Nadsat

fictional register

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Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

Nadsat is a fictional slang vocabulary created by Anthony Burgess for his 1962 novel, A Clockwork Orange. This futuristic slang is primarily a blend of English and adapted Russian words. Burgess used Nadsat to depict the language of his young, delinquent characters, giving the novel a unique and unsettling tone. The slang contributes to the dystopian atmosphere of the story, which is set in a bleak England. While "nads" is an informal term for testes, derived from gonad, this is not directly related to the fictional slang Nadsat.12

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A Clockwork Orange
Summary
…enjoyment in Burgess’s made-up slang, Nadsat. At one point the group breaks into a cottage, beating a young writer and gang raping his wife, who later dies. When an attempted robbery goes awry and Alex murders an elderly woman, he is sentenced to 14 years in prison. He gradually adjusts…
Read More
…enjoyment in Burgess’s made-up slang, Nadsat. At one point the group breaks into a cottage, beating a young writer and gang raping his wife, who later dies. When an attempted robbery goes awry and Alex murders an elderly woman, he is sentenced to 14 years in prison. He gradually adjusts…
Read More