Lexicon

This is a lexicon of CTY terms, organized by site. For a list of more personal or hall/class-specific terms, see Lexicon Spawn.

General

• Activities: Scheduled social events and such that CTYers are required to attend after classes and on weekends. Popular ones include Discussion Group and Acting Improv.
• "American Pie": A song by Don McLean that is played at every CTY/CAA site as the last song at every dance (except for Skidmore Session 1 last dance).
• Baby CTY: CTY Young Students Program.
• Canon: The songs which must be played at all CTY dances. The Canon varies by site (and sometimes even by session).
• CTY: Center for Talented Youth. See also: CTY expansions
• CTYer: A CTY student or alumnus; also, in some cases, anyone who is associated with CTY and understands the CTY spirit. "My college roommate was a CTYer too, but I didn't know her when I was there."
• CTY-I/CTY-A: Short for CTY inappropriate and appropriate, respectively, used by students and staff alike. Another term, CTYS was created at LAN.06.2 during Passionfruit when serveral people misheard the term "CTY-esque". CTYS has no meaning.
• CTY-L: The main CTY e-mailing list.
• CTY-M: CTY memories.
• CTY Withdrawal/Post-CTY Depression: The feeling of sadness that CTYers, especially nomores, experience after leaving CTY. Can last for days, weeks, or until the day before CTY of the next year.
• Double sessioner: Someone who goes to two sessions in one year, regardless of site.
• ERS: Egyptian Ratscrew, a popular card game at CTY.
• Five-year Freak: Lucky fobber who through some combination of birthdate, grade-skippage, and pure luck is eligible to attend CTY for five years as opposed to the usual four.
• Flying Squirrel: Someone who changes sites. For example, Suzie went to Lancaster in 2004 and in 2005, she went to Carlisle. At Carlisle, Suzie was referred to as a flying squirrel.
• Forevermore: Any CTY alumnus, who will always be a part of CTY.
• Hall bondage: A Sunday activity in which a CTYer is required to hang out with other students living on their hall. May occasionally be after Study Hall for a weird hall. The RAs refer to this time period as "hall bonding," but then again, RAs are strange.
• Hall hopping: Either legal or illegal practice of having sleepovers in other halls. Usually illegal.
• Hall meeting: A meeting of one's hall. It is conducted by the RA, and is used to announce news and sign up for activities. Also a good chance to annoy your RA.
• Illegal sleepover: Sneaking into others' rooms overnight on weekdays. A common practice in these sleepovers is "practicing" on each other.
• Mafia: A popular activity game involving God/mediator, a doctor/angel, a detective/cop, mafia, and townspeople.
• Mandatory Fun: Activities, especially weekend activities. It is one of the oldest terms in the CTY lexicon, dating back at least to the mid-80s. Mandatory Fun activities have a very notorious reputation for being extremely boring and/or stupid. It was referred to as Non-Mandatory Fun at LMU through 2006, although the term Mandatory fun was adopted in 07.2.
• Mao: A very popular CTY card game, played at a variety of different sites. Its first rule is "you may not discuss the rules of Mao." Also popular with math teams such as ARML. There are an unlimited number of variants: Chicago math team Mao is the same as Massachusetts math team Mao, but is quite different from CTY Mao.
• Meet Market: The evening social time at CTY. Called Quad Time at some sites, and Social Time at LMU.
• Nevermore: At most sites, a Nevermore is a CTYer who can no longer return due to reaching the age limit of 16. At Lancaster and Carlisle, a Nevermore is a CTYer who cannot return for other reasons and is not yet 16. Some tradition-unaware CTYers use this term interchangably with "nomore," or do not know what either are.
