I'd flip the hell out. That's all kinds of horrible.
I think some people in this thread are failing to understand that there doesn't have to be a justifiable basis in reality for racist or other derogatory names for enemies.
Veteran Sergeant wrote:I think some people in this thread are failing to understand that there doesn't have to be a justifiable basis in reality for racist or other derogatory names for enemies.
Thank you! i do believe that someone has finally come to the idea that it doesn't have to make sense to piss someone off, its just the plain old fact that your disrespecting them by not calling them by their Real names that makes it derogatory. Besides, if you hate something or just don't want to be around it at all, why would you care if it makes sense to call them slit-face? Your killing them, not trying to make them understand why space cows makes sense in a derogatory sense
Frazzled wrote:Targets?
Yes, i do catch the Larkin in that statement, nice try.
Jumpin Jesus wrote:What about greenskins? I dont think anyone has mentioned that one.
From the OP:
Anfauglir wrote:
Well, I was trying to think of some good 40K counterparts, particularly for what the Imperials would call the Tau. I know there is the obvious "greenskin" for Ork . . .
Anfauglir wrote:This. We need to try and put ourselves in the mindset of a Guardsman, fighting them on the battlefield, and what kind of slurs they would use, which in turn would catch on. Also, how do they say "human"
That slit in their forehead looks kinda like, well, you know.
So, in the mindset of a guardsman, pretty much all racial slurs would revolve around that. No one would bother mentioning fish when the enemy are running around with vaginas on their heads.
Anfauglir wrote:This. We need to try and put ourselves in the mindset of a Guardsman, fighting them on the battlefield, and what kind of slurs they would use, which in turn would catch on. Also, how do they say "human"
That slit in their forehead looks kinda like, well, you know.
So, in the mindset of a guardsman, pretty much all racial slurs would revolve around that. No one would bother mentioning fish when the enemy are running around with vaginas on their heads.
ROFLMAO wow, that just made my day, i hope that the Tau don't catch wind of this or they might decide to show those guardsmen what they're made of/from
Trench huggers, sword magnets, knife paint, four eyes (because their helmets have 2 eyes in addition to their own), lighters, dish heads, devil fishers, one stab wonders, boot polish, sand bags (named for their armor color and the shortened version of a certain bad word), ants (because they look like ants since they are always so far away), zippies, small sticks, Russ bumps, pulsers, space goats, blue busters, goolas, shassies, toovas, freak faces, and dames are some I can think of for Tau. Goola comes from Gue'la, Shassie comes from the Tau name for the fire caste, Toova cames from Tau'va and Dames comes from the Imperium's big war with the Tau: The Damocles Crusade.
TheCustomLime wrote:Trench huggers, sword magnets, knife paint, four eyes (because their helmets have 2 eyes in addition to their own), lighters, dish heads, devil fishers, one stab wonders, boot polish, sand bags (named for their armor color and the shortened version of a certain bad word), ants (because they look like ants since they are always so far away), zippies, small sticks, Russ bumps, pulsers, space goats, blue busters, goolas, shassies, toovas, freak faces, and dames are some I can think of for Tau. Goola comes from Gue'la, Shassie comes from the Tau name for the fire caste, Toova cames from Tau'va and Dames comes from the Imperium's big war with the Tau: The Damocles Crusade.
Nice! I like "dish-heads" and "sand-bags". The latter sits quite well with "sand-hoppers" for their Crisis Suites. Also, for their Devilfish APCs I just came up with "baffs", or "baffies" which is an abbreviation of BAF, which in turn stands for "big armoured fish".
Well if yer a proppa Ork, here is what you call da uver weedy gitz.
Imperial Guard- Umiez
Tau- Fish'eadz
Necrons- Tin'eadz
Space Marines -Beakiez, Spesh Muhreens (I assume the term beakie refers to the beak shaped helmets)
Tyranids-Nidz
Orkz-Proppa Gitz
Eldar/Dark Eldar-Panzees
Grey Knights-Tin Kanz
This is not really a Ork name for the Sisters of Battle: Nuns with Guns
Forgive me if I neglect an army as these are the armies with nicknames at the top of my head.
Fralethepalewhale wrote:Haha okay so it doesn't fit, Big deal. But then again it was a joke
Sorry if that came off as a bit snipe-ish. i was just trying to keep to the OP's original question, though the idea of Samurai Tau is pretty scary TBH. Now that would solve their CC problems wouldn't it?
Fralethepalewhale wrote:Haha okay so it doesn't fit, Big deal. But then again it was a joke
Sorry if that came off as a bit snipe-ish. i was just trying to keep to the OP's original question, though the idea of Samurai Tau is pretty scary TBH. Now that would solve their CC problems wouldn't it?
Fralethepalewhale wrote:Haha okay so it doesn't fit, Big deal. But then again it was a joke
Sorry if that came off as a bit snipe-ish. i was just trying to keep to the OP's original question, though the idea of Samurai Tau is pretty scary TBH. Now that would solve their CC problems wouldn't it?
In the 2nd ed Ork codex they had orkish names for the other races. Humans = hoomies, marines = beakies, Eldar = pansies, demons = monstas, and Tyranids were bugs if I remember them right.
Tau are especially human looking and as soon as you start calling them blueskins you're bordering on an analogy with racism and ignorance. It's a part of 40k's distopian outlook that hard liners in IoM are so willfully ignorant that they cannot have peace with anyone not human. If you're going to give a "racist nickname" in your story be careful you're not making a parallel that says "racism is ok".
Nemesor Dave wrote:Tau are especially human looking and as soon as you start calling them blueskins you're bordering on an analogy with racism and ignorance.
Well of course, gives the conflict some nice, meaty themes to grapple with, don't you think?
If you're going to give a "racist nickname" in your story be careful you're not making a parallel that says "racism is ok".
I don't really know how to respond to this . . . thanks for the warning, I guess? Any fluff that contains Imperial characters will also have thoughts, feelings, justifications, doubts, weaknesses etc that are rooted in the Imperial mindset/point of view. If I want elements of relative realism to reflect their xenophobia, and the demonisation of the enemy, to mirror real world instances during war time, I think I can do that without coming across as saying something as explicit and as silly as "racism is ok".
The Tau in particular are an interesting opponent to write about in this regard. They are pretty much exact opposites: old vs. new, faith & spirituality vs. science & technology, individual supremacy vs. galactic collectivism etc . . . yet also share more common ground than with the other xenos, their is room for reason, for logic, for mutual respect that simply does not (or can not) exist with say the Orks or Necrons.
