Transformers Dictionary/List of Terms

2IC- proper noun: an abbreviation for the position “Second In Command,” which entails answering directly to the unit’s Commanding Officer and often accompanying him/her on missions of particular importance; often used in fanfic to describe G1 Prowl or other individuals who fulfill the same obligations; also abbreviated “SIC”

3IC- proper noun: an abbreviation for the position “Third In Command,” which entails answering directly to the unit’s Commanding Officer and 2IC, often accompanying them on missions of particular importance; often used in fanfic to describe G1 Jazz or other individuals who fulfill the same obligations; also abbreviated “TIC”

Academy- proper noun: Animated: Autobot training facility on Cybertron that helps prepare promising young ‘bots for service in the Cybertronian Elite Guard; curriculum includes military tactics, combat, and (presumably) leadership skills; known attendees include: Optimus Prime, Elita-1, Sentinel Prime; known graduates include: see Cybertronian Elite Guard

AllSpark- noun: Animated, Movie: Cybertronian artifact said to be the source of life for all Transformers; evidently has enough energy to become a weapon of mass destruction; also (alternately) the spark, or life essence, of Primus, to which all sparks return upon the deactivation of their bodies, hence the name; alternate spellings: Allspark, All Spark; see also: Well of All Sparks

AllSpark Key- Animated: security card key owned by Sari Sumdac in the Transformers Animated continuity, reformatted by the AllSpark itself to have many of its capabilities (e.g., repairing Transformers, identifying Cybertronian technologies, giving a non-Transformer a spark, etc.)

alternate mode- noun: the term used to refer to the mode or modes of a Transformer that they would most likely not have if they didn't have the ability to transform; in most instances, this would be the vehicle or beast mode, although there are cases in which those are the dominant forms; the process of acquiring a first or new alternate mode varies between continuities; variously abbreviated: “alt mode”, “altmode”, etc.

Altihex- proper noun: G1: an orbital torus state that fell to the Decepticon incursion early in the Great War, during Sentinel Prime's tenure as leader of the planet's military forces; borders Iacon, Kalis, the Neutral Territories, the Rust Sea, the Tagan Heights, and Uraya; tends to blow up; a lot; bad things happen in Altihex

Ankmor Park- proper noun: sometimes referred to as just Ankmor; a city/region on the planet Cybertron; meta info: is an in-reference to Ankh Morpok, the sleazy city where most of the action happens in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels

Ark- proper noun: G1, Unicron Trilogy, Animated: the Autobots’ space ship/base of operations; crashed into a volcano on prehistoric Earth and came back online 4 million years later (in 1984) in G1 continuity; crashed into Lake Erie and came back online 50 years later (in the 22nd century) in Transformers Animated continuity

astrosecond- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time, roughly equivalent to .498 Earth seconds (but who counts that small, anyway?)

Autobot- proper noun: one of two factions of Cybertronian robots, this one usually representing the “good” side, the alternate universe Shattered Glass continuity being an obvious exception; Autobots often feel compelled to aid or protect other smaller, less-powerful races from harm (Decepticon-caused or otherwise); were succeeded in Beast Wars continuity by their descendents, the Maximals

Axalon- proper noun: Beast Wars: the space ship belonging to the small group of Maximals who crash-landed on Prehistoric Earth; she was originally intended only for space exploration, and thus was ill-equipped for the firefight that resulted in her untimely demise; she had aboard a cargo of stasis pods, intended to be dropped on unexplored planets, as well as sufficient Transwarp technology to allow her to pursue the Predacon-controlled Darksyde through a rift in space-time and main forward plasma cannons with enough power to knock another ship out of the sky with a few well-aimed shots; after she crashed, the Axalon was converted into the Maximals’ HQ and base of operations, only to attempt (and fail) to fly one last time before remaining Earth-bound for good