• Nomore: At most sites, a Nomore is a CTYer who cannot return due to reasons other than age. At Lancaster and Carlisle, a Nomore is a CTYer who can no longer return because they have reached the age limit of 16. Some tradition-unaware CTYers use this term interchangably with "nevermore," or do not know what either are.
• One Hit Wonder: Someone who is both a first year and a nomore/nevermore. Sometimes called "One Shot."
• Onemore: A CTYer whose next year will be his or her nomore year. Similarly, there are twomores (tumors), threemores, minus-onemores, etc.
• Passionfruit: A morning ritual involving toasting friends and drinking juice. After the Canon, it is one of the most important and universal CTY traditions. Some sites have Passionfruit every week (Carlisle), others only on the last day.
• Quad: The large, grassy area in between all of the residential buildings where CTYers spend their free time. At some sites, "Quad" also refers to the buildings around the Quad, as in, "I live in Quad 10."
• Quad Time: Evening social time from 9:00-9:40. Has a reputation of seeming unbearably short. Called "Meet Market" or "Social Time" at some sites.
• RA: Residential Advisor. Like camp counselors, RAs are in charge of watching students while they aren't in class, organizing activities, and conducting hall meetings. Can be pronounced as "R.A." or as "Rah."
• Raving: Alternative and more common term for glowsticking.
• Rinas/Rinos: Through some strange coincidence, several CTY sites have, in their histories, been shared with ballet camps. Males are called "rinos" (pronounced "rhino") whereas females are "rinas." CTYers have had a quarrelsome history with all other camps, whose numbers are usually far outmatched by CTY.
• Scum: A popular card game at Lancaster; there are several variations, including Scum: The Masquerade and Scum: The Ascension.
• Seven-year Satan: Someone who has been at every single possible year of Baby CTY and CTY and has an optimal birthday, age, and grade level in school. Not to be confused with the position of Satan at Lancaster.
• Shorthand Dates: The format of expressing CTY sessions, sites, and courses.
• Silent Football: A complex game involving an invisible football, hallucinations, and tattling. This game is most popular at Lancaster, especially Second Session.
• Six-year Satan Spawn: Someone who has, through some combination of Baby CTY and CTY, been at CTY for six years.
• Sleepover: A sleepover is... a sleepover. Sleepovers may occur on Friday and Saturday nights, although sometimes only one due to RAs' patrol duties. Any number of people may be in one room, although RAs may cancel sleepovers if they become too loud.
• Squirrel/Sperm: A first year CTYer. Squirrel is the more prevalent term at Lancaster. Sperm is the more common term at Carlisle despite administrative attempts to quash it; it is used to designate someone who has never been to Passionfruit. "Even though Katie is a squirrel, she understands the essence of CTY."
• Stummy lays: In a stummy lay, one CTYer lies down on the grass, a second CTYer lies down with his or her head on the first CTYer's stomach, a third CTYer lies down on top of the second CTYer and so on, until many CTYers are all lying on top of one another on the grass. Also known as "tummy chains."
• TA/LA/PA: Teaching Assistant, Lab Assistant, Program Assistant; these terms are synonymous, but each site only uses one. Usually, they are college/grad students who assist with instructing classes.
• The Game: (LAN/CAR/LMU) A game that is very popular at Lancaster and came to Carlisle in 06.2. You just lost the game.
• Thursday: A day of the week marked by bathrobe and towel-wearing. Also the end of the world.
• Two-year Tragedy: A second year who is 16 and thus cannot return to CTY.
• Uber-CTY/Uber-CTYer: Person or thing that embodies the spirit of CTY and is very involved in the life of CTY. Ex: "Sarah is such an uber-ctyer."
• Veil law: Rules instituted in the '80s that boys cannot be in girls' rooms, and girls cannot be in boys' rooms. Rarely referred to by name.

