A Gothic Glossary

A Gothic Glossary

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Absinthe:Absinthe is an alcoholic drink made with an extract from wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). It is an emerald green drink which is very bitter (due to the presence of absinthin) and is therefore traditionally poured over a perforated spoonful of sugar into a glass of water. The drink then turns into an opaque white as the essential oils precipitate out of the alcoholic solution.

alt.gothic:The alt.gothic Usenet newsgroup went online on November 1, 1991 to give goths an electronic forum to discuss aspects of the gothic lifestyle and culture. Those who frequent this unmoderated newsgroup are often referred to as net.goths

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baby bat: Baby bat, a term which probably was originally meant to be deragatory, has now come to mean either a young goth or a new-comer to the scene. In its first meaning it would almost seem synonymous with Spooky Kids, but Baby Bats don't have the "poseur aura" about them. Instead, they usually tend to go on to be accepted as a Goth. In the second meaning it is just someone who has recently become a Goth, and therefore doesn't know as much about the culture. These are the kind of people that would accidentally ask the DJ at the local Goth club to something by Switchblade Symphony, not realizing the last song was by Switchblade Symphony.

Batcave: A club in Soho (London) that began in the early eighties and nurtured the first generation of gothics from their punk heritage. Bands like Alien Sex Fiend played there live. It was closed down years later with the apparent death of the Gothic movement in the UK. The term Batcave also refers to the more punk oriented Gothic.

BDSM: Represents Bondage, Discipline, and Sado-Masochism (also related, Dominance & Submission = DS). It is a form of sexual fantasy play between consenting adults often involving fetishes, focusing on mental, sensual and erotic experience over the standard sexual intercourse, and requiring a great level emotional trust and communication between partners. BDSM does not have anything to do with using pain or force on someone who is an unwilling victim. Although Gothics tend to appear to be familiar with the practices of bondage by their apparel, most of those people wearing vinyl pants and bondage bracelets don't know the first thing about BDSM and are following a fashion trend. The majority of BDSM practitioners have nothing to do with gothic, and they view bondage gear as a tool, not an accessory.

bondage babe: Girls decked out in fetish clothing at clubs, including bondage collar, bondage bracelets, bondage belt and some sort of latex, vinyl, or rubber outfit. Usually intended to mean the people who are following the fetish fashion trend rather than those who know much about fetish and BDSM culture. Also bondage boy.

bondage gear: For example, bracelets, belts, collars, etc. that will have a metal O ring or D ring attached.

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devil bunny: The term comes from a song by My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. It is used to designate the people who think "Satan is cool," but are not exactly worshippers of Satan.

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fetish: The dictionary's definition of fetish is excessive sexual focus on an object of fixation. Fetish fashion covers a wide range of fabrics such as leather, PVC, vinyl, rubber, and latex. It also includes items such as stilletto heels, thigh high boots, corsets and bondage gear or other items of clothing that one might become fixated on. See BDSM.

first generation/second generation: First generation emerged mostly in the UK in the late seventies and early eighties as a splinter from the punk movement characterized by bands like The Damned, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Joy Division. They were called Gothic later on, but most didn't consider themselves Gothic. By the mid to late eighties, the Gothic movement was waning. In the late eighties/early nineties, a new generation of Gothic bands emerged, for example The Shroud, Rosetta Stone, Nosferatu and London After Midnight, who were the first to characteristically call themselves Gothic. This is when the U.S. Gothic movement grew significantly, and Gothic became recognized as a distinct subculture. Whether or not second generation is authentically Gothic depends on whom you ask. Many of those first generation adherents will say it is not, and many others will say that second generation is a bad imitation of first generation.

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Gother-than-thou: A condescending attitude some Goths or wanna-be Goths have in which they consider themselves more Gothic than others, be it in style, mannerism or knowledge of the scene. Although we all have our moments, such a pretentious attitude us generally not welcome in the Gothic scene.
The phrase was adapted from the more common saying "holier-than-thou."

Gothic: (goth-ik) adj. of the style of architecture common in western Europe in the 12th-16th centuries, with pointed arches and rich stone carving. gothic novel, a kind of novel with sensational or horrifying events, popular in 18th-19th centuries.

gothic slide: A characteristically gothic dance move in which your boots do not leave the dance floor as you glide across it by moving your feet. Somewhat like the footwork in the movie Footloose, but much more chaotic.

