Goth slang

Goth slang is the slang of the goth subculture. There are a range of slang terms for those within the community and their particular interests, or the particular "type" of goth they are, such as Perky goth or Cybergoth.

Sarcastic references to goths whose appearance does not meet with approval or who are new to the scene are common, as are references to the particular music artist that influences the individual goth. Terms often show a sly sense of humour and are presented in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Sarcastic comparisons include Crow Makeup and Blow Fish.

The goth subculture, having been around from the late 1970s to early 1980s, has had some time to develop its own parlance. New fashions, and trends attract slang terms to describe them.

Geographical variations

Regional variations include mallgoth, a US term for the sort of poser goth, less common in the United Kingdom or Australia where the terms "shopping centre" or "high street" take the place of "mall" in ordinary colloquial language. Gogan is an Australian specific term, referring to a cross of subcultures between the Australian Bogan and goth. Even within countries there are variations: young goths, too young to go to clubs and who hang out in public meeting places in Australia have picked up slang terms for their kind. These include Flinders St Goth for Melbourne and Chase Goth (after the Forrest Chase area) for Perth .

Examples

Baby Bat

Either a young goth or a new-comer to the scene, previously derogatory.

Batcaver

Originally a frequenter of the early goth nightclub the Batcave, now referring to older goths who are fans of the music played there.

Cybergoth

Goth interested in cyberculture.

Corporate goth

Goth with a day job, often melding corporate wear (or office wear) with gothic style.

Deathrocker

They are into old school Deathrock, Horror punk and Psychobilly. They wear layering black & white or black & red or black & green stripes. Much of their clothing, particularly t-shirts, fishnets and tights, are often ripped or torn. Their hairstyles have a decidedly '80s punk influence. Their makeup has strong horror movie influences, especially zombie movies.

Doom Cookie/Gloom Cookie

A derogatory term for a person in the goth scene who is seen as other-than-genuine. (Doom referring to males and Gloom referring to females.)

Elder goth

A goth who has been part of the subculture since it originally came about, or a goth over the age of 40.

Gothdom

Goth society.

Gothing Up

Getting dressed in goth attire, often before visiting a club.

Gothics

Goth style trousers, or more loosely the entire attire.

Goth Code

An abbreviation-based self-description mechanism. Fairly rarely used now, it was used in at the tail of messages to Usenet and email. Version 1.0-Beta was first released on 20 Oct 1995. There were various versions, v3.1. Goth. Code 98 was the most recent version, released 19 Feb 1998.

Goth points

Criteria by which a goth is assessed for conformity to the subculture. Used sarcastically, rather than a genuine rating system.

Graver

A cybergoth who goes to raves. In terms of fashion, cybergoths have rave influences in their attire.

Kindergoth

a goth kid, normally under the age 16.

Romantigoth

They dress in Victorian-style or Renaissance era attire, taking interest in intellectual pastimes (reading and writing poetry etc.). Similar to New Romantic.

Mallgoth

A derogatory term for young, self-identifying goths who are not regarded as well-informed members or part of the subculture at all. Suggests both that the teen in question hangs out in malls and that they buy their quasi-gothic clothing at mall shops such as Hot Topic. While a mallgoth incorporates many elements of Gothic Fashion in their apparel, the term inherently suggests derision from at least some full, adult members of the subculture, particularly due to the deviations between the mallgoth's look and accepted goth attire.

Mansonite

A young person who is mainly influenced by Marilyn Manson and calls themself "goth"; used as a derogatory term. Formerly often synonymous with "Mallgoth."

NINny

Pronounced ninny, a derogatory term for fans of the band Nine Inch Nails ("NIN") who worship Trent Reznor. The term has been used as an insult, and in regular non-goth usage, the word "ninny" means idiot. However, some Nine Inch Nails fans describe themselves as NINnies.

Perky Goth

A goth who pretends to be "happy" but is not serious about it. Most often doing it for the humorous cynicism involved and enjoyment of other goths at a "normie's" confusion. and mostly loves listening to 80's Gothic Rock and Pop, as opposed to gloomy goth whose musical taste is more melancholy. Alternately, a goth who has embraced the aesthetics of the subculture in terms of music and fashion, but whose mood and demeanor are generally light and happy.

Plasti'Goth

Not a real full time Goth, adopting only the fashionable side of the subculture or practising it only at weekends.

Spot the Goth

Looking for other goths, most often in areas where they are unlikely to be, or on the way to goth venues.

Spooky Kids

From the original name for Marilyn Manson's band. Originally a term for Manson fans, it has come to be a derogatory term for mallcore and Marilyn Manson fans, similar to the term Mansonite.

Ubergoth

The pinnacle of goth style, or a goth who is always perfectly dressed. The goth that will "dress to the nines to go out and buy the milk". Can also be used in a derogatory sense to describe a person who would appear to be attempting to exceed or better others in terms of dress or attitude.

References

gothmania lots of goths in one place

Further reading

• Baddeley, Gavin: Goth Chic: A Connoisseur's Guide to Dark Culture (Plexus, US, August 2002, ISBN 0-85965-308-0)
• Hodkinson, Paul: Goth: Identity, Style and Subculture (Dress, Body, Culture Series) 2002: Berg. ISBN 1-85973-600-9 (hardcover); ISBN 1-85973-605-X (softcover)
• Kilpatrick, Nancy: The goth Bible : A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined. 2004: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-30696-2
• Siegel, Carol: Goths Dark Empire. 2004: Indiana University Press. 2005 ISBN
• Encyclopedia Gothica: Terminology Index http://www.waningmoon.com/gothica/indexes/terms.shtml