Secret Language

This title is about language designed to mean what it does not seem to mean. It explores the history and uses of the slangs and argots of schools and trades such as Polari and the languages of ancient cults.

Barry Blake taught at La Trobe University for many years. He is an expert on all aspects of language and a well known authority on Australian Aboriginal languages. His most recent book, All About Language was published by Oxford University Press in 2008.

1: On Being Mysterious
2: From Anagrams to Cryptic Crosswords
3: Talking in Riddles
4: Ciphers and Codes
5: Biblical Secrets
6: Words of Power
7: Words to Avoid
8: Jargon, Slang, and 'Secret Languages'
9: The Everyday Oblique
10: Elusive Allusions
11: Finale
Appendix: answers to the problems
Select Bibliography
Index