familylect
n.— «Not those complex computer codes or ubiquitous bar codes or the lol codes used in so many IMs. Rather, the secret acronyms, subtextual phrases and redefined nouns that people invent at home.…Academics have developed a term for these kinds of codes. It’s called “familylect.”» —“Speaking in COD…“ by Melissa Dribben Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania) May 21, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there...
Amid a 1796 heat wave, Jane Austen wrote to her sister, “What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Jane Austen’s Continual State of Inelegance in a...