"Circus" Jargon
The characters' jargon-heavy dialogue establishes the fictional authenticity of the espionage portrayed in The Honourable Schoolboy; examples of John le Carré's tradecraft language are:
| Tradecraft term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Agent | An external, freelance person recruited to provide information and services; Circus staff are referred to as intelligence officers. |
| Burrowers | Circus researchers, usually academics recruited from universities. |
| Circus | The in-house name for MI6, the SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) which collects foreign intelligence. "Circus" refers to the SIS's London locale at Cambridge Circus. |
| The Competition | MI5, the internal UK counter-espionage and counter-terrorism security service, whom the Circus often calls "The Security Mob". |
| The Cousins | The CIA in particular, and US intelligences services in general. |
| Ferrets | Technicians responsible for finding and removing hidden microphones, cameras, et cetera. |
| Housekeepers | Internal auditors and disciplinarians of the Circus. |
| Janitors | Operations staff |
| Lamplighters | Control surveillance and couriers. |
| Mothers | Secretaries and trusted typists serving the head of the Circus. |
| Nuts and Bolts | Engineers who develop and manufacture espionage devices. |
| Pavement Artists | Circus officers who inconspicuously follow people in public. |
| Scalphunters | Assassinations, counter-espionage, burglaries, kidnappings, et cetera, that was sidelined after Control's dismissal. |
| Shoemakers | Circus forgers |
| Babysitters | Bodyguards |
| Wranglers | Radio signal analysts and cryptographers; the name derives from Wrangler maths students. |
Read more about this topic: The Honourable Schoolboy
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