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I am the Antmaster
Quietly affirming a position of authority.
Secret origin: Developed by Jonathan Davies from YOU ARE THE ANTMASTER, coined by Cam in his review of Ants.
First used: AP49.
I am the master in my world of X
Grandiosely affirming a position of authority.
Secret origin: Coined by James Leach upon buying a splendid dessert in France. (Brandishing the pastry he bellowed, "I am the master in my world of cake.") Brought to AP by Cam Winstanley.
Note: The X must always be a singular noun.
Idiolect
Noun. A really neat way of describing the IDIOsyncratic diaLECT of any place or group of people.
Secret origin: A word which inexplicably doesn't really exist. First used by an early publisher, the term stuck, and we're currently engaged on a campaign to have the word included in the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. No, really.
Internal misunderstanding
A local failure in communication; a fatuous error.
Example: "If you're after the definitive Amiga beat-'em-up, you'd have to be suffering from a pretty major internal misunderstanding to buy Elfmania."
Secret origin: Coined by ("Michael Jackson" - Ed) as an excuse for having reviewed a PC game as the Amiga version and being found out. Adopted by AP for the famous confusion over Arcade Pool.
First used: AP39.
Note:See also Oh no! What an internal misunderstanding!
Note 2: ("Michael Jackson's" - Ed) internal misunderstanding led directly to popular consumer watch feature The Disseminator.
Inverted commas
(1) A typographical device indicating quotes. (2) A typographical device indicating colloquial English or jargon. (Archaic.)
Example 1: 'The best case I can see is that you're dead by next year.'
Example 2: "Use the 'bumpers'."
Secret origin: Traditional.
Note: Desperately overused by J Nash.
(1) Distancing oneself from obvious foolishness. (2) Deflation joke.
Example 1: "Shooting the nuns will increase your popularity rating. (It says here.)"
Example 2: "Pay homage to us, for we are the mightiest beings ever to conceive a computer games magazine! (It says here.)"
Secret origin: Traditional.
It's X and there is Y in it
Joke on adjective/noun game titles.
Example: "Risky Woods: it's risky and there are woods in it."
Secret origin: Coined by Matt Bielby (© 1992).
Note: Later to evolve into the far funnier "It's X and there is a Y of it."
An item or event particularly unsuited to such adaptation has been turned into a game.
Example: "It's lawnmowing - but on the computer."
Secret origin: Unknown.
Note: A phrase of great flexibility, used specifically ("It's X - but on the Amiga"), inversely ("It's X - but in real life"), sartorially ("It's a hat - but on a head"), etc etc.
It's X! It's Y! It's X and Y! It's X Y!
(1) A joke on self-explanatory game titles. (2) A joke on game titles containing And.
Example 1: "It's soccer! It's pinball! It's soccer and pinball! It's Soccer Pinball!"
Example 2: "It's Bubble! It's Squeak! It's Bubble and Squeak! It's Bubble And Squeak!"
Secret origin: Coined by Tim Norris.
First used: AP16.
Note: One of Tim's first captions (it was the issue he joined as Prod Ed), it fell on the urgently needed final page of the mag. Necessity is, eh?
It's more important to me than being the editor of a computer games magazine
A stern reminder that no one cares about computer games. As it should be.
Example: "I'm leaving to become a pop journalist. It's more important to me than being the editor of a computer games magazine."
Secret origin: Coined by Mark Ramshaw when leaving AP.
Note: Used for at least a year afterwards in gibes at Mark's expense. ("Mark Ramshaw was seen stacking shelves at Tesco. "It's more important to me than being the editor of a computer games magazine," quipped the wacky joof edit'a." Etc.)
Self-deprecating interjection when working for a magazine is belittled.
Example: "Acting like you're doing us a favour or something - all you do is play computer games all day. (Thanks, Jim. Of course, it's not a proper job, is it? - Ed.)"
Secret origin: A cunning reversal of the well-known attack. Like verbal judo, almost.
Note: In fact it isn't.
It's so hard to tell with these modern haircuts
Strongly indicating similarities between two items.
Example: "Ninja or samurai? It's so hard to tell with these modern haircuts."
Secret origin: Developed by Dave Green from the original establishment complaint of the Sixties, both celebrating - and satirising!