Axiom Nexus- proper noun: Universe: located in one of the oldest dimensions in the multiverse; is a hub for travelers from other dimensions; according to New Arrivals Coordinator Silverbolt, it is a city "unlike any other in the multiverse"; to continue its harmony, all Megatrons, Optimuses, and MacGuffins are considered illegal (watch: “Bee in the City” on YouTube); some travelers arrive by their own design while others arrive by accident and must be processed and given identification bolts

bench assembled- adjective: weapon, tool or other item assembled in a construction bay; colloquial: something that will fail as soon as it is taken outside

bench mark- noun: brand or stamp on a bench-assembled object, made by the assembler(s) to mark it complete and ready for use

'bot- noun: short for "robot"; used in Transformers fiction to refer to members of the Cybertronian race; proper noun: 'Bot, sometimes an abbreviation for Autobot; pronoun: often used in dialogue as having similar meaning to "person" or "body" (e.g. "everybot")

breem- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time, roughly equivalent to 8.3 Earth minutes

caulk- noun: medical term; any chemical substance that accretes in places one wishes it wouldn't; that which forms on corroding or corrupted circuits; usually found as rinds or flakes of mineral deposits and corrosion between damaged circuits

caulkie- noun: colloquial term for one who drinks too much laced energon; the Cybertronian equivalent of an alcoholic

caulk potash- noun: caulk, mostly comprised of potassium sulphate and oxidized metal, that results from consuming too much laced energon

luminous caulk- noun: caulk potash in which radioactive particles have accreted, generally as a result of drinking far too much laced energon; a life-threatening condition, especially when it forms in the cerebral and life-support systems, especially as the formation of luminous caulk means that circuits in that area are not only corroded but also beginning to completely disintegrate

radiant caulk- noun: luminous caulk that has accumulated enough radioactive material to start emitting hazardous levels of radioactivity; radiant caulk is rarely found in living mechanisms, as the point at which radiant caulk begins ionizing is the point at which it kills the mechanism it is inside; what one's medical officer insists your head is full of, or will be if you don't stop drinking laced energon

Central City- proper noun: Unicron Trilogy: the capital of Cybertron; is the home of the "Control Room" that gives the user access to all of Cybertron's functions, and features heavily in the last third of the Energon cartoon

chassis- noun: the frame, wheels, and machinery of a motor vehicle/Transformer, on which the body is supported; idiomatically used to refer to a 'bot's body in general (e.g., "My aching chassis. . ."); see also: structure

Circuit-Su- proper noun: a Cybertronian martial art that emphasizes mastery of the energies of one's spark, sometimes to the exclusion of physical studies; rumors circulate that masters of this art can harness their spark energy as a physical attack; see also: Crystalocution and Metallikato

CMO- proper noun: an abbreviation for the position “Chief Medical Officer,” which entails supervising and performing most, if not all, repairs needed by other ‘bots coming off the front lines; often used in fanfic to describe G1 Ratchet or other individuals who fulfill the same obligations

CO- proper noun: an abbreviation for the position “Commanding Officer,” which entails overseeing/leading all missions, duties, and organized efforts performed by the unit as a whole; usually used in fanfic to describe most Primes (Optimus, Rodimus, Sentinel, etc.) or other individuals who fulfill the same obligations

Combiner- noun: class of Transformer that can form a new mechanism by literally combining its structure with that of one or more other Transformers; several varieties of combiner exist, with the most common and well-known being the “giant-er robot” variety (Constructicons form Devastator, Protectobots form Defensor, etc.), though some combiner teams have been known to form weapons, vehicles, and other modes instead

'Con- proper noun: abbreviation for Decepticon (or, alternately, Predacon)

Crystal City- proper noun: grand Cybertronian city famous for its elegance in construction and the scientific minds that hail from it; also has a habit of getting slagged by those who fail to recruit certain inhabitants

Crystalocution- proper noun: a Cybertronian martial art that specializes in techniques that target the opponents’ metal fracture points (similar to pressure points found in organics), some of which may or may not have sufficient energy to cause said opponent to spontaneously explode; most attacks performed by Crystalocution masters, however, only cause opponents’ body parts to fall off or apart; see also: Circuit-Su and Metallikato

