Special Meaning

Do you have a secret code with the person or people you live with? I don't mean something that has one time pads or word or letter transposition. More I am thinking about individual terms of art, expressions that have no real meaning without being part of the club.

For instance, when Mrs. TANBI comes home this evening I am going to have to explain that I mistakenly did the unfortunate thing with the water.

Now, in and of itself that could really mean anything, yes? Perhaps I left the sink on and it overflowed, or maybe I took too long a shower and ran all the hot water out, maybe I left the garden hose on and flooded the yard. The point is that without being a full fledged member of the TANBI clan you wouldn't really know what's going on.

I think sometimes parents develop this sort of code for talking in front of their children. I know that at work some co-workers and I share language that predates any of the students - all of the people that were there at its inception have graduated. So we have a choice, we can either explain the terms to the current students or we can have secret conversations in clear text right in front of people. Fairly useful actually.

The use of language that is otherwise understandable for a purpose which no layperson can possibly understand is pretty neat. I remember another instance of this too. Way back in the day when I worked at K-Mart there were things people would say over the P.A. that were obviously codes. Like when the carts had to be round up rather than saying "I need a stock guy to go get all the carts" you would hear "711c." But there were other things people could say that would mean the store was on fire or someone was stealing something that were just other words. I guess its not exactly the same instance, as this case is devised, but the concept is similar.

The unfortunate thing with the water? In our home this means that you shut the refrigerator door without completely pushing the water purifier in. The door presses the handle, and while you are blissfully watching Collateral in high definition and five channel surround sound the entire reservoir empties out onto the kitchen floor. Usually your first indication is either a wet sock or a damp cat.

This time it was a sock. I have to go find some towels.