Lancaster

• Acting Improv: Best. Activity. Ever.
• Agreedball: A sport invented for CTY Lancaster by two RAs whose catch phrase was "agreed." The purpose of the game is to be agreeable.
• Alcove: The great-great-grandspawn of the Digiclan at Lancaster. Originated in 2001. Was in exile during 2002-2004 (due to the lack of an actual Alcove), but was revived in 2005. Rumored to have killed/been killed by Game Corner. Died in 2007, was resurrected in 2008.
• Arches: A popular place for activities at Lancaster, outside of North/South Ben. The Arches are also meeting places, places for activities and places to sign up for things. Arches split into North Arches, Central Arches, and South Arches.
• ASFC: The field house at Lancaster, which contains a pool, small basketball courts, and an indoor track. During 2004, this space was used for meals while the dining hall was reconstructed. Also used for indoor dances when outdoor dances are rained out.
• Astro Dance Party: During 07.2, the Astronomy class would dance the "Macarena" at their meeting place (one of the many trees on the quad) and the "Cha Cha Slide" on their way to their building (a challenge in and of itself). Usually the entire class, sometimes including the TA, Emi Wang, participated with confidence. They were occasionally joined by other students.
• Big Top: A very painful memory from 04.2.
• Blammo: A popular game involving plastic spoons, God, and stalking.
• Boobtag: Tag. With the prefix "boob."
• Continuum: A word used to describe people who look exactly alike, starting with Zev Hurwich in 06.1. Noted people included in the continuum are Zev Hurwich, Zev Chonoles (as anti-continuum), Everett Maus (Ev), and Maddie Stevens (Mev). Also known as the EvZev Continuum.
• Dharunism: Religious outbreak among residents of one of Schnader's halls. These students and their friends worshipped Dharun as the supreme deity. Dharun had the ability to fling his lanyard like a hula hoop around his neck.
  • Dharun: An exclaimation provoked by the sight of Scott, any person who knows Dharun, or Dharun himself.
  • Dharuning: Originating from Dharun and Dharunism, this verb is similar to the all-purpose verb, fobbing, but is commonly associated with owning or pwning.
  • Chris Tian: The one and only heretic ever to rise up against the dominating religion of Dharunism. He refused to take part in many rituals, including Dharun Cocktails and screaming Dharun at the top of lungs. He even attempted to start a heretical form of lanyard swinging, horizontal around neck rather than vertical as the supreme deity Dharun decrees. Further heretics are referred to as Tianers.
• Digiclan: A group of Lancaster CTYers that started as a group of students who took Digital Logic in the early '90s. They are known for their weirdness and their (currently defunct) webpage.
• Electric Tree: A tree on Hartman Green that has an electrical outlet installed at the base of its trunk; used to play music by They Might Be Giants after the Passionfruit.
• Find the Saltine: A game invented in the television series Scrubs during the fifth season episode "My Half Acre." It was introduced to CTY Lancaster by John Harrison during 07.2. In this game, one person hides a saltine somewhere on his person; then, the other players must find the saltine. Each person gets one guess per day as to the location of the saltine. When someone finds the saltine, the hider announces, "You, sir, have found the saltine," and the finder then hides it. Rinse and repeat.
• : Kinda weird that there's no title for this entry, huh? Just a blank spot, no visible word.
• Fob: Little plastic things first issued in 2003 at Lancaster that magically opened doors with a simple wave. Stands for "For Opening Buildings" or "For Opening Bras." It is a universal curse-word substitute.
• Fobmasters/Fobsters/FoBoys: a sort-of clan originating in CTY Lancaster 05.1; mostly boys from Atlee 3 and their friends. They produced jokes like Motherfobber and the Fob Dance, and the Switchfob.
  • Switchfob: An awesome way to open buildings in which a Lancaster CTYer would squeeze the fob between his or her room key and meal card. The fob would fly out. This trick became quite popular to the point that some people would fob Stager Hall, which was usually unlocked.
• Forque/Forke: A fork given to a person by the infamous Dr. Forque from 04.1 during the fork shortage.
• Hammertime: The time zone in which Lancaster Session 2 is located. Inseperably associated with Silent Football.
• LLRT: The Land of The Large Round Tables. A group of Lancaster CTYers, and a offshoot of the DigiClan. LLRT originally referred to a group of CTYers in 1993; the name has passed down through several generations and has since become the Alcove. It is also the name of Dining Hall 4 at Lancaster, where LLRTers ate.
• Kosherization: Making Kosher a place which was not previously so. Performed upon the Alcove during 07.2.
• Nerdgasm: Referring to any event of such nerdish proportions it can/does produce orgasm. A particularly appropriate example was when, for the LAN.06.2 Talent Show, one CTYer solved a Rubik's Cube onstage while reciting the first 200 digits of pi.
• PoserMofo/PoserMobo: An inside joke stemming from the PoserMobile commercial from LAN.05.1, usually the Logic A kids.
• Purpling: A term used by some residents of Schnader in 06.1 to describe a boy (blue) walking into a girls' hall (pink), or vice versa.
• Second Saturday: Lancaster's version of "Drag Day" which at Lancaster is referred to as "Cross-dress Day." This occurs on the second Saturday of each session and is marked by gratuitous references from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
• Thormanism: A religion started in 05.1 by a group of MIND students based on a god, Rachel Thorman. Overthrown by Scott and the followers of Dharunism. The last known follower of Thormanism was Chris Tian who later converted to Tianism, a religion based solely on the destruction of the Dharunist society.
• Thorny Crown: A laurel crown made by Rachel Larrowe (with help from David Federman, Elena Karras and others), commissioned by Zev Hurwich when offered a bunch of grapes by Rina Polyakov. It was passed down from Zev to Everett Maus as a relic with unspecified purpose. David Federman (the King) also wore it in "American Pie."
• Turkey Hill: A convenience store right outside of F&M campus. Each hall visits Turkey Hill twice; extra visits may be won from Mandatory Fun.
• Ultimizzle Frisbizzle Tournamizzle: Name of the Ultimate Frisbee tournament held 05.1 and 06.2. Marked a general overuse of the suffix -izzle, and inspired the 05.2 Alcove shirt.
• Winged Llama: Llama. With wings.
• Your mother: She doesn't work here. This was a running joke that can be traced back to a speech given by Chris Mahoney, Site Director at Lancaster for the first week of 01.1, at the opening ceremonies.