Cyber City- proper noun: a Cybertronian City; Unicron Trilogy: the capitol city of Cybertron (Note: not much canon info; if need be, the writer may either use it as a name drop or give it whatever significance he/she chooses)

cyber-ninja- noun: a Cybertronian profession, populated by robots who have studied and mastered one or more of the Cybertronian martial arts (see also: Circuit-Su, Crystalocution, Metallikato); Animated: a specialized corps of robots trained in the Cybertronian martial arts, most of whom are Autobots ranked highly in the Elite Guard; known members of the Cyber-Ninja Corps include: Yoketron (deceased), Prowl (training incomplete), Jazz, Lockdown (rogue member, killer of Yoketron), Heavy Load, Road Rocket, Ultra Magnus, Springer, Dai Atlas, Star Saber, Sky Garry, Devcon, Star Upper, Tap-Out, Kick-Off, Roadhandler, Grandus, Motorarm, Powerhug

Cybertron- proper noun: home planet of all Transformers, a metallic world of super-advanced technology, residents and technologies of which are called "Cybertronian"; alternately, the term given by the Japanese dub to the Autobot faction; see also: Cybertronium, Destron, Destronium

Cybertronian Elite Guard- proper noun: most experienced and qualified Autobot warriors on Cybertron; trained at the Autobot Academy before joining the Guard; known members include (of Transformers Animated continuity): Ultra Magnus, Sentinel Prime, Jazz, Ironhide

Cybertronium- proper noun: an essential element required for the running of Cybertronians, a shortage of which could cause the lifeforce of a robot to peter out and die; meta info: eventually, Cybertron would be the name given to all Autobots in the Japanese translation of the Transformers canon; this led to the invention of the term “Destronium”; see also: Cybertron, Destron, Destronium

Cybertropolis- proper noun: Beast Wars: capital of Cybertron under the Maximals; was home to ten million Transformers before Megatron and the Vehicons took over; was built upon the ruins of Iacon City, the former base of the Autobots

Darksyde- proper noun: the space ship stolen by the small group of Predacons who crash-landed on Prehistoric Earth in the Beast Wars continuity; as a Predacon ship, the Darksyde was relatively heavily-armed, and held the Axalon at bay until Megatron’s hubris convinced him to allow the Maximals to come close enough to strafe the Darksyde’s hull with their plasma cannons, the resulting struggle culminating in both ships’ crash-landing on Earth; the Darksyde became the Predacon base of operations and wound up being the stage for several key battles over the course of the Beast Wars; because the Darksyde crashed in the midst of a volcanically-active sector, the floors of a few of her chambers were sunk in lava and, while the practicality of using a base whose floor one couldn’t cross without melting may have been somewhat questionable, it was, in effect, highly badaft to behold

deactivate- verb: Cybertronian dialect for “die” or “kill”; as Transformers are not, in the organic sense of the term, “alive”, they are said, when all their systems permanently shut down, to deactivate; see also: offline

Decepticon- proper noun: one of two factions of Cybertronian robots, this one representing the “evil” side, the alternate universe Shattered Glass continuity being an obvious exception; Decepticons will often show blatant disregard for anyone’s well-being but their own and usually live by the credo of violence, greed, and deceit; were succeeded in Beast Wars continuity by their descendants, the Predacons

Destron- proper noun: the term given by the Japanese dub to the Decepticon faction; see also: Cybertron, Cybertronium, Destronium

Destronium- proper noun: an essential substance for building Decepticons, first mentioned in the Animated continuity; meta info: an in-reference to Destron, the name given in Japan to the Decepticon faction; see also: Cybertron, Cybertronium, Destron

drone- noun: a variety of robot, either transforming or non-transforming, that possesses no true spark or individual intelligence; drones are often mass-produced from one or a few standard molds and employed as cleaners, soldiers, or manual laborers, as they are cheaper than sparking new, intelligent individuals or hiring already-living robots

energon- noun: the preferred energy source for most Transformers, has been alternately portrayed as food, intoxicating--I MEAN over-charging--drink, ammunition, and currency; is most often found in liquid form stored in cubes, as this is the most stable form of the usually explosively volatile substance; quality and potency of energon apparently varies greatly, and is thus often described in degrees of quality called "grades" (e.g., "high-grade" to refer to energon with great potency); possible Transformer equivalent of blood, along with mech fluid

