restricted code

noun

Sociolinguistics.

1. a style of language use associated with informal situations, characterized by linguistic predictability and by its dependence on the external context and on the shared knowledge and experience of the participants for conveying meaning.

Word History and Origins

Origin of restricted code¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Rental units were also segregated, archived copies of The Seattle Times show: As late as the early 1970s, prospective renters scanning classifieds in this newspaper would learn that some units were “restricted” — code for “whites only.”

From Seattle Times