Slag (slang)

The name or term "Slag" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Slag (disambiguation).

"Slag" is one of the most versatile words in the Cybertronian vernacular. It is most commonly used as the general expletive, a use that originated during Beast Wars, and it has caught on in most subsequent series. Its use is wide and varied:

• Exclamation: "Aw, slag!" (This form is the most common use of the word)
• Noun: "You sickening piece of slag!"
• Verb: "You got to be slaggin' me."
• Adjective: "Slaggin' Computer!"

It is therefore possible to build an entire sentence of this word:

• "Slaggit! The slaggin' slag-faced motha-slaggin' slagger slagged the slaggers."

[Provided you add "the".]

The term made its first appearance in the episode "The Immobilizer" of the original series (Starscream, when faced with the realization that the Autobots are actually smart, said, "We should vaporize those Autobot fools and fuse their carcasses into slag!"). It was then used as an insult in "The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2" of the original series (Galvatron to the Hate Plague-infected Cyclonus: "Die, you worthless piece of slag!", right before he became infected himself).

Notes

• The literal meaning of slag is 'a vitreous mass left from the refining of metallic ores'. It can also refer to this mass while in its molten state, which floats atop the ore. Therefore, slag is a waste product useful for building roads, fertilizing fields, ballasting track, and for a good solid round of cursing. On Madman Entertainment's Beast Wars Season 1 commentary track for "Other Voices, Part 2", story editor Bob Forward confirmed that this was the origin for the swear word.
• In British English, it's also slang for "slut". Hmm. Showings of Beast Wars in the UK were on early morning magazine show GMTV, and the word was usually excised. Transformers Animated went without censorship for a while before first getting moved to 8:00 at night, and then to 5:30 with the slag lines (badly) edited out.
• Back in Generation 1, "Slag" was also the name of one of the Dinobots and all was fine and dandy, including in Britain. In recent years, however, Hasbro's increased awareness of the international dual-meaning for the word has left "Slag" no longer viable as a Transformer name; consequently Generation 1 Slag and characters based on him have been known as "Snarl" or the similar-sounding "Slug" in newer toylines and media. Subsequently, following Animated, the use of "slag" as an expletive seems to have ceased, with the Transformers of Prime opting to use "scrap" as their insult of choice.

See Also

• Frag