13 MAY 1989, Page 12

A DICTIONARY OF CANT

PEOPLE, as in, 'Accountancy is peo- ple.' In fact, accountancy is not people, it is arithmetic. All sorts of careers insist that they 'are people', implying that there is human contact involved in the job. Often it is true to some extent. Loan sharking is people. Contact mur- der is people, it cannot be denied.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ADDICTION. It means 'enjoyment' in the special con- text that there is something you enjoy, and it is about to be banned, if the speaker gets his way. Nigel Burke