faceplate- noun: a protective piece of metal which covers all or some portion of a Transformer's visible face, presumably for protective purposes; see also: mouthplate; alternately, the actual surface upon which the Transformer's facial features are located

femme- noun: term used to describe Cybertronians with feminine characteristics; common among femmes are body designs that incorporate more angles, thinner limbs, and more rounded edges than their mech counterparts; many femmes bear a striking resemblance to Earthen human females with kibble added on (see: kibble), but not all adhere to this model; although robots are, technically, androgynous, many of the Cybertronian breed have psychological differences that emulate masculine or feminine characteristics; synonym: “femmebot”; antonym: mech

frag- noun: idiomatically, a problem or glitch in programming; also general curse term, unknown meaning; also fragger, another general curse term of unknown meaning, but presumably one who frags; verb: to have a problem or glitch in programming (e.g., when referring to a cranky 'bot, "Looks like somebody forgot to de-frag his hard drive.")

Furmanism- noun: one of a list of phrases used and reused many times by Marvel comics writer Simon Furman, for which he has gained a measure of fame/infamy; see bottom for list of handy Furmanisms

Generation 1- proper noun: term used to refer to the original Transformers animated series, which ran from 1984 until about 1992; the Generation 1 franchise was revived in 2000 due to underground popularity through retailers like Hot Topic; usually abbreviated to “Gen1” or “G1”, humorously called “GEEWUN” by some members of the fandom

gestalt- noun: Earth term from the German language, which means “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”, specifically from the branch of psychology of the same name; used to describe “giant-er robot” style combiners, such as Devastator; there are some fans who use the term to describe the group of Transformers who comprise the giant robot, not just the giant robot itself; one member of a gestalt might call another member his/her “gestaltmate”; see also: combiner

glitch- noun: problem or malfunction in programming or protocol; also general curse term, referring to a 'bot, generally equivalent in meaning to "idiot" or "moron"; similar in meaning: "glitchhead"

Gygax- proper noun: a city on the planet Cybertron; see note on Cyber City

Helix- proper noun: a Cybertronian city; see note on Cyber City

Hive City- proper noun: G1: from their stronghold in Hive City, the Quintessons ruled Cybertron for one million years, inflicting torturous abuse upon the Cybertronians

HUD- noun: also known as “heads-up display”; both a military and gamer term; in a video game, the player sometimes can see the character’s health and a map of where to go; this is a HUD; it overlays what you need to see in front of you without blocking the screen completely; excellent examples can be seen in POV shots from the Beast Wars cartoon series

Iacon- proper noun: an Autobot-controlled city-state, located near the north pole of Cybertron; also the location of the capitol city of the same name

interface- verb: although the exact processes do not line up because of anatomical differences, this is the closest Cybertronian equivalent to intercourse; how this is done has never been explained in any canon form, though some fans have adapted this act to involve sparks rather than physical body parts; it is generally considered to be a very serious commitment, to the point that most Cybertronians can go their entire life cycles without finding another whom they trust enough to interface with

Junk- proper noun: home planet of the Junkions; essentially a gigantic waste dump with a large enough gravitational pull to keep it all from floating off into space

Junkion- proper noun: estranged, affably neutral race of Transformers hailing from their home planet of Junk; the average Junkion is usually possessed of a paint job within the red-orange part of the color wheel, and can almost instantaneously repair him or herself with any of the random garbage lying around the landscape of Junk; G1: race encountered by Hot Rod, Ultra Magnus, and others while fleeing Earth with the Autobot Matrix of Leadership after the Battle of Autobot City and Optimus Prime’s death; the Junkions were pacified (when they were on the verge of destroying a group of Autobots) with the Universal Greeting and an offering of energon goodies, and were even persuaded to help the Autobots in their quest to stop Unicron from devouring Cybertron

Kalis- proper noun: a city/region on the planet Cybertron; Marvel UK: the one-time hideaway of the crazed Autobot scientist Flame, who turned the entire city into a zombie-infested ghost town by taking remote control of abandoned corpses; his activities were stopped by Ultra Magnus, Springer, and a select few other Autobots, with the aid of the Decepticons Flywheels and Trypticon