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Mansonite: Much akin to the ninny, the Mansonite worships the band, and the lead singer who goes by the same name, Marilyn Manson. This term is usually used for those fans who like to dress up like him, do their makeup like him and wear Marilyn Manson t-shirts. Many goths will use this term in a derogatory way towards the teenagers they think are foolish for liking Marilyn Manson.

mopey goths: Goths who have an overdeveloped sense of angst. These Goths are the ones you may find brooding in dark corners, pondering the pain of existence, wondering why their girlfriend/boyfriend has torn their heart out (again). In general, they tend to take life very seriously.

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net.goth adj. a person, of gothic persuasion, who is only capable of communicating with others via electronic means. Can generally be found on uk.people.gothic or alt.gothic.

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perky goth: Some may say this is an oxymoron, but perky goths are people who like the gothic style and music, but don't like the doom and gloom attitude some Goths have. (For those of you who have seen Switchblade Symphony play live, think of Tina Root.) Perky goths try not to take themselves too seriously and don't brood. They like to have fun. You'll often find them wearing, for example, body glitter, a mixture of black and non-black clothing, and telling the mopey goths to lighten up . The mopey goths say that they are missing the point of Gothic entirely.

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Slimelight: The Slimelight is probably the most well known of the UK Gothic clubs.

Snakebite: A popular drink originating in the UK made by mixing half a pint of cider with half a pint of lager. Snakebite and Black is the same but with a shot of blackcurrant cordial included. This drink is often hard to find (at least made properly) in the US. It was adopted by goths in the late eighties/early nineties due in part to the purple color of Snakebite and Black and also due to its former position as a cheap, lethal student favorite. (Hence the term "snakebite.") There are many who say that this drink can get one drunk quickly or that it can cause one to become nauseous. However, this is due primarily to over indulgence of a tasty drink that has a significant alcohol content.

spooky kid: This is a very recent term which doesn't have much widespread usage quite yet. The spooky kids are followers of Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails and are mostly under 18 years old. (Originally the name of the band was Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids.) People confuse spooky kids for goths, which is frustrating to Goths because Goth culture gets blamed for the stupid things spooky kids do. Spooky kids and Goths don't associate with each other very much, and they tend to not like each other. Goths resent them for being poseurs and giving Goth a bad name, and they resent Goths for being snobs and elitists. Spooky kid is usually used as a derogatory term similar to baby bat, but it specifically refers to the younger and ardent Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails fans. I'm not sure if spooky kids call themselves spooky kids, I think most of them call themselves Goth.

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Tainted:[Tainted] is a chat/babble list for Midlands area goths only, or those goths who frequently visit the Midlands area! We have currently over 90 members, listings of all the areas regular and forthcoming goth-related events, and regular organised meetings & trips. Members can also get into Contamination for free (with a fortnightly draw for the guestlist!)

Trenchcoat Mafia: The self-assigned name of a group of outcast students at Columbine High School in Colorado (USA). In 1999 two of these alleged members (Eric Harris and Dillon Kleybold) went on a killing spree in their school killing around 24 people and injuring many more. They then killed themselves. During the media coverage, they were quickly associated (mistakenly) with the gothic scene due to the fact that they sometimes wore black clothes and trenchcoats. Afterwards copycat-like activities and bomb threats rocked schools across the US adding to the media attention. Unfortunately since this incident, many ignorant people now feel that the gothic scene is a threat to society - and many schools have taken action against gothic students. No doubt this stigmatism will last a long time. Additional note: Apparently Eric Harris and Dillon Kleybold were not actually members of the Trenchcoat Mafia but sometimes hung out with them.

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underground: Something that is not widely known about among the general population. It is secret, obscure, hidden, rare, only for a selected few who are knowledgeable enough to pursue it. There are two tendencies that often occur in those who adamantly participate in an underground culture. The first is elitism. In general the elitists view themselves as having suffered (persecution, harrassment) to become a part of something rare and unusual. They dislike those who have not suffered to join the culture, those who are following a trend. The trend-followers defile what was sacred and make common what was once rare. The elitists view that culture as something they had to search for, discover, and suffer ridicule for; and they despise those who had it handed to them. The second tendency of those in an underground culture is a wide familiarity (often acceptance and friendliness depending on the person) with other people in the social scene or those who appear to be a part of the same culture.

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Whitby: Whitby is a small seaside fishing village in North East England, it found fame in Bram Stokers "Dracula" as the location the count first landed on British soil. And Twice a Year Thousands of Goth's descend there for a long weekend of Live bands, Lots of Drink, Meeting other Goths from all over the place, and generally enjoying themselfs. These Gatherings are called "the Whitby Gothic Weekends" and they attract a wide variety of people of gothic persuation from all over the UK and the World...

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