You spoke and we listened. The WatchersOnTheWall Game of Thrones Lexicon page has been updated with your feedback.
Back in September of 2014, we announced the creation of a Lexicon page and asked for your input on words and phrases to include. WotW contributors considered every proposal (yes, even “Myrish swamp”) and debated the merits of each item in regards to its specific significance to the WotW community, both historical and contemporary, in addition to its overall importance in the life of GoT fandom.
Here are some examples of our winnowing process. If a word, phrase or acronym was a simple abbreviation of something from the books that could be understood by newbies in the context of discussion, we left it out. An example of this kind of item would be LF for Littlefinger or NW for Night’s Watch. Similarly, something that was from the books and had no double meaning was left out. “Fat pink mast” (a straight-forward metaphor for an…..ahem…..) being an example. Many of these straightforward metaphors and concepts are already covered in much more extensive ASOIAF wikis, which we did not intend this Lexicon to become.
Additionally, some of the proposed phrases were too spoilerish such as place names, character names and theory abbreviations from books that had not yet been covered by the show. Such phrases would have spoiled non-readers and readers who have not gone beyond the current season in the books. Furthermore, we didn’t feel that we could anticipate what would or would not be included in the show in the future sufficiently to warrant their inclusion at this time.
However, going forward as each season passes and we go past those points in the books, significant phrases with community meaning can and will be added. A final example of our thinking is the inclusion of the book title acronyms. We thought that non-book readers would not be able to suss out what they meant without an Internet search. So providing that answer here, without their having to leave our site, was our goal.
Go check out the latest version of the WotW Lexicon page and feel free to give us your feedback. In the comments below let us know how it looks, how it works on various platforms and browsers (I will adjust it within reason but cannot promise it will work perfectly on every platform out there), the phrases included/excluded, the definitions and whatever else pops into your GoT starved brains.
Thanks again for your participation, now and in the future!
I like it, the font is a bit strange but I understand why you chose it. Now back to reading… (will probably add more after)
Useful stuff for the Unsullied, I also learned something new, while I knew about the famous banner created by WinterPhill I had no idea the house is called Gatewatch. Has it always been this way or was it changed when you guys created WotW?
Still relatively new to commenting on WotW despite using it for a while. However, on the PW (Purple Wedding) part, it says “episode three of season 4”, it should be episode two.
I have to agree with Balerion about the font, and in combination with the “aged” page, makes it a little rough on the eyeballs. I get what you are going for here, but I think that could be improved.
The content is great, if a little light, but I look forward to additional information in the future.
Something off-topic, sorry, but I haven’t seen this answered so far: Will we still get a countdown clock now that we know season 5’s premiere date? 🙂
Just to be that guy, Dame Pasty, you still haven’t credited KG for the design of the Coat of Arms of House Gatewatch. 😉 Otherwise great work, I for one even like the font, adds a nice historic feel to the lexicon.
I was just reading through the lexicon and under letter B … I read Back to the Top and thought that was really funny until I noticed… well facepalm 🙂
Ok guys, really, blue on brown? You expect me to read that? The font is fine but either make the text darker or the page lighter. Preferrably both.
ash,
Blue on brown? I see a light black on yellowish (old parchment)… Only the hyper links are maybe slightly blue for me if I don’t hover over them.
The book-titles should be listed together at the start, and not in jumbled up order. Now it’s just annoying for anyone with a tad of OCD. Otherwise I’m very pleased =)
PS: (Yes, I do realise you’re going for the complete list in alphabetical order…)
In the spirit of gender equality, I hope that you reconsider including “Fat Pink Mast” and “Myrish Swamp” in this lexicon! I think they are euphemisms for many things, not just sailing equipment and geographical locations.
Also, if you include “It is known” then you must counter it with “You know nothing.”
If you dare defy my logic, then you may go “wherever whores go”…but since “words are wind” I will defer to your prudence.
I love how when you google just “GRRM”… well… these day GRRM is the thing that shows up first.
Indigo is TOTALLY a colour, duh. Otherwise, what colour is violet other than less-blue-indigo?
Always support the bottom makes marginally more sense now… although it still sounds like and advert for spanks.
will this continue to be updated?
A shade of purple?
Seriously, “indigo”? If you are going to go the full Monty, then get out the Crayola crayon kit, or even the paint samplers. Otherwise, I’m sticking with 6 colors. (I keep working on trying to see ultraviolet, but I’ve had no luck…)
I should change my username to Aacumsprite so that my entry is first.
Balerion The Cat,
Actually, House Gatewatch as a creation was entirely pre-WotW so it was set in stone. The shield was created by KG, a commenter from the old site who so far as I know has not joined us here.
Re: the countdown clock we are working on it as we speak. 🙂
Cathair,
You are correct! Thank you for letting me know. I’ve already corrected it.
Abyss,
Aaaargh! I had it in my notes and I still missed it! It has been corrected. I wish KG was here…haven’t seen her in a long time.
ash,
The only blue should be the links, however, the font itself is not very dark. I will look into making the background lighter and the font darker.
Hodor’s Bastard,
And I bow to your superior use of Asoiaf phraseology!
Greatjon of Slumber,
But, of course!!!!! As we move forward into the story things like
will be added.
The drowned fool,
Ya know, that occurred to me. How about I put it under “Asoiaf Book Titles” and then list them in order?
Dame Pasty,
She has made it clear, that she doesn’t want to join here. IIRC she was feeling mistreated by the mods, but I don’t no for sure. I agree that’s it’s a shame that she left, it’s always said to lose someone, especially someone, who has been with the community for so long…
Btw, in the first lexicon thread it was pointed out that the chair thing probably wasn’t the first “gate” and the entry should be changed to “One of the first scandals or “gates”[…]” because of that.
hahaha It’s spelled Kuuh! Kuuh! Kuuh! as per closed captioning. I finally figured out what B&W stands for….