Kaon- proper noun: a Decepticon-controlled city-state in the southern hemisphere of Cybertron

kibble- noun: seemingly unnecessary parts of a Transformer's alternate mode that appear on his/her person in robot mode (i.e., "door wings," "wheels on heels," etc.)

lubricant- noun: a darkish or black fluid contained within the body of a Transformer that is used to make the mechanical joints move more smoothly

Matrix of Leadership- proper noun: ancient Cybertronian artifact, usually associated with the Autobots; G1, Marvel UK, Marvel US: a relic containing part of Primus’ own life force (as well as all the past knowledge and wisdom of all the past Autobot leaders) which is Unicron’s bane; was carried by Optimus Prime, given to Ultra Magnus, passed to Hot Rod (who became Rodimus Prime), and returned to Optimus Prime after his resurrection; Beast Wars: only called “the Matrix”; essentially the same as the Well of All Sparks, in that it is a vast pool of all the expired sparks from across the generations; when one spark expires in the land of the living, it is said a different one travels from the Matrix to begin life anew as a new Transformer; Movie: a relic used as a key to activate the sun-harvesting machines created by the first Primes to create new sources of energon; The Fallen stole it for himself, intending to use it and one of the sun-harvesters to destroy Sol, the star lighting Earth’s system, despite the decree among his brother Primes to never use the machine to harm a planet that housed life; he was stopped and the Matrix lay hidden for eons until it was rediscovered by the human Sam Witwicky

mech- noun: term used to describe Cybertronians with masculine characteristics; as opposed to femmes, mechs tend to appear more solidly-built, with more body mass around the upper torso and arms; also, mechs seem to vary widely in their responses to the behavior of femmes, including anything from expressions of affection to “sexist” underestimation of their abilities; antonym: femme

mech fluid- noun: an essential liquid in the Transformer’s body of unknown use and purpose; possible Transformer equivalent of blood, along with energon; possibly related to lubricant; unrelated to the Cybertronian “gender” mentioned above

megacycle- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time, roughly equivalent to one Earth hour

Metallikato- proper noun: a Cybertronian martial art that puts heavy emphasis on spirituality; its practices seem to derive from a slew of other martial arts, including Circuit-Su and Crystalocution, but combat with bladed weapons and a very deep sense of honor and ethics are the Metallikato practitioner’s calling card

meta processor- noun: body component which processes a Transformer's conception of reality itself

mouthplate- noun: protective metal mask which covers a Transformer's face from the jaw up to (and occasionally including) the "nose"; see also: faceplate; alternately, the Cybertronian idiomatic equivalent of "lips" (e.g., "Quit flapping your mouthplates and get serious!")

nano-klik- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time, used idiomatically to be roughly equivalent to either one Earth second or minute (e.g., "Gotta nano-klik?")

Nemesis- proper noun: G1, Unicron Trilogy, Animated: the Decepticons’ space ship/base of operations; was crashed into the ocean, from which the Decepticons’ base was built, in the G1 continuity; was discovered crashed into the Earth’s moon by Lugnut and Blitzwing in the Transformers Animated continuity

Noise- proper noun: a sound which accompanies a Cybertronian's transformation from one mode to another (see: transform); the Noise is usually five "8hz pulses," each lasting an equivalent amount of time, in increasing (for robot to alt-mode) or declining (for alt to robot mode) pitch; the Noise's pitch is proportionally higher or deeper for smaller or larger Transformers (respectively); in official continuity, it has yet to be given an official name, onomatopoeic representation, or source; its relevance, cause, and importance, in regards to the transformation sequence, are unknown; it has been speculated that it may be a side-effect to transforming, as is the sound produced when scraping fingernails on a blackboard

