The Word

How to talk like a doomsday prepper

Useful jargon for the zombie apocalypse

By Ben Zimmer
Globe Correspondent /  December 29, 2012
Text Size:
  • +
This story is from BostonGlobe.com, the only place for complete digital access to the Globe.
  • E-mail
  • E-mail this article

    Invalid E-mail address
    Invalid E-mail address

    Sending your article

    Your article has been sent.

Page 2 of 2 --

The preppers’ jargon is snappy, emanating quasi-military discipline and embodying their acronymic motto, KISS (keep it simple, stupid). “Prepping,” after all, is about meticulously taking stock of what one might need for the aftermath of anything from a mega-earthquake to a nuclear detonation. As they organize their lives for the PAW (post-apocalyptic world), survivalists are evidently prepping their language as well.

Ben Zimmer is the executive producer of VisualThesaurus.com and Vocabulary.com. He can be reached at benzimmer.com/contact.end of story marker

This story is from BostonGlobe.com, the only place for complete digital access to the Globe.
  • E-mail
  • E-mail this article

    Invalid E-mail address
    Invalid E-mail address

    Sending your article

    Your article has been sent.