A Royal Match
Page 36
FENCING TERMS
attack au fer: an attack that is prepared by deflecting an opponent’s blade
bout: one single fight, usually lasting around six minutes
compound attack: an attack incorporating two or more movements
corps-à-corps: literally body-to-body – physical contact between fencers during a bout (illegal in sabre)
disengagement: a way to continue attacking after being parried
en garde: the ‘ready’ position fencers take before play
épée: another weapon used in fencing
fléche: a way of delivering an attack whereby the attacker leaps to make the attack and then passes the opponent at a run. French word for ‘arrow’
flunge: an attack specific to sabre – a type of fléche attack in which the legs don’t cross
friendly: a game played for practise
lamé: jacket made of interwoven wire and fabric
parry: defensive move, a block
parry of quinte: in sabre, a parry in which the blade is held above the head to protect from head cuts
piste: a fourteen-metre-long combat area on which a bout is fought
plastron: a padded under-jacket to protect the torso (where most hits land)
point: the tip of a weapon’s blade
pool: a group into which fencers are divided during preliminary rounds to assess ranking
president: a registered referee or arbiter of the bout
retire: retreat
riposte: an offensive action made immediately after a parry of the opponent’s attack
sabre: The only cutting fencing blade. Points are scored both by hits made with the tip of the blade and by cuts made with the blade, but more commonly by cuts. The sabre target is everything above the leg, including the head and arms. For this reason the entire weapon, including the guard, registers hits on an electrical apparatus even though hitting the weapon’s guard is not legal. This means the sabreur is totally wired – unlike fencers using the other weapons. Before play begins, the sabreurs must check that all parts of their electric kit are working. This is done by the sabreurs tapping their opponents on the mask, the sabre, the guard and the metal jacket so that all hits will be recorded.
salle: fencing hall or club
salute: once formal, now a casual acknowledgement of one’s opponent and president at the start of a bout
seeding: the process of eliminating fencers from their pools, based on the results of their bouts
Supermans: a fencing exercise – a holding stance used for warming up, so called because the fist is raised like Superman’s before he flies.
trompement: deception of the parry
ENGLISH WORDS
arse: derrière. To make an arse of yourself means to embarrass yourself
As: exams taken in the Lower Sixth as a precursor to final exams
blag: to talk your way into or out of something, or to fake something
blank: to not register someone; to look through them
blue: blue paper given to write lines on; a minor punishment
bottle out: chicken out, lose your nerve. ‘Bottle’ is another word for ‘nerve,’ so you can also ‘lose your bottle’
champagne socialist: a rich person who claims to have left-wing politics while enjoying a luxurious lifestyle (i.e., champagne)
common: slang for vulgar, of low social status. Note: you can be rich and still common
cosh: a heavy stick or bludgeoning implement. To be ‘under the cosh’ is to be under pressure
cut: to ignore someone, to look right through them; see blank
Daddy’s plastic: parental credit cards
Domesday Book (Norman): compiled by William the Conqueror in 1086 as a survey created for taxation. Though unpopular in its day, many of England’s oldest families take pride in their ability to trace their lineage back to this book
DPGs: Daddy’s Plastic Girls; girls who are defined by their limitless credit card privileges
dressing down: telling off
en suite: bathroom attached to bedroom
exeat: weekend at which pupils attending boarding school go home, usually every three weeks
fag: cigarette
fit: cute, hot, attractive. Girls and boys use the word to describe the opposite sex. Note: a girl wouldn’t refer to another girl as fit – she’d say ‘stunning’)
fruuping: all-purpose expletive
gating: a punishment in which one is not permitted to leave the school grounds on weekends
gypo: derogatory slang for ‘gypsy’
High table: the superior or senior table in communal dining
Hon: as in The Honourable Georgina Smart-Arse; child of a life peer, baron or viscount
hoodie: sweatshirt with a hood
house mother or house mistress: female head of a boarding house
HRH: His (or Her) Royal Highness
It Girl: society girl with a large media profile
Jelly Babies: soft, brightly coloured sweets (candies) shaped like babies
kit: equipment and outfit for specific event or activity
Lady: daughter of a duke, marquis or earl; female life peers or wives of hereditary peers are also Ladies
listens: mobile phone messages that you let others listen to
loo rolls: rolls of toilet paper
Lower Sixth: year before the final year at school (16–17 years of age)
mad: eccentric, crazy or unreasonable – out there
Marmite: a black salty spread for toast or bread made of yeast and high in Vitamin B – you either loathe it or love it
neck: to gulp, as in ‘neck your vodka’ (juice, etc.)
NA: Narcotics Anonymous
nouveau: new money
NQOC: Not Quite Our Class
OTT: over-the-top, outrageous or extreme behaviour or style
pikey: an insulting reference to someone’s lack of background or education; see pleb
piss-take: to tease or to make fun of someone, either maliciously or fondly; a joke
pleb: short for plebeian – a derogatory term suggesting lack of class
prat: idiot, fool
pull: to make out, score, kiss, etc.
public school: exclusive boarding school
quad bike: a four-wheel motorbike, good for rough roads and fabulous for driving around your estate
queue: line; ‘to queue’ is to wait in a line
quid: slang for pound (British currency)
readies: slang for folding money; actual banknotes
refectory or ref: large canteen where meals are served
rinse: to totally decimate your opponent in sport or debate
rip: to ridicule, tease; equivalent to ‘take the piss’
rubbish: garbage; also slang for tease or take the piss
rusticated: suspended from school without being given schoolwork to carry on with – meaning that on return, the pupil is further disadvantaged by having to catch up
safe: ‘okay’; an expression of agreement; see sorted
scrum: rugby term for a pile-up of bodies
slack down: to disrespect someone, ignore their instructions
slapper: slut
Sloane: posh, snooty girl (named after Sloane Street and Square, an upscale area in London)
slut: can mean either a slapper or someone who is madly untidy
smart: sassy; can also mean fashionably attired
snog-age: (rhymes with ‘corsage’) to tongue kiss
social: interschool dance (girls and boys)
sorted: an expression of approval; ‘no problem’
soz: sorry
speakers: speaking terms, as in ‘We’re on non-speakers’
spliff: marijuana; a joint
spots: pimples, zits
stick: a hard time; to give stick is to tease someone
suspended: sent home from school with schoolwork (a punishment less harsh than a rustication)
term: Three terms make up
a school year: winter term is before Christmas; spring term is between Christmas and Easter; summer term is between Easter and the summer holiday
ticked off: told off, reprimanded
toff: snobby aristocrat
torch: flashlight
trainers: sneakers
tuck: snack foods you are allowed to bring to boarding school; junk food
wind up: to tease either gently or nastily
wholemeal: whole wheat, used to describe decent middle-class people
Year: Girls start boarding at age 11 in Year Seven, and the ‘Years’ go up to Year Eleven (age 15–16). The final two years are referred to as the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth (ages 16–17 and 18, respectively)
Zimmer frame: a metal frame on wheels used to assist elderly people walking
Pulling Princes Acknowledgements
Enormous amounts of praise and gratitude must go to my gorgeous children for entertaining me with their stories of boarding school life, especially my eldest son, Zad, for being a brilliant but patient sabreur. Thanks also to the Old Girls and Old Boys of Saint Mary’s Ascot, Eton, Benenden, and other boarding schools around England where clearly a good time was had by all! Also, to Eric Hewitson for his map of Saint Augustine’s; my inspirational agent, Laura Dail, for her vision; Victoria Arms at Bloomsbury USA for knowing the real deal about English girls boarding schools; and the team at Piccadilly – Brenda, Yasemin, et al. – for being fab.
Stealing Princes Acknowledgements
No author can claim all the credit for her work, because apart from being very greedy it would be a complete and utter porky. So gushing praise all round for my backup team of Laura Dail (the most serenely bright agent a girl could wish for) and my top-notch and much-adored editors, Melanie Cecka and Victoria Arms, and all the rest of the brilliant Bloomsbury USA team, not least Michael Storrings for his stunning cover design. Add still more applause to my darling Mummy and Daddy, Veronica and Bernard O’Connell, for sending me to such a lovely school and putting up with my difficult teen years which they are still patiently waiting on to end. Mad amounts of ‘Hoorahs!’ for the cracking team of teenage girls and boys at boarding schools all over the UK, especially my own sons and daughter and all their lovely, generous friends for their wit and wisdom. Then of course there are my own grown-up-ish friends, Alicia Gordon, Eric Hewitson, Niki de Metz, Malcolm Young and Simon Peter Santospirito, who add an alchemical mix of sense, madness and laughter to my après-writing activities.
Footnote
* For this and other Britishisms, turn to Calypso’s special glossary on page 215.
About the Author
TYNE O’CONNELL is the author of several romantic comedies, including novels about the American-born, British-educated Calypso Kelly. She has written for newspapers and magazines such as Vogue, Marie Claire and Elle. She lives in London, England.
Pulling Princes copyright © 2004 by Tyne O’Connell
Stealing Princes copyright © 2005 by Tyne O’Connell
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Pulling Princes first published in Great Britain by Piccadilly Press in 2004; published in the United States of America by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2004
Stealing Princes first published in Great Britain by Piccadilly Press in 2005; published in the United States of America by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2005
This edition published by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers in February 2011
Electronic edition published in June 2012
www.bloomsburyteens.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
LCCN: 2010942607
ISBN: 978-1-59990-752-9 (e-book)