Nova Cronum- proper noun: a city/state on Cybertron; was a great place before the Great War began, but the Autobots and the Decepticons have a tendency to blow it up

offline- noun: Cybertronian dialect for either “sleep,” “unconsciousness,” or “death”; in the case of the first two, Transformers must occasionally power off unnecessary systems in order to conserve energy, this state usually referring to one or more systems rather than the Transformer as a whole (e.g., “he let his optics go offline”); in the case of the last one, as Transformers are not, in the organic sense of the term, “alive”, they are said, when all their systems permanently shut down, to go offline; additional idiomatic equivalents include when one’s “spark goes out”, one “crashes”, etc.; adjective: Cybertronian dialect for “asleep,” “unconscious,” or “dead”; for the last, see also deactivate

optical sensor- noun: component of the Transformer body that records visual information and relays it to the processor for comprehension; commonly referred to simply as “optic” (plural being “optics”)

optic glass- noun: two plexiglass compartments on a mech's faceplate that house and protect the sensitive optical receptors and cameras

organic- noun: term used by Cybertronians to refer to creatures of non-technological origins; this applies to all the different natural species of Earth, as well as other planets; the bipedal Earth organics known as humans have also been referred to as fleshlings, meatbags, insects, squishies, noisy creatures, "puny flesh creatures", "dumb stubbies", Terrans, or Homo sapiens; adjective: having the characteristics of one or more of these non-technological races

orn- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time, defined as being equivalent to "one Cybertronian lunar day"; roughly equivalent to 13 Earth days

Pit- proper noun: supposedly the place where evil sparks go once their Transformer bodies have gone offline; also known as the Inferno; physical chamber within Unicron where devoured 'bots are incinerated and painfully rebuilt as pawns to serve his purposes; Cybertronian parallel of Hell; in Beast Wars continuity, the production facility of Predacon protoforms, named for supposedly mythical location listed above

Polyhex- proper noun: a Decepticon-controlled province of Cybertron

power chip rectifier- noun: a piece of Transformer anatomy which gives its possessor special powers that other Transformers do not have

Praxus- proper noun: a city-state of Cybertron; G1: was the home city-state of Prowl and Bluestreak; one of its key locations was the Helix Gardens, where crystals were arranged in a beautiful manner to create a place of contemplation; also hosted The Assembly, a "center of Autobot science, technology, art, philosophy and culture"; like so many others, Praxus went from shining metropolis to bombed-out wasteland during the course of the Great War

Primus- proper noun: Cybertronian deity/personification of Cybertron itself; legend states he is the one who personally created the thirteen original Cybertronian Transformers (which, by some, are called the "First-Forged"), as well as many others; eternal opponent of Unicron; also general curse term (e.g., "swear to Primus," "in/by/for the name/code/love of Primus," etc.)

protoform- noun: form a Transformer possesses before he/she gains an alt-mode; also presumably a stage of the Transformer life cycle similar to human childhood; commonly portrayed in fiction as a basic bodyframe (possessing a head, torso, legs, and arms) covered in a liquid metal which cannot move on its own power until its spark or programming is properly installed

quartex- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time; equivalent in Earth measurement unknown, but is presumably very small (e.g., "These supplies won't even last us a quartex.")

Quintessa- proper noun: home planet of the Quintessons; it is largely a mechanical planet with large mountain ranges of metal and seas populated by aquatic biomechanical beasts

Quintesson- proper noun: alien race of biomechanical creatures hailing from their home planet of Quintessa; the average Quintesson usually possesses a conical-shaped body with five different faces, each with its own personality, and a number of tentacles at the base; G1: the race that created the Transformers race; the dichotomy of this version of history and the Primus version seem to share a similar rivalry with each other as the Evolution vs. Creationism debate waging among the humans of Earth

recharge- noun: process in which a Transformer enters a form of sleep mode, usually while in contact with or hooked up to a berth designed for this purpose; the process restores a Transformer’s supplies of electrical energies that cannot be restored by consuming energon

recycling- noun: process which wipes the personality and memories of a Transformer, returning them to a blank slate; Beast Wars: process that takes the materials from a dead Transformer and reappropriates them for use in building or rebuilding other mechanisms

servo- noun: limb on robot body, generally equated to the human hand

stabilizing servo- noun: Transformer equivalent of the human foot

Sharkticon- proper noun: simplistic variety of Transformer that is more bestial than sentient; all Sharkticons look almost exactly alike, with round, stubby-limbed shark-like beast modes and round, stubby-limbed humanoid robot modes; are commonly employed by Quintessons as a means of corporal punishment, in that prisoners found innocent are thrown, bound and helpless, into pits full of them

