It is not uncommon for students to use code words to discuss the appearance of others. There may be a variety of psychological and social factors behind this. Here are some possible reasons and what they might say specifically： ### 1. **Protect privacy** -**Reason**: Students may feel that it would be impolite or offensive to discuss the appearance of others directly, so they use code words to avoid direct mention. -**Specific content**: They may use some code names or metaphors to describe someone's physical characteristics. For example, use “apple face” to describe a round face, or use “bamboo pole” to describe a tall and thin person. ### 2. **Avoid being discovered by teachers or parents** -**Reason**: Students may be worried that their thoughts will be heard by teachers or parents, so they use code words to hide their true intentions. -**Specific content**: They may use some seemingly unrelated words or phrases to refer to someone's appearance. For example, use “that tree” to describe someone who is particularly tall, or use “that cat” to describe someone with particularly big eyes. ### 3. **Build group identity** -** Reason**: The use of code words allows students to establish a unique sense of group identity and enhance each other's intimacy. -**Specific content**: They may create some vocabulary or phrases that only they can understand. For example, use “little sun” to describe someone who is particularly sunny, or use “ice beauty” to describe someone who looks indifferent. ### 4. **Humor or ridicule** -**Reason**: Students may find it more interesting to discuss the appearance of others in code words, which can increase the sense of humor in the conversation. -**Specific content**: They may use exaggerated or humorous words to describe someone's appearance. For example, use “elephant legs” to describe someone with particularly thick legs, or use “chicken coop head” to describe someone with particularly messy hair. ### 5. **Avoid hurting the feelings of others** -**Reason**: Students may realize that directly discussing the appearance of others may hurt each other's feelings, so they use code words to alleviate this impact. -**Specific content**: They may use some neutral or compliment words to describe someone's appearance. For example, use “little giant” to describe a short but capable person, or use “moon face” to describe a person with a particularly round face. ### 6. **Express complex emotions** -**Reason**: Students may have complex emotions about someone's appearance, and these emotions can be better expressed by using code words. -**Specific content**: They may use some polysemy or puns to describe someone's appearance. For example, use “star eyes” to describe someone with particularly bright eyes, or use “iceberg” to describe someone who has a cold appearance but a warm heart. ### 7. **Cultural or popular influence** -**Reason**: Students may be influenced by certain cultural or popular elements and use code words to imitate or pay tribute to these elements. -**Specific content**: They may use some buzzwords or Internet idioms to describe someone's appearance. For example, use “appearance value” to describe someone who is particularly good-looking, or use “ugly and cute” to describe someone who is not very good-looking but very cute. ### Summary Students may use code words to discuss the appearance of others for a variety of reasons, including protecting privacy, avoiding detection, building group identity, increasing sense of humor, avoiding hurting other people's feelings, expressing complex emotions, and being influenced by cultural or popular elements. The specific content may vary from group to group and situation to situation, but it usually involves some code names, metaphors, exaggerations, or humorous vocabulary. Hope this information can help you better understand this phenomenon. If you have more questions or need to discuss further, feel free to let me know!