A key component of any Le Carré novel is its jargonthe trade terms used by secret service personnel. His invented spy lingo is so persuasive that it has convinced readers that spies actually talk that way. As a matter of fact, sometimes they do. According to their inventor, such Le Carré words as mole and honey trap have been co-opted by British and Russian spies; others are rapidly entering the language. Among them:
Angel: member of the opposing security service.
Babysitter: bodyguard.
Burn: blackmail.
Burrower: Circus research specialist.
Circus: London headquarters of the British Secret Service.
Cousins: the CIA.
Honey trap: counterintelligence snare with male or female sexual...