Simfur- proper noun: a city-state on Cybertron; Movie: Optimus Prime's armies provided a distraction at Simfur while Bumblebee guarded the All Spark at Tyger Pax, but Megatron saw past the diversion and moved straight into Tyger Pax; meta info: IDW writer Chris Ryall named this location after famous/infamous Marvel comics writer Simon Furman; see also: Furmanism

slag- one of the most versatile slang terms in the Cybertronian vernacular; noun: a vitreous mass left from the refining of metallic ores; can also refer to this mass while in its molten state, which floats atop the ore; a waste product; also a general curse term (e.g., "You sickening piece of slag!"); verb: to convert to molten metal via melting by heat, acid, etc.; also a general curse term (e.g., "You gotta be slagging me!"); adjective: having the properties of or propensity to slag; also a general curse term (e.g., "Slagging computer!"); interjection: general curse term, most frequent form of use for this term (e.g., "Aw, slag!"); Teletraan-I, the Transformers Wiki site, makes the observation that, "It is therefore possible to build an entire sentence of this word:

'Slaggit! The slaggin' slag-faced motha-slaggin' slagger slagged the slaggers!'"

solar cycle- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time, used idiomatically to be roughly equivalent to either one Earth day or year; similar in meaning: "stellar cycle"; see also: stellar cycle

spark- noun: a Transformer's life force or "soul," said to be a part of the essence of Primus; non-Transformer robots/electronic devices are apparently capable of being given a spark through various means, most having something to do with either the AllSpark or Primus himself

sparkbind- verb: how two Transformers become more than friends, binding them for life; very like the Cybertronian equivalent to a human 'marriage'; the act itself is called a 'binding'

sparkling- noun: largely a fanon term, used to describe a newly-built Transformer; this type of Transformer is roughly the Cybertronian equivalent of a human baby, as its neural networks have not had the chance to properly connect to make it ready for full social interaction or occupational responsibility, not to mention the fact that sparklings are generally much smaller than their “adult” counterparts

stellar cycle- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time, roughly equivalent to either 400 Earth days or 7.5 Earth months; was used idiomatically once (by Blackarachnia of Transformers Animated continuity) to have similar meaning to one Earth year

structure- noun: in general, a Transformer’s body; subdivided into the superstructure (outer components, generally including weapons and parts of the alternate mode) and substructure (inner components, including special equipment and weapons systems)

subspace- noun: scientifically defined as the extra-dimensional “space” between realities; often labeled in fanon as the place where Transformers store the weapons and tools they pull out of nowhere, where Prime shunts his trailer when he transforms, and where huge Transformers like Soundwave shove their extraneous mass to pull off their disguises as significantly smaller alternate modes; also used canonically as a means of faster-than-light communication; canon sources have definitely frequently confirmed the existence of “personal storage dimensions” (a la Animated!Swindle), and two have named such storage dimensions as pockets of subspace

Tarn- proper noun: one of Cybertron's many city-states before the advent of the Great War which was ruled by a military dictator named Shockwave

Teletraan I- proper noun: shipboard computer and database for the Autobot ship, the Ark; often misspelled as "Teletran One," "Teletran-1," etc.

transform- verb: the act of a Transformer changing from one mode to another (noun: transformation); this usually involves much shifting of body parts, which themselves generally look like hybrids between limbs and pieces of machinery; this act is almost always accompanied by some form of the Noise; see also: Noise

Transformer- proper noun: sentient, living species of robots (mostly) originating from the far-off mechanical planet of Cybertron (see: Cybertron); the title derives from the apparently inherent ability of most, if not all, of these robots to change their shapes and forms from a robotic primary mode (generally, but not always, humanoid in form) to an alternate mode (mostly mechanical, vehicle, weapon, or animal in appearance and function); historically, this species has usually been divided between two warring factions, the “good” Autobots (and their descendents, the Maximals) and the “evil” Decepticons (and their descendents, the Predacons), with a few (often ignored, seldom happy) neutrals hanging around on the sidelines and in the crossfire; the alternate universe Shattered Glass continuity is an obvious exception to the “good/evil” faction rule; see also: Autobot and Decepticon

