[Ads-l] "-coded" in NY Times Magazine

ADSGarson O'Toole 00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Mon Apr 27 19:33:56 UTC 2026


Thanks for sharing the NYT article with a gift link, Nancy. I wonder
whether the article author saw the ADS thread. Occasionally, the
Google search engine highlights posts on this list. Garson

On Sun, Apr 26, 2026 at 12:05 PM Nancy Friedman
<00001b7f50001087-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Following up on a February thread, here's an On Language column by Dan
> Brooks:
>
> https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/magazine/coded-secret-messages-language.html?unlocked_article_code=1.d1A.22vh.JK-gsCGgwM4G&smid=url-share
> (gift link)
>
>
> >>Elle Fanning in a pink dress
> <https://x.com/efanningstyle/status/2036358558451724781?s=20> is
> “Barbie-coded.” The movie “Sinners” punishes its characters for various
> transgressions in a way that is “Christian-morality-play-coded
> <https://x.com/LauraRbnsn/status/2033252351373373945?s=20>.” BuzzBallz, the
> ready-to-drink cocktails in spherical containers, are “U.K.-coded
> <https://x.com/latesleeper_/status/2042325663760171090?s=20>,” even though
> they were invented in the United States. The construction turns a variety
> of verb phrases — looks like, feels like, reminds me of — into one
> adjective, but it also posits a connection too loose to be binding, in that
> pleasingly irresponsible way that characterizes so much online
> communication.<<
>
>
> Nancy Friedman
> Chief Wordworker
> web: wordworking.com <http://www.wordworking.com>
> substack https://fritinancy.substack.com/
> Medium <https://medium.com/@wordworking>
>
> tel 510 652-4159
> cel 510 304-3953
> bluesky/mastodon/instagram  Fritinancy
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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