At the beginning of Prison Break Season 5 Episode 2, Lincoln was holding a paper swan supposedly from his brother,and the man with a kufi said:
Back in the day, he never talked to you straight, as in not in code?
What does "as in not in code" mean?
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you could rephrase the sentence like this –he never talk to you straight, by straight I mean as in a non-encrypted message? – Usually talking straight to someone means being very frank, direct.There are many ways of not talking straight though, here the protagonist clarifies the nuance of the term "straight" by asking if his brother used to or not to talk to him by direct sentences instead of using cryptic messages (like here, a folded swan that supposedly carry a meaning that only him can understand). – P. O. May 31 '17 at 16:34
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The first definition of code is:
a system of words, letters, figures, or symbols used to represent others, especially for the purposes of secrecy.
So, to talk in code means to talk using special words or symbols or language in general for the purposes of secrecy.
answered May 31 '17 at 15:37
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thank U, I know the meaning of "code " here.but I'm having trouble to appreciate the sentence. Does "as in not in code" mean " as in he never talked to you in code either"? – Thomas A May 31 '17 at 16:14
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Back in the day, he never talked to you straight, as in not in code?
It means: He always talked to you in code, never straight, didn't he?.
This is the use of a double negative in English:
If we remove the as in, we get:
He never talked to you not in code, [right]?.
as in is used to clarify a thought.
For example: You never liked shitty movies, did you? As in shitty horror movies.
Double negatives are used in English at times in conversation to clarify a sentence that is in the negative.
You never did not like movies, did you? is the same as; You always liked movies, didn't you?
It is used for emphasis....or to fix an ambiguity.
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as in ... That sentence gives the meaning of "straight" to be "not in code". The assertion "He never talked to you straight" is taken to mean "He always talked to you in code".
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He never talked to you straight, as in not in code? is an indirect question.
"as in" defines "straight": straight is "not in code." It doesn't mean "not in code either."
