Schott's Significa catalogs secret languages of subcultures; Daily Mail quiz spotlights terms

A new book by Ben Schott, Schott's Significa, catalogs the secret words and phrases used by more than 50 modern subcultures, from Taylor Swift fans to dog walkers. The private lexicons are designed to bind members together and keep outsiders out, according to the author.

The Daily Mail published a quiz that tests readers on 10 terms drawn from the book, with multiple-choice definitions. Participants encounter a word and must pick its meaning; the items range from triskaidekaphilia to donk and wizard, illustrating how subcultures compress complex ideas into a single term. Triskaidekaphilia is described as a love for the number 13; donk refers to an unskilled player; wizard is defined as a man who is still a virgin at 30.

The list in the quiz underscores a cross-section of groups, including Swifties, Las Vegas gamblers, bartenders, incels and dog walkers, each of which has developed its own shorthand. For example, Cujo signals a very aggressive dog in dog-walker slang; campers describe patrons who have stopped ordering but linger; Gertrude denotes an endlessly dissatisfied female customer; burner marks an especially impressive piece of graffiti; oranges and lemons is used by London cabbies to refer to main roads; face card signals an influencer whose looks are valued as highly as a credit card; lunk designates a loud, rude gym-goer who drops weights. These terms are meant to speed communication and occasionally to shield insiders from scrutiny.

Schott's Significa is described as a continuation of Schott's earlier miscellanies, adapted for the internet age. Ben Schott has built a reputation for compiling obscure information into accessible formats, and Significa seeks to map how online and in-person subcultures produce private languages that can evolve quickly as communities change. The author notes that the intricacies of how people talk remain a challenge for search engines and AI systems, which makes such documentation especially timely.

The quiz and the book reflect a broader cultural fascination with subcultures and their codes. As digital communication accelerates, these private vocabularies become more visible in mainstream media, quizzes, and social conversations, offering a window into how communities define belonging, enforce boundaries and pass along norms. The Daily Mail exercise invites readers to test their own familiarity with the lexicons, while Schott's Significa provides a reference guide for curious readers who want to understand the languages shaping contemporary social groups.