Tyger Pax- proper noun: a city-state on Cybertron; Movie: see also: Simfur

Unicron- proper noun: Cybertronian deity (sort of), called the Unmaker, Chaos Bringer, Dark God, Planet Eater, etc.; destructive, megalithic, Bahamut-like destroyer who devours planets for energy; eternal opponent of Primus

vorn- noun: Cybertronian measurement of time, roughly equivalent to 83 Earth years

Vos- proper noun: one of the many city-states on Cybertron that had existed before the beginning of the Great War

Well of All Sparks- proper noun: the supposedly-mythical fount where Primus forged the Transformers race; direct conduit for Primus’ lifeforce and, therefore, the true origin of all Transformers’ sparks; said to be the place where a Transformer’s spark goes after he/she goes offline; Cybertronian parallel of Heaven

Yuss- proper noun: Marvel UK: a small town in the Stanix region of Cybertron; a peaceful town largely untouched by war; was conquered early in the war, after which the Decepticons moved on; inhabitants go about their simple lives in and around the village, clothed in colorful metallic fabrics; 4 million years ago, Yuss was located just 3 hics from Fort Scyk; because Transformation was invented at the outset of a war which quickly passed them by, it is likely that the inhabitants of Yuss did not have the ability to transform; in the modern era, Yuss is deep within the Acid Wastes (entry taken from the Transformers Wiki)

List of Anatomic Terms and Euphemisms

For those times when you want a character to say something funny and species-appropriate, these terms ought to serve any author well. Most of them refer to a Transformer's nether regions. Go ahead and have a good, long laugh.

•actuator
•aft
•afterburner
•bearings
•boron compressor
•bumper
•command module
•crankcase
•diode
•drivetrain
•exhaust port
•fan belt
•gearbox
•hard drive
•lugnuts
•magna fuses
•manifold
•mudflaps
•nodes
•piston rod
•reactor linkage
•sine function
•skidplate
•solenoid
•strut
•tailpipe
•thruster
•transistor
•turbocharger

List of Cybertronian Animals
While it may seem somewhat unorthodox, it would appear there are many Cybertronian equivalents of animals we Earthlings can find on our home planet. These are the ones that have been mentioned by credited Cybertronian sources.

•Ant-droids
•Bolt-bats
•Cyber-ducks
•Dynametal ducks
•Electro-toads
•Glitch mice
•Guineapigatrons
•Helio-hamsters
•Hydro-weasels
•Photovoltaic pussycats
•Retro-rats
•Robotopossums
•Sheepacrons
•Titanium moosebots
•Turbofoxes
•Zap-mice

List of Furmanisms
Marvel Comics writer Simon Furman is somewhat infamous in the fandom for inventing certain dialogue patterns that he has used and reused in a great many of his contributions to the Transformers canon. All of the below listed phrases are in ALL CAPS for more emphasis and campiness. Use them with abandon in everything you write and you’re guaranteed to get a few sharp-eyed readers who will plink you with gleeful comments, plus a few who won’t get the joke at all. Be warned, though: as Furman himself has demonstrated, once you start using Furmanisms, IT NEVER ENDS!! This list provided by the Transformers Wiki.

•A SHORT, SHARP LESSON
•A WHOLE WORLD OF PAIN!
•ALL THE DIRTY JOBS
•CAN I DO LESS?!
•DIE SCREAMING
•DOWN TO EARTH—LITERALLY!
•FIGHT AND DIE
•IT CAN BE HURT!
•IT IS OVER—FINISHED!
•IT NEVER ENDS!
•LIKE SOME VAST, PREDATORY BIRD
•NEVER DID WANT TO LIVE FOREVER!
•NO! YOU’RE DEAD!
•POWER BEYOND MEASURE
•REAP THE WHIRLWIND
•SURPLUS TO REQUIREMENTS
•THE WORST CASE OF INDIGESTION IT’S EVER HAD!
•TIME I MADE A STAND!
•TIME I WASN’T HERE!
•WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?!
•WHAT CHANCE DO WE HAVE?!
•YOU WON’T BELIEVE THE THINGS I CAN DO NOW!