Orangeman (it's code)

Back in the late 19th century there was a telegram boom and as happens today what with cellphone carriers charging for every little thing, the telegraph carriers back then charged extra for messages longer than 10 words. Thus the least-expensive telegram was often limited to 150 characters. In today's world, Twitter allows for 140 characters.

This fuelled a boom in telegraphic "code books" that reduced both common and complex phrases into single words. Dozens of different codes were published; many catered to specific occupations and all promised efficiency. The phrases seen here are from the third edition of “The Anglo-American Telegraphic Code,” published in 1891.

Could a Twitter code book be far behind? The mind cringes.

An Ernest contribution.