General
litso
What does litso mean?
Used in expressions of emotion, recognition, or violence, exactly where English would say 'face'.
"Her litso went white when she saw the britva."
Origin
Coined by Burgess in A Clockwork Orange (1962) from the Russian 'litso', 'face'. It belongs to the cluster of body-part terms Burgess drew from Russian to build Nadsat.
Frequently asked questions
What does litso mean?
It is Nadsat for the face, from the Russian 'litso'.
Where did litso come from?
Anthony Burgess took it from the Russian word for face for his 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange.
What other Nadsat words name body parts?
Gulliver (head), rooker (hand), and litso (face) are among the most common.
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Vocabulary Flow — saved to your collection.
