Definition

Noun: 1. Specialized or informal language: The distinctive vocabulary, expressions, and jargon used by a particular group, profession, or subculture, often difficult for outsiders to understand. 2. A foreign language or dialect: (Informal, sometimes humorous or dismissive) Refers to a language one does not know or understand.

Examples

• Noun:
  • It took me a few weeks to learn the lingo used by the software developers at my new job.
  • The article was full of medical lingo that was confusing to the general public.
  • He picked up the local lingo quickly while traveling through the region.

Advanced Usage

• "to speak the lingo": To be fluent in or familiar with the specialized language of a particular group.
  • To succeed in the fashion industry, you really need to speak the lingo.

Variants and Related Words

• -speak (suffix): Used to form nouns denoting the jargon of a specific field (e.g., , , ). This is a related concept for creating group-specific lingo.

Synonyms

• Jargon: The specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity.
• Slang: Very informal language, more commonly used in speech than writing, and typically associated with a particular social group.
• Argot: The specialized vocabulary of a particular group, especially one engaged in covert or criminal activities.
• Cant: Language specific to a time, place, or group, often implying hypocrisy or insincerity.

Related Phrases

• Inside lingo: The specialized terms and phrases understood only by members of a specific, often closed, group.
  • Their conversation was full of inside lingo that made no sense to me.

Related Idioms

• Talk the talk: (Part of the idiom "walk the walk and talk the talk") To speak in the appropriate or impressive jargon of a particular field.
  • He can certainly talk the talk of a marketing executive.

Noun

1. a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
   • they don't speak our lingo