Dating Profiles, Bakeries and Other Unexpected Places With Secret Codes
Secret codes are all around us, making it easy to quickly communicate information to people who are looking for it. CB Radio codes , for example, aren’t exactly mysterious—if you’re old enough, you might even remember when they were pretty hip —and you probably know that hospitals have a few color codes for specific emergencies. And many people use secret codes in their daily lives, whether it’s to keep their kids safe or to find movies on Netflix .
But there are some secret codes that are not so well known. They fly under the radar, and unless you know what you’re looking for, you’ve probably run into them without even noticing. After all, secret codes are not the only preserve of spies and criminal gangs – they are used in all walks of life whenever someone needs to communicate without attracting attention or raising alarm. Here are some secret codes you might not know about.
Dating App Disclosure
In a dating profile, people are expected to share information about themselves, such as their interests, hobbies, and dating goals. Some people also use coded language to subtly communicate various things about themselves—in this case, details about their sexual health. According to the Washington Post, people with herpes sometimes use a simple, discrete secret code in their dating profiles to alert their potential partners: the number 437737, which spells out HERPES on a phone keypad.
Disney joke
Anywhere large groups of people gather to compete for limited resources, bad behavior will follow, and Disney theme parks are no exception . However, Disney has an image to protect and there are strict rules regarding how staff can communicate and interact with guests. As you can imagine, calling someone a “distinguished jerk” would be a violation of these rules, which is why Disney has a secret code for referring to the jerks in their park: “Created Guest” . This code has amazing “bless your heart” energy.
Disney also has codes for other incidents: a child peeing on a water ride is “Code Winnie,” vomiting is called a “protein spill,” and when people scatter a loved one’s ashes—a common and illegal practice—it’s called the ominous-sounding phrase ” White powder alert.”
Pirate scientists
You might not think that scientists would be particularly rebellious people, but they can be when they perceive something as harmful to the spread of knowledge—for example, when corporate scientific journals lock papers behind a paywall. Not only has this spawned the open access movement, which seeks to make it easier to share papers and articles, but it has also caused many scientists to become low-key pirates and use secret code to do their dirty work.
Well, it’s a “secret” code, and you might not know what it means when you see it: When a researcher or scientist needs access to an article, they post the link on social media or a forum and add the phrase ” I Can Haz PDF ” a reference to the old Cheeseburger Cat meme . When a colleague who has access to this document sees it, they will immediately email the PDF.
Bar Help
A sad fact of modern life is that the very places where you should be able to relax, unwind and have a good time – bars and taverns – are often the very places where women don’t feel safe . When an aggressive or creepy dude hits on you at a bar, the results range from a ruined evening to a dangerous situation.
However, depending on where your local bar is located, there may be a secret code for these situations: Shot by an Angel or Ask Angela . Both of these are secret codes that alert bar staff that you need help without forcing you to point out the person who is bothering you (thus alerting them that you have blamed them for something) or explain the unpleasant situation . Some bars post code signs in the women’s restroom, and some add additional phrases , such as asking for “Angel Shot on the Rocks” when you need someone to call you for Uber.
Swinger rings
Engagement rings are like anything else: While most people choose a traditional look, some people want to stand out and be more unique. If you see someone with a black wedding ring, it might just be a stylistic choice . But it could also be a secret code that tells people in the know that they’re swingers —you know, people who like to switch sexual partners and engage in group sexual encounters.
Black rings aren’t just for married people—single swingers can also wear black rings to signal their readiness to hook up.
Bread code
Very helpful and helpful! The secret code is right in front of you every time you buy a bag of bread at the grocery store. The twist tie or plastic clip that holds the plastic closed is likely one of five colors, and that color is a code that tells you the day of the week the loaf of bread was baked on:
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Blue: Monday
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Green: Tuesday
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Red: Thursday
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White: Friday
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Yellow: Saturday
Bakers usually don’t work on Sundays and Wednesdays, so obviously there is no color code for those days. So if you walk into the store on Friday and see loaves with yellow tags or ties on them, you know they’re a few days old, so you might want to look for something a little fresher.
IT joke
If computers and gadgets are a mystery to you, you’ve no doubt experienced the withering disdain of an IT professional (or a computer friend or relative) when they have to do something extremely simple to solve your computer problem. You just haven’t lived long enough to see you need IT help and a grumpy nerd shutting down your laptop and walking away.
Well, you should know that IT specialists have a whole set of secret codes that they can use to contact you without provoking you:
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ID 10-T Error. It sounds technical, but you are actually called “ID10T”.
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PEBKATS/PICNIC. If your friendly IT guy discusses your application and refers to PICNIC or PEBKAC, he’s telling his colleagues that you ‘re the problem. PEBKAC = the problem is between the keyboard and the chair and PICNIC = the problem is in the chair, not the computer.
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CODE 18: Another technical-sounding phrase that instead suggests that the problem is about 18 inches from the computer monitor (shhh, they’re talking about you ).
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EEOC. This means that the equipment exceeds the operator’s capabilities. This is another way of calling you an old fool.
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IBM error. You might think this is a reference to some part of your installation made by IBM. No, it means “the idiot behind the car.”
Navigating Central Park
If you’ve ever been to New York’s Central Park, you know that it’s huge and expansive and doesn’t have the same grid layout as Midtown. It’s not unusual for native New Yorkers to lose sight of the streets by losing sight of the streets.
But in plain sight, there is a secret code that makes it almost impossible to get lost. Each lamp post throughout the park is marked with a simple four or five digit numeric code . The first two or three numbers indicate which intersection you are closest to, and the last two numbers indicate the West Side (odd) or East Side (even). A lamppost numbered 6104 means you are closest to 61st Street on the East Side.
Hazard codes
You’ve probably seen tanker trucks with danger signs on them, and you probably know that those signs mean there’s something dangerous in the tank. But these plates have all sorts of codes on them that tell you exactly what’s in that tank. These codes are called UN numbers , and can be found either directly on or near the hazard symbol.
There are even more codes that tell you whether you’re dealing with explosives, flammable gases, flammable liquids, radioactive materials, poisons, corrosives (like acids), oxidizers, flammable solids, or something else. And the colors used on a hazardous substances placard also tell you something about what’s there—for example, a blue placard indicates that a substance is highly flammable when exposed to water.
Retail SOS
You may know that hospitals, airports, and other public places often use public address system codes to alert police or employees to a situation without alerting the public. But retail stores and shopping centers do this too, and one of the most universal ways is to use the name Nora, which is actually an acronym for NORA , which means “Employee Needed Immediately.” If an employee is having trouble with an aggressive or disruptive person, or if he wants to spread the word that someone is shoplifting without showing his hand, he can discreetly ask someone to call the police without escalating the situation.
Escort codes
It’s no surprise that escorts and sex workers can be found on a variety of dating apps—after all, many of these apps are heavily marketed as dating apps . But of course, no sex worker is going to just say that on their profile and include a price list. Some apparently use the code ” roses ” or “bring roses” instead. Roses cost dollars (1:1 exchange rate), so when someone asks you to bring roses, they are saying that you should be willing to pay them for the date. And if they specify a specific number of roses, they are essentially giving you their price list.