Carlisle

• Anita Tuvin Schlechter: The auditorium used for dances, the Talent Show, etc., named after Anita Tuvin Schlecter by her father, who donated the building. A bear owned by McKenzie Hull 06.2 was named after her, tradmarking the phrase, "Anita Tuvin Schlechter: the woman, the building, the bear."
• Betty the Cardswiper: The cardswiper at the HUB. She was infamous for saying, "Hello. Thank You."
• Blue Js: The site-renowned "gang" consisting of the members of Superquad, Quad 4, Floor 2. It was started because over half the hall's names started with the letter "J"; the rest had honorary J's added. These Existentialism and Cognitive Psychology students were known for their Blue Js hands (later stolen by the Groundbats of Session 2). These hands were infamously turned upside-down to become the symbol of the rival hall (Quad 5, Floor 2) Phoenix. Blue Js were well known for their late night Blue Js runs, and their covering of the campus with pink chalk birds.
• Bocongalicious: Something that has to do with Bocong in many ways. "Have a Bocongalicious Summer!" was a common yearbook signature during 07.1.
• Cake: Site Director Bret's analogy of CTY being a cake in 06.1; 06.2 had a sandwich. Safety on top, learning on the bottom, and fun (and CTYers) in the middle, protected by a safe learning environment. Referred to constantly and spread to Lancaster by way of Jeff Sachs's Passionfruit speech.
• Conspiracy to fatten: A conspiracy involving the ratio of eating and inactive time to activity time.
• Couching: The act of sitting on the couches in the HUB during free time. A coucher is one who couches.
• The Devil's Den: The convenient store in the HUB. Filled with lots and lots and lots of energy drinks, along with other junk food items.
• Double-Klineing: Spending both activity periods in the Kline gym.
• Fun With The Hos(e): An awesome weekend activity thought up by Luke in 06.2 and attended by most of the Game Theory class and others. It involved simply playing around with a water hose and water balloons.
• Goregasm/Goregy: DISS.06.2 had such a severe obsession with Al Gore, especially after seeing an Inconvenient Truth, that they decided to start an Al Gore-based religion. The word Goregasm was invented to describe the feelings an Al Gore lover gets when doing anything Al Gore related, an event referred to as a Goregy. The term was coined by David.
• Goth Day: Carlisle's "Goth Day." It is debatable whether it takes place on Second Wednesday or Second Thursday. Although Goth Day was traditionally on Thursday, many have adopted the tradition to Wednesday. Used interchangably with "Emo Day."
• Groundbats: Flying rodents that can dig in the sky and fly in the ground. Groundbats were also a past hall theme, resurrected by RA Jacob in 2006.
• Ha!: A game that involves laying on the stomachs of other players and trying to make them laugh by saying "HA!"
• HUB: The Holland Union Building, a place for eating and hanging out at Carlisle.
• HUB Donuts: The legendarily tasty donuts served at breakfast in the HUB cafeteria. Embraced by a few CTYers of 06.2, they are truly orgasmically good.
• HUB Potatoes: Potatoes served at every meal in the cafeteria of the HUB.
• Jacob the Jeweler: Resident Advisor Jacob Weisfeld, Captain himself, who resided over the MIND.B.CAR.06.2 and EXIT.B.CAR.06.2 boys.
• Jon Hecht: A onemore at CAR.06.2 who was a prominent member of the Cucumber Cult. He was very notable through his height and bright red hair, for which he was dubbed "The Beacon."
