Glossary of Romance Terms and Definitions
Ripmybodice’s Glossary of Romance Terms and Definitions
Alpha Male, The [Pronunciation Key: Al-fuh Meyl] “ adjective: The Alpha Male is a dominant leader of men, dangerously sexy, possessive, wealthy, highly intelligent (thus excelling in everything he does), an incredibly good-looking specimen of a man who is usually described as a “dangerously beautiful panther amongst a sea of peacocks”. Examples include King Leonidas of the movie “300″ (Gerard I love you!!), Matthew Farrell of the eternal classic “Paradise”, a Duke or an Earl, a CEO of a multi-billion dollar MNC, a Roman General etc. His reputation precedes him and he can probably make us do his wicked bidding with one beautifully arched brow.
Big Misunderstanding, The [Pronunciation Key beeg-mizhun-der-staandeeng] noun: 1. Plot device well-known and beloved/abhorred by romance readers, frequently involving the Hero and Heroine misunderstanding each others’ actions or words. The Big Misunderstanding is also often used in conjunction with the Long Separation (See also entry for Long Separation, The). The Big Misunderstanding should be distinguished from The Misunderstanding, which can be easily cleared up after several chapters, and seldom involves The Long Separation (See also entry for Misunderstanding, The) Examples of The Big Misunderstanding include (i) the Hero believing that the Heroine had aborted his baby (hence The Long Separation of ten years) and (ii) the Hero believing that the Heroine had betrayed him to the French (in historical romances) or the FBI (in contemporary romances) 3. The Big Misunderstanding has also been known to increase blood pressure in romance readers due to the frequently infuriating and asinine actions or words of the couple (see also entry for Too Stupid To Live), and as such, should only be employed as a plot device by exceptionally skilled writers (see also entry for Ms Judith McNaught)
Black Dagger Brotherhood, The (BDB) [Pronunciation Key: Blair-k Daare-ger/ Bru-therr-hoo-d]- noun: Group of warrior vampires created by JR Ward, they consist of 7 (and counting) highly evolved vampires, immersed in gun-power and hip-hop music. Brothers are extremely possessive and devoted to their shellans, evincing this through menacing growls and aggressive behavior if another male dares to even approach their females. They are the epitome of sexiness and have been known to incite longing and lust in all who come across them. Oh and they also fight lessers. 2. The release of a new BDB book is cause for much celebration and little productivity at the headquarters of ripmybodice.
Carriage [Pronunciation Key: Kaair-reedge]- noun: conveyance used in historical romance novels, drawn by horses. Carriages are usually emblazoned with the family crests of Heroes, and are never found in any colour other than black. Carriages are also used as settings for romantic trysts between the Hero and Heroine, usually after the Hero whisks the Heroine away from a ball, overcome by the sight of her decolletage, which has been known to make grown men weep, puppies whimper, and also block out the sun. The Heroine invariably emerges from the carriage in a state of post-coital dishabille, unable to meet the eyes of the coachman, who must receive a generous Christmas bonus in exchange for his silence. Just remember, don’t frighten the horses!
Grovel, The [Pronunciation Key: gruhv-uhl] -verb 1. situation whereby hard-headed hero who has greviously wronged the heroine through unforgivable actions (see also entry for Alpha Male, The) is made to prostrate himself before her in an attempt for forgiveness. The Hero will often resort to tears, impassioned pleas and grand gestures. Artfully perpetuated by certain authors (see also entry for Ms Judith McNaught), the potential for heart-wrenching drama and tearful emotion is enormous, especially if The Hero is normally taciturn and unfeeling. However, the use of The Grovel as a plot device has the potential to backfire, especially if the Hero has behaved very badly and yet does not grovel or grovels to an insufficient degree. 2. Not to be mistaken for building material used in the paving of driveways and roads. 3. La Lola’s favourite thing about Romance.
Hott or Hot(t) [Pronunciation Key: hawtt] noun: Used as a description to depict either a scene in the book, the Hero or dialogue that is so mind-numbingly hot, that the mere word “hot†does not do it justice. Most often than not, the use of the word “Hott” will be seen in conjunction with and/or related to the Hero of the book. Please ntoe that flushing, blushing and fanning of oneself usually follow.
