The Lingo

Any good game creates its own world, usually described with language. Ours is no different. Here are some of the terms you should know. And you are encouraged to invent your own.

A bean is a green streetcar. Also known as green bean.

A christian is similar to ping pong but harder. At SW 10th and Market, two streetcars can "cross" each other. If you find yourself lucky enough to catch two of the steely-snouted beasts at this intersection, and they cross paths, here's what you have to do. First run at least one full block with the one you are following, then go back and get the one you are not following and run with it for a full block, then catch back up with the one you are following. Not only is a christian hard, it's extremely rare.

The echo chamber is the block on NW 10th between Hoyt and Irving that passes the Ecotrust building. This is the first all out sprint on the back nine.

A jacker is what you are - the runner. You jack, i.e., hijack, i.e., catch and pass the streetcar. Sometimes you'll hear Donnie say, "I jacked two beans and got a christian." Translation: He caught two green streetcars, then got a christian. That's a busy morning for a kid like Donnie.

Joey is a generic term for any driver, male or female, whether that's their name or not. Donnie'll be sitting there and a car comes around the corner and he goes "Here comes Joey." I think when Donnie was a kid someone named Joey used to beat the crap out of him.

An orange streetcar is a juice.

Any time you are more than three blocks behind a streetcar and you take up the chase and catch up to it, you've got ketchup. This gets very hard to do late in the game. If you make it, turn and ask your partner, "Fries with that?"

A lifer is a driver who looks like s/he has spent her/his entire life in the machine. They can't help it, it's not their fault. But you'll know a lifer when you see one.

The Lincoln Tunnel is the parking garage between SW 10th and SW Park that connects through from SW Salmon to SW Taylor. If you are running along with the streetcar down SW 10th, you can take a right onto SW Salmon, then turn left into the parking garage, run through it and you come out on SW Taylor. Bang a left back onto SW 1oth. Running through here is also known as "going to New York". Sometimes Donnie yells "City!" and I know he's going to the Lincoln Tunnel.

A photo finish is when you are sprinting north on SW 10th trying to make the light at Powell's on Burnside. If the light is going red just as you get across Burnside, that's a photo finish.

Ping Pong is when you are running along with the streetcar and you see another streetcar going the other way. In the Pearl the tracks are only one block apart. In outer NW the tracks are two blocks apart. If you leave the streetcar you are chasing, go over and catch the other one and run with it for a few paces, then turn around and catch the original one again, that's ping pong.

Phil's is the corner of NW 10th and Northrup, where the streetcar turns west onto a long uphill straightaway that goes all the way to NW 23rd. You need a good lead at Phil's or you're toast. Phil's is named after Phil Bonarelli - Tony's brother. Phil was one of the early jackers, but he got hit by a Fedex truck a few years back at that very corner. He didn't die or nothin'. But he doesn't jack any more. Everyone's in a hurry these days, especially Fedex.

A pirate is when you jump inside the streetcar to rest for a stop or two. Definitely not encouraged, but sometimes things get desperate. A pirate is better than having to lose a streetcar. So if you're falling apart, jump inside for a bit.

Railing is running in the street in between the streetcar tracks. Don't do it. It's dangerous. Donnie does it all the time. Donnie's nuts.

Swinging is when you detour off the streetcar line to add distance. If the streetcar is going real slow, you might be able to swing a block over and get back before it passes. Swinging at night is the hardest to do.