• Kill Murray/Save Murray: An improvisational game where two players, using their creativities and two markers, try to either to kill (red marker) or to save (green marker) a brown stick figure named Murray.
• Kline: The gym at Carlisle.
• Kunigunda (and Lisa): The mascot of EXIT.B.CAR.06.1.
• KW: The offices at Carlisle where you go if you get sick or get in trouble.
• Massey's: The creamery near Dickinson where students often enjoy Meet Narkets when RAs take side trips. Frequently used as rewards for good behavior.
• Nate's Grandma: An activity at CAR.06.2. Also known as "Christian's Hall Bonding."
• Plaid Shorts Day: Monday of every week, during which everyone wore some form of plaid shorts or other plaid textured clothes. Popular in 07.1.
• Second Tuesday: Carlisle's "Cross-dressing day."
• Slackjaw: A staring-contest-like game that became popular in Carlisle.
• Space Nazi: A group of RAs who would go around during dances of 06.1 to students who were grinding and tell them to "leave room for Jesus." A common response to this was, "I'm Jewish."
• Squeegle : Variation of your mom used during 06.2.
• Taku Appreciation: Appreciation of the POLY.B.CAR.07.2. TA, Taku; it eventually became an activity.
• Tea Cooler: An indescribable iced tea/lemonade-like product made by Lenkerbrook Farms found at Carlisle. It's like lemonade only gooder. There have been worries about the level of radioactivity in some of its other products due to its proximity to Three Mile Island.
• The Weather Girls: Spurring from a Casino Night Karaoke rendition of "It's Raining Man, the Weather Girls can be identified by standing in public and gathering upon a call of "Weather Girls Assemble!"
• Toga Day/Third Monday: Theme day invented by nevermores Maliya, Lee, Claire, and Swati.
• TreSync Amusing dance performed by the male RAs during the 07.2 Talent Show. They performed to the renowned N'Sync's "Bye Bye Bye."
• Vertical Rule: The rule that says if you're at Meet Market and you don't sit up straight, you get a bright light in your eyes and many RAs looking at you suspiciously. However, the vertical rule can be bent if you are out in the open or perpendicular to each other, as in playing the game Ha! (ways to get around the rule: say you're looking at the stars)
• Yong-Min Syndrome (YMS): Extreme perversion in thought, speech, or action. Made by Phil's and Scott's hall in 07.1.

Saratoga Springs (Skidmore)

• Cookie Trade: The door between Rounds 3 and Howe 3 is closed because they are boys' and girls' dorms, respectively. Occasionally an RA will allow a cookie trade, where the door is kept open and boys and girls can chat, trade food, etc. without breaking any rules.
• Dipshit: Silent football to the extreme.
• Jazzies: The jazz camp people, usually used to refer to cute boys at the jazz camp. They are distinct group from Rinas/Rinos and are better liked.
• Jonsson Tower: In the event of (insert calamitous disaster of choice here), how long would it take to reach the top of Jonsson Tower?
• Synergy: A term from 06.1 that means teamwork, originating from a cult-like following based on a speech made by the Site Director.
• Tater: A stuffed potato. He is used to separate grinders or dancers who are too close. He was stolen by Manan (SRA '06) during the first Mandatory Fun Saturday of Second Session. Where's Tater?
• Varsity Catch: A game in which a bunch of people run around with a ball, throwing it to each other. When the ball is dropped or kicked, everyone stops and yells at the offender, "You're the worst!" The game is then resumed.