Jealousy, The [Pronunciation Key: jea-lose-eee] noun: Scenes depicting The Jealousy are highly desired in the ripmybodice headquarters and are usually what makes a book ascend from being “just ok” to “squee worthy” (i.e. where we squeal like 16 year old girls who come face to face with their favorite boy-bander). Examples include Paul Devlin in “Easy Connections”, where after hearing a rather good looking rival comment “not this baby, maybe the next” in response to whether he is the father of the heroine’s child. This quote had apparently enraged Devlin so much that he proceeds to ring the rival up to yell at him that “any more attempts to grab his woman and his baby and he could come around to murder him in an extremely unpleasant and painful way which he described in detail.” Fabulous. Other examples can be found throughout the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, involving growling, bonding scent and baring of fangs. Squeeee!!
Long Separation, The [Pronunciation Key: Lawng Sep-uh-rey-shuhn] - noun: 1. Artfully and masterfully crafted by Ms Judith McNaught (see definition of Ms. Judith McNaught below), The Long Separation is an essential plot tool in the Romance genre (see definition of Romance below) that show readers how much the hero and heroine of the book really do love each other despite their time apart. The greatest (and longest) example being the 11 year separation between Matthew Farrell and Meredith Bancroft in “Paradise”, which in no way put a damper on The Passion had for each other. 2. The Long Separation should only be utilised if the Hero and Heroine are both relatively young at the beginning of the story or else the unappealing alternative would be for the Hero and Heroine to be reunited when they are both 90. 3. The Long Separation is a sub-set of The Big Misunderstanding.
Misunderstanding, The [Pronunciation Key: Meez-oon-der-staandeeng] noun: 1. Plot device frequently used by Romance writers who do not as yet possess the skill worthy to write The Big Misunderstanding (see entry above) 2. Minor misunderstanding between Hero and Heroine, which is resolved almost immediately (or within a few chapters), unlike The Big Misunderstanding which usually involves years of heartache and emotions such as betrayal, hurt and tortured longing 3. Can sometimes be highly annoying to Romance readers everywhere because of its potential to be incredibly pointless (this is especially so when the Romance writer is unskilled and/or is merely churning out a generic Romance novel to pay the bills).
Ms. Judith McNaught [Pronunciation Key: Mees Joo-dee-th Mack-Naw-ot] person: Iconic writer in the Romance genre (see definition of Romance) whom is believed to be living in Texas, United States. Author of such unbeatable classics like “Whitney, My Love”, “Paradise”, “Kingdom of Dreams”, “Perfect”, “Once and Always” etc, Ms. Judith McNaught’s name inspires devotion and tears of joy in the most ardent of her fans. Master of The Big Misunderstanding, The Long Separation, The Grovel and more, Ms. Judith McNaught should stop breaking the hearts of La Lola and Sheridan Sakura Carlotta and return to her non murder-mystery thriller suspense roots (please see our Open Letter to Ms Judith McNaught).
Passion, The [Pronunciation Key: pash-uhn] noun: 1. Unrelated to Jesus Christ or Mel Gibson 2. More often than not linked with Hott or Hot(t) (see definition of Hott) 3. Includes smokin’ hot sexual chemistry between the two lead characters and exists irregardless of whether a sex scene is being described 4. A required plot tool in the Romance genre for otherwise the book will be useless and should just be used in your next origami class 5. Can exist in a look of deep yearning/possessiveness/longing. There are no need for words where The Passion is involved.
Romance [Pronunciation Key: row-man-se] noun: 1. (From www.dictionary.com) A novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting 2. Greatest genre ever (or so we say) for it makes our hearts palpitate with joy/pain/excitement/fear, and our eyes fill with tears of sorrow and grief for the tumultuous journey that our hero and heroine have to go through. Yet, so misunderstood and mocked by the world 3. The glue that binds us all at ripmybodice headquarters and is not to be dissed within our hearing/spitting presence or we will memorize your face and hunt you down and kill you while you sleep.
Scotland [Pronunciation Key: skort-lernd] - noun : 1. One of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain 2. Setting of most of Julie Garwood’s historicals, before her tragic and ill-advised advent into romantic suspense. Novels set in Scotland feature handsome and brawny Scottish lairds and spirited English lasses. Famous for bagpipes and kilts (making aforementioned Scottish lairds’ bagpipes more accessible). Little mention is made of haggis. 3. Also birthplace of actor Gerard James Butler, Beloved of All at ripmybodice headquarters and object of much rivalry between La Lola and Sheridan Sakura Carlotta.
