Secret Language: Codes, Tricks, Spies, Thieves, and Symbols

by Barry J. Blake

Book Overview

This book is about language designed to mean what it does not seem to mean. Ciphers and codes conceal messages and protect secrets. Symbol and magic hide meanings to imperil or delight. Languages made to baffle and confuse let insiders talk openly without being understood by those beyond the circle. Barry Blake looks in depth at these and many more. He explores the history and uses of the slangs and argots of schools and trades. He traces the histories...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199579288
• ISBN13: 9780199579280
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.8" x 5.4"