Loudonville (Siena)

• Butt Rock: A popular landmark that was supposed to be a commemorative heart for 9/11 victims, but is actually a giant pink butt. CTYers are technically not supposed to sit on it. Also, the butt rock gets heated in the sun *wink wink*.
• The Friars: Jedi who roam the campus in space age golf carts. Angering a friar may result in a lightning bolt striking you down where you stand. CTYers have been known to be run over by the golf carts.
• The Slushites of Meng: The followers of the religion and person known as Meng.
  • "Meng wills it!": A phrase that the Slushites commonly used as an excuse for anything.
• The Ten-Plus-One Commandments: At Hamilton, the basic rules were displayed in "thou shalt not" form. Originally there were ten, but over the years, they were rewritten until there were eleven, or ten plus one. The final commandment was "No sitting on window ledges or crossing them on your way out the window." This was necessitated by the actions of one John Hague, aka Spam, a former CTYer and now RA, who sat on a Hamilton window ledge.

Los Angeles (LMU)

• Lame Train Way of Life: An ideology that gives people the permission to take themselves out of potentially explosive situations (AKA, an excuse to be lazy). From the reign of Tom Ryan III.
• Schmorntel: A happy red rhinoceros that flies and exists. From LOGC.07.1.
• Rabÿt: A swedish death metal rabbit that helps you to logic down. From LOGC.07.2.
• English: A manfairy with a big frilly tutu, purple sparkly elbow gloves, and a giant pencil that spews poisonous ink. From ETYM.07.2.

Baltimore (JHU)

• Bumpkin: A term used by Simon and Stefan's halls in 06.2.
• Hyena Time: Also, "High on Life"; refers to the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of 07.2, specifically used by Pasha to describe his hall. During this weekend, the hall was characterized by hysterical, uncontrollable, and seemingly contagious laughter, perpetuated all the while by underwear/underwhere?, quizzical/testical, dead baby, dumb blonde, and bunga jokes. The phrase came about because the laughter of one particular boy, Henly, sounded very much like a loud hyena.
• LAME: Lanyards Are My Everything, from the Talent Show Act (06.2)
• Ninja: A phrase coined and used by Pasha's Hall, specifically Kevin Yang, in 07.2. Used as a general adjective of awesomeness: "OMG, that was so ninja!" Anything can qualify for ninja status, but those that are chosen are typically flashy stunts, or brilliant moves. For an example, click here.
• PASHA!: A cry issued by Pasha's hall in 07.2 at every mention of his name. The Pasha cry is very unique; it involves a shortened "pa" sound and a much louder, stressed, elongated "sha" sound. Hall members would often repeat this cry up to ten times.
• Viet's iPods: Refers to an RA in JHU.06 who mercilessly confiscated iPods because listening to them was not allowed. It is said that he once walked to the office with twenty iPods in his arms. He was also a really mean and nasty RA in general.

Hawaii

• Club Iron (CFe): Week-long activity devoted to long runs, hills, and rotten coconuts. Run by RA Hillary and Office Manager Ali during Session 2 of 2005.
• Honorary Title: A new tradition at KNE in which somebody earns a title from their peers. If the name sticks for the whole session, it is an honorary title.
• The JellyFish Doughnuts: The students of MARI.B.KNE.05.2. Known for their superiority to the Nudies of Maria.
• PandaClan: The students of FCPS.KNE.03.1, so named because of a very bad panda joke told by the instructor, which then spread through campus like a radioactive, mutant virus. Students were known to hide behind bushes, jumping out at passers-by shouting, "I'm a PANDA!"

Easton

• Joemma babies: Pronounced "joe-ma"; a collection of short stories developed by many students of the 06.2 Whodunit Class. It was based off the idea that Joe Suttin and Emma Youtsmith were having a summer romance. It was a favorite hobby of some in the class to use Joe and Emma in the stories that they had to write.

San Francisco

• Social movement: Dances are not permitted at SFSU because of campus policy, so in keeping with the site's focus on social justice, this Friday night tradition became publicized as the weekly social movement instead.