Secret Baby, The [Pronunciation Key: See-kret Bay-bee] noun: 1. Situation where the Heroine keeps the baby a secret from the Hero, most commonly because she does not wish to be a burden on him. The Hero’s re-emergence in the Heroine’s life only comes several years after The Secret Baby is born. If the Hero is unusually dense or has cataracts, will not notice startling resemblance of The Secret Baby to himself, although everyone else does. Only realizes the true identity of The Secret Baby when he discovers the butterfly birthmark on the Secret Baby’s left buttock, which runs in the Hero’s family 2. Another plot device frequently utilized by romance authors, used in conjunction with Long Separation, The and Big Misunderstanding, The. The three plot devices used together are also known as the Holy Trinity of Romance Novels, and should only be used by the most experienced romance authors.
Sports Hero, The [Pronunciation Key: Spoawrts Hee-row] noun: Although not a sexy corporate raider like most of the Heroes in other books, nor a titled aristocrat, The Sports Hero is nonetheless is a force to be reckoned with. A Hott force to be reckoned with in fact. Generally The Sports Hero is described as a phenomenal talent (in whatever sport you find him in), incredibly good looking, rich, and intelligent. If you happen to be reading Susan Elizabeth Philip’s NFL series, then of course, The Sports Hero will be a nice southern boy who possesses bone-melting southern charm and grin that will make your mother cry with joy.
Spy [Pronunciation Key: Sp-eye]- noun: 1. Secret Agent involved in corporate espionage, most commonly found in historical novels. The Spy Hero is usually a handsome, rich aristocrat who appears to be a dilettante, to the contempt of the Heroine. Little does the Heroine know that the Hero’s lazy yet beautiful exterior belies a fierce intellect superior to Einstein, Bill Gates and Archimedes combined. Always involved in missions to save England from Napolean, the spying plot is usually resolved very quickly at the end, due, no doubt, to the Spy Hero’s astounding intellect and the author’s word count. Notable examples of the Spy Hero include Gaelen Foley’s Lucien Knight (Lord of Fire) and Christina Dodd’s Lord Ransom (That Scandalous Evening)
Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) [Pronunciation Key: Tuu-Stoo-peed-Tuu-Leev] adjective: 1. Derogatory term commonly used to describe heroines, whose asinine actions put them into danger, thus requiring assistance from the heroes. The term “Too Stupid To Live” is presumably derived from the fact that the lack of pure common sense in the heroine makes it almost impossible for her to survive on her own, without the hero rescuing her from the jaws of death. Taking the TSTL heroine out of the gene pool might also ensure the continued survival of the human race. 2. The TSTL heroine could start off the novel being seemingly intelligent i.e she has a masters from Harvard and has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in physics. If it is a historical novel, the heroine could also be considered somewhat of a bluestocking, and hence scares off men with her intellect. However, the TSTL heroine will usually perform an act so criminally dumb, that all heads at ripmybodice headquarters will be simultaneously thunked against the floor. 3. Examples of TSTL behaviour include not staying put when the hero tells her it would be dangerous to venture out of her house, given that a homicidal serial-killer obsessed with blonde bimbos is running around town looking for her. The TSTL heroine instead decides to make a quick stop at the convenience store because she has run out of dental floss. TSTL behaviour is also commonly found in historical novels. For instance, when the TSTL heroine is trapped on a pirate ship with a hott, hunky pirate hero who has tenderly tried to woo her and never forced his manly attentions on her (although La Lola certainly wouldn’t complain), the TSTL heroine decides that she has a better chance of survival off the ship, and plunges into shark-infested waters in a bid to swim to shore. The fact that they are in the middle of the Atlantic ocean is not enough to deter our feisty (aka dumb as a post) TSTL heroine.
Vampire [Pronunciation Key: vair-m-pie-er] noun: 1. Supernatural creature found in paranormal romantic fiction. The image of vampires has recently undergone a transformation thanks to the efforts of JR Ward and the creation of the BDB. No longer poncy fops in velveteen pantaloons and billowing capes, vampires are now associated with great strength, vitality and hottness. 2. Vampires rely on blood for sustenance and blood-taking appears to be a rather pleasurable activity, particularly if it occurs during sex.