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to put some paragraph breaks into “Always Support the Bottom”
Shut my mouth!
Ha, the Gatewatch Arms. Didn’t think anyone but me bothered to save that!
Note: Another commenter gave me a heads-up as to the art being included, so I popped in to look around.
Hi.
Oh the “Gates” are funny in hindsight, though to be honest I was not a visitor to the Site that Shall Not Be Named in the very early days. With “Eyebrow Gate” I suppose it is always easier to darken the hair/eyebrows of a naturally fair person than vice versa. Joseph Mawle who played Benjen is a lot lighter haired in real life than the character he played. I suppose they went the “wiggy” route for the hair and used something like eyebrow pencil for the eyebrows (that’s just me surmising). He looked a convincing dark-haired Stark in his show regalia though. Of course for a naturally dark-haired person I suppose they would have to bleach the eyebrows in order to lighten them and of course the person acting the part would look decidedly strange once the wig came off.
KG are you likely to come here again?
Dame Pasty,
Super!
KG,
Hi KG! Nice that you dropped by, appreciated 🙂
KG,
Hi KG!!!
Abyss,
I dunno, maybe its the light on my laptop. I’ll check on my desk top and see if its the same.
Dame Patsy, my eyes thank you 🙂
Wimsey,
I suspect you are male. Males don’t seen colours the way females do. I also think sometimes I hear bat sonar and can smell cancer though… so…. take my insanity with a grain of salt…
In the Lexicon-section titled ‘Little birds’: Vary’s is actually spelled Varys. Spelling errors should best be avoided, I think, especially in names.
How far sexually will season 5 go with Sansa? Hope we don’t witness anything too creepy. Well, creepier than Sansa and Littlefinger kissing. Here’s a quote from Sophie Turner in her interview with The Wrap.
When asked what position Sansa will find herself in during Season 5 after lying for Petyr Baelish, Sophie said, “Well now she’s kind of in the position where Baelish isn’t overly sure what Sansa’s about, he doesn’t really know why she stuck up for him. But he’s kind of realizing that she’s a great manipulator, and she’s not this vulnerable young girl anymore. And she’s also realized that she can manipulate him though other means, because now she realizes his weakness is kind of her, and her mother. She’s gonna try to play out her sexuality as much as she can to manipulate him. So that’s what she’s gonna do.”
Turncloak,
Well, that’s sort of an “ugh” quote, but not surprising.
So we’re still lacking in Deepwood Motte!
Boooooo
Hodor’s Bastard,
im thinking there has to be a reason for keeping
Hodor’s Bastard,
Why eps 9-10? I actually presumed he’d return somewhere mid-season to do some manipulating here and there (cersei, faith, tyrells)…
Dutch maester,
You know, I probably was mistaken regarding the timeframe of LF in KL. I based my assumption solely on the “proximity context” of an LF pic in a WotW article from Oct 9, 2014. But his filming could have been for another director than Nutter, even though it was done at the same time as the “walk.”. I remember folks wondering why LF was filming KL scenes during the walk, but it was never confirmed which episode/director.
If he arrives in KL mid-season, then get those LF magic carpet accusations going again! As we well know, he moves quickly!
The drowned fool,
/waves hi
Hodor’s Bastard,
Every time I think about the ending of the series this quote comes to mine:
GRRM please have Mercy :'(.
I’ve been reading the old site and the new site casually for years, but I never knew what “Always Support The Bottom” meant. I mean, I understood it was some kind of secret handshake between hardcore “Old Sullied”, as opposed to the “New Sullied” (read the books after watching S1) like me who hadn’t been there at the start, but I didn’t know that actual story.
I feel somewhat enlightened now.
Chickenduck,
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard at a forum thread anywhere as I did when realization slowly dawned that we’d been making colossal asses out of ourselves trying to sort out what it could POSSIBLY MEEEEEEAAAN?
Greenjones,
Whoa….
🙂
KG,
‘Sup
I expected to see “You know nothing” too, especially since the expression is used both in books and show. (Only Cat is from the book only and got in)
It’s showing as Varys’ because I probably had it in the sentence as a possessive and after rearranging never removed the apostrophe. It’s gone now.
Abyss,
Sigh…had the “one of the first” things in my notes too and missed it. It’s been added. Thanks!
Rygritte,
LOL Kuuh it is then!
KG,
Paragraph breaks added and credit given to you on House Gatewatch. And it’s great to see you here!
Anna,
“Only Cat” made it in because it was something that was discussed extensively in this community and because the change in the show dialog was a very big deal to some. And show only watchers or newbies wouldn’t know what the heck we were talking about it if they stumble across it. “You know nothing”, although it is on the show and in the books, is pretty straight forward. It means exactly what it says and in the community we use it to mean that same thing. I’m happy to add it if someone can make a good argument as to why it should be included regarding it having a double meaning and it not being something someone can figure out by itself.
OMG KG so good to see you back! I loved the lexicon, it made me LOL remembering the Old stories
Dame Pasty,
My apologies. I didn’t know it has to be not self explanatory. I was thinking more in lines of adding classic/ frequently used phrases in the show and books that have become a trademark of this community. As “lexicon” by definition is a totality of words used in a language/branch etc not only ambiguous or unknown words to begin with (not that I would suggest including everything 🙂 ), well… that threw me off.
Anna,
No worries. It’s just that there are a few really thorough wiki’s out there and we didn’t want to repeat what they do…more to just clarify things that are less than clear (particularly for newbies) within our own community.