siblingcipher

/ˈsɪblɪŋˌsɪfə/nounVerified New

Also in: Geschwisterchiffre (Deutsch) · hermanicifra (Español) · fratrichiffre (Français)

The private shorthand — single words, glances, half-phrases — through which siblings communicate entire paragraphs.

One word from childhood unlocks a shared verdict on a relative, a memory, or a smell. Siblingciphers are unlearnable by spouses and indecipherable to parents, which is a large part of their function. Decoding attempts are met with "you had to be there."

Etym. — sibling + cipher — the code that was never designed, only accumulated.

Rel. — bedroommesh · jokeheirloom

Novelty check: APPROVE

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