General Clan Terminology

The following lists idioms and other common phrases Clan cats use in their speech. Many phrases, such as *mouse-brain* and *fox-dung*, can be related to phrases we use as humans.

## General Terms

* **crow-food/crowfood:** a dead animal that has begun to rot; may be used as insult
* **dirt:** feces; may also be used in a statement about actual dirt
* **fresh-kill:** an animal caught for the purpose of consumption
* **Gathering:** the peaceful monthly meeting of all the Clans at the full moon
* **hunting patrol:** a group of cats hunting for fresh-kill to bring back for their Clan to eat
* **kittypet:** domestic pet cat under the care of Twolegs
* **loner:** a cat who lives by themself and does not defend its territory
* **making dirt:** defecating
* **Rain Cave:** a sacred area where cats communicate with StarClan
* **rogue:** a hostile cat who does not have a permanent home
* **she-cat:** a female cat
* **Silverpelt:** the large swath of stars in the night sky, believed to be the Milky Way
* **tom/tomcat:** a male cat
* **Twoleg:** a human
* **flea-brain:** an insult; the severity of it is decided by the tone
* **fox-dung/fox dung:** a harsh insult comparing the recipient to fox feces
* **Great StarClan:** an exclamation used to express extreme surprise or anger
* **mouse-brain:** an insult; the severity of it is decided by the tone
* **stinkers in the shadows:** an insult of GreenClan; used by Acornspark

## Time

* **newleaf:** spring
* **greenleaf:** summer
* **leaf-fall:** autumn
* **leaf-bare:** winter
* **moon:** a month
* **moonhigh:** when the moon is highest in the sky
* **moonrise:** when the moon rises
* **half-moon:** half a month; about two weeks
* **quarter-moon:** quarter of a month; about one week
* **sunhigh:** when the sun is highest in the sky
* **sunrise:** one day
* **sundown:** dusk
* **sunup:** dawn

## Distance

* **fox-length:** around a yard
* **kittenstep/kitstep:** around an inch or half-inch
* **tail-length:** around a foot
* **rabbit hop/rabbit length:** around a foot and a half
* **mouse-length:** around two or three inches
* **pawstep:** around six inches
* **tree-length:** around forty to fifty feet

## Living Spaces

* **den:** a living space for a single cat or group of cats sharing common or similar ranks
* **dirtplace:** place near the camp where cats urinate, excrete, or dump prey remains
* **nursery:** a living space shared by the queens and kits
* **fresh-kill pile:** a pile containing all prey animals caught for consumption

## Ranks

* **kit:** a kitten younger than six moons and under the responsibility of their mother
* **apprentice:** a cat at least six moons old and training to become a warrior, medicine cat, or mediator
* **mediator:** a cat who soothes quarrels and thinks of unbiased solutions to problems
* **warrior:** a mature cat who has completed all their warrior training as an apprentice
* **mentor:** a cat who is currently training an apprentice
* **queen:** a she-cat expecting or nursing kits, or stays in the nursery helping other queens
* **elder:** a cat who cannot serve their Clan as a warrior or apprentice efficiently anymore
* **medicine cat:** a cat skilled with healing injuries and diseases and receives messages from StarClan
* **deputy:** a warrior who is second-in-command and future leader, helping them organize tasks
* **leader:** a cat who is in control of an entire Clan with nine lives to serve their Clan efficiently