Language of Thieves

There are lots of strange sayings we use–"cat got your tongue," "bite the bullet," and "break a leg" to name a few–and it can be fun to trace where these idioms came from. But not all boast as interesting a story as "being in a pickle," which involves underground communities and hidden symbols. Here is a linguist’s journey to discover how different members of his family fought to either destroy or preserve a secret language of thieves. Guest: Martin Puchner, educator, public speaker, and author of "The Language of Thieves: My Family’s Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate"