A
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M
N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
- Acknowledged! Moving out!
Warning of egress.- Example: "So that's two synthi-synthi-cafs and an unpleasant chocolate. Acknowledged! Moving out!"
Secret origin: From a unit's confirmation of orders in Dune 2.
First used: AP32.
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- Actually, that was a joke
(1) Ambiguity is dismissed (rare). (2) A terrible joke is made secretly ironic.- Example 1: "Once again, you fight some magical wiz-men. The standard of villainy has dropped noticeably. Bring back the Nazis! Actually, that was a joke."
Example 2: "Parasol Stars does your head in. Paracetamol Stars, more like. Actually, that was a joke."
Note: Interchangeable with "We're joking, of course."
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- Ah! Ah! Ah!
Appreciation of a joke; one usually made in a European language.- Example: "We were certainly 'a bout de souffle.' Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Secret origin: Traditional. (YS.)
Note: It is how the Portuguese write ha ha ha.
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- A-ha ha ha
(1) A flat or forced laugh. (2) A poor joke (usually another's).
- Example 1: "We returned to find the wall knocked down. A-ha ha ha."
Example 2: "The pirate is called Roger. He is jolly. A-ha ha ha."
Secret origin: Traditional. Introduced by Jonathan Davies.
Note 1: A variant spelling, aha-ha-ha, is also used.
Note 2: Outside AP, it is usually ahahaha.
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- Akklaim
Software company.- Example: "We're secretly looking forward to Akklaim's forthcoming conversion of Mortal Kombat."
Secret origin: In fact Acclaim, a company whose stupid logo led us to believe their name actually contained a brace of 'K's, and who were referred to in such a manner for several months during the Matt Bielby Golden Age.
Note: Compare with Konami, who appeared in Crash for almost all of 1985 as "Kjonami."
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- A magazine with attitude
The subsidiary coverline of each issue of AMIGA POWER and, indeed, part of its philosophy.
- Example: "A MAGAZINE WITH ATTITUDE"
Secret origin: Coined by Greg The Publisher and Matt Bielby.
First used: AP-Zero
Note 1: Cam regarded its use of "A" as wishy-washy, changing it to "The magazine with attitude" upon becoming Ed in AP51.
Note 2: For the WW1 flight sim Dawn Patrol cover of AP47, the line became "Ein magazin mit stellung."
Note 3: For the Second Samurai cover of AP27, there were plans to replace the phrase with Japanese characters spelling the closest equivalent in that language, which turned out to be "A Magazine With An Aggressive Posture." But the printers couldn't do it.
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- And another thing
(1) An unwillingness to abandon an argument. (2) Humorous highlighting of unusually long speech. (3) Section of Do the Write Thing containing tiny, interesting parts of otherwise dull letters.- Example 1: "(Tedious invective disproportionately hammering point of order.) And another thing..."
Example 2: "(Highly amusing series of spirally-tangential observations.)(Pause.) And another thing..."
Example 3: "AND ANOTHER THING..."
Secret origin: Traditional.
First used: (3) AP01.
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- And in real life, too
Joke following description of events quite clearly outside one's experience.- Example: "Running over an infantry unit with a tank produces a remarkable cry of alarm. And in real life, too."
Secret origin: Traditional. The subtextual double meaning indicates the phrase must have been invented for a magazine.First used: AP39.
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- And X 's off! The road, that is
(1) Celebrating an unsuccessful start. (2) Highlighting a major error.- Example 1: "James Dean's Porsche Spider Challenge: And he's off! The road, that is."
Example 2: "And the new A1200 pack's off! The road, that is."
Secret origin: Coined by Cam for the Games That Mimic Reality feature.
First used: AP39.
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- And so on
A wearier et cetera.- Example: "There's a monster and an army and a princess and a fiendish plot and a kidnapping and some wizards and a castle. And so on."
Secret origin: Traditional, with an extra AP lemony twist.
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- Antmaster
See I am the Antmaster.Alphabet
- And their families
Remonstration. (Extremely grave.)- Example: "The programmers should be killed. And their families."
Secret origin: From the orders of vicious mobsters with non-negotiable grievances. Introduced to AP by Stuart Campbell.
Note: Unusually, burned itself out, later to re-emerge as "The designers are ringingly incompetent. (And their families. No, hang on. - Ed)"
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- And those Clangers, eh?
Warnful attention is tiredly drawn to tedious nostalgia.- Example: "Wow, yes, and Wacky Races, eh? Totally excellent. What was the name of Dick Dastardly's car? The Mean Machines, wasn't it? Yes! Wow!" "And those Clangers, eh?"
Secret origin: Coined by Jonathan Davies, who famously described Hell as "being trapped in a smoke-filled room surrounded by people endlessly talking about old children's television programmes."
Note 1: Dangerous for amateur use, as the usual result is to prompt a long reminiscence about The Clangers.
Note 2: Should the warning go unheeded, you are legally entitled to kill the speaker with an axe.
Note 3: There are now magazines entirely concerned with recalling the name of Dick Dastardly's car in Wacky Races. The Pope weeps.
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- Apparently
(As a sentence.) A statistical likelihood is slightly world-wearily indicated.- Example: "They die if you jump on their heads. Apparently."
Secret origin: Traditional. Possibly AP's use has a little more twitch of the eyebrow.
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- A quiet time for X
Inaction joke.- Example: "1884-1962. A quiet time for computer games."
Secret origin: Coined by Cam Winstanley.
First used: AP39.
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- AP's sinister agents
Those who gather information for the news pages.- Example: "Commodore sold! Our sinister agents investigate."
Secret origin: Coined by Jonathan Davies.
Note: Also "Shadowy agents."
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- Arf
Indicates a joke or reference that is ironic or slightly disrespectful.- Example: "Here's a photograph of the lucky winner. Arf."
Secret origin: Traditional. (YS.)
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- AS ANY FULE KNO
Peevishly indicating an obvious fact.- Example: "You ought not have to press "up" to jump. AS ANY FULE KNO."
Secret origin: Coined by Geoffrey Willans for the Molesworth books. Brought to AP by Jonathan Nash.
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- AS YOU WILL SEE
Anticipating an explanation.- Example: "This silly fooling with the formula has brought disaster. AS YOU WILL SEE."
Secret origin: Coined by Geoffrey Willans for the Molesworth books. Brought to AP by Jonathan Nash.
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