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A wide‑ranging and accessible exploration of the many ways humans use language — and other symbolic systems — to hide meaning, mislead, signal membership, or encode secrets. The book surveys ciphers, codes, slang, argot, riddles, cryptic crosswords, sacred languages, magical and religious expressions, euphemism, jargon, and other “secret” forms of communication. Through historical, cultural, and linguistic examples — and occasional puzzles — the author shows how hidden meanings have been woven into everyday language across time and societies.

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245: $a: Secret Language
245: $b:
082: $a:
100: $a: Barry J. Blake
650: $a: Communication Studies
250: $a:
440: $v:
250: $b: Oxford University Press
250: $c: 2010
020: $a: 978‑0199579280
300: $a: 352