Pick up tech slang before you are dubbed ‘404’

A new type of slang, dubbed the “tech slang”, is making its way into people’s inboxes, as more people are using technology driven terms in messages, according to a new study. So, from now on, if you read “404” in your mobile inbox, it will mean “clueless”, inspired by the error message given when a browser cannot find a webpage. According to slang lexicographer Jonathon Green, some such terms and abbreviations have evolved as a result of the limited speed and space afforded by text messaging. And more use of SMS can actually come up with new terms. As part of the study, the researchers closed in on an unlikely slang source- Oyster system, a card-based payment scheme on the London Underground. Usually, the card readers show the number 35 if the card has run out of credit. Thus, “Code 35” now means penniless. In the same way you can be named “Code 11” if you are behind the times, for in Oyster’s system, that’s how one refers to an out-of-date card.