French kissing if there's no France

Wiskel · Jan 20, 2012

I'm writing a fantasy setting. None of the recognisable nations exist. I haven't just done away with France....promise.

My world is grounded by not inventing new words when I don't need to. They drink coffee, they drive cars....but I caught myself using the term "easier to french kiss a gremlin" before the dilemma of having to find a new term hit me.

Simple substititions (at least the ones i can come up with) break the flow of what's meant to be a throwaway laugh in a sentence I don't want people stopping to scratch their heads on.

Any advice on how to get around terms closly linked to our reality when my characters live somewhere else.

Craig

DeleyanLee · Jan 20, 2012

"Tongue kiss" is the common phrase I've heard during the last decade, if that helps.

BunnyMaz · Jan 20, 2012

We always called it snogging.

jjdebenedictis · Jan 20, 2012

You can rationalize it to yourself by saying they don't really speak English in that world, so you, the author, are just using the equivalent English phrase in place of their word, so your readers can understand.

That said, I once read a fantasy book set in Ye Olde Fake Medieval Europe, and a monster was described as having "switchblade" claws.

It totally threw me out of the story. I'm pretty sure Ye Noble Farmboy Protagonist would have picked something better than a quarterstaff to fight with if he lived in a world where switchblades existed.

Mac H. · Jan 20, 2012

I was thrown in a similar sci-fi setting ... when an alien referred to another as a 'quisling'.

I know that every single other word they used was in English .. but for some reason some are associated so strongly with something that is blatantly 'Earth-only' that I just can't accept them.

It is very disconcerting when it happens.

Mac

Hiroko · Jan 20, 2012

Replace the "French" part with a country similar to France? Otherwise pick a synonym, like the aforementioned "tongue-kissing," "snogging," "buss," "osculate," etc.

Silver-Midnight · Jan 20, 2012

I think I've mostly said "tongue kiss" or "make out".

KaiaSonderby · Jan 21, 2012

I don't think it will really be a problem. Especially if your world feels modern. Even if it's not our world, it's easier to go along with language we know. It's only if you want your world to feel completely foreign where you'll have a big problem. (Don't let Word tell you to capitalize it; that may help.)

Like jjdebenedictis, I've run into that. A completely made up high fantasy world...and they were eating Eclairs. That's what you need to watch out for.

Wiskel · Jan 21, 2012

Thanks everyone.

I'm trying to do a little too much with the phrase so I might have to substitute a different activity.

In context. "To say his boss was being slippery was an understatement. It would have been easier to french kiss a gremlin than get a straight answer out of him."

None of my characters are human, let alone french. My MC is a teddy bear and his boss a doll. This is the second mention of gemlins in the story. There are no gremlin characters so far and I'm trying to give a little bit of world buidling info about them without an info dump. I'm also after a smile or chuckle.

It might just be me but tongue kiss isn't commonly enough used around me for me to accept it without wondering why someone didn't say french kiss and that would pull me out of the story. Snogging is a great substitution but doesn't feel right somehow.

I may go for a total substitution like "hogtie a gremlin"

Craig

Mlaz · Jan 21, 2012

There's no France in your world but there are Gremlins?

PEBKAC2 · Jan 21, 2012

Mlaz said:
There's no France in your world but there are Gremlins?

I'm trying to picture the Ven diagram in your head that prompted you to ask this question

glutton · Jan 21, 2012

jjdebenedictis said:
I'm pretty sure Ye Noble Farmboy Protagonist would have picked something better than a quarterstaff to fight with if he lived in a world where switchblades existed.

I think a quarterstaff would beat a switchblade pretty soundly. I mean I'd rather have a baseball bat than a boxcutter in real life for instance...

jjdebenedictis · Jan 21, 2012

glutton said:
I think a quarterstaff would beat a switchblade pretty soundly. I mean I'd rather have a baseball bat than a boxcutter in real life for instance...

True, but if they have switchblades, they have springs. And if they have springs, they have crossbows.

And I'll take a crossbow over a baseball bat, for sure.

glutton · Jan 21, 2012

jjdebenedictis said:
True, but if they have switchblades, they have springs. And if they have springs, they have crossbows.

And I'll take a crossbow over a baseball bat, for sure.

The farmboy could have any number of reasons to wield a quarterstaff when crossbows exist, like not wanting to resort to lethal force too quickly, or tending to get into melees where reloading would be a problem, or the authorities looking down on people openly carrying a military weapon, etc.

Diana_Rajchel · Jan 21, 2012

"Easier to lick a gremlin in its mouth." ?

jjdebenedictis · Jan 21, 2012

glutton said:
The farmboy could have any number of reasons to wield a quarterstaff when crossbows exist, like not wanting to resort to lethal force too quickly, or tending to get into melees where reloading would be a problem, or the authorities looking down on people openly carrying a military weapon, etc.

Sure, but my point was the word switchblade was out of place for that world.

glutton · Jan 21, 2012

I'm highly prone to tangents. Like arguing for 5 pages about Wonder Woman on a thread about Thor vs Superman.

lauralam · Jan 21, 2012

I love the discussions that come up on these forums.

Wiskel · Jan 21, 2012

Mlaz said:
There's no France in your world but there are Gremlins?

It's ok. There's still cake.

KaiaSonderby · Jan 22, 2012

Wiskel said:
It's ok. There's still cake.

Now I'm just wondering if a "The cake is a lie!" joke would go right over everyone's heads.

_Sian_ · Jan 22, 2012

brightlyiburn said:
Now I'm just wondering if a "The cake is a lie!" joke would go right over everyone's heads.

Nope, absolutely not. No problems here. Portal ftw :ROFL:

jjdebenedictis · Jan 22, 2012

This is a triumph. I'm making a note here: huge success.

Wiskel · Jan 22, 2012

The cake is not a lie. It is delicious and moist and waiting for anyone who's helped me on this thread.

KaiaSonderby · Jan 22, 2012

Wiskel said:
The cake is not a lie. It is delicious and moist and waiting for anyone who's helped me on this thread.

Keep doing whatever it is you think you're doing. Killing you and giving you good advice aren't mutually exclusive. The rocket really is the way to go. /GLaDOS

Mlaz · Jan 22, 2012

Wiskel said:
The cake is not a lie.

What about pie?

French